Rats are a problem that can be harmful to people
when they infest a domestic or commercial
property, so it is natural to want to deal with
them as soon as possible. One of the first things
to note is that rats will often have been
attracted by sources of food, and in some cases
the food stocks in those buildings will need to be
checked for signs of the rats having been nibbling
at them, and disposed of if the rats have
contaminated it. The simplest method is still the
best when it comes to dealing with rats, and
trapping the animals is humane and effective when
it comes to getting rid of large and small rat
infestations.
Which Traps Are Best For Getting Rid Of
Rats?
There are several different types of traps that
can be used to kill rats, and the simple snap
traps with their spring mechanism are still very
effective, and are affordable especially if you
are dealing with an infestation in a larger
building. There are also other traps that have
either plastic or metal mechanisms that also close
around the rat when they try to get to the bait.
You should however look to avoid any type of glue
trap, as this is certainly no more effective than
the snap traps but are not at all humane and can
leave you in a position of dealing with a live rat
stuck to a board when you are checking your traps.
The Importance Of Locating The Traps Well
Whatever the type of trap that you choose to use,
location is very important as to whether or not
the trap will be successful, so make sure you take
time to identify the right location for your trap.
You should be looking for areas where the rats are
most active, and whether it is in the attic, in
wall cavities or in outbuildings, look for signs
such as rat droppings and smudges of brown grease
on walls to indicate the rats are active. You
should also use a tasty bait to try and attract
the rats too, and this can be something like
peanut butter, soft cheese or marshmallows.
Monitoring To Ensure All Rats Are Removed
When you have an appropriate number of traps set
up, you should check on them at least once a day
and remove any carcasses promptly, otherwise they
can start to attract other pest animals if they
are allowed to stay there for too long. You should
also keep an eye on the different areas where rats
have been a problem, and once you have started
catching the rats, then you also monitor to see if
there are any more signs of activity, or if they
start to become old signs of rat presence. Keep
trapping until you no longer see new signs of rat
activity.
Preventing Future Rat Infestations
Once you are confident that you have caught all of
the rats, make sure that you are sealing any of
the access points that the rats were using to get
in and out of the building. You should also have a
look to try and identify any of the food sources
that the rats were gaining access to, and where
possible look to move these into solid containers
that cannot be ripped open easily. Monitoring the
situation is also a wise move, as the sooner that
you spot the signs of rats being present, the
sooner that you will be able to deal with a fresh
infestation and stop the rats from becoming a more
significant problem.
For more information, you may want to click on one
of these guides that I wrote:
How much
does rat removal cost? - get the lowdown on
prices.
How
to get rid of rats - my main rat removal
info guide.
Example
rat trapping photographs - get
do-it-yourself ideas.
Rat
job blog - learn from great examples of rat
jobs I've done.
Do rats kill mice?