How To Get Rid Of Rats | Do-It-Yourself Pest Control

Number One Tip: Use Plenty of Rat Traps

The top rule for getting rid of rats in your home is to use plenty of traps. You may need more traps than you think is warranted when trapping rats. Usually, the rat population is larger than expected. Make sure that you are catching rats and not mice. 

A typical mousetrap is not big enough to trap and kill rats. We will review the best rat traps to use for rat control in and around your home. Some of the best types of traps to get rid of rats in your home include:

• Snap Rat Traps

• Rat Glue Traps

• Live Rat Traps

• All Rat Traps

Some of the best things to bait your rat traps with include peanut butter, unsalted seeds or nuts, bananas, apples, cake icing, and raw uncooked meat like bacon, hotdogs, or raw chicken.

We carry several professional lures that combine food-grade materials with no peanuts.

Rats will show adverse trap behavior since rats are naturally suspicious of new objects and surroundings. Pre-bait the traps without setting the traps to encourage the rats to the traps.

Trap Placement for a Rat Infestation

Where do you place traps to get rid of rats in your home? Place rat traps in high-activity areas of the rat colony.

These areas may include darkened corners, along walls, behind appliances and objects, and all areas where droppings are evident. Since rats need to touch surfaces as they move, place them accordingly.

Place rat traps spaced from 15-20 feet apart. Remember to place them touching a wall since rats like to run along walls to avoid detection.

Looking for rat droppings and placing rait traps near these areas will likely help you catch rats along their usual routes. You may find evidence of a rat problem by finding grease marks along walls they frequently travel.

Since rats prefer enclosed, safe locations, use Protecta Bait Stations with the T-Rex Snap Traps. These stations will shelter the rat, encouraging it to enter, as well as protect non-targeted animals and children from the snap trap's harm.

The Victor Snap Traps are fine traps, but their height will not fit into bait stations. If this is the case, you can get a cardboard box, cut holes in it, and place it over the Victor Snap Trap to get rid of rats in your home.

The cardboard box method is not tamper-resistant like the Protecta Ambush Station.

Rat Trapping Tips for Getting Rid of Rats in Your Home

Rats are often shy of new objects. The placement of unset traps in a new location for a week or two will increase your opportunities for getting rid of rats in your home. To have success in trapping rats, you need to know where to place them:

• Position rat traps to maximize rats' chances to cross over the traps during their natural travels along their runways. 

• Set snap traps extended at a right angle from a wall with the trigger end almost touching the wall. 

• If rat traps are set parallel to the wall, set them in pairs with triggers situated to intercept the rats from either direction. Rats have poor eyesight so they will prefer to stay along walls to navigate.

• To trap Roof Rats, set traps on tree limbs, under vegetation on a backyard fence or trellis, or other aboveground locations roof rats are known to frequent. Fasten the traps with wire to overhead pipes, rafters, and beams.

• Set out unset rat traps buried in grain, sawdust, or similar materials within an empty cardboard box or pie pan. Place the rat bait in small pieces near it and above it with the hidden trap below.

• Once the rats start taking the bait, set the traps. This arrangement will acclimate the rats to the traps.

• Do not touch pets before handling the traps. The scent of your pet will scare away rats approaching the trap.

• Avoid handling dead rodents with bare hands when performing rat removal to prevent contact with ectoparasites or diseased animals.

Mass Trapping

Once adapted, set enough traps to kill a large percentage of the population before the rodents become "trap shy". This method is called mass trapping, which means catching them at a higher rate than they can repopulate and become shy of the trap.

There may be a need to have as many as 2-3 dozen rat traps set in a commercial establishment in an infested trash room.

By having these rat traps baited with Provoke Rat Attractant, Pro-Pest Professional Lures, or peanut butter in unset traps, a large population will become used to feeding around the traps. Later, when the rat traps are simultaneously set after a while of this "feeding," a large kill can be obtained.

Use Baits to Kill Rats Fast

Rodent baits (the strong single-feed baits) are more costly but will help you eliminate rats in your home fast. These rat poison-baited traps put much more pressure on the rodent population as they readily take the bait and die. This is one of the fastest ways to kill rats and stop a rat infestation.

Some Rats Are Cautious

Even after setting out the unset rat traps to encourage trapping results, you may still have rats that will not go into the snap traps.

There are alpha and beta rats in a rat population. The first rats to be caught in snap traps are the beta rats (inferior rats).

The superior alpha rats are much more cautious around the snap traps. At this point, use a live trap. Rodenticides (rat poison) may be another choice for you at this point.

Key Takeaway

Whether using snap traps or glue traps, place them in areas where rats feel comfortable enough to stop and investigate.

Rats feel vulnerable in the middle of a room. Placing a rat trap against walls and behind furniture will help you get rid of rats in your home.

Advantages of Using Rat Traps to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home

• Poison rodent baits may be dangerous to children and pets. Trapping can be safer.

• For smaller rat infestations, rat traps provide quick results.

• Easier to locate the dead rat for easy disposal to avoid odors.

Disadvantages of Using Rat Traps Get Rid of Rats in Your Home

• If the rat infestation is extensive and severe, trapping can be a very time-consuming and laborious way to get rid of rats in your home.

• Trapping rat programs are not as cost-effective as rodent bait programs, particularly for controlling large rat populations.

• Some rat traps, such as snap traps, can injure people, pets, children, or wildlife if they accidentally encounter the trap. It is advised to use a Trapper T Rex Snap Trap inside a secured bait station, like Protecta Bait Stations or Ambush Bait Station, as an alternate trapping solution.

• Some rat traps, such as glue boards, are not considered humane.

When to Use a Rat Trap

• Use rat traps when poison baits may pose a potential hazard to children, pets, or wildlife.

• Use rat traps where rodent baits are not allowed due to the possibility of food contamination.

• If you have a small infestation, use rat traps to get rid of rats in your home fast.

• Use rat traps when rodents exhibit bait shyness.

• Use rat traps when dead rats may create odors. Multiple dead rats pose a serious odor issue.

Types Of Rat Traps

1. Rat Snap Traps

Advantages:

These traps are relatively inexpensive and will instantly kill a rat, a fantastic method to get rid of rats in your home.

Improvements have been made over the years to the typical wooden snap trap. The T-Rex Trap is easier to set, more versatile, and one of the best rat traps on the market today.

Disadvantages:

The spring on the rat snap trap is powerful ( it could break a finger); keep it out of reach of your family pets and small children.

An alternate solution would be using the Trapper T Snap Traps with a protective bait station. The T Rex traps are designed to fit perfectly in the Protecta Bait Stations or Ambush Bait Stations.

2. Rat Glue Traps

After inspecting the rat-infested areas, place the rat glue boards in those areas. Place the glue traps directly in their runways. Rats usually travel along baseboards and walls since they use the walls for guidance. Place glue traps where there has been rodent activity to get rid of rats in your home.

The Rat Glue Traps open like a book and, with its unique design, offers flexibility in placement.

The Trapper Tunnels that come in plastic or cardboard will cover and protect the glue from dirt and dust. It will also hide caught rodents from sight.

We carry Trapper Rat Glue Traps, Catchmaster Cold Temperature Rodent Traps, Trapper Plastic Tunnel, Trapper Cardboard Tunnels, Maxcatch Giant Glue Boards, and Trapper Glue to make your boards.

Where To Store Glue Boards

Avoid storing glue traps in vehicles during warm weather without placing them in a cooler. The glue will melt in hot weather. If glue gets on your pet's paw, coat it with vegetable oil. This oil will dissolve the glue.

Advantages:

Rat Glue Traps are safer to use than snap traps unless the snap traps are placed in protective rat bait stations.

Rats are less likely to become "trap shy." The glue boards have a lower profile, so the rat is less suspicious of the new object.

Less costly than snap traps.

Glue Traps can be used inside in a variety of places, this makes them a versatile option when attempting to get rid of rats in your home.

Disadvantages:

One disadvantage of glue traps is that they need to be kept in a dry and dust-free area.

They may be inhumane to the rat; the rat may not die immediately.