Rats are a destructive and dangerous infestation. Unlike mice who enter your home as soon as they can and then remain permanently with no intention of leaving rats do not want to live in your home. They prefer to live on the exterior in a burrow which feels safer for them. Because of this, your rat issue is mostly an exterior one and the rats on the inside are just there looking for food. So why not give it to them?
The best way to catch rats on the interior is snap traps. Poison should never be used to kill rats on the inside of a house. If a rat dies in the walls of a house it will rot for a long period and create a large stain on the wall as well as a smell that can get you to move out. The wall would have to be ripped down and the insulation removed and replaced. This can be very expensive and can ruin your year financially and emotionally. Everyone needs a sense of safety in their home, your home is your castle and if you feel unsafe in your castle then there is a serious problem. You can try calling expensive professionals but you have the power to end this infestation on your own if you just follow all the rules.
For the rats on the interior, the first thing you should do is not buy snap traps. Instead, inspect the exterior of the house. Look for openings, cracks and holes. Any possible entryway a rat could use to enter your home. This is step one. Step two is to go to the hardware store and purchase everything you need to seal all of the openings. Try to use consistent materials. Concrete can seal concrete, steel mesh can seal holes. Avoid anything soft like spray foam as rats can chew through it easily. Get a heavy gauge steel wire because rats can chew through aluminum very easily. You will then buy a device, you can also make it at home but it’s more effective to buy one ready made. It’s called a one-way door and it lets the rats leave the house of their own volition but prevent them from getting back into the house. This focuses the infestation on the outside and does a great job of getting all the rats out of the house so you do not need to use snap traps. That being said some rats may not pass through the one-way door. They may find it suspect, which is true, it is. For this, you will need to pull out the snap traps. Now, old fashioned snap traps won’t take off your finger, they may not hurt you at all because they are very weak. They are made that way to be safe in a house with pets and children who may step on or touch it. If you do not have children or pets go for the large plastic ones that can take off a hand. You open them using the butterfly clips on the back. Never put your hand into the mouth of the trap, not even close. Apply the bait with a butter knife or spoon and then lay it down, again never putting your fingers near the teeth. If it snaps shut simply move your hands away and let it hit the ground. You can always reset it. Place them in areas where you find rat feces and behind furniture and under the sink in the kitchen. These are common areas for rats. You can also place them by any entryways you have yet to seal.
The best baits are simple and obvious. Rats are after fatty food and sugary foods, they also like nuts and berries and meat. The best option is a piece of bacon as the smell will bring them running. Peanut butter is effective and used by most people. You can also use jam, sausage meat, chocolate and marshmallows. Make sure to put only a small piece of the rat could just lean over the trap and take it without activating the trap. You want dead rats, not full happy rats.
