How to Get Rid of Rats Without Poison or Traps

Rats are no longer just a city problem. Due to urban sprawl and networks of underground sewer lines, water pipes, and utility wires, even so-called nice neighborhoods may harbor rats near buildings or at well-managed dumpsters near upscale apartment complexes.

Rats are intelligent and innovative, and reproduce prolifically. Some species live unobtrusively in the wild. Roof rats and Norway rats seek out human habitations and frequent garbage and waste dumps daily. They also remain virtually immune to most diseases they may spread,

Pest controllers pride themselves on a Pied Piper image that is less than real, as they sprinkle poisons about that put pets, birds, and wildlife at risk, from raptors and raccoons to domestic pets. Even one drop of blood from a used snap-trap can release unwanted bacteria. Sticky traps can restrain rats in an area they might otherwise pass through quickly without contaminating. But there is another way to discourage rats without handling poisons or dead bodies. Read My Tips and Warnings Below:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Inspect foundations for holes near pipes, bulkheads, and windows. Current holes or gnaw marks are rough, while old ones are smooth. Droppings can both identify the "dropper" and indicate if signs are old or current.

2. Animal noise in basements, walls, or attics is best addressed with predator repellent like Shake-away (fox urine) from farm supply and hardware stores. This is not a poison, nor harmful to pets. Rodents run from predator smells. This works for rats, tree and ground squirrels, and house mice.

3. Tie up small bundles of granules in pieces of nylon stocking. Toss bundles into crawl spaces and attic areas. The odor is imperceptible to humans, but raises terror in rats.

4. Place repellent bundles every 6-12 months; earlier if new activity is noticed. Near entrance holes, clean any outside droppings to be able to see new ones. Wait until entrances are abandoned, then close off with chew-proof material.

5. If rats are in your yard, not in your house, immediately move your bird feeder or food source 20 feet further from the house. Clean up any dropped seed. Rats fear being in the open, so clear away brush, leaves or junk piles between the feeder and the house. The more barren the area, the better. Then use repellent near the house foundation, and between there and the new feeder location.

6. After a week, remove the bird feeder altogether, cleaning up any seed residue. Reapply Shake-Away granules between the house and the previous feeder locations, near the foundation monthly, and after every rain.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't attract rats in the first place. New rodent-proof home construction prevents rodent access, but the older the home, the greater the possible access.
• Rats run along walls and borders, and roots of tree lines. Clean these areas of leaves, and debris, removing their hiding places.
• Rats are active at dusk and early dawn. Some Norway rats can weigh over a pound leaving large droppings; current droppings are soft and moist; old ones are hard and crumbly. Using an ultra-violet light will cause urine streaks to show up.
• Rats become used to most chemical repellents, but not to predator urine, with a nearly immediate negative effect.
• Using fox urine outdoors could attract local wild canids to your rat population (bad for rats - foxes and coyotes are both excellent rat killers). Coyotes are better large rodent predators than foxes,and contrary to pro-hunting propaganda, are generally good neighbors to humans - but not to their pets. Keep pets inside and away from urine-seeded areas at night.

Resources

• Natural Predators Control Pests

[wltw]

on 11/15/2009 To Raymonddic: I was referring to the Shake-away (fox urine) in the previous paragraph. That comes in granules, making it really easy to create little 'nylon' bombs of it and toss them into nooks and crevices.
Good Luck!

[raymonddic]

on 11/14/2009 Hi, Tie up small bundles of granules in pieces of nylon stocking. May i know what is a granules and what type of granules ? Thanks. My area got a lot of rats recently and this rats can climb wall from ground floor to the roof.
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[Fuller1972]

on 6/5/2009 This is a great idea, I use glue traps but sometimes my cats get into them and it is diffiult to wash off. *****

[goodselfme]

on 5/2/2009 Good tips on effectively getting rid of rats without poisions and traps. I needed this info.

[Lisa1961]

on 4/30/2009 Great