How to Get Rid of the Mouse and Rats
Disease, foul odors, destruction of home property, and many other harmful things can come from having a mouse or rat infestation in your building. Mice and rats have a worldwide range and commonly take refuge in man-made structures. Mice have been known to chew through electrical wiring, and rats can aggressively bite household pets. Try not to worry too much, because removing harmful rodents may take some work, but mankind has developed a variety of proven ways to get rid of them. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Glue traps
- Rat or mouse snap traps
- Rodent poison pellets
- Wire mesh
- Nails, glue or staples
- Gloves
Instructions
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Patching, Trapping and Disposal
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Check areas where mouse droppings have been seen, and look for holes in walls and ceilings. Patch any holes with a wire mesh covering, and seal it with nails, glue or staples, depending on the surface.
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A successful snapping rat trap. Set traps in areas where rodent activity has been observed. Rats and mice will ingest poison pellets and die. The problems with this method include locating the dead animal and the potential of lingering stench from a rotting mouse in an unreachable location. Snapping rat traps will crush the rodent’s spine, killing it immediately. Bait these traps with a food that will have to be tugged hard by the rat to activate the trap, such as a sticky candy or peanut butter. Place snap traps along walls and baseboards where rodents usually travel. Glue traps are adhesive pads that stick to the fur of the rodent, preventing escape and allowing for easy retrieval.
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Use thick protective gloves to keep rodents from biting, scratching and transmitting disease to you when removing dead or dying rodents from your home. Dispose of rats killed by poison and snapping traps in the garbage. Collect rats stuck on glue traps and humanely kill survivors with a swift hit to the head before disposing.
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Tips & Warnings
Contain your food in cabinets and containers to make rodents lose interest in your home.
Trim trees and large plants so they do not reach your home. Rodents climb them to access your building.
Killing off rodents stuck in glue traps is humane, as the alternative for the animal is starving to death in a trash bag.
Retrieve unused traps after the rodent problem has been eliminated to prevent accidental harm to innocent animals and people.
Unchecked rodent populations can destroy electronics with their constant gnawing, and can become a deadly fire hazard.
Examples of diseases rodents can carry and spread to you include rat-bite fever, eosinophilic meningitis,salmonella and leptospirosis.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit rat 1 image by Psycience from Fotolia.com rat in trap image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
