How to Kill Rats and Squirrels
Rats and squirrels are part of the rodent family. While seemingly innocuous, they possess small sharp teeth that can chew or eat through materials. This includes parts of your home such as siding and wiring. Rats and squirrels may take up residence in attics and crawlspaces of your home. They may also cause outside damage by eating crops. Killing rats and squirrels requires sealing their points of entry, removing nearby trees and putting out baits and traps. In some cases, you may be able to kill them with a pellet gun. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Inspect the outside of your home. Look for any opening or ways that rats or squirrels may enter your home.
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Seal any openings. You may use a foam sealant for particularly small holes and crevices.
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Vacuum any rodent droppings within areas of your home such as attics. This will remove their recognition of scent.
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Trim any tree branches 6 to 8 feet away from your house. This removes one way for rodents to travel back and forth from your home.
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Put rat baits out. These contain packages of poisonous pellets. Place baits in areas you know rats or squirrels have been, taking care to keep them out of reach of children or pets.
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Place rat traps in areas where rats or squirrels have been trafficking.
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Use a pellet gun. Squirrels and rats may be killed with an air rifle or pellet gun in areas where is it not prohibited by law.
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Tips & Warnings
Removing bird feeders will reduce food sources for rats and squirrels.
Depending on the state in which you live, you may need to apply for a permit to kill tree squirrels. You may also be prohibited from using poison baits or pellet guns for killing squirrels. Contact your state's department of fish and game for restrictions.
Squirrels and rats display conditioned behavior. They may return to the same area a year later for food, water or shelter.
References
- Photo Credit rat 1 image by Psycience from Fotolia.com
