What is the most effective way to deal with rats in my home?


Rats are a common problem in the UK. Once they get into a home or a commercial building they can breed into large numbers.

Not only are they a nuisance, they also have the potential to spread disease and infection to both humans and pets. There are several recommended methods of dealing with rats.
 

The first step is deterrence. If you live in a rat-prone zone like in the big cities make sure that there are no small spaces that rats can crawl through and get in your home. The same goes for the countryside especially if your home is near a barn.

Rat poison is a good option except it presents 2 problems. The first is that the rat may crawl into a small space and die which means you have to deal with the smell. The other is that you endanger other animals that may eat dead rats such as owls and dogs.

You can use electromagnetic devices that produce very low current that drives rats away. These can be very effective but they should not be used in homes that have bats otherwise you will have to deal with dead bats.

Traps are also an excellent way of dealing with rats. They should be set in places where the rats run around and away from children and pets. Don’t bait them for a few days – the rats have to get familiar with them. After two or three days bait them with peanut butter. Wear gloves – if they get the human scent they get cautious.

You can also use glue traps but you have to be ready to drive the rats more than 2 Km to set them free if you cannot bear to watch them struggle until they die from exhaustion. This is a very effective method if you have big nests.

If the idea of killing rats is more than you can take you can make humane traps for them. There is information online about how to make one. The best are made out of metal. Again, once you trap them you have to take them out in the wild where they cannot come back.

The use of guns to kill rats is not illegal in the UK so long as you have a certificate of ownership for the gun. If you decide to go with this method be ready to clean up the mess.

Now you know the best ways of dealing with rats; don’t allow them to multiply.
 
If you need advice about rats and mice or would like assistance removing them from your home, call Avon Pest Control on 01926 632 929 or click here to request a quote.


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