How to catch a rat? 4 deadly traps and 12 folk remedies for exterminating rodents

02/26/201702/26/2017 Maria Ivanova 2 comments

A peculiar stereotype is the opinion that the appearance of rats is possible only in one’s own home, but not in apartments. However, the urban environment has many attractions for rats. Basements, attics, cluttered hallways, and garbage chutes become excellent homes for them. Accordingly, residents of the first floors suffer from rodent infestations more often than other apartment residents.

The appearance of a rat in an apartment is the last thing any sane person dreams of. And it’s not just that these rodents damage supplies, can damage wiring by cutting wires, and harm pets.

The danger is that rodents are carriers of various dangerous infectious diseases. Neighborhood with such a dangerous guest is unlikely to please anyone.

It is known that within a month a rat is capable of breeding about 20 offspring. This means that you should not hesitate to exterminate the rodent and find out ways to catch the rat.

Before you start exterminating your new neighbor, it’s worth finding out how the animal got into the apartment and sealing the passage. Rats are very cunning and voracious animals. They use any loopholes to get into the house and solve the problem of food.

1 Useful tips for rodent control
2 Folk remedies for getting rid of rodents
3 Ways to exterminate rats in an apartment
4 Lethal rodent traps
5 Security measures

Useful tips for rodent control

In order for the fight against rats to be successful and after a certain period of time you do not have to start all over again, it is important to follow simple rules.

Let's look at the main recommendations.

Check all walls for cracks and holes in the walls. Otherwise your war will be endless.
Maintain exemplary order in your home. Rats are carriers of dirt and infections, so the place to stay is selected accordingly. If your apartment is always kept in order, animals will simply have nothing to do here.
Clear out cluttered areas of space and throw unnecessary things into the trash.
Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink for a long time.
Block uninvited guests' access to drinking water and food supplies. Remove all vegetables from the refrigerator, and purchase glass containers for storing cereals.

Precautions before fishing

Before catching an uninvited guest, you should take care of your safety:

wear thick gloves, protect your eyes and respiratory organs;
set traps away from children and pets;
remain calm when meeting a live rodent, since a frightened animal is prone to aggression;
do not touch the animal without personal protective equipment;
If you are bitten or scratched, thoroughly disinfect the wounds and consult a doctor if necessary;
bury rats in places inaccessible to other animals.

In outbuildings for poultry and livestock, it is preferable to use mechanical methods of catching: traps, ultrasound, etc.

Folk remedies for getting rid of rodents

There are many ways to remove rats using folk remedies.

Perhaps some of them are right for you.

One of the rodent repellents is cat litter. A small amount of this filler must be placed in the holes through which they entered the apartment. Because they are afraid of cats, rats will leave and forget their way to you forever.
Rats also cannot stand the smell of mint. Therefore, the oil of this plant can be smeared on cotton balls and placed next to the hole.
One of the exotic ways to get rid of rats is owl feathers. You can try to scare them by placing feathers in their holes.
Ground pepper is very harmful to the rat body. Because of it, rats lose the ability to breathe normally and die. You just need to sprinkle pepper near their home.
Bay leaves are also harmful to rodents due to their habit of eating everything.
Another folk method of fighting rats is onions. It is necessary to cut the onion and place its pieces near the holes.

If traditional methods do not inspire confidence in you, you should pay attention to various rat traps that you can make at home yourself.

Comparative table of poisons from rats and mice

Product	Type of poison	Active Ingredient	Speed of action on rodents	Price
Tomcat All Weather Bait Chunx, 4 Lb	Small blocks	Diphasinone	Kills slowly, requires several meals	~$24.46
JT Eaton 709-PN Bait Block Rodenticide Bait	Small blocks	Diphasinone	Kills slowly, requires several meals	from ~$24.49
D-Con Ready Mix Baitbits Mice Rats	Granules	Brodifacoum	A single dose is enough	~$31.99
Farnam Home & Garden Just One Bite Bar	Single block (with the ability to divide into smaller ones)	Bromadiolone	A single dose is enough	~$9.02
Havoc Rat & Mouse Bait	Granules	Brodifacoum	A single dose is enough	~$73.59
Protecta LP Rat Bait Station	Bait station	–	–	~$14.30
Rat death	Bait	Brodifactum, Rocentide	A single dose is enough	53 RUR
Bait granules “Help”	Bait	Diphasinone	Kills slowly, requires several meals	29 RUR
Bait granules “Ratron”	Bait	Brodifactum	A single dose is enough	226 rub.
Tomcat Mouse and Rat Poison Bait	Liquid poison	Diphasinone sodium salt	Kills slowly, requires several meals	~$19.62

The most frequently asked questions about Havoc Rat & Mice bait

Can I use Havoc inside my home? What's the best way to do this?

Yes, Havoc Rat & Mice Bait can be used indoors. You can either scatter the granules around or simply open the bag and place it where the rats are active.

There are mice in my attic. Can I put bait there? It's quite difficult for me to get into the attic, so I'm afraid that the smell of dead mice will bother my family later.

Unfortunately, the smell will be there in any case, because... not a single bait dehydrates the rodent from the inside (only in this case the smell could be less strong). In a situation like yours, the two most acceptable options are to make the attic entrance more accessible and place poison there, or to use an electronic rat repeller.

What is the shelf life of the product?

You don't have to worry about this: Havoc bait can be stored for up to 4 or 5 years, and such a long storage period will not affect its effectiveness since the bags are securely sealed.

Is it true that Havoc is equally effective on rats and mice?

Yes, in practice, bait attracts and kills both mice and rats equally well.

Attention! You should know that rats and mice are very cunning creatures, so if they see that someone has died from bait, they may refuse such a treat. Therefore, if you see that animals do not eat it, buy another product.

Methods for exterminating rats in an apartment

Today, there are a huge variety of options for getting rid of rats at home. All that remains is to choose the option that suits you.

Mustachioed assistant . The most obvious way to protect yourself from uninvited visits from rodents is to have a pet in your home. Cats of certain breeds and some types of dogs (for example, dachshunds) are suitable for this purpose. These animals know exactly how to catch a rat.
A regular plastic bottle with a volume of 5 liters or more will help you catch a rodent A little sunflower oil is poured into the bottle, after which it is shaken so that the slippery solution is distributed along the walls. A piece of edible bait is placed on the bottom, and the bottle is placed under the edge of the table. The edge of the table and the bottle must be connected using a piece of thick cardboard. It is important to secure the bottle itself to the floor using available materials to avoid accidental tipping. All that remains is to wait until the rat gets into the container in search of food and cannot get out due to the oil-smeared walls.
If there is no bottle of a suitable size in the house, you can build a trap from a 10 liter bucket . The container must be filled one third with water, and a light disposable saucer with bait must be placed on the surface. The walls of the bucket should be lubricated with oil or dry soap.
Adhesive rat traps. This is a fairly simple method of getting rid of rodents that does not require any special expenses. For execution you will need good glue and a piece of cardboard. It is necessary to apply glue to one side of the sheet, and place bait in the center (you can use a piece of sausage).
a 3-liter jar or flower pot as bait The vessel is turned upside down, and a ruler or other available object is placed edgewise under one of the edges of the neck. The bait is placed on the end of the ruler, located inside the trap. When the rat wants to eat it, the substrate will lose its balance and the animal will be caught.

When choosing a method for catching a rodent, it is worth considering that after catching it, you will also need to think about how to kill the rat. If you are not mentally prepared for such actions, the best solution would be to contact a specialized service.

A huge number of companies are engaged in rodent control, and their specialists know exactly how to catch a rat. Their arsenal includes both chemical and technical means. During chemical deratization, experts use special poisons that are harmless to the human body and domestic animals.

Use of poisonous baits

This method is considered the most reliable for the mass extermination of tailed invaders. Poisons can be of a chronic type. They contain anticoagulants, such as Brodifacoum. It disrupts the blood clotting process. When a rat eats such poison, it begins to bleed, and the tailed creature dies. Such poisons need from several days to 2-3 weeks to destroy all pests. But the main problem is that the owner of the apartment does not know where the animal will die. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the smell of decaying flesh.

There are quick-acting poisons. They are very toxic and can cause kidney or liver failure and then death in the rodent.

There are poisons that act gradually, first accumulating in the animal’s body, and then showing their toxic properties. Some people prefer to use poison that immediately kills the tailed creature.

Poisons should be placed so that they cannot be touched by children or pets. Typically the bait is placed where the rat last appeared. Gloves are used to spread the poison, as rodents can smell a person.

The most commonly used poisonous baits are:

a pasty mass called "Rat Death";
“Help” or “Ratron” granules.

Some people prefer to use various substances produced in granules or liquid form to repel rodents. Typically, such mixtures include peppermint oil, essential components of eucalyptus leaves and other similar substances. They cause a feeling of fear in rats and can be affected by the smell of a predator (cat, fox). Some mixtures include dried hair or blood. These components cause panic in rodents, forcing them to leave their homes.

Lethal rodent traps

To kill rats, you can make a mixture of flour and alabaster in a 1:1 ratio. The composition must be laid out next to the holes and containers with water placed nearby. Having eaten the product and washed it down with water, the rodent is doomed to death, since the water will dissolve the gypsum that has entered the rodent’s body. It is important to understand that this method is not the most humane and will doom the animal to a painful death.
Don't forget about spring mousetraps. Moreover, they have been replaced by new generation spring traps. Unlike mice, rats have a larger body weight and larger dimensions, so a classic mousetrap is not always able to contain such a pest.
To exterminate rats, a device such as an electric trap . It is a small house that needs to be turned towards the rodent’s home and wait. The moment a rat falls into the trap, it is struck by a discharge of current, which ensures instant death. The trap is equipped with a special indicator, which will save you from the need to constantly check its contents and notify you of the capture of the intruder.
If you decide to kill a rodent yourself after catching it at home, you can use the following method. Place the rat in a regular plastic container. Dissolve baking soda and vinegar in a cup. Their reaction will release carbon dioxide and suffocate the rodent.

How to lure a decorative rat that has escaped from its cage

It is not easy to catch an escaped decorative rat in an apartment, since it tends to hide in a place inaccessible to people. If the animal is accustomed to its name and has developed trust in its owner, then you can try calling it by name. Most likely, the rodent will come out to get its share of affection.

You can also offer your pet a treat that the animal is not spoiled with, but loves very much.

If the previous methods did not work, you will have to wait until the rat gets hungry. The food scattered along the path will force the animal to come out of hiding. This is where you need to catch him.

Under no circumstances should you grab a rat's tail or paws, as they can be easily damaged. You should place your hand on the back and clasp your tummy with your fingertips.

When you can't attract a rat for several days, you can try using a trap, choosing an option that won't harm him.

Edged weapons and blunt trauma

This method can only be used if you are sure that your actions will kill the rat the first time. Otherwise, you will have to cause the animal terrible suffering before death.

There are cases when people finished off wounded animals with a precise blow to the head with a hammer or any other heavy object. For example, if a cat played with a hamster and caused him serious injuries, after which he will no longer be able to live normally. In the case of a rat, you need to aim well and put as much force into the blow as possible. Such an act is quite difficult emotionally. After all, if you cannot kill the animal right away, you will have to beat it to death. And this is very difficult for the psyche .

Don't listen to those who advise putting the rat in a bag and hitting it against the wall. Rodents are not so fragile that they would die from a strong blow to concrete or wood. Most likely, you will not have enough strength (neither moral nor physical) to hit the bag so that the animal instantly dies, and it will lose consciousness. And when he wakes up, he will experience hellish pain from broken bones and internal bleeding.