Steps to Eliminating a Rat Infestation
If you have discovered that you have a rodent infestation but cannot hire an exterminator or pest control provider immediately, there are a few steps you can take to prevent the situation from getting worse:
1. Look for the signs.
Rats and mice tend to hide in dark, crammed spaces so it’s hard to figure out exactly where they are nesting. To get a good idea on where they are passing through, keep your eyes out for the following signs:
Rodent droppings in drawers, cupboards, or under the sink
Food packaging with bite marks
Stale smells or bad odors in hidden areas
Chewed up entry holes through walls and floors
Nesting materials like fabric, shredded paper, or dried plants
Electrical wires that have been gnawed on
2. Seal up any holes you find.
Mice and rats can chew through all types of material except steel. This is why they can easily get in and out of your home. To prevent more rodents from entering the building, it’s important to seal off any holes inside and outside to keep them out.
Inspect the building to check for possible entry points: stairs, corners, walls, even the foundation. Any place that can hide small crevices should be blocked off with steel wool. Assume that these rodents can squeeze themselves through any gap or crack, even those that only a pencil could pass through.
3. Clean up inside and outside your home.
Rodents thrive in unclean environments. Not only do they have an abundance of food scraps to eat and materials to build their nests with, but they can go unnoticed when there is a lot of stuff around. You need to discourage these rats and mice from living inside your property by removing these resources. You can do this by:
Securing kitchen garbage in containers with tight lids
Removing nesting sites such as mulch or leaf piles
Turning compost piles to cover food scraps
Cleaning up leftover food from your pets and outdoor birds
4. Start setting up traps.
Once you’ve cleaned up and closed all possible entry points to your property, it’s time to deal with the ones that are already inside. You can research various traps or bait stations (if you can get them) to use, as well as the type of bait you can use.
If your traps don’t catch anything after several days and you still see signs of rodents around, there are two likely explanations. The first reason is that you haven’t sealed up every entry point available so rats and mice are still coming in. The second reason is that the rodents are evading your traps - you can either add more traps or move your traps around, as mice and rats can be wary of the traps you already have in place.
