Rats are a dangerous household pest that spread disease through defecation and decay. They often live inside household walls, attics and basements, and once they've made nests there, they multiply. If you have a problem with infestation, and you need to know how to get rid of rats, please read on. The information on this page will help you identify an infestation and eliminate it.

You don't have to live in squalor to develop a problem with rats. Rats are often find outside the home living in wood piles, bushes and tall grasses. Weather conditions will sometimes force them to seek refuge inside your home, and that is where the trouble starts. Once inside they make nests in insulation, crawl spaces, in basements and just about anywhere you use for storage in your home.

If you don't have a current rat problem, but are worried that you may incur one, there are a few simple steps you can take to stop an infestation before it even starts.

1. Do not allow clutter outside your home.
   1. Old garbage
   2. Abandoned vehicles
   3. Wood piles
   4. Old furniture or appliances
2. Make sure your house is sealed from the outside.
3. Do not leave uneaten food outside your home.
4. Keep a tight lid on your garbage cans.
5. Keep compost piles maintained.
6. Do not allow pet feces to build up in your yard.

• If you're past the point of return, and you've already got an infestation, the first thing you'll want to do is locate the nests within your home. You can hear rats moving around in the attic or crawl spaces and sometimes in the basement.

1. Suit up with gloves and a mask before entering into an infested area.
2. Look for droppings.
   • Rats tend to defecate in "toilet areas," so be on the lookout for them.
3. If you have a black light, it may help you detect rat urine.

• Once you have found the nest and located where rats are entering into your home, you will want to eliminate their access by sealing off any holes or entrances they have been using. Possible entry points may include:

1. Sewer pipes
2. Drain pipes
3. Foundation cracks
4. Under roof eaves

• While it may seem logical to use poison to kill off an infestation of rats, you actually want to avoid rat poison in your home. Not only is it dangerous to pets, but if a rat is poisoned, it could crawl into an impossible to reach spot and die. The last thing you want is a dead rat rotting away in your walls. The best way to kill rats is with traditional snap traps.

1. Set traps in areas near the nest.
2. Don't over bait, or you'll attract more rats.
3. Check traps regularly.
4. Keep traps set even after the infestation is under control just in case.

• Once the traps start going off, you'll want to clean up the dead bodies immediately. Not only will other rats feast on the corpses of their own dead, decay is a surefire way to invite disease into your home.

1. Wearing gloves and a mask, remove bodies from traps.
2. Wrap and seal dead rats inside plastic bags.
3. Dispose of bodies inside a sealed garbage can.
4. Thoroughly clean and disinfect all infested areas to remove feces and urine that could result in sickness.

• The best way to get rid of rats, is to not even allow an infestation to start. If one has, however, don't panic. Through hard work and diligence, you can eliminate your rat problem. Figure out how they are getting into your home, and seal off the entryways. Once you've found their nesting areas, set up traps around them. Eliminate dead bodies immediately, disposing of them safely by wrapping and sealing them inside plastic. Clean and disinfect your home, getting rid of all traces the rats may have left behind.

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