The very best rat control methods involve thinking like a rat — in other words, do everything possible to make your home environment inhospitable for the critters.
10 Rat Prevention Tips
By the time you hear scuttling noises at night or find droppings, rats are already present on your property. It’s far better to prevent uninvited rodents by remaining vigilant and using a few simple rat prevention tactics before they move in.
Like all animals, rats require food, water and shelter to survive. In addition to preventing them from entering your home, your rat prevention strategy should focus on depriving rats of these three essential requirements. The following 10 practical rat prevention methods can help:
- Keep your yard clutter-free: Rats love garbage, clutter or even stored building materials.
- Use compost bins with secure covers: You should also keep your covered composting operation away from the house.
- Keep your outside garbage in bins with tight-fitting lids: Rats can fit through tiny gaps, so get lids that tightly secure.
- Trim back dense vegetation away from around your house: This prevents rats from burrowing under plants and bushes.
- Cut tree branches so they don’t touch your roof: Rats can gain access to your home through the roof. Cutting back branches will slow them down.
- Close all openings around the exterior of your home: This includes using ventilation screens, covering crawl spaces and adding weather strips to doors.
- Don’t leave uneaten pet food out: Wash pet bowls at the end of each day.
- Be mindful about where you feed birds: Feed birds in an area where fallen seeds can be cleared. Consider using Bird Seed designed to deter squirrels as it will also work to deter rats.
- Sweep around the outside of the house regularly: A clean environment that’s frequently disturbed is one of the best rat repellents because it makes an area less suitable for rat habitation.
- Fix leaking taps: Reducing leaks makes the water supply less accessible to rats.
Natural Rat Repellents vs. Commercial Rat Control
Strong-smelling essential oils, chemicals or spices like black pepper have been shown to have short-term rat-repellent properties that help prevent rats from gnawing on the treated area or material. While natural methods can be useful as part of an overall rat prevention strategy, existing or recurrent infestations must be eliminated swiftly to prevent property damage and potential health risks. At Urban Jungle, we’re rat remova