4 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Rats Without Using Poison

When you search online about how to get rid of rats in your home, you will notice that many of the articles talk about the same thing – poison. It seems there is no better alternative to killing rats outright using poison.

But is this true? It’s not. In fact, there is one fundamental reason why you shouldn’t be using poison to solve your rat problem – poison can be very dangerous and inefficient.

Why rat poison can be very dangerous and inefficient

Rat poison is dangerous because it can harm not just the rats infesting your home, but also you, your family, and your pets. And it’s not even a great method to kill off rats.

• Rat poison takes a while to take effect. Rat poison doesn’t kill instantaneously. It will take a few days before the rat poison becomes fatal. And during this time, rats will be able to roam around your home freely, causing damage as they please.
• Rats may die in hard to reach places. Because rat poison takes a while to take effect, rats will still be able to go around your home as they please. It will be a big hassle if they end up dying in a place that you will have a hard time reaching. Their smell will be unbearable and you will need to exert a lot of effort to recover and throw their corpse.
• Poisoned rats may get eaten and harm their predators. Rats who are poisoned are not in their best shapes. They become confused and weak. This makes them more vulnerable to predators, such as pets like cats. If a poisoned rat gets eaten, their predators may get affected by the poison as well.
• Rat poison can be consumed by children and pets. It’s just not ideal to have poisonous materials inside your home, especially if you have children and pets. Sure, you can supervise your children and pets so they don’t get curious and consume the poison. But you shouldn’t take your chances. There are better alternatives out there to poison.

How to get rid of rats without poison

Rat poison can be very dangerous, so it may be beneficial for you to get rid of rats without using poison. There is no need to use poison when there are other methods that are just as effective if not more.

1. Invest in traps

There are many different rodent traps out there, but the most common ones are caging and snapping traps. Caging traps are those that capture rodents into a confined space. Snapping traps, on the other hand, capture rodents with a snapping mechanism, usually injuring or killing them.

• Make sure to use the right rodent traps. Remember that rats and mice are different. Rat traps and mice traps are different too. Make sure you are using the rodent trap consistent with the kind of rodent you have in your home.
• Use the right amount of traps. Remember that these pests reproduce very fast. You won’t be able to get rid of them with just a few traps lying around. As a general rule, you should use 3 traps for every rodent in your home.
• Cover your tracks when placing the baits and traps. Use gloves when handling your baits and traps, because rats will be able to track your scent if you handle these things barehanded.

2. Make your home unattractive to rats

Rats can go away on their own if you make your home unattractive for them. Also, if your home is unattractive for these pests, a re-infestation is unlikely to thrive.

• Close all possible passageways. Keep doors and windows closed. Seal off holes in the walls, gaps between pipes and wirings, and other small areas that can serve as their passageways.
• Store food and water properly. Don’t leave food crumbs all over your home and leftovers on the sink. These are free meals for rats. Also store your food and water properly on sealed containers, including pet food. A home without food and water is very unattractive to not just rats, but to any kind of pest.
• Keep the outside of your home clean. Maintain your garden, lawn, and yard. Rats can hide in tall greens until they have the opportunity to get into your home. They can also survive on fruits and vegetables in your garden and pools of water in your yard.

3. Use rat repellents

Rats are naturally repelled on certain things. If you have these things in and around your home, they may find your home repulsive and force them to move elsewhere.

• Use natural repellents. Rats have a strong sense of smell, so they can easily be turned off by strong-smelling ingredients, such as castor and peppermint oil, onions, and pepper. But take note that using natural repellents is a less active approach in dealing with rats, so it may not be as effective as other methods such as trapping them. Using natural repellents can also prove to be outright ineffective.
• Use ultrasonic rodent repellents. There are some animals who can’t tolerate high frequency sound waves. Thankfully, rats are among these animals. Ultrasonic rodent repellents are fairly common in the market, so you wouldn’t have a hard time finding one. But remember that many of these are low quality. And even high quality ones can prove to be ineffective in the long run, even if they disturb the rats in your home initially.

Rat repellents are not the most effective way to get rid of rats without poison. But they can be useful for smaller infestations.

4. Get a cat

If you are suffering from a rat infestation and you don’t want to do the dirty work, there are 2 things you can do. You can either call pest control services or invest in a cat.

Cats are natural predators to rats. They will chase the rats in your home wherever nook and cranny they may choose to hide. Sometimes, cats even boast about their catch and leave the corpse where you can see it. All you have to do is dispose of it and keep your cat happy and healthy.

You don’t have to use poison to get rid of rats

Poison can be a dangerous solution to your rat problem. You don’t have to live with that. You can get rid of rats without poison. You can invest in traps that contain or kill, make food and water inaccessible to pests, sprinkle your home with natural repellents, or get a natural rat predator.

At least these methods will not harm you, your family, or your pets.