How to Kill Rats in your House DIY
Rats are dangerous, annoying rodents that are somehow able to enter your house cunningly without you knowing, and when you find out, the damage is already done; food is eaten, they gnaw electrical wires, start fires and carry diseases. They leave droppings everywhere and will chew just about anything that they can get their teeth into.
There are various methods to kill a rat that has sneaked into your home.
Poison
Most people swear by using poison but this is most effective with large families of rats.
The only downside of this method is that they will die of internal bleeding somewhere in your house, and it’s your job to find them before they stink the whole place up.
Snap traps
These quick deadly traps that kill instantly are highly effective when they are placed at strategic locations in your house. Rats usually use certain pathways in a house that they always follow; it’s like the same highway you take to work every day.
Placing snap traps right in their path will increase the chances of them getting caught. Oh yes, use a full-size rat trap, one that can break your finger, not a puny little mouse trap.
Glue trap
The name says it all. A dark brown, sticky mass of glue is slathered generously on a board of wood and placed outside where the pesky rat is holed up. The glue is extremely adhering and when the rat lands onto it, the glue clings onto the rat like fleas on a dog. The rat will suffer a slow death trying to escape its personal quicksand and which is why many consider this method cruel.
Live cage trap
These traps are basically steel cage traps. When the rat enters the trap to nibble the bait, the trap mechanism is triggered and the cage door shuts at once. Peanut butter works well as bait. This is one of the most humane ways to catch a rat. Once caught, there are few ways to dispose of the rat.
- You can release the live rat outside your house if you can’t bear to kill it. The rat will probably sneak its way back in so it’s really up to you.
- Have a large plastic bag ready. Shove the cage into the bag. Tie the bag securely and wait until the rat runs out of oxygen and dies before throwing the rat away.
- Buy some dry ice. Put the dry ice in a plastic bag together with the cage and tie it securely.
- Drown it. Have a pail of water ready. Shove the cage into the water.
Tamper Resistant Bait Station
These stations prohibit entry or destruction by children or pets as they are made up of strong plastic. They can be used outside the house or inside. Poisoned bait or a glue trap can be placed inside the bait station. These safe and secure bait stations are usually used where children and the general public have no access.
