How to Deal With Rats in the Attic

If you have found rodent droppings near food, heard scurrying sounds in your attic just after dark or found burrows in your insulation, you most likely know that your house is infested with rats--and, more often than not, they have taken up residence in your attic. The most common rats that infest houses in the United States are the Norway rat and roof rat. Not only can rats spread disease--as many as 30 different types of diseases are associated with rats--but they also can chew through electrical wiring, resulting in a fire hazard. If you have rats in your attic, you can take steps to get rid of these crawling creatures once and for all.

Things You'll Need

• Steel wool, wire screens or metal sheeting
• Wooden rat traps
• Peanut butter, dried fruit or bacon
• Light string or thread
• Heavy work gloves
• Plastic zipper lock bags

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Instructions

• 1

  Examine your house from top to bottom for points of entry that rats may use. Before you attempt to kill the rats already living in your attic, you first need to ensure that, once they are eradicated, no more rats will be able to enter. Look for any cracks or crevices that rats may be able to fit through. Rats can enter through openings in houses that are used for cables, sewer pipes and vents. They also enter through cracks in the foundation of the house, holes in roofs and eaves that are in disrepair.

• 2

  Plug any cracks and crevices that are 1/4-inch in diameter or larger. Rats can squeeze through any opening the size of a quarter or even smaller, according to Professional Wildlife Removal. Use only sturdy material, such as wire screens, thick steel wool or metal sheeting. Rats can gnaw through less-sturdy materials such as caulking or plastic sealant.

• 3

  Fix or replace any screens that are loose or have holes in them. Make sure they fit tightly with no gaps.

• 4

  Prepare rat traps to set in your attic. Follow the instructions on the package carefully to avoid getting your fingers smashed in a trap. Set the pan tension to very light, suggests Florida Wildlife Control, so that smaller rats and those that nibble lightly will spring the trap. Use bait such as peanut butter, dried fruit or bacon. The University of California Integrated Pest management Program suggests using a light string or thread to tie the bait to the trigger.

• 5

  Dispose of dead rats in traps. Don heavy work gloves and place the dead rats in zipper lock bags, place them in trash bags and put them in an outdoor trash bin. Wash the gloves and dispose of them and then wash your hands and arms thoroughly after handling dead rats.