Rats can be a considerable problem for your home. It’s usually revolting just to spot them. They are destructive, filthy, and carry many diseases, making it essential to deal with them fast.
Unfortunately, spotting a rat can be a sign of a significant infestation. Once you solve the root of the problem, which could be some cracks and openings these critters use to get inside your property, you can think about killing the stragglers left behind.
If you want to get rid of rats permanently, it’s crucial to know the best methods. The two main ways people use to kill rats are poisoning and trapping. In this article, you can find out which is the better option.
Rat Poison
Many experts agree on two accounts: the importance of sealing the building and that rat poison is probably the worst solution to get rid of them. More often than not, poison doesn’t solve the problem. It’s an inhumane method that causes a slow and painful death for the critters if it manages to kill them in the first place.
Not every rat that consumes the poison dies. The ones that do and end up in a hard-to-reach place can leave an awful smell. Imagine having a dead rat emitting a pungent odor inside a wall or an aperture you can’t access easily.
Rodenticides are also toxic to humans, making it essential to keep exposure to a minimum. Some can irritate your skin on touch, and others are incredibly harmful on ingestion. Using bait stations is the appropriate way of using poison, but they still don’t ensure that the rat that eats the poison dies.
Regardless, these enclosed devices do manage to keep children and pets from tampering with the poison. Remember that you can’t handle a rat infestation efficiently with rat poison as the critters that don’t die can keep reproducing, and those that die can still become a problem on their own.
Types of Rat Traps
The fastest and most effective method of killing rats is with rat traps, especially lethal traps. There are several rat trapping options available, and some are significantly better than others.
Rat Snap Traps
The old-fashioned wooden snap trap or jawed trap is the most effective and efficient type. These are nearly wholly effective in eliminating rats, but you need to place them in the correct spots. Setting traps randomly around your home isn’t an efficient way to deal with rats as they’re creatures of habit. They wander and walk through the same routes frequently.
The correct way to deal with rats is to set multiple traps around the path they frequent. You can identify it by looking for their droppings or brown grease. Check around the attic or other places you suspect they’re hiding in and look for these signs.
It would be best to set at least a dozen traps. The more you place, the better chances you have to kill most rats. Using rodent bait on them isn’t necessary, but you can use peanut butter if you must. Other treats such as chocolate, hazelnut spread, meat, or fruits can also work, but the essential aspect is the location.
Rat Glue Traps
They work but not very well. Glue traps don’t kill rats instantly; they trap them in place. The effectiveness of these traps depends on the size of the rat stuck on them. Big rats can gnaw their stuck limbs off and squirm off, while small ones can’t do anything. Critters that can’t get out of these traps die an excruciating, inhumane, and slow death.
Another detriment is that you can’t use glue traps for an extended period as the adhesive on them wears off, especially if it has already caught multiple rats. The glue can also deteriorate if it hasn’t trapped a rat in a long time.
Rat Live Traps
Most live traps or cage traps use bait and a pressure-sensitive pad to trap any rat that steps inside. The cage’s door is sprung shut once the rodent steps on the plate. This trap requires more work than the others and isn’t anywhere as effective as snap traps or even glue traps, as inhumane as they are.
They can only capture one rat at a time. People who set these traps can either hit the rat with a blunt object or release it outside, where it might die after two days at most. They can also shoot it with a BB gun, but it’s better to use another method altogether.
Rats avoid going near strange things as they’re considerably cautious. If you set a cage, you should place it properly. The mesh wire surrounding the enclosure shouldn’t allow rats to squeeze through, and you should put a suitable bait to encourage them to step inside.
Rat Electric Traps
Electronic rat traps activate as soon as the rat steps into the small metal cage and kill it with a high-voltage shock. It faces the same issue as most traps – critters may avoid it if they see it on their usual path as they’re wary of new objects. For that reason, just like with live traps, using suitable baits is necessary.
The Best Way of Dealing with Rats
There are two main ways of getting rid of rats, but only one is efficient. Rat poisons can cause trouble down the line for multiple reasons, whether it’s because of their inability to effectively kill rats or the fact that you can’t control where they die. They can leave an unpleasant smell if they rot in a hard-to-reach spot and harm children and pets if they ingest it as well.
Trapping is the best way to deal with rats. Snap traps, in particular, are highly efficient in killing rats quickly. It’s essential to set them near their pathways to ensure they come upon them. You can also put some bait to entice them to step on them. Other options such as glue traps, live traps, and electric traps can work, but each has its detriments.
Regardless, if you find that the problem is too much for you to handle, it may be a good idea to call a rat control service. These exterminators use the best way to eliminate rats and can offer advice for you in the future.
If you’re looking for the right team to handle the issue for you, Synergy² is here to help. We provide trusted services throughout the area, so contact us for the best pest control services around.
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