1. RODENT – PROOF YOUR HOME

You want to make sure that you get rid of entry points to your home and make both your home and yard less attractive to the rats and prevent more from entering your home. Rats are a very crafty creatures and can find multiple entry points that you are unaware of.

Ways to keep rodents out of your home:

• Seal all holes. Rats can squeeze through spaces as small as 2 cm. Use tin plates or strong mesh to cover the holes around pipes and vents. Steel wool will also work.
• Keep your home clean. Stacks of papers or clothes, boxes lying around, food left out, and crumbs are all things that attract rodents.
• Fix leaks and clean up spills as rats are also be attracted to water. They need it before food.
• Keep your garden neat. Long grass, piles of wood or bricks, and garbage will attract rats to your garden.
• Rats and mice can climb up pipes and even rough walls. Install window screens and make sure they can’t get through your chimney.

2. CATS AND DOGS

Cats and dogs are natural predators when it comes to rats and will kill them effectively.

3. TRAPS

Traps are another effective method. There are snap traps and electric traps that will kill rats but if you prefer not to kill the rats, live traps can be used to catch them and you can then relocate the rats far from your home.

You can use dried fruit, peanuts, dried meat, peanut butter, and cheese as bait to catch the rats. If your rats are able to remove the softer baits without getting caught by the traps, try the harder baits instead. Put the traps in your roof void, under the fridge, under the couch, and along the walls. Just be sure to keep them out of reach of your children and pets.

Tip: Make sure that the traps are meant for rats, mice traps are too small.

4. PUNGENT FOOD SMELLS

Garlic and onions are pungent smells that appear to keep rats away. You can sprinkle the flakes, powder, or put pieces of garlic or onions in the areas rat scavenge.

You can also make a spray by chopping up about a tablespoon amount of garlic and/or onion and add hot water. Let it cool down, add a teaspoon of oil, and then pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it in areas the rats frequent.

Hot peppers are very pungent and can cause the rats to struggle to breathe. Sprinkle the flakes or powder in all their hot-spots, or you can make a spray the same way you would the garlic spray or make a pepper/garlic combo spray.

5. Essential Oils

Peppermint, citronella, and lemon essential oils are all repellents to rats. You can also use eucalyptus oil but it should be avoided by pregnant women and cat owners. There are 3 ways that you can go about it:

• Dip cotton balls in the oil and put them in strategic places.
• Mix some essential oil with diatomaceous earth (DE). It’s highly absorbent and holds the scent longer than the cotton balls.
• Make a spray using 20-30 drops of essential oil mixed with water or even alcohol in a spray bottle.

Tip: Plant peppermint plants along the walls of your home to repel the rats.

Also, here is a useful pdf info sheet from Brisbane City Council Controlling Rats (brisbane.qld.gov.au)

Now, if you just want it solved straightaway, call us on 1300 417 007 and book in a rodent baiting program.

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