How to Catch a Rat in the Attic, House



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This article is about how to catch a rat running around in your house, possibly catch it alive. If you have a general rat problem in your attic and need to solve it permanently, click on my rat trapping page.



It goes without saying that not too many of us like the entire idea of a rat being loose in and around our home. Sometimes a rat will get in our homes, when there are openings, ones that we may not even know about. A rat can get in to any home or building, making them squeezes in through tight spaces. Most homeowners and even those who rent apartments do not want to share their living quarters with any rats.

There are many different kinds of ways to catch a rat. Perhaps the most widely known way to catch a rat is to use a traditional rat trap, where the individual lays out a piece of cheese or some peanut butter and place on the spring of the rat trap, causing it to spring closed when the rat gets into the trap to take the food. These traps are widely used and still relatively inexpensive. However, they can be an inhumane way of catching a rat because most of the time the trap springs shut on the rat’s head, killing the pest. This does not stop homeowners from using these traps although most people would prefer to use some other means, one that would not require them to even see the rat.

Those individuals who are concerned with keeping the rat alive, but getting it to leave their home, may decide to use another type of rat trap, such as one that will trap the rat so that it can be released outside. However, before having more of a discussion about this type of trap, it is important to note that unless the homeowner takes the steps to secure their home, the rat will most likely come back. This means plugging up all hole found in the foundation, or walls of the home and insulating around pipes, perhaps using steel wool to place down into the open space. Rats will not chew through steel wool, perhaps one of the only substances that can keep the rat from at least entering through a hole that it has already chewed through.

A cage trap can be used to trap the rat in a more humane way. This type of trap is simply a small cage, where a rat may find its way inside, especially if there is food to be had. However, cage traps do not work that well. Consider the size of the rat, and one will know that you cannot simply go over to one and grab it by the leg or tail. Also a rat can be crafty and they learn how to evade some of the traps that people set for them. Bait doesn't really matter much. Read about What Bait To Use For Rat Traps.

One inhumane way of catching a rat is to lay out a glue trap. First, these have been around for quite some time and sometimes just will not work. When they do work, sometimes a rat works to free itself and can bleed to death while still on the trap. This is most definitely not a humane way to catch any animal out there. If the rat problem you have consists of smaller rats, or rat babies, you may want to try to get a self-contained trap, where the entire trap catches the rat and it cannot get out. This is a good way for women or other people who are squeamish about catching a rat, to catch the problem pest and not have to lay eyes on it at all.

There are also some more unusual ways to catch a rat. Some traps contain water and once the rat enters the trap, it drowns in a short amount of time. These traps are not common ones, and many people may not be able to locate them in their town. Unless you are fond of the pests, having rats in your home is simply not fun but it is necessary to get a hold of the problem making sure that you are not sharing your home with any of these nasty creatures. Before you set any traps, take a trip to a local pet supply store, where an experienced employee can assist you with the right kinds of traps for your own situation. This is one of the best things to do.

More in-detail how-to rat removal articles:


Information about how to kill a rat - with fumigants or poison.
Information about how to keep rats away - prevention techniques.
Information about rat repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness.

Learn what rodents can Chew Through and if a strobing light or high pitch sound work on a rodent. Find out what you should do with a rodent after you catch it, how to prevent rodents from chewing on car wires, and how to get rats out of a wall. Learn how to keep rats out of your garbage and how to remove a rat stuck in a dumpster. Learn how poison works, the symptoms of a sick rat, and the types of rat Snap Traps. Read about the rat problem in New York City and the rat's mating habits. Find out how smart rats can be, if rats bite sleeping babies, what to do about trap-shy rat, and what to do about a rat on the roof.

You're here to learn how to get rid of rats in your house, the attic, ceiling, walls, roof, etc. This site is intended to provide rat education and information, so that you can make an informed decision if you need to deal with a rat problem. This site provides many rat control articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. If you are unable to do so, which is likely with many cases of rat removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with your nuisance rat.

For more information, go to may main how to get rid of rats page.

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