Eco-Friendly Ways to Get Rid of Rats

Eco-Friendly Ways to Get Rid of Rats

Safe and Green Rat Deterrents

Danielle Crofford Fetters, Yahoo! Contributor Network


Recently we discovered we had a rat living in our garage. Since rats are carriers of disease and like to chew up wiring I needed to get rid of the rat as quickly as possible. I have four children who frequently go into the garage to get their bikes, scooters and sports equipment so I did not want to use poison to kill the rat just in case my children should come into contact with the rat poison. In addition if I used poison there was a good chance the rat might die someplace that was inaccessible and I would have to live with the smell of a decomposing rat in my garage. Not having the money to call in a professional exterminator to take care of my rat problem I decided to turn to the Internet for help in finding an eco- friendly and inexpensive way to get rid of my uninvited guest.. During the course of my research I was surprised to find out that there are several eco-friendly ways to get rid of rats that are safe for humans and the environment.

Six Eco-Friendly Ways To Get Rid of Rats

All Natural Rat Repellents

There are a variety of all natural chemical free, humane rat repellents on the market. Some come in granules that you sprinkle on the ground where rats are present, other types include pouches and bottles. All three products use fear to rid your home of rats and prevent them from returning. Each product contains the scent of a rat predator such as a fox, bobcat or ferret to make the rat think your home is inhabited by one of these animals since rats will avoid areas they smell predators they will not stay in your house for long with these scents in the air.

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is another eco-friendly and humane way to get rid of rats. Rats can not stand the smell of peppermint oil and will not stay in an area that reeks of it. To use soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and place along rats known runs and in areas they frequent. You can also soak rags in peppermint oil in their holes if you know where they are. Peppermint oil can be purchased online or in your local grocery store, just make sure you are buying peppermint oil and not peppermint extract which will not be effective in getting rid of rats.

Kitty Litter

If you have a cat or know someone with a cat you can use litter from the cat's litter box to ward off rats in an environmentally friendly and humane way. Cats are one of the rats natural predators and the smell of their urine will rid your home of rats. To intensify the smell sprinkle ammonia in the kitty litter before placing it an area that you regularly see rats frequent. You don't have to sprinkle the kitty litter around to get of rats just place a small amount in a plastic container and refresh with new litter periodically.

Electronic Rat Repellent

Electronic rat repellents get rid of rats safely and humanely by creating a pulsing electromagnetic field around your house. Rats do not like the pulsating which thanks to the electric wires in your walls is intensified in the areas they live and will not stay in your house for long. To use you simply plug the device which is available online into an electric outlet in your home. To make sure you get rid of the rats you may want to purchase more than one electronic rat repellent and plug into various rooms in your house and garage. Electronic rat repellents are available online or at your local home improvement or large retail store.

Traps

While not as humane as other methods rats traps are an environmentally friendly and safe way to rid your home of rats. However if you have young children or curious pets in your home you will want to place traps in areas that are inaccessible to them as they could get hurt by the closing trap. Rat traps eliminate rats by using bait to lure them to the trap and then closing shut on the rat, trapping and killing the rat in the jaws of the trap. You will need to dispose of the rat after it has been caught so if you are squeamish about touching a dead rat you may want to employ a different method of getting rid of rats.Rat traps can be purchased at most hardware stores and online.

Adopt A Cat

If you are up to the responsibilities of pet ownership adopting a cat is a great environmentally way to rid your home of rats. The scent of the cat and the cats prowess as a rat hunter will both work as a deterrent to rats.If you plan to adopt a cat to get rid of rats in your home be aware that cats can live several years and be prepared to properly care for your pet. In addition instead of adopting a kitten you might want to consider adopting an older cat who isn't as adoptable and may end up being put to sleep from your local animal shelter. Not only will an cat be more successful at catching rats they will also probably be litter box trained and easier to care for than a young kitten.

All of these great eco-friendly methods will work to rid your home of rats however the best way to get rid of rats is to prevent them from entering in the first place. To do this insure all cracks and holes that could be used as entry ways into your home are properly sealed. In addition keep a clean home and do not leave food or crumbs out which will attract rats and other pests.



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