How to Get Rid of Rats

Rats carry diseases with them and can cause immense damage to your home if left unattended for too long. Learn how to get rid of them for good.

With a willingness to live in unsanitary conditions in order to find sources of food and water, there is no telling where rats have been before finding their way into your home. With that comes disease and serious damage to your house if left unattended for too long. In this article, get everything you need to know in order to get rid of rats effectively

Common Types of Rats Found In Canada

Although there are various species of rats found in Canada, Norway Rats and Roof Rats are the most common suspects in terms of rats entering your home. Roof Rats have an affinity for climbing to elevated areas of your home such as your roof, while Norway Rats favour the ground and typically stay near to walls in your home.

Despite their differences, they both have an interest in human and pet food and will resiliently find their way into your cabinets and other parts of your home when given the slightest entry-point in.

Common Types of Rats Found In Canada
Species of Rats	What Region They Live In	Colour of Fur	How Large Do They Grow	What They Like to Consume
Norway Rats	Largely in Prairies and in more populated areas	Greyish-brown with white belly	43cm (17 inches), 340g (12oz)	Cereal grains, nuts, fruit, human and pet food
Roof Rats	Largely populated areas	Mix of brown and black	45cm (18 inches), 255g (9oz)	Fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereal, insects, human and pet food
Woodrats	Yukon and Northwest Territories	Dark brown with white belly	45cm (18 inches), 510g (18oz)	Berries, seeds, plants and other items found in the wild
Marsh Rice Rats	Rare, but seen in the Atlantic	Grey and brown with a mix of black hair	30cm (12 inches), 85g (3oz)	Insects, snails, bird eggs, fruits and vegetables

Signs of Damage Caused By Rats In Your Home

As they scavenge for food, water and a place to nest, rats will leave trails of their existence in a few different ways. These types of signs that they leave in your home can be hazardous to your health and can cause damage to your home. Discover some of the most common types of signs that you will see when rats have occupied your home:

For more information on signs of rats in your home, read our article to learn all that you need to know about how to identify a rat problem in your home.

Signs of Damage Caused By Rats In Your Home
Common Signs of Rats	Where to Look for These Signs
Chewed Holes	Drywall, cabinets and in corners of walls
Grease Marks	In cabinets and on the floors of your home
Bite Marks	Anywhere in your home that is eye level to rats
Nests	Tucked away areas of your home that are less frequented by humans and animals
Sounds & Activity	Inside of walls and inside of cabinets, especially at night time
Changes In Pet Behaviour	Pets paying more attention to areas out of reach, especially inside walls and inside of cabinets
Rat Droppings	In cabinets, inside walls and on floors nearby to sources of food and water

How to Get Rid of Rats

Rats can multiply quickly in your home if you let them, which is why it is important to take action as soon as you suspect one rat is finding their way into your living space. Follow these 6 steps towards getting rid of rats in your home immediately:

Choose the Right Product
Rodent Removal Product	Product Is Ideal For:	Will You See Dead Rodents In the Trap?	Does it Require Poisonous Ingredients?	Is it Child & Pet Resistant?	Can It Be Reused?
Bait Stations	Rat Infestations	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Snap Traps (Mechanical)	One Rat	Yes	No	No	No
Wooden Traps (Mechanical)	One Rat	Yes	No	No	No
Glue Traps	Up to 4 Rats	Yes	No	No	No

Bait Stations: Bait stations for rats offer a poisonous bait lure to rodents that take up to 48 hours to kill them as they freely enter the bait station to bring bits of the bait block back to their nest.
Snap Traps: Snap traps designed for rats stop rats right in their tracks
Wooden Traps: Wooden traps for rats involve a U-shaped metal coil that snaps onto rodents when they get close enough to the bait placed on the wooden trap.
Glue Traps: Glue traps for rats are ready-to-use, mess-free and involve a sticky adhesive that comes formulated with a scented lure that entices rodents to get stuck on the glue trap tray.

For more information about the different products, read our article to learn how to choose the right product to get rid of rats.

Place Products Properly

Placing traps and bait stations in proper areas throughout your home are essential for the products to work effectively. Identifying high traffic areas and spaces that you’ve suspected the rodents to be entering from are the best places to set rat traps and stations. Here are some tips on proper product placement:

Place glue traps in suspected areas to see if those destinations are in fact frequented by rats.
Look for areas with rodent droppings, gnaw marks and nesting material which are all clear indications of rat activity.
Be mindful of elevated areas such as storage cabinets, pipes, beams and false ceilings that rats who are adept at climbing can get to.
Always place traps and bait stations in areas that are out of reach from children and pet animals.

Use a Mix of Products

Setting enough bait stations and traps in your home will ensure that you get rid of all rats in your home. Rats reproduce at a rapid rate and only require a few weeks potentially seeing offspring in your living space.

Read Label Instructions Carefully

Product packaging for all traps and bait stations involve safety information and informative step-by-step instructions on how to properly use the product. It is important to follow the instructions carefully to effectively get rid of rats using the product.

Safely Secure Bait Blocks

When deciding to choose a bait station to get rid of rats, it is important to always secure bait blocks inside of bait stations for safety reasons. Bait blocks are highly poisonous and are harmful to pets and children who should not be in close contact with bait blocks at all. Bait stations securely keep bait blocks in place and are designed to be tamper-free.

For more information on bait blocks, read our article to get a complete guide to bait stations for rats.

DIY Tips for Maintaining a Rat-Free Home

Keeping a clean and clutter-free home is a step in the right direction towards a rat-free home. Follow these tips to make your home uninviting to rats and to keep them away from coming back:

Get Rid of Food and Water Sources.
Keep garbage, recycling and food garbage in tightly sealed bins.
Maintain a tidy outdoor yard, free of fallen fruit and other potential food sources.
Constantly clean up after pets and keep an eye on their food and water.
Be mindful of bird feeders and equip feeders with a tray to catch spilled seeds from falling to the ground.
Repair any plumbing leaks to avoid dripping water.
Eliminate Hiding Areas.
Keep the walls of your home clear of furniture and other household items.
Maintain plants and shrubs and trim them often to avoid overgrowth.
Remove unused piles of wood and lumber outdoors and in sheds and garages.
Do not store old furniture outdoors for long periods of time.
Seal the Perimeter of Your Home.
Cover crawl spaces and vents with metal screens and steel mesh sheets.
Caulk and seal all cracks and potential entry point holes from the exterior of your home.
Cover all door jams, gaps and holes in the roof of your home.

For more information regarding rodent prevention, read our article on how to prevent rats in your home.

Cleaning Your Home Post-Rats

Soon after you have gotten rid of all the rats in your home, it is essential that you clean and disinfect every area of your living space that rats have occupied. Rats carry toxic pathogens that can greatly affect you, your family and your pets’ health. Here are a few items required in order to clean up after a rat problem:

Cleaning Your Home Post-Rats
Cleaning Supplies	Purpose
Rubber Gloves and a Face Mask	Avoid the possibility of skin irritation and the inhalation of pathogens that rats have brought into your home.
Dustpan and Broom	Sweep up all rat droppings and other remnants that rodents have brought into your home.
Disinfectant Spray	Disinfect all areas that rats were frequenting during their time in your home. This includes table surfaces, cabinets and floors.
Paper Towel	Use paper towels for wiping down surfaces and disposing of soiled paper towels easily.

Disposal of Droppings

Apply gloves and facemask.
Sweep up any physical droppings that you find in your home and immediately dispose of the droppings in a garbage bag designated for the rat cleanup.
Once the droppings are removed and disposed of in the garbage, spray all surfaces that rats have interacted with.
Let the disinfectant spray settle into the surfaces for over 30 seconds before wiping down each surface. All paper towels used for wiping should also be disposed of in the garbage immediately.

For more information on the disposal of droppings, read our article to learn how to handle rat droppings.

Disposal of Dead Rats

The smell of a dead rat left in your home is a serious health hazard that can affect the air quality in your living space that can lead to serious respiratory complications. As the organisms of the rat break down the longer the body is left unattended, the more that the unpleasant smell intoxicates the air in your home and emits pathogenic bacteria that can cause illness to both you and your pet animals.

Using protective equipment and the other safety supplies to clean up after rats is important in removing dead rats from your home and safely disposing of them in the garbage without any chance of further spreading toxins in your home.

Preventing Rats From Coming Back Again

Remove any sources of water and food to make it less enticing for rats to enter your home.
Declutter your home and remove any potential areas that rats may consider nesting in. Boxes in basements and other storage areas are common places for rodents to burrow nests.
Seal any potential areas that you suspect rats can be entering your home from. Doing so will significantly decrease the chances of rats in your home.

For more information on the prevention of rats, read our article to learn more about how to prevent rats from coming back into your home.