How to Get Rid of Rats in Attic For Good Without Killing Them

Having rats in your attic can wreak havoc on your home and your family’s health. However, killing them with poison or an inhumane trap can seem cruel. To get rid of rats in your attic, you should address the reasons why they’re attracted to your home.

This article will discuss everything you need to know about eliminating arguably the world’s most dangerous rodents. Read on to discover what attracts rats, signs of their presence, how to get rid of them, and how to prevent them from entering your attic again.

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Why Rats Love Attics

When rats find entry points to your attic, they can climb and wriggle their way through your home. Like humans, animals also need shelter to survive. Once they discover how cozy your property is, they create nests and makeshift pathways through the walls.

When they find reliable food sources in your home, they won’t hesitate to eat anything they can access. Factors like trash, woodpiles, and boxes make your attic even more attractive to them.

Signs of Rats in the Attic

As a homeowner, learning how to spot rat presence in your attic can save your property from structural damage. Here are some of the signs to watch out for:

• Rat droppings: Rat excrements are often brown when fresh and turn gray with age. When you find new droppings in places near food, you likely have an active infestation on your hands.
• Urine odor: One of the most common rat traits is peeing everywhere. If enough rats live in your home, you’ll notice a strong smell of ammonia that will become even more unpleasant over time.
• Gnawed holes: Rats are intelligent creatures and will bite through anything that might hold them back from shelter or food. They can chew their way through cabinets, couches, and even clothes.

How to Get Rid of Rats in Attic

It’s natural for you to want to get rid of rats in your attic, but lots of people don’t have the stomach to kill them. The best way to get them out of your home for good is to trap them first and release them later. Luckily, you can find various products on the market to help you do this.

Check out some of the below humane rat traps. The manufacturers use different materials, locking methods, and designs, but they all have one common goal. They will let you conveniently trap rats without harming them.

Afterward, eliminate their shelter and food sources. Clean up your home, move objects away from walls, and store food in secure bins.

Humane Rat Traps

The best non-kill rat traps are the Authenzo Humane Smart No Kill Mouse Trap and the Kat Sense Rat Bait Station Traps. Both of these traps are reusable and can be easily set up in attic. The rats will enter the trap through a small opening and when they do, their foot will hit the trigger plate that holds the door shut. The rats can then be safely released outside of your home without ever coming in contact with you or any other humans.

You can also set rat traps in outdoor areas around your home like on a patio or deck to keep rats from coming inside. This is especially helpful if you have an open-style attic that doesn’t provide much protection against rats entering. You’ll need to bait these with food, preferably peanut butter, cheese, chocolate spread or hazelnuts because rats love all of those foods! The most common way for rats to enter homes found by exterminators was through holes in walls at ground level so be sure this area is covered as well when setting up outside rattraps.

How to Prevent Rats From Entering Your Attic

Getting rid of the rats in your attic is not enough to keep your home safe. The next logical step is to prevent more of them from getting into your property. As long as they can find entry points, they will find shelter and food in your home. Here are some ways to help you secure your property:

• Seal holes and gaps: Rats can squeeze and wiggle into the smallest openings. A quarter-sized hole is enough for them to get through. For this reason, it’s essential to seal windows, walls, doors, and other possible entry points.
• Trim trees: Rats like making their nests above ground to distance themselves from predators. If you have trees close to your home, trim them consistently to deny rats access to your home.
• Seal food sources: When rats discover accessible food in your home from the garbage or storage areas, they won’t want to leave. Seal these food sources in rodent-proof containers to prevent a massive infestation.

Summary

To say that rats are a nuisance is an understatement. They can destroy your home’s structure, carry diseases, and contaminate food and water sources. Unfortunately, they’re smart creatures that can enter your home effortlessly.

If you want to get rid of rats in your attic, it’s best to do so humanely. Killing them without addressing why they’re in your house in the first place won’t keep them away. They will just keep on coming back.

The best way to eliminate your rat problem is to get rid of them and stop them from entering your home again.

More Animal in Attic Removal Guides

Attics are often overlooked spaces that attract all sorts of critters. Fortunately, there are a number of natural ways to get rid of them. Check out some of our other Animal in Attic Removal Guides to learn more:

• Bats – Read guide
• Bees – Read guide
• Birds – Read guide
• Mice – Read guide
• Possums – Read guide
• Raccoons – Read guide
• Squirrels – Read guide
• Snakes – Read guide