My neighbours have rats, what can I do?

Bad news, your neighbours have rats and now the rats have decided your home looks like a nice place to invade too. So, what do you do? 

Firstly, it’s important to talk to your neighbours, especially if they had already approached you and warned you that they had rats. Communication is key, so explain your concerns and ask them how they are planning to resolve the problem. Maybe, between both households, you could find the best solution, whether that be pest control services or do it yourself methods. However, If you or your neighbour live in a rental property it is important to report the issue to your landlord or building management company.

Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, communication with your neighbour can fail. So, what do you do if you are now the only person responsible for getting rid of the rats or other pests in your home? At this point, you could call in the professionals but depending on the area you live in this can be costly. Is there another option? Yes, the do-it-yourself method. 

Step one is to find out where the rats are entering your home, the entry points. Rats can squeeze through very small gaps, as small as a quarter inch, so you will want to seal all the small holes that you find. These entry points could be in the corners of walls, around doorways, or even pipes that enter the house from outside. Once you find all of the entry points it’s time to fill them. You can use steel wool, sealant and expanding foam to fill smaller holes. Larger holes may require heavy duty wire mesh, or even cement, if there has been structural damage. 

If you are still seeing rats in or around your home, both exterior and interior baiting may be needed. You don’t want them to create new access points, so they need to be caught as quickly as possible. For exterior bating, you can place traps at the access points you discovered. Bait box traps can also be used with a variety of baits or poison. Keep using and emptying the traps until you are no longer catching rats.

For interior trapping you could use rat snap traps and bait boxes in a similar way. Use several traps at the same time to increase chances of catching all the rats inside your house. Rats are thirsty creatures, they need a consistent supply of water, so a good place to place traps are near pet water bowls (make sure to use lockable bait boxes to keep your animals away from poison), leaky pipes, and even places with high condensation. Rats like dark and secluded places, so place traps in the attic, basement, behind appliances and in crawl spaces. 

Rats are intelligent creatures so they may stay away from anything new that they find, including traps. With that in mind, try first placing your traps or bait stations without bait and not set. Let the rat get comfortable and used to the trap, then after a few days add bait and set the traps. 

Some quick safety tips for using pest control devices such as snap traps and bait boxes. 

•  Wash your hands - after setting up traps, getting rid of captured pests, or handling baits and poison. 

•  Wear a mask and gloves - again when handling poisons or discarding rats.

•  Keep your pets away from infested areas - if possible, keep dogs or cats away from access points and set traps. 

It is possible to eliminate rats and mice from your home with pest control products. However, if you have determined that the rats have come from your neighbour, they will also have to deal with the problem in their home to permanently resolve the issue in yours.