How to Get Rid of Rats Without Traps

Rats can be a real menace. If you have ever experienced or are currently experiencing a rat infestation, you’ll definitely understand what I’m talking about. If you do not deal with a perceived rat problem quickly, it can get really bad and can even plague a whole city. For instance, New York City is currently searching for a “bloodthirsty” director of rodent mitigation to handle its rat problem, and the city’s paying $170,000. 

That’s how bad rats can get.  

The point is, it gets to a level where rat traps won’t be enough anymore. Realizing when you are at that point is essential. But even more vital is knowing what other options to explore when traps are no longer sufficient. So, how do you get rid of rats without traps? 

Rat control can take different forms. Without traps, you can rely on other methods like poisons, pets, professional pest management, or other repellents. To prevent the rats from getting indoors, you can also work to block or seal all rat access routes. 

Disadvantages of Rat Traps

Trapping is one of the most common and effective ways to handle a rat problem, but that doesn’t mean the method is flawless. If you are still trying to decide the best way to go, it is vital that you understand the cons of this method before going forward.

1. Subsequent Removal is Necessary:

   When a rat trap catches a rat, most of the time, you’ll still need to remove the rat from the trap if it’s a reusable trap, or remove both the rat and trap. Apart from the fact that this process might be uncomfortable for many people, this process might be dangerous health-wise.
   
   Rats are notorious for being carriers of germs and severe infections at times. Removing a rat that has been trapped can easily lead to some contamination. Needless to say, it is best to prevent any slight possibility of getting infected by a rat. 

2. They Could Harm Others:

   Rat traps might not be the best choice if you have to set them where other living things might encounter them. Farm animals, pets, other pests, or even humans can easily set off or get caught in rat traps. When you have this factor to consider/worry about, you might end up setting the trap where the intended prey doesn’t even encounter it. 

3. Rats Could Learn to Avoid Your Traps:

   Rats are highly intelligent. Multiple studies have shown that they are just as smart as dogs and might even be more intelligent than people! Considering that they are also smaller in size, they also have very sharp survival instincts. With these traits, they can learn to recognize traps and subsequently avoid them after a single encounter.

   If you are dealing with multiple rats, once a few get caught in the traps you set up, the other rats will most likely get smarter, and your traps may no longer be useful. Therefore, traps might not be the best choice to combat a large rat population.

4. Traps Require Maintenance:

   A lot of rat traps, like electric traps, rubber ring traps, and even spring traps, might require you to clean, reset, and generally maintain them since they are reusable. To keep the traps durable, maintenance is inevitable, and that is a chore some people might not be willing to undertake.

   Best maintenance practices will also involve checking your traps practically every day to avoid conditioning rats to avoid them.

5. Traps are Useless against a Large Rat Population:

   We’ve established that rats are intelligent, and their learning ability could help them avoid getting caught by rat traps. However, beyond that, rat traps realistically might only be able to catch up to one rat at a time.

   Since rats reproduce very quickly, traps might not be able to work at a pace that allows them to keep up with the rat reproduction rate. If you insist on relying on traps to tackle a large rat population, you might have to invest in many traps. Unfortunately, setting up many traps might be both counter-effective and expensive.

This is not to say rat traps are all bad. They are perhaps the most humane rat control method. Several traps have been designed to merely restrict the movements of rats when they are caught. Others maim, and only very few might kill a rat outrightly.

Alternatives To Rat Traps

We’ve examined the disadvantages of traps and why there might be better fits for you. Now, let’s consider other options that might work better depending on your unique situation and preference.    

• Poison:

  Poison is, naturally, the primary alternative once you decide to not rely on traps. A lot of people find poison convenient. This is because even if the poison isn’t appealing to rats, you can always apply it to something rats are likely to consume, or where you know the rats stay.

  Rat poison is also effective against significantly large rat populations since multiple rats can consume the poison and all get affected by it. However, when rats are poisoned indoors, they might end up dying somewhere you cannot access them. The resulting smell from their decaying bodies will be terrible.

  Some poisons are also toxic and might cause secondary poisoning for whatever comes in contact with the rat or its body after it has been poisoned. Some other very toxic poisons could put you at risk of secondary poisoning just by using them indoors, so ensure to research the different types and read their label before settling on one.

• Introduce Natural Predators:

  Cats are among the well-known natural predators of rats. However, there are others, like some dogs, snakes, weasels, and a few other rodents. Getting one of these natural predators (especially cats) as pets can significantly help keep the rats around in check.

  To control rats outdoors, you can invite birds like owls -particularly barn owls-or hawks who also prey on rats and mice. Introducing birds to prey on rats can work exceptionally well if you have to deal with these rats on a farm or garden. Of course, there’s no definite way to ensure owls or other birds visit your farm frequently. However, providing a nest with water and food might lead them to come live on your farm or in your yard.

  Check out thisresource from the Owl Research Institute to learn more.

• Adopt Precautionary Measures:

  Prevention is generally better than cure, or in this case, trying to get rid of rats. You can do a few things to restrict rat access into your home or compound. When possible, it’s best to adopt these measures. Indoors, search for holes in the walls, gaps that might lead outside around windows or doors, or cracks in the foundation of your basement.

  When you find any such holes or cracks, endeavor to seal them. It would help if you did the same for any unscreened ventilation channels or vents you might find. To prevent rodent access outside, demolish or seal any rat tunnels you might find, and when possible, fence your property.

  Generally, you also need to be careful to ensure you don’t leave materials that might attract rodents just lying around, particularly food materials. In doing this, ensure to properly seal any and all bins around your compound.

• Hire Professional Pest Control:

  Professional pest control services are often experts who have been trained to deal with rat problems and more. They specialize in analyzing your rodent problem and adopting the most effective strategies to combat it. The best part is, with professionals onboard, you won’t have to worry about anything!

  All you have to do is explain the problem to them, let them deal with it, and follow whatever advice they might have after to ensure you don’t experience a recurrence. Hiring tested and trusted pest control professionals is perhaps the most convenient alternative to rat traps.

Are you in Toronto and need pest control professionals to solve your rodent-related problem? Then, contact us at Sia Wildlife today!   

What Makes SIA Wildlife Control The Best?

You might be wondering why to call on SIA Wildlife Control to solve your rodent problems, and you should because we have the required knowledge and a ton of experience. With our skills, we can get the job done and deliver results on time. Also, once you reach out to us, we prioritize you and provide services specifically tailored to meet your unique needs.

Not only do we get rid of the rats bothering you, but we also extensively inspect your property and implement preventive measures. We have taken years to carefully develop our process, and it has successfully worked for so many other clients.

Give us a call today, and you’ll be glad you did!