Do you hear squeaky noises from your walls and ceiling? Are rats causing you a great headache and messing with your house?
These little creatures can be so annoying, and they stealthily escape from sight. They can also be destructive by chewing on wires and electric lines.
Not just that! Rats can also carry diseases and cause health issues. But don’t worry!
Important Note: If you're tired of pests and want a reliable solution, then you should definitely consider seeking help from a professional pest control company. DIY solutions can be effective, but if you're dealing with a significant pest infestation, you don't want to rely solely on DIY methods. Pest control companies typically don't charge huge fees. You can fill out this form to receive free quotes from the top local pest control companies, and compare the quotes and see for yourself. Then, finally, your pest problems will be eliminated for good.
This article will give you easy hacks to get rid of rats in the wall. So keep calm and just read!
How To Know If There Are Rats In The Wall?
Before you read about how to get rid of rats in the wall, you must know how to find out if there are rats in the walls of your house.
It can be difficult to determine if rats are in your house unless you see them dead or alive.
But these mischievous creatures keep running. So look out for these signs to find out if there are rats inside your walls.
- Squeaking or scurrying sounds from walls.
- Running sounds or footstep sounds during the night
- Droppings in the ground or area near walls and corners.
- Chewed or gnawed on wires and insulation
- Chewed or gnawed on food packages
- Rub marks on walls
- Damaged furniture and nests made of shredded paper or sponge.
- Disturbed wiring in the house.
What Attracts Rats?
Rats just need food, water, and shelter to thrive in any place. As long as you allow them these, they can nest in your walls and cause problems.
Rats love dark and warm places. They also tend to look for places that are near to food sources where leftovers or thrown away food are found.
They also love to thrive in places that are stuffed with things. In homes, rats will take refuge under furniture, behind walls, or in dark, seldom-used corners of the house.
They are also famous for making nests inside of and under appliances. Rats also search for dripping pipes to drink water.
And if you have a crack or hole in your walls, then you are inviting them for free.
Also, indoor plants attract rats too. Rats often take advantage of large, potted plants as a safe spot indoors.
Troubles of Rats in the House
Rats can cause so much damage to your house.
- They chew and gnaw wires increasing the risk of electrocution or shock.
- They destroy furniture by biting and pulling away foam and sponges from them.
- They can shred your books and papers.
- They can leave marks on the walls resulting in a bad-looking house.
- They cause a stinking smell and can be disgusting.
- Rats carry diseases and can harm your health.
- They can also cause structural damage to the house.
Do Rats Carry Diseases?
Yes! They do!
Rodents are known carriers of over 35 diseases. These harmful diseases can spread to humans via contact with the rat itself, whether alive or dead, or by contact with rodent urine, feces, or saliva.
Diseases can also be passed if a human or pet is bitten by a rat or by a flea or tick fed on a rodent.
Rats often introduce fleas and ticks to the homes they are infiltrating, thus easily spreading the disease they carry.
How to Get Rid of Rats in Walls?
Keep Space Clean and Tidy
Rats love dirty and unhygienic places. They nest in areas that contain sources of food waste. So if you want rats to get away from your home, then you need to clean your space.
Remove unnecessary heaps of things and keep the surroundings neat and clean. Store waste in tightly sealed bins. This prevents rats from being attracted to food waste.
Seal Entry Points
Rats need only small holes to squeeze their way inside the house. So consider finding out each and every potential entry point and seal them.
Don’t give them that space! Gaps and holes can be sealed with caulk, wood, wire mesh, or any other appropriate materials.
Clear Yard and Trim Branches
Branches pave an easy way for the rats to directly reach your roof and make their way into walls.
Trimming tree branches will help eliminate an entry point for these shelter-seeking rodents.
Home Remedies
Some natural rat repellents can be used if you are hesitant to use poisons or traps.
1. Dry Ice
Melting ice emanates carbon dioxide, which can cause asphyxiation, i.e. difficulty breathing in rodents.
Placing some dry ice near a rat’s nest, hole, or place with high rat activity will chase the rats away or suffocate them. This is an especially useful method when dealing with burrowing Norway rats.
2. Mothballs
Mothballs are poisonous to rats when consumed. Place them in and around your attic, basement, gaps in walls, or any other suspected rat-infested area to get rid of them.
But there are chances that the rats might die inside your house after consuming mothballs. So make sure to eliminate them later.
3. Ammonia
The strong odor of ammonia can repel rats. Mix ¼ cup of water, 2 cups of regular ammonia, and 2 tablespoons of detergent in a bowl. Then place the bowl in the infested area.
4. Peppermint Oil
All you have to do is dip some cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them near the areas where the rat activity is high. Sounds easy, right?
5. Pepper
The capsaicin within pepper makes it difficult for the rats to breathe, and the sharp, unpleasant smell repels them.
Use cayenne pepper, black pepper, or even pepper spray around the walls if you feel that is where rats are suspected of hiding.
6. Sliced Onion and Garlic
Rats hate the strong smell of onions and garlic. Place some onion or garlic around rat-infested areas, being sure to replace them before they rot.
7. Instant Potatoes
Instant potatoes cause inflammation of the rodents’ intestines and can even kill them. Just sprinkle this powder around areas you’ve seen or suspect rats.
Place Rat Poison and Baits
This is a very popular method used to get rid of rats. Rodenticides or rat poison is an economical and easy way to kill rats and get rid of them from your walls.
Rodenticides are usually formulated as baits, which are designed to attract rodents. The flavorings used include fish oil, molasses, or peanut butter.
Some common rodenticides include Zinc Phosphide, Bromethalin, and anticoagulants like Bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, difethialone, brodifacoum, and warfarin.
Use Rat Traps
This can be effective if the number of rats in your house is less. Traps come in different types.
1. Snap Traps
These are very effective but can be risky for children as they might hurt them. Snap traps are set with bait, and then when the rat takes the bait, a spring mechanism is activated, snapping a thick metal wire down on the rat.
This will break the rat’s neck and kill it instantly. Be careful not to hurt your fingers while doing this!
2. Glue Traps
These traps contain a highly sticky adhesive in a plastic board. The rats which come attracted to the bait get stuck to the adhesive and are made immobile.
As the rats do not die instantly but are killed gradually, this method is considered to be inhumane. The rats might undergo a torturous death.
3. Electronic Traps
The electronic trap is a metal-plated, tunnel-shaped trap with bait placed along the back wall. Once the rat is lured inside, a high-voltage shock is delivered to the device, and the rodent is killed instantly.
4. Live-Animal Traps
This kind of trap is a small cage triggered by a pressure-sensitive plate that the rat must pass to reach the bait within the cage. The rat gets caught inside the cage and is not killed.
So this method is the most humane way to get rid of rats. You can relocate the alive rat to another place that is quite far away from your house.
Contact Pest Management / Exterminator
Having tried all these methods, if you still have not gotten good results, you should contact good reputable pest control.
Rodent control specialists are trained to find and remove all pests. So seeking professional help can be the best option to completely get rid of rats.
Conclusion
So go ahead and try all these methods to completely chase away rats and get yourself free from the menace.
Say bye to those annoying little rodents and get your walls back to their clean condition. Save your house from rats and mice and live a peaceful, healthy life!
