To rid of Rats, try mixing plaster of paris with peanut butter and oil to make it creamy. The idea is that it will harden in their bodies before they can expel it.
I have also heard of using Moth Balls as they do not like the smell.
Also…have heard of using cayenne pepper. They wash their hands and feet and it burns them.
Good Luck

So today, 5/09/09, Sam de Cat catches himself a harmless garter snake in the north yard, and to join the fun I prepare a forked stick. Sam- a 14-year old codger mind you- is unclear of my intent and leads my around to the south yard and invokes his ring of invisibility.
Investigating, I find that one of my foundation vent screens has been neatly folded down on its diagonal, within the last month.
This is a problem. The hole is large enough for an opossum, not an unlikely suspect. I have NO wish to have Pogo, or worse, Sam, die under my house. (The snake, by the way, was last seen in the garage and went home sadder, I presume wiser, and unhurt.)
Thus I think major traps or poison gas are a bad idea.
Object: all non-rent payers out, THEN nail the vent shut.
Suggestions?
First idea is to spread a bunch of flour and look for tracks to know what I’m dealing with.
Second idea: Play “Victory At Sea” down there for a few days. Or AM news channel.
Mike and all: antifreeze, along with Aspirin and 298 others, is a very effective CAT poison: they love the taste, lap it up and die. As wrong a way to go as I can think of.

Though our high intensity strobe lights were designed to evict squirrels from attics and crawl spaces….. they are 100% effective at evicting roof rats.www.evictorproducts.com

Shortly we will have video footage of a roof rat getting evicted using one of our MB10K units. Of course you still may have to contend with the rats on the OUTSIDE of your house….but at least they will be gone from the inside.

I live in a condo,which has 148 units. this year we are infested with roof rats.There is alot of ivy around these units,the HOA talked about cutting the ivy back,I told one of the members,that won”t solve the problem,the ivy will only grow back,the problem will start again. I suggested we take all the ivy out would be the best solution,what are your suggestions?

For Maria who needed something to get rid of the smell of a dead rat in the wall, there’s a product called BAC-A-ZAP that is an enzyme that essentially ‘eats’ up the odor. You can google it…it’s sold nationally.

continued: predictable and very ugly and painful results. Twas random chance I returned to the kitchen in 5 minutes, not 30, after lighting a cigarette off the stove, or I’d be out at least one room of my house.
What didn’t work:
poor choice of a biped room-mate. She had been living in a tent for months, came with a dog {Basenji/Lab mix}. Thus feces, fleas, even maggots. When’s the last time you saw a maggot? A full 11 months of court eviction process to remove the biped in handcuffs. (Dog left to Animal Control 1/2 hour later and went to a good competent home.)
More sloppy housekeeping on my part.

What did work:
1. Sam de Cat. 12?16? yrs old, he’s not saying. Good for a few a week.
2. The classic BIG Victor brand snap trap, also good for a few a week.
WARNING:
RAT TRAPS ARE ALSO CAT TRAPS. THE TRAP MUST BE INACCESSIBLE TO THE CAT, AND CATS ARE CRAFTY, SMART AND CURIOUS.
The problem reduced, but did not leave. The varmints chewed neat handy pour spouts into both my sealed plastic containers.
3. FINALLY realizing cat food is rat food, I moved the weekly supply to a seven foot high shelf without easy access, the 20 pound monthly supply to top pantry shelf. The paper bag sufficed, but metal is a better idea. Sam defended the daily supply at floor level.
MY POINT: Isolation of the CAT food solved the problem.

If you put the snap trap (bated)inside a paper bag. when you hear a snap, you just pick up the bag and toss it, that way you dont have to look at it!!!

I have no tip,but I sure need one!! I have a problem with roof rats i hear them at night on my atick and scratching my walls,I’ve not seen one in my house “yet” but I am scared to death,I’ve been spending 3 days already ta my parents house b/c I cant stand the thought of them to come out in the middle of the night and do something to me or my child! my husband is staying home he put some traps and poison in the atick and they stopped for a few days but i heard them again thats when i decided to “move out” lol…. not funny at all! I can leave my husband home alone anymore but I sure dont want to come back to my house,what should I do? …. please help!!!

I got a kitten the day i saw a mouse.And in one day she brought 17 mice.i al most fanted

I have seen a rat in my house but I am scared to death to kill it I am trying to get something just to get rid of it maybe a plug device to run it out of my house.Can anyone help me on this matter?

I think I am having a problem with roof rat(S). I live in Southern Florida and have a mango tree in my yard. We noticed the squirrels were coming around much more but I am not intimidated by them. A few nights ago while sitting outside something jumped up into the tree and started to climb. It has happened the past 2 nights and we cannot get a good enough look at it, being dark and all the leaves. After doing research we are figuring it is a roof rat feeding on the mangos. I have cleaned up as much as I can but I am still nervous they are going to be around. I do not want this to become a feeding ground. Any suggestions?

Thanks all

Like Ruben Shart of Arkansas, except it was a potential house fire, not a car fire: momma built a nice cozy nest near the gas pilots between the range and the oven. String, plastic bags and twigs. I happened to use the right side of the range to light a cigarette and happened to chance back within ten minutes. Nice cheery red glow for a fireplace. Not so nice for my house or the litter. Don’t think about that a lot, please.
And this is middle-class, Sonoma County, California, last year.

Get a cat. Preferably from a farmer and preferably 10-20 weeks with mother.

A VERY useful article.
I’ve seen no trace inside house of mice or rats; I had both. For several months.
My tip:
First removed the source, a human, a squatter, under a temporary, now pemanent restraining order. The rats and mice moved from her room to the rest of my house. The fleas succumbed to two bombs. The maggots got flushed.

Nextly, the team being self and 14-year-old cat Sam we removed a dozen or so.

The final solution, however, came when I moved the CAT FOOD monthly supply up one shelf, the weekly supply up 3 shelves. The daily supply remained on the floor; Sam defended that himself. They disappeared.

i need tips on how to deter outside rats (seen on my fence) from coming in side…animals and childern are involved, so i am hoping for any info…

I have spotted a rat or two on my outdoor property line. We have woods behind us and a pvc fence surroundeing property. I notice two hole dup under the back fence and spotted rat up close to the house and pool area. How do I get rid of them coming onto my propery form the woods.

Peste talaga ang mga daga! (even here in our place we’re hving problems eliminating them)i live here in the province of Cavite philippines. My mom gets irritated, that’s why I am researching now on the best way to eliminate them. One of my friends suggested to surround a portion of the trees near our house with metal sheet plate so they can’t climb trees…I’l browse this site again later. Thanks a lot!

I have no TIPS…. I have a Anproblem. We live in rural Arkansas and I have a problem that I haven’t been able to cure. Our automobiles that are not in our garage have nesting rats/pest that build nest of sticks, grass, etc. under the hood. I recently had a fire under the hood of one of my cars that almost consumed the car. Any practical ways to fix this situation. I have dogs & cats..l.

I think their rats or mice but they’re taking the insulation out of my walls and I think using it as a play area. I hate these things I didn’t realize rats or mice could ever really move in my house I hate it but I am very afraid to go in the cabinet where they are hiding afraid they can attack or bite. I need to get the courage to get in there and chase them out.

Any household item available, can’t afford the exterminator?