How to Get Rats Out of Your Attic



Finding that you have rats in your attic is not a good discovery. It is not like finding that there was a $20 bill hidden in the seat cushions of your couch or that you had one more donut left over than what you had thought. This is a rodent. An animal that carries a number of diseases and parasites that pose a risk to you and your family. Plus, they are dirty, messy animals that can ruin the beauty of your home. Adding to the problem is that if you have a one rat in your attic, you may actually have several. Two rats can quickly become dozens, if not hundreds within one calendar year. You may not be aware of it, but you could have several generations of rats living in your attic. So, what do you do about it?

Assessing the Problem
The place where you have to begin is by determining how many rats are actually inside your house. This means going up into the attic area and looking for the nest where they live. If you have a large group of rats, they are still going to live in a colony together. The majority of them will sleep together, looking to keep each other warm and protected. This is to your advantage. Rats are nocturnal creatures, so you want to inspect your attic during the daytime. Got up into the attic and look for a large nest. If all you see is a very small area where they have torn up your insulation or are using old clothing or newspaper articles, then you may have a few rats in your home it most. That is good news.

Handling the Problem
Before you take any action against the rats, consider that you don't want to do anything that sends them scurrying from the attic. Some people decide to try to capture these animals by scooping them up and placing them inside a cage, but you may actually send the rats deeper into your home. That is in an appealing option at all. Instead, if you have a very small group of rats then what you should do is purchase a trap that allows you to capture the entire group, hopefully in one evening. By using the proper bait, something like peanut butter or cheese, you can easily capture these animals and dispose of them as you will. However, if you have a large group of rats in your attic, you are going to need some help. Putting out a few traps to try to capture some is not going to work. As quickly as you capture 10 or 12, you may have a couple that have another litter of babies and your problem becomes even worse. While you may not want to pay the money, your only option may be to hire a professional to assist you. Using a poison means there will be dozens of dead rats in your attic, not a good option. Hiring somebody to solve the problem for you is the way to go.

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