What do you do about a rat in your house?

Answer 1

If you are concerned you might have pests, call your local vermin authorities.

Depending on where you live, the local authorities may have plans in place to deal with pests.

Otherwise, contact a pest control service near you and get a quote. Before you spend any money on commercial pest control you need to be sure that (a) you have a problem, and (b) you've tried what you can to combat it.

With many pests the first move, before you ever see one, is to ensure no food scraps are left around and all food preparation areas are thoroughly cleaned so there are no crumbs and other tiny food particles to attract pests.

Make sure you find and block any areas where pests can get into your home.

Then you can visit your local hardware store and take advice on setting traps and baits. Bear in mind that if you have pets, or native animals around your garden, you must be very careful with poisons. Your dog or cat could easily catch an animal which has been baited, and the resulting poisoning can be devastating. Wild birds and other animals can also catch baited animals and suffer poisoning as a result.

Traps are a danger to your pets also; set them only where your pets can't reach them.

It goes without saying you must keep poisons and traps well out of the way of any children in your home.

When it comes to baiting traps, again listen to your hardware staff, or ask local government experts. There's a lot of misinformation out there on getting rid of pests: unless your information comes from someone who knows what they're talking about, ignore it.