What You Need To Know About Controlling Rats

Most homeowners find rats to be a formidable foe. Although white rats with pink eyes often pose as our furry little friends, the more common black rats (Rattus rattus) and brown or Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) can cause enormous damage to property, plants, pets, and people. Controlling rats becomes a priority when packs of brown rats crawl up from the sewers or black rats invade the roof space. It then becomes an emergency when through sheer numbers they pose a danger to your pet or to your child.

The articles below give homeowners all the information they need to banish rats from houses, apartments, sheds, and outbuildings. These articles offer basic facts about rats explaining the different types of rats plus shocking answers to the question "how destructive are rats?" They offer essential knowledge about getting rid of rats by conventional means & natural methods, rat control tips, rat trapping tips, the best rat baits, and questions of whether the law allows you to kill rats.

With the right rat control devices, no one has to live with rats. They can be killed on the spot, or humanely trapped for release into a new home where they won't need to bother humans. Black rats (the Australian Museum gives info on its habitat), brown rats (the Pied Piper describes how it likes to live), roof rats (Rex E. Marsh describes its identifying characteristics), sewer rats (according to the IDHP all the rats just mentioned are also know as sewer rats), and rats in the garden can all become a thing of the past, with the tools described on these pages.

Browse the articles below to find answers to specific questions about rat problems.