Birmingham Rat Removal Tip: What Repellents Can I Use To Get Rats Out Of The Attic?

The all too familiar sounds of scratching and scurrying during night time hours usually means that rats have taken up residence in your attic. When this happens, it must be addressed promptly, or your rat population will explode.

People often assume that the easiest way to address this issue is to use repellents. Unfortunately, repellents will not drive rats out of your attic.

Rats rarely venture further than a few hundred feet from their nesting area. If they have taken up residence in your attic, they likely have a reliable food source nearby.

Repellents, Strobe Lights and High-Pitched Sounds

Repellents, strobe lights and high-pitched sounds simply do not deter rats. Rats are pretty stubborn creatures. They also know they are tiny little animals in a big world. It takes a lot more than a nasty smell to drive rats out of your attic.

Rats often communicate via high-pitched noises, so they are not bothered by them. They are also not sensitive to lights of any kind. While rats are nocturnal creatures, lights do not bother them at all.

If you have tried any repellents at all, then you probably know they are ineffective. These products utilize a chemical called Naphthalene. Rats only have a one-year life span which is not long enough for these products to affect their health.

What You Can Use

There are really only two effective methods for driving rats out of your attic. One highly effective method is a professional service. They have experience dealing with rats and can remove them safely for you.

The other really effective method involves using wooden snap traps. These traps should be placed in high traffic areas in the attic and baited properly. They offer a quick and painless kill that will help to eliminate an infestation.

If you live in an area that prohibits the use of these traps, such as Washington, DC, then live traps can be utilized to relocate the creatures. It can be a bit more difficult to trap rats in a cage, but it is possible. Exclusion funnels are also rather effective. They allow rats to leave but prevent them from coming back in.

Before beginning the trapping and removal process, it is important to seal up any entry ways the rats may be using. Rats can squeeze through tiny little spaces, about the size of a quarter.

These spaces must be blocked with metal or steel mesh as rats can chew through almost any other material. This will help prevent them from returning and discourage new rats from moving in.