Rat walking on the ground with some tall grass in the background

Urban areas provide excellent habitats for rats to survive. Rats are usually active at night and generally avoid contact with people. They prefer damp environments and often burrow and nest underground near building foundations, in garbage and in wood piles. Rats are carriers of disease, and health concerns can arise when they enter living spaces. In Ontario, it is most likely that a person would become ill from an infected rat as a result of ingesting food or water that has been contaminated by rat urine or droppings.

Rats may appear on the surface when sewers and drains are damaged, as well as during excavation work.

Rodents can also enter a home through various ways:

  • an unused opening in the plumbing
  • a broken pipe or a crack measuring more than 15 mm in a building wall 
  • meal scraps tossed in the toilet or a garbage disposal unit

Step One: Look for Evidence
Inspect your property for signs of a rat infestation.
  • Live sightings
  • Chewed or damaged items
  • Droppings
  • Tracks
  • Burrows or holes in the ground around foundations

Step Two: Clean Up

Cleaning up and getting rid of clutter is an essential step in rat prevention

Wash Away Droppings and Track Marks

Rats communicate and attract each other through their urine and droppings.

  • Sweep up droppings and clean up dark greasy track marks. Wash down the area with water and a mild bleach solution (1:10 ratio).
  • Talk to your neighbours and work together to clean up, so rats don't move from one place to another.

Get Rid of Clutter

Clutter gives rats lots of places to hide, sleep, nest, and reproduce.

  • Remove and recycle piles of newspapers, paper bags, cardboard, and bottles.
  • Clear out your basement and yard.
  • Store items away from walls and off the ground.

Control Weeds and Shrubs

  • Rats are often found in burrows under bushes and plants.
  • Keep tall grass, bushes, shrubs, and mulch away from building foundations.
  • Pull out ivy around burrows.
  • Keep ground bare six inches from buildings, and trim under shrubs.
  • Make space between plants; avoid dense planting.
  • Keep gardens free of weeds and trash.

Step Three: Eliminate Food and Water Sources
  • Remove garbage and compost from inside the home
  • Ensure bin lids are tightly secured
  • Use a rodent-proof bin for backyard composters
  • Clean up spilled seeds under bird feeders
  • Remove your bird feeder if you have a rodent problem
  • Eliminate water sources such as leaky taps, sweating pipes, open drains, bird baths, and standing water
  • Keep your kitchen clean. Store dry food and pet food in sealed metal or glass containers

Step Four: Rodent-proof Your Home
Get rid of easy entry points into your home. Mice can squeeze through cracks as small as a dime, while rats can entre through quarter-sized holes. Even the small gaps created by worn thresholds under doors will allow mice access to your home.
  • Use metal weather stripping under doors, and weather strip windows.
  • Seal cracks and small holes.
  • Put heavy-duty metal screens on vents, especially on lower floors, secured with masonry nails or cement.
  • Fill large gaps and holes in cement and stone foundations.
  • Close inactive burrows with tamped soil in the yard or metal filler and cement in the sidewalk.

Step Five: Traps and Bait
You may choose to hire a licensed pest control company due to the challenging nature of rat eradication. A number of physical and chemical control options are available to homeowners.

The safest and most effective method for controlling rat populations is trapping, however a number of chemical products exist as well.

Traps

There are several types of traps that can be used to control rats and mice. Snap traps and electronic traps are easy to use and very effective if well positioned and set properly. They generally kill rats and mice instantly. Live traps have trap doors that are triggered when rats or mice walk over them.

Follow the manufacturer's directions on how to use a particular trap. These are general guidelines:

  • Most traps without covers should be set at right angles to the wall, with the baited end of the trap closest to the wall. Some traps (like electronic traps and covered snap traps) should be set with the entrance parallel and flush against the wall. Set 1 trap per metre (yard) along walls, or 5 to 10 traps per visible mouse hole.
  • Allow a warm-up period of 3 to 4 days (bait the traps but do not set them), so that the rats or mice become comfortable taking the bait.
  • Use baits of strong-smelling, sticky foods like peanut butter, bacon grease mixed with oats, raisins, or candy.
  • Reuse the traps: they are more attractive to rats and mice.
  • Move traps to different locations if the bait does not disappear regularly.
  • Reset the traps in 2 to 3 weeks to catch maturing rats and mice.
  • Glue traps are also available and can be used with or without bait.

Note: It is important to check all types of traps daily.

Ultrasonic devices

Ultrasonic devices give off sound waves or vibrations that rats and mice dislike. Rats and mice may, however, adapt to the devices and return. It is recommended that ultrasonic devices be used along with other pest control options.

Products

Rodent bait is a common way of controlling rats but applying these poisons is a job for professionals. If you use a pesticide to control your pest problem, read the label to make sure you are choosing the right product for the right pest. Follow all label directions and warnings carefully. Always look for a Pest Control Products (PCP) number on the label so you know the product has been approved by Health Canada

  • Poisoned baits are a common way of controlling rodents; they must be used with a tamper-proof bait station in areas accessible to children and pets. Read the product label and follow the label directions and safety precautions closely.
  • Anticoagulant rodenticides prevent the clotting of blood. These products are sold to the general public in a solid form such as a paraffin block. Note: Anticoagulants are usually highly toxic. Keep away from children and pets.
  • Other products containing non-anticoagulant poisons available to the general public include the active ingredients cellulose from powdered corn cobs and bromethalin.
  • Commercial class products must be applied by a certified professional. Commercial applicators have access to other bait types such as loose pre-mixed bait.
  • Repellents may also be used to discourage rats and mice from damaging young trees and ornamentals, structures, and garbage bags.

Safe Cleanup

Use caution when near urine and droppings:

  • Wear rubber gloves and a dust mask during cleanup.
  • Dampen droppings and debris with a solution of bleach and water before wiping up.
  • Wear gloves to dispose of dead rats and mice.
  • Wash hands and exposed clothing thoroughly after clean-up, and separate from other laundry.
  • Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings. The dust that is raised can cause illness.

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