For homeowners and renters, addressing a rat infestation in the yard is a nerve-wracking proposition.
It is even more difficult when you own a pet. But how do you solve this problem? So how do you get rid of rats in yard without harming pets?
Well, if you are looking for ways on how to get rid of rats in yard without harming pets, there are indeed some solutions that are effective without harming the pets in your home, most of them are natural as explained here.
Well, in this article, there are five common ways to get rid of rats in the yard without harming pets.
5 Best Ways to get rid of Rats in Yard without Harming other Animals
Pet-Friendly Rat Poisons
There are numerous types of effective rat poisons available to homeowners. You can find them in various big box stores, tractor supply stores, and other familiar businesses. Purchase the pet-friendly versions of those famous rat poisons.
Generally, these systems involve a block of strong rat poison secured in a plastic housing (bait stations). The housing should be simple for a rat to go through; nevertheless, it will not include the curious tongues and fingers of pets and kids.
But you must be watchful for any dead rat in your yard after putting out poison bait. You should ensure that you get rid of the carcasses immediately to prevent a strong smell and the potential for disease.
Live Traps
If it bothers you strongly to eliminate rats in your home, there are many options you can consider. It is ordinary for individuals to feel delicate about reducing the life of another animal, even if it appears dirty like a rat. You can also make use of live traps to eliminate rats.
Live traps hold rats without killing them. One of the most significant live traps individuals make use of is Hav-A-Hart. This product can get hold of anything from mice and chipmunks up to coyotes.
Besides, there are numerous styles of bucket traps that can be very effective at getting hold of rats. Traps need a degree of vigilance. Check the product you are regularly using, and the bait needs to be changed often. It may be required of you to keep notes about the lures, because a few of them may perform better than others depending on your local pest population.
Many of us swear by cat food, while many others insist that marshmallow or peanut butter is the perfect solution. It may be required of you to attempt numerous distinct types of bait.
Home Remedies
When we approach the rainy season, it will be the time rats attempt to discover their cosy corners in your home and damage the stuff you have carefully stored. But do you know you can also get rid of rats with simple home remedies? Some home remedies can eliminate rats in your home. To me, this is the best way to get rid of rats in yard without harming pets.
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Peppermint oil
The smell of peppermint can chase rats away from your home. You can put some peppermint oil in cotton balls and place them at the entry points. Do this regularly because it is one of the best ways to get rid of rats in yard without harming pets.
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Instant potatoes
Where you feel the rats are likely to pass regularly, sprinkle the instant potatoes powder. The rats will undoubtedly consume the dust, but the potato flakes will bloat up in the intestines of the rats, eliminating them eventually.
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Onions
You might feel you are the only one that hates the pungent smell of onions, well, it may shock you that rats also hate the pungent smell of onions. Although when you place them on where they are likely to reside or pass regularly, it may be toxic to pets at home.
In other words, it may be required of you to change the onion regularly.
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A mixture of Plaster of Paris with Cocoa Powder
What requires is to mix dry POP with cocoa or chocolate powder and place it in the area rats reside or pass regularly. Immediately they consume the mixture; they will leave your home anxiously to absorb water and eventually die.
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Ammonia
You should all know by now that rats do not like strong smells, and ammonia possesses that. Simply pour ammonia in small bowls and place close to their favorite spots. You can also see how to use bleach to get rid of rats.
Here’s an experiment to show if Ammonia can help get rid of rats in the yard
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Hot pepper flakes
It is the cheapest and affordable way to keep rats away from your home. Sprinkling pepper is an ancient way to chase rats or other animals from plants or homes.
You can spread it along the entryway and other corners to chase away the rodents.
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Garlic
DIY your anti-mice concoction by chopping and mixing garlic into the water. At the entry of your home, you can also leave garlic cloves.
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Cloves or clove oil
Rats despise cloves. So, you place a bunch of cloves in a muslin cloth or pantyhose close to rat holes.
Environmentally Friendly Deterrents
There are many ways to make use of an ecologically friendly deterrent to get rid of rats in your yard without hurting other pets. These ways include;
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Using a cat
Assuming that you have a large infestation of rats that have found a home in your house or your property, there are green methods that you can eliminate them. Pet cats are one such way, as cats unconsciously prey on rats and other rodents, and have been used for a while in agrarian communities to keep pests away from food stores and grain.
Assuming that you are yet to own a cat, consider paying a visit to your local shelter to find if there is any available cat for adoption. Make inquiries about whether they are known mousers before purchasing them.
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Using a dog
Similar to cats, some dog breeds, most especially terriers, can be impressive rat hunters. If you like dogs and you can accept the full responsibility of being a pet guardian, pay a visit to your local shelter and find out what types of terriers they have available for adoption.
You should note that dogs are not only able to hunt rats that are already on the property but prevent new rats from residing in your home.
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Installing a barn owl box
Barn owls are present in all parts of the globe, and they cherish consuming rats, mice, and other rodents. Although you cannot keep one as a pet to cope with your rat issue, you can encourage a barn own to reside close to your property, and it will hunt and eat rats in large numbers.
Note that barn owl boxes are easy to make as a DIY project, or you can buy them online.
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Using rataway
Rataway is a blended and concentrated fragrance that gets rid of all the odours left behind by animals like rats. Although it may not be able to get rid of rats in your house, it will stop others from being charmed by the smells left behind by rats that have already been there.
You can mix Rataway with water in a spray bottle and spray in on areas where you know rats have been, urinated, marked territory, or left other odours.
Eliminate possible habitats
Rats are not as picky we humans are when it concerns where they reside, so where you probably find a pile of trash, a rat will see an ideally right home. What you should do is to pick it up, then eliminate or even cut down anything from around your house that a rat might use to make a nest-like, yard waste, furniture, and old cars, woodpiles, construction materials, garbage, and junk, etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What charms or attracts the rats, and how do I address it?
Among the perfect humane options for rats is looking around your property. Similar to other pests, rats or rodents are there because something is drawing them. If you manage to find out what attracts them, it will be easy for you to fix the issue.
Common problems include abandoning pet food outside for any stray animals and unprotected trash can lids. Source of water or food can attract rats. If you find out and get rid of that source, rats will no longer be attracted to your property.
Instead, they will go elsewhere to look for another source of water or food. It may take a while to address all the possible problems, but getting rid of the attraction is undoubtedly the most humane way to deal with an infestation.
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Will barn owls consume chickens or rabbits?
Maybe, that is if the owl is big enough. Probably you could make use of chicken wire to safeguard the chickens and rabbits from aerial attacks.
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Does the smell of onions chase rats away?
Yes, you can slice up an onion and place it in an infested area to chase away the rats from that territory or property.
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Where can I get a rataway
You can only purchase a rataway at the pest mall online.
