HOW TO GET ROOF RATS OUT OF YOUR ROOF PROPERLY BY YOURSELF!

The one thing that will have your guests talking during their visit besides complaining about you not serving them breakfast in bed or not allowing old auntie Mara to bath her pet chicken in the bathroom sink for 2 hours every morning is LOUD CRAWLING NOISES from your ceiling! 

If hosting World Rat Olympics is your most favorite thing to do during the festive season then you really need to put that on hold if you're expecting visitors. Visitors generally get super spooked by scratching, gnawing or screechy sounds coming from your roof. This often makes people uncomfortable, chatty and lose sleep. Because we know that you want your guests to be happy and feel right at home; we have created this easy DIY guide that you can use to get rid of rats from your roof as well as prevent all the other rodents from ever invading your home, ever again.

This article is an all-round DIY Guide for getting rid of rats and mice from your home and keeping it that way.

+Rat control

- Inspection

- Sanitation

+Exclusion

-Blocking off entry points

-Repel them from your home

-Food preservation

+Rodenticides

-Baiting

+Trapping

-Classic Metal Rat Traps

-Live Animal Humane Trap

-Electronic Humane Rodent Zapper

-Sticky Traps (awful)

 

+Rat control

Don’t let Micky Mouse fool you into believing that they are so cute and fuzzy. Mice and rats are demented little creatures that will eat through your brand-new Italian leather couch and live inside it. They don’t care about your feelings. We`ve seen them eat money before, so what`s your degree certificate?

- Inspection

You don’t have to be an FBI agent to investigate the whereabouts of rats and mice in your home or ceiling. However, you need to do a thorough inspection of your premises. You will need to move around furniture so that you can check properly, look behind the fridge, stove, cupboards, under garage equipment inside old boxes everywhere. After your inspection, you should be able to know just how big your rat problem is.

The inspection should be able to tell you where the rats and mice nest, you will also be able to determine the exact cause of your problem whether there are open holes or cracks allowing easy entry, or whether it’s a hygiene issue or easy food access. This information that you will have gathered will guide you towards taking well-informed action.  Afterward, you will know what kind of rodent it is. You will know where to place your traps or bait for success. Find holes or cracks in your walls, roof, electrical and plumbing entrances, doors, and chimneys.

DIY TIP: ONE | INSPECTION

What you`ll need:

Flashlight – To illuminate in dark places

Notebook – To write your inspection results

Action:

Thorough Inspection – Find the rats’ nest by following common or typical signs.

1. SKID MARKS & FOOTPRINTS

2. URINE ODORS

3. GNAWED HOLES & TEETH MARKINGS

4. DROPPINGS

5. SCRATCHING OR GRINDING NOISES

6. RODENT NESTS

7. UNUSUAL PET BEHAVIOR

8. SUDDEN SCAMPERINGS

After going through the checklist above you will now need to start with…

 

DIY TIP: TWO | SANITATION

What you`ll need:

Depending on the severity of the rat problem/infestation the basic needs are.

Face Mask            - Oooh you`re going to need it.

Gloves                  - Rubber or latex gloves. You don’t want to be touching rat poo and urine.

Spray Bottle            - To spray disinfectant on droppings and urine.

Paper Towel        - To pick up droppings and wipe away urine.

Refuse bags         – To put all those paper towels and urinated on fabrics and objects

Broom                  - To sweep towards the end

Mop                      - To mop up with disinfectant after removing urine and droppings

Bucket                 - To put all your disinfectant mopping water

Dustpan*

Now, Let’s begin cleaning.

Step one:

Start packing up and disposing of old fabrics, textiles and anything else that you don’t need anymore. If there are any dead rodents pick them all up and place them in a refuse bag and tie a tight knot. Keep the space tidy and neatly packed. Rats love dirty never cleaned rooms and places as well as things that the rats have already gnawed on and are unsalvageable.

Open all the windows and doors to allow for cross ventilation. Leave the room for 15 minutes. You don’t want to be in the room when the wind makes all the rodent germs airborne.

Step two:

Mix 1 bleach with 10 parts of water.

If you want to buy a store disinfectant, follow the manufactures instructions.

Step three:

With your gloves on spray on all the urine and droppings. Allow soaking for about 3 minutes. Use a paper towel to wipe off all the surfaces like tabletops window seals the likes. Wipe off the urine and droppings, continue to do this for all the spots and then dispose of all the soiled paper towels in the refuse bags.

Step four:

After making sure that you have removed all the urine and droppings you may begin sweeping the floors to remove any dust or soil etc. Collect all the rubbish with your dustpan and dispose of it in the refuse bag. Make sure to place the dustpan as close to the bottom of the refuse bag as you can. That way you won’t have the dust whooshing in your face and or the place you just swept.

Step five:

Place your bucket with disinfectant at the door or entrance of the room. Dip your mop in and begin mopping.

Step Six:

Dispose of your grey water in the drain. Rinse off your mop, wash the bucket with disinfectant and dry it off.

 

+Exclusion

Exclusion is an important rodent control technique. It is the process of creating physical barriers against rodents and pests to prevent them from entering a building. It is a widely preferred technique because professionals say it is the safest and most effective rodent management strategy. This technique involves closing and or sealing off holes, cracks, and crevices. It will get rid of the rats by making it difficult for them to enter the home, to begin with.

Mice by nature are often far more curious than rats. Instead, rats are very cautious. That’s a fact! So, chances of mice coming and attempting to invade your home or building are much higher. During this invasion, some rodents might gain entry through some of the tiniest holes or cracks you thought were small and didn’t require sealing off… But, don’t worry, we`ll show you how to get rid of them if they are already inside your home.  However, for rats, all openings greater than 1/2" should be sealed. 

-Blocking off entry points

DIY TIP: FOUR | Fill-In-The-Hole

What you`ll need:

Filla Foam (Expanding)        – To fill the hole.

Gloves                                   – To protect your hands.

Paint Brush or Broom           - To clean debris off.

 

Step one:

Clear debris out of the hole and clean the entrance to the hole or crack with a dry paintbrush or broom.

Step two:

Read the instructions on the expanding foam packaging, manufactures instructions often differ by brand. The following is a general guideline.

Step three:

Shake the can of spray foam well and attach the applicator tube that comes with it. Slowly spray foam into the hole, filling it about halfway. Let the foam expand to fill the hole which should bulge out past the surface of the wall.

Step four:

Allow at least 90 minutes for it to harden completely. Cut it flush to the surface of the wall, using a small saw.

Step five:

When you are sure that it is dry, sand it down with an 80 to 120 grit sandpaper. Thereafter prime the patch with PVA wall primer, you may paint if needed.

These are the advantages of using expansion form for all those gaps cracks and holes.

• High foaming speed

• Once component, no need for prior mixing

• Excellent primeless adhesion to most construction materials

• Weatherproof – excellent water resistance

• Excellent thermal and acoustic insulation

• Cured product can be cut, plastered, drilled and painted

• Very good dimensional stability

• Molds itself to surface irregularities

• Will not rot - does not support mould or fungus

• Seals out drafts around windows, doors, and baseboards

• Thermal, sound and water insulation

• Bonds roof tiles

• Gluing of insulating panels like polyurethane and polystyrene

• Increases the rigidity of structures

 

- Repel them from your home

DIY TIP: FIVE | GROW PLANTS THAT DETER RATS

What you`ll need:

Plants Assorted        – To plant around your home

Gardening tools        – To dig up holes for planting

Step One

Get shopping. Choose any of these rodent deterring plats below

• Marigolds

• Rosemary

• Peppermint

• Lavender

• Onions

• Grape Hyacinth

• Garlic

• Daffodils

• Oregano

• Sage

• Cayenne

• Black pepper

• Tomatoes

Step Two

Follow the instruction the seller will provide you because planting the right way guarantees your plants' survival. The best way to get a new plant off to a healthy start is to follow instructions. 

So even if you know the basics, it is always a good idea to follow instructions.

 

- Repel them from your home

DIY TIP: FIVE | PET A NATURAL PREDATOR

What you`ll need:

A Pet or two             – To hunt and feed on all the rodents

Transport                 – To transport the pet(s) from the shop

 

Step one:

Decide which animals on the list below you would prefer.

Cats

Cats just to eat rats. Get two or three if your rat problem is on another level. 

Canids

Pet dogs are good mouse catchers. But because they don`t usually rely on rats as a food source even though many of the wild dogs do. For example, wolves are perfect hunters, but you can`t just domesticate one. It’s a whole thing trust me. 

Birds

Birds of prey like owls and eagles rely on rats and mice for good nourishment. But, as you are undoubtedly gathering you can`t exactly pet an eagle just so that it eats your rats. So that’s out of the question. Crows, blue jays, and heron are also not a viable option.

Snakes

Imagine putting a snake in your ceiling today to chow all those rats only to not be able to find it the next day. Sheesh...

Humans

People around the world have been known to prefer fat rats for meat. But too bad you can`t exactly pet a human being. That is all kinds of illegal! And you can`t employ someone to hunt and eat your rats. I mean, come on!

So, the bottom line is, just get a cat or a dog.

 

- Repel them from your home

DIY TIP: SIX | STOP FEEDING THE BIRTHS INCORRECTLY

What you`ll need:

Dedication         – To change your hobbies 

Step One:

Change your hobbies 

We salute all the people that take the time out to feed the birds. It’s a very noble hobby. However, feeding birds also has its disadvantages. If you enjoy feeding the birds by throwing bird feed on your roof and around your yard you`re practically inviting all the rats and mice in your area to come for a free buffet.  Rodents find bird feed to be absolutely delicious.

 

-Food preservation

DIY TIP: SEVEN | KEEP FOOD PACKED UP PROPERLY

What you`ll need:

Food storage containers – To starve the rats and mice out 

Step One

Tightly pack away all the leftovers in tight unchewable food containers.

Step Two

Maintain a neat kitchen and avoid dropping food and leaving it on the floors and pantry.

Step Three

Make sure all the pots and jars are free of soup or food residue and are closed tightly.

 

+Rodenticides

Rodenticides are pesticides that kill rodents. Rodents are chipmunks, squirrels, woodchucks, porcupines, and beavers as well it`s not just rats and mice. Although rodents play important roles in nature, they may sometimes require control. If administered incorrectly or even correctly sometimes, they can damage crops, transmit disease, and in some cases violate city housing codes. In this section, we will talk about rat poison.

Extreme care and caution is needed when dealing with poisons of any kind.

Acute rodenticides (e.g. zinc phosphide) are effective after a single dose. The unpleasant beginning of poisoning symptoms is quite swift, and death may occur within 30 mins to an hour.

Acute rodenticides are among the most effective of acute poisons but are hazardous and should only be used by experts, so we won’t touch on that.

Chronic rodenticides take much longer to act, and they can be taken repeatedly for several days without the development of poison shyness. This type of rodenticide is safer to use. They are anticoagulants, a group of chemicals that prevent blood from clotting and eventually cause death from internal hemorrhage.

 

When using an anticoagulant bait:

The bait should be placed in piles located where the rodents will find and eat them before reaching their normal food

How do you know the amount of bait to put in each pile?  For mice, it should be 25g and for rats between 100–200g. Also makes sure that eaten bait is replaced daily

Within 5 to 6 days of using anticoagulants, the rats will begin to die so you will start noticing a rapid decline in the amount of bait eaten.

All rodents should have died within 3 weeks for Norway rats, 4 weeks for roof rats, and 5 weeks for house mice.

 

+Trapping

Placement of Break-back traps with a treadle should be laid across the rat path not along. For best results, they should be left unset for about 3 days to allow the rats to get used to them.

For mice, you may place the bait already set.

The Glue ones are inhumane so meh.

 Photo Cred

Getty Images  | lvpest.com | automatictrap.com | SWNS | organicauthority.com | westernpest.com |