How do you get rid of rats?

Jet19436937
by Jet19436937
They are coming from our neighbors house and shed. Poison from feed store not working.

  7 answers
  • Teresa Lowry Teresa Lowry on Sep 22, 2017



    Leave rat poison or traditional snapping rattraps in rat infested areas.You can purchase these from hardware stores and other retailers if you decide you want to kill the rats. Be aware that rat poison does not kill a rat instantly, it can take up to a week to kill the rat. The rat will be in immense pain during this week, so keep that in mind.


    Read the instructions and cautions carefully. Most rat poisons include warfarin, which causes internal bleeding and other drugs that kill rats, but can also be harmful to pets and people.

    Check the traps regularly. A rat corpse will give off an unpleasant odor if you do not remove it immediately. Also you may not find the dead rat, it depends on where it dies. Traditional snapping traps are much more humane than rat poison as it should kill the rat immediately. However, in some cases it can only severely injure the rat in which case you should put it out of its misery. If using a snap trap be sure to get one big enough for the job.




    Use glue boards to get rid of rats.These are flat, sticky pieces of wood that trap rats until you can remove them. Once again, make sure that you only set glue boards if you intend to kill the rats. These rats are not going to survive, there’s no way to get them off the glue board. Some rats will chew off their feet or legs in order to escape from the trap and others will get their head trapped in the glue and suffocate. It is not the most humane way to get rid of rats but it will work. If you find a rat in a glue trap that has not been killed you'll have to stomp on it with a boot to kill it. It's either that or hitting it on the head with something hard like bat. Do whatever you can stomach and then toss the rat in an outdoor trash can.



    • See 1 previous
    • 17335038 17335038 on Sep 22, 2017

      Thanks for taking the time to write a detailed explanatory answer.


      So many people give answers that are just unreasonable or nonspecific ideas thrown out; " how about this or that, use your imagination, the sky's the limit, etc".


      Your answer contains helpful, educational information. There is something to be learned by everyone who reads it.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Sep 22, 2017

    That sounds like an awful situation! However, you as a homeowner and resident on the adjoining property do have some rights to be protected from this health risk.


    Contact your city/town municipality office (they should also have a web site with all the bylaws available for reading) and ask to speak to an officer in regards to what are the local bylaws about vermin being obvious on vacant properties. I am assuming that the neighbours are not living on the property?


    The officer should be able to inform you as to who is reponsible for what, and what happens if any party does not uphold their responsibilities. They will inform you as to what steps will be taken to fine the owner, and to see that the situation does not worsen or continue.

  • Marjie Mack O'Connor Marjie Mack O'Connor on Sep 22, 2017

    Ask your neighbor to call an exterminator or wildlife-removal company. Or get a couple of cats once all the poison is gone. Rat poison is VERY dangerous, and not just to rats! If some little kid got into it, you could have a lot worse trouble than rats.


    If your neighbor doesn't see the rats as a problem, call the local health department and ask if they agree. Maybe they'll send out someone to trap the things.

  • Ebbjdl Ebbjdl on Sep 22, 2017

    Tom cat rat killer $15.99 @ Tomcat Direct. Tomcat Rat Trap@ Tomcat Direct. Put the rat killer in the rat trap cage. Good Luck!


  • Liv Liv on Mar 23, 2018

    Use a bowl of ANtifreeze.

  • Liv Liv on Mar 23, 2018

    oops I mean antifreeze