How can I get rid of the rats and not hurt the squirrels?

R.lewis0309
by R.lewis0309
HI Everyone.... Help please, I need to get rid of the rats in my yard. My neighbors have fruit trees and they are attracting the rats ;-( But I don't want to use anything that will hurt the squirrels. I really love the squirrels! So does anyone have any suggestions on getting rid of the rats without hurting the squirrels? Thank you so much.

  7 answers
  • No kill traps are what we use, and bait with dollar store peanut butter. We have the same problem. I have 3 fig trees, lemon and lime, neighbors have grapefruit and apricots, peaches, oranges, apples. We have a lot of possums and raccoons too. And we all have pets. We take them about 7 miles up the road and release where they have access to water, but no houses around.

  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Feb 09, 2018

    Squirrels are nothing but a cute rat! They can do as much damage any rat! Here is the definition of a Squirrel:


    "Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, groundsquirrels, chipmunks, marmots (including woodchucks), flying squirrels, and prairie dogs amongst other rodents."

  • Kay Kay on Feb 09, 2018

    That's an easy one. Get one or 2 outdoor cats. They cannot be indoor/outdoor cats or they'll be too spoiled and lazy to be much good as a predator. Get the cat/s as kittens about 2 months old so they will tend to stay close in your yard. Do NOT overfeed them. Let them do what nature intended for them to do. I'm jus sayin...

  • Allison MacKay Allison MacKay on Feb 09, 2018

    Cats need to be cared for not exploited.

  • Landsharkinnc Landsharkinnc on Feb 09, 2018

    squirrels won't eat rat bait -- but dogs/cats may eat the slow moving dying rat ... and then you have dead rat + dead pet. Traps may be your best option in an uncontrolled area like that --but baiting will be difficult with a ready food source available -- not likely to take ANY bait --

  • R.lewis0309 R.lewis0309 on Feb 14, 2018

    Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I really Appreciate your help

  • Liv Liv on Mar 23, 2018

    Rats don't like mint