Rats! This is the furry menace that no-one wants. They spread diseases, create damage to house and home, and create unsanitary and smelly nesting areas in attics and crawl spaces if given the chance. The best defense against rat problems is deter them before they get established.

After years of battling rat problems I had to learn the hard way how to deal with them.  The first and foremost thing is removing all potential food sources for rodents.  This includes pet food, bird food, fruit on the ground from fruit trees, open garbage cans, compost heaps and anything else that could be a potential source of food for rodents.  If you have a rodent problem, as long as there is a food source, the rodents will persist despite your best efforts to trap and kill them.

Once you have removed all the food sources then it's time to remove the places they might hide.  Trim all trees and bushes that might be touching the roof as this acts as a highway for the rats to enter the house and increases rat problems.  It is also good to remove or thin out bush's or plants up against the house or rodents might hide in them as they seek entry into the home.  Finally, it is best to thin out any dense growth in the yard where rodents might seek shelter.  I initially resisted this step of the process as our house is surrounded by gardens and I was very resistant to removing any plants.  In desperation I finally cleared about 2 feet of space all around the perimeter of the house.  One of the ways that I believe this is effective is it creates a danger zone for the rodent as they try to enter the house.  As they stand in the open they become vulnerable to predators and it seems to go against their instincts which is to remain hidden. Basically we want to make your yard and house an unsafe place for rodents.

Next, make sure of that all cracks, crevices or holes in the house are plugged to prevent easy access for rodents and stopping rat problems dead in their tracks.  All openings greater than 1/4 inch should sealed to exclude mice and 1/2 inch or greater to exclude rats.  In practice my feeling is it is best to seal all openings no matter how small as rodents are great chewers and, depending on the material, can make a tiny hole a large one.  Some of the more common access points for rodents are around the air conditioner connections, vents, drain pipes, attic vents, and utility lines.  Also ensure the shingles are down tight on roofs, sheathing is complete and all roof ventilators, wall vents and overhangs are sealed.  Spaces beneath doors should not be too large.  Basement windows should be intact and any potential entry point underneath the house should be sealed.

For large repairs a very heavy metal screen material may need to be firmly attached.  Make sure the screen material is heavy enough that the rodents cannot chew through it or crawl through it.  For filling small holes, copper wire mesh is an ideal material.  It can be molded and crammed into the small openings very tightly.  Even better is to combine the copper wire mesh with a structural foam or some other sealant.  This ensures that the copper wire mesh cannot be pushed out or fall out of the hole and has the added benefit of keeping even small insects out of the home.

Lastly the time honored tradition of having a large cat or a small dog that likes to catch mice and rats is a great natural deterrent.  Once again the idea is to make your property unsafe for rodents, your house hard to get into, and nothing for a rodent to eat.  If you do all of these things it is very likely that potential rat problems will be avoided and the rodents will be encouraged to move on to greener pastures.

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