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How to Catch Rats at Home: 4 Tips That Make Traps Work

Struggling to catch rats at home? Cut off water, food and entry points and keep the house clean so traps and glue boards work better. Four simple tips.

Metal snap trap on a kitchen counter beside a jar of grain, while a man's hands hold a small wooden block
AI illustration

A rat problem in the house is sure to upset anyone living there. Plenty of people have tried many ways to catch rats at home without getting meaningful results. Several factors can explain that. The tools you use may not work well, or the extermination may not be thorough. To get more out of your traps, here are 4 things you can try.

Kangaroo rat, an animal that does not need to drink water to live

4 Things That Help Rat Traps Work Better

  1. Cut Down Water Sources

Rats can actually go a very long time without drinking, even a few days. Still, there is no denying that these rodents will look for a water source. So you can confuse rats and make the place less comfortable for them by removing the water they can reach, whether that is standing water, a leaking tap or open water containers. Fix them or cover them tightly.

  1. Don't Give Rats Access to Food

Besides water, food plays a big part in keeping rats comfortable in your home. Catching rats at home works better when they have only a limited choice of food sources. Say you cover and store all your food, throw away leftovers and seal the trash tightly. The rats will then have no other choice but to go for the bait in the trap.

  1. Close Off Entry Points

What good is catching rats and driving them out of the house if they still have a way to move back in? Many people are happy when a trap works, but it makes no difference if other rats can get into the house. So while you set rat glue or traps, check for and seal every rat hole and wall crack. This helps reduce the rat population.

  1. Keep the House Clean

Clean the house regularly to stop rats from nesting and multiplying. These small rodents can live, sleep and breed almost anywhere, even in dirty, cramped spots. Catching rats at home works even better when you reduce the places they can nest. Clear out dirty debris and unused cardboard boxes, tidy up the house, and put mothballs or plants that rats dislike in a few corners of each room.

In fact, these four steps are also preventive measures that keep rats out of the house in the first place. Together, they can make rats less willing to stay, so they tend to go for the bait and traps you have set. Even so, you still need to use quality trapping products, such as Lem Cap Gajah rat glue and Cap Gajah mechanical traps.