First steps: This is what you do right away when you have rats
Discovering rats in the house requires immediate action. This is because rats multiply extremely quickly - a pair can grow into a colony of dozens within months. Rapid response is therefore crucial.
Confirm Presence
First, check whether you are really dealing with rats. So look for rat droppings (10-20 mm long, dark, cylindrical), gnaw marks on food packaging and furniture, walking routes with smear marks along skirting boards and walls, and noises at night such as scratching and rustling.
Rats are nocturnal and shy. Moreover, if you see a rat during the day, this indicates a serious infestation - as it indicates overcrowding where rats are forced to forage during the day.
Isolate Food Directly
Rats need food on a daily basis. Therefore, remove all food sources immediately: store food in glass or metal containers with sealable lids, clean up pet food in the evening, clean up crumbs and spills immediately, place rubbish bins outside in sealed containers, and remove bird food temporarily.
Limit Access To Water
Rats need water to survive. Therefore, repair leaking taps and pipes immediately, remove standing water from buckets and sinks, cover pet water bowls at night, and check condensation around central heating boilers and air conditioners.
Search Access Points
Thoroughly inspect your home for entry points. This is because rats can pass through holes as small as 1.5-2 centimetres. Pay particular attention to holes around pipes and cables, cracks in the foundation, damaged ventilation grilles, openings under doors, and holes in gutters and facades.
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Try it yourself or call a professional immediately?
At rats in the house many people consider self-help first. It is important to understand what is and is not effective, and when professional help becomes necessary.
What Works: Clamping and Trapping
Traditional clap traps can be effective for small infestations (1-3 rats). Namely, place clamps along known walking routes, perpendicular to the wall with the bait side facing the wall. Use peanut butter, chocolate or nuts as bait - cheese works contra intuitively poorly.
Modern electronic traps kill rats humanely via electric shock. These are more expensive but more effective and hygienic. Therefore, check traps daily and remove dead rats immediately with gloves.
What Doesn't Work: Ultrason e and Home remedies
Ultrasonic scavengers are scientifically proven ineffective. In fact, rats get used to the sound within days. Even home remedies such as peppermint oil, ammonia or mother passb olls have no lasting effect. Moreover, rats can easily avoid these scents without leaving the house.
Dangers of DIY Poison
Over-the-counter rat poison poses serious risks. Rats can die in unreachable places causing stench and fly infestations. In addition, the poison is dangerous for children and pets. Moreover, rats are becoming increasingly resistant to standard rodenticides.
A shot rat that dies outside can be eaten by cats, dogs or birds of prey, which then also become poisoned (secondary poisoning). Professional pest controllers therefore use ditched bait stations in safe locations.
When DIY Is Insufficient
Call in professional help when there are more than 3 rats, rats in cavity walls or under floors, pregnant rats or nests with young, recurring infestations after DIY attempts, or when you cannot find the entry points. In these scenarios, professional knowledge and equipment is essential.
Rat repellent: Here's how to really keep them out (and this doesn't work)
Final resolution of rats in the house requires more than just control. Indeed, repelling - rat-proofing your home - is the only sustainable solution.
Access Points Professional Shutdown
Rats gnaw through many materials. Therefore, use only rat-proof materials: metal mesh (maximum 6mm mesh size) for ventilation openings, steel wool combined with silicone sealant for small holes around pipes, hard steel plates for larger openings in wooden structures, and quick cement or mortar for holes in concrete and masonry.
Pay particular attention to these vulnerable points: openings around central heating pipes, water and gas connections, ventilation holes in facades and crawl spaces, cracks and gaps in foundations, damaged door rubbers and sills, and holes where cables and pipes enter the house.
Making outdoor environments rat-unfriendly
Rats like to nest in gardens before entering homes. Therefore, remove hiding places: clear wood piles and building materials, remove dense vegetation against facades, keep grass short (rats avoid open areas), and clear garden waste and compost regularly.
In addition, make sure dustbins close properly and are located away from the house. Do not store bird food or pet food in garden sheds - this attracts rats.
Checking sewer connections
Rats often enter homes through the sewer system. Therefore, have your sewer connection checked for damage. Modern rat valves in toilets and drains prevent rats from entering through the sewer - these are a worthwhile investment.
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Here's how to prevent rats coming back
After removing rats in the house requires constant vigilance. This is because rats in the neighbourhood are constantly looking for new settlement sites. Structural prevention prevents reinfestation.
Regular inspection routine
Perform monthly checks for rat marks. Therefore, inspect access points you have sealed - are they still intact? Check basements, crawl spaces and attics for new droppings or gnaw marks. Watch for smear marks along established walking routes. Early detection prevents major infestations.
Garden maintenance and storage
Keep your garden tidy and uncluttered. Cut back shrubs and bushes regularly, especially along facades. This is because rats use overhanging branches as bridges to dwellings. Store materials on pallets at least 30 cm above the ground - rats avoid open spaces without cover.
Cooperation with Neighbours
Rats migrate from property to property. If your neighbours have a rat infestation, you are at increased risk. Therefore, discuss the problem with neighbours and tackle it together. Combined control in a street or block is much more effective than individual efforts.
Professional monitoring
Consider a professional monitoring contract, especially in high-risk areas (near water, old neighbourhoods, industrial estates). Controllers place monitoring stations that detect early rat activity. Regular monitoring prevents small problems from growing into large infestations. This is cheaper than reactive control afterwards.
Questions about rats in the house? I am happy to help
I get these questions daily from people with rats. Do you recognise your situation? Feel free to call me. - Johan
Immediate. Rats multiply extremely fast - a female can have 5-10 litters a year with 6-12 young per litter. Within 3 months, young are sexually mature themselves. A pair of rats can grow to 200+ within 6 months under ideal conditions. Each day's delay increases the infestation. In addition, rats cause health risks and structural damage. See rats? Call a professional exterminator the same day.
Only for very small infestations (1-3 rats). For effective trapping, you need to know how many rats there are, where they walk and nest, and you need to set enough traps (at least 1 trap per 3 metres of walking route). Rats also learn from each other - if one rat is caught, others avoid the trap. If there are more than 3 rats or rats in cavity walls/under floors, traps are insufficient. Professional control combines several methods including repellent.
Technically yes, but this is strongly discouraged. Risks: rats die in inaccessible places (walls, crawl spaces) with extreme odour nuisance, poison is life-threatening to children and pets, secondary poisoning of cats/dogs that eat poisoned rats, rats become increasingly resistant to over-the-counter poisons, and without eradication new rats return. Professionals use stronger agents in cordoned-off stations in strategic locations. For your safety and effectiveness: choose professional control.
Costs vary depending on the size of the infestation, accessibility of the nest, required weeding and number of treatments. A one-off inspection with treatment costs on average €150-300. For larger infestations with repellent, this can go up to €500-1500. This seems expensive, but DIY attempts often cost more due to repeated purchases, recurring infestations and damage. Professional control offers guarantee and lasting solution. Call 085-2129904 for a free customised quote.
Repelling is essential: seal all holes larger than 1.5 cm with metal mesh/cement, repair damaged facades and foundations, install rat valves in toilets/drainages, and remove food source n (covered rubbish, no bird food). Monthly checks for signs, garden maintenance (no piles of material against facades), and good hygiene in the home. Professional pest controllers often offer aftercare with monitoring stations. At Janssen Pest Control, you always get repellent advice included - call 085-2129904 for lasting solutions.
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