If you suspect it is only one or a few rats that need to be removed from the premises then you can attempt to capture them yourself. It is very important to keep in mind that the types of rats that nest in homes and steal food are often wild and will bite if cornered. They can also carry a variety of diseases so you must remember to never touch a rat with your bare hands when capturing one.

Whether you are looking to remove rats with traps that are meant to kill or traps that are meant for relocation it is important to start by finding where they are. You may notice trails of crumbs, small footprints in dusty areas, or even chewed parts of food or walls. Those are likely areas that the rat travels to so that is the area in which you should place your trap. If you cannot find any areas rats may frequent you can focus on putting your traps in areas that seem like they would be comfortable for a rat to hide in or near.

Once you pick a location you will have to motivate rats to interact with your trap. The best form of motivation is often food. In cartoons, cheese is the bait of choice for mice and rats alike, but being scavengers means they will eat almost any food. To get the attention of rats uses food that has an aroma to it, so they can find the trap even if they don’t see it.

Lastly, you can set your trap and wait. There are plenty of premade options for traps that you can buy. Some are capture cages and others are instant kill traps, there are even DIY options for both that you can find online. Regardless of what option you choose, it is important to remember that you have to check the traps, so no animal is caught and forgotten about.

Wild rats may be pests when they enter our homes but they are still living beings and they do not deserve to suffer. Do your best to choose a humane method of removing them from your house and avoid any cruel methods of removal like drowning or slow-acting poisons.