Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Locate rodents in your home
• Method 2 of 3: Selecting the Appropriate Methods
• Method 3 of 3: Using Gentle Traps
• Tips
• Warnings

Regardless of whether rodents have recently invaded your home or have already settled in it, such a neighborhood is unlikely to please you. Fortunately, there are proven methods of catching rats, mice, and squirrels with several types of traps to help you get rid of these intruders. To select the appropriate method, you first need to determine who exactly invaded your home.Then choose the most convenient type of trap and the most effective bait to catch the rodents in the house.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Locate rodents in your home

1. 1 Determine which rodents have invaded your home. This can be done by the excrement they leave behind. Mice leave droppings in the form of pieces about 0.5 centimeters long with pointed ends, and rat droppings measure 1.5–2 centimeters and are rectangular (or resemble sausages). Squirrel excrement is about 1 centimeter in size with rounded edges and can be identified by the fact that it becomes lighter over time.
2. 2 Determine what type of rat you are dealing with. There are two common types of rats. Gray (Norwegian) rats are especially common. Their length is 18-25 centimeters, they have gray-brown fur, their tails are shorter than the body. In houses, they live in basements and on the lower floors. Black (attic) rats have a body 15–20 centimeters long and have dark gray or black hair, their tails are longer than the body. Inside houses, they live in roof holes, attics and upper floors.
3. 3 Choose the appropriate bait for your particular rodent type. Peanut butter works great as it is popular with all types of rodents. In addition, some lures are better suited for certain times of the year.
   • If you have rats or mice, use what they ate in your house as bait. For example, if the rats ate dog food, put it in the trap.
   • If you've got protein, use peanut butter, nuts, grains, seeds, soft fruits and vegetables as bait.
4. 4 Consider the behavior of various rodent species. In addition to the fact that rats and mice prefer different baits, their habits are also very different, which leads to significant differences in behavior. Rats are cautious, while mice are curious. Also consider seasonal changes in behavior. For example, catch squirrels in late spring or early winter when they have no offspring.

Method 2 of 3: Selecting the Appropriate Methods

1. 1 Close the loopholes through which rodents enter your home. One of the most important and effective ways to get rid of intruders is to eliminate the passages through which they make their way into the house. Thus, you will prevent new rodents from entering the house.
   • If you find it difficult to find loopholes or close them yourself, seek help from a pest control specialist.
   SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

   

   Hussam bin break

   
   
   Pest Control Specialist Hussam Bean Break is a Certified Pesticide Application Specialist and Operations Manager for Diagno Pest Control. Owns and operates this service with his brother in Greater Philadelphia.

   Hussam bin break
   Pest Control Specialist

   Check for areas where rodents often enter your home. Hussam bin Break, head of pest control at Diagno Pest Control, advises: “The best way to get rid of rodents is to keep them out of your home. Examine the gas and water pipes entering the kitchen, as well as electrical cables. Often there are small gaps around them, through which mice can penetrate, and they need to be closed. "

   
   
2. 2 Consider using a death trap. Electronic traps are considered to be the most effective way to rid the house of mice and rats. Among other things, they are safe for other pets and make it easy to get rid of the trapped rodent. Although they are more expensive than other types of traps, they can quickly get rid of mice and rats and kill them relatively humanely. However, if your home is invaded by squirrels, gentle traps are most effective.
   • There are such mousetraps that allow you not to even see the caught mouse and not touch it.
3. 3 Don't use poison. Poisoned rodents can die in the walls or in the attic, and a nasty smell will develop in the house, which will be difficult to get rid of. In addition, the poison is dangerous for children and pets. The traps are quite effective and safe, so there is no need to poison the rodents.
   • Leave the use of poisons to pest control specialists - they have special closed containers of poisons that are out of the reach of pets and children.
4. 4 Use the right amount of bait. Whichever trap you choose, you need to use an effective amount of bait, which depends on the type of trap and the type of rodent.
   • If you have rats, place disabled traps with a small amount of food where they often appear for a few days so that the rodents get used to them.
   • Mice are more curious, so you usually don't need to feed them in advance. Place a small amount of bait in the trap to trap the mouse.
   • In the case of squirrels, use more bait to lure them into a life-saving trap.
5. 5 Use more traps. This is extremely important. Set more traps than you think you need. You almost certainly have more rodents in your house than you think. This is true for both rats and mice. Rodents reproduce so quickly that experts recommend using a dozen traps for every animal found. Continue setting traps until you stop finding rodent tracks.
6. 6 Place traps against the walls. Rodents use the same paths, which almost always run along walls, tables, and other vertical shelters. Place traps perpendicular to walls along which rats or mice move. Place them in other places where you have ever seen a rodent. In especially busy areas, place two traps close to each other so that rodents that overcome the first trap will fall into the second.
   • If you have squirrels, place traps along the wall in the attic or in loopholes, as well as at the base of trees outside the house and right on the roof, especially near those trees and power lines through which squirrels can enter the house.
7. 7 Check traps often. Try to immediately empty the triggered traps and put fresh bait in them. If any bait is effective, reuse it. Otherwise, change bait from time to time to lure rodents into traps. For example, you can trap other food or alternate food with burrow material if you are catching mice.
   • If you are using sparing traps, check them twice a day. Rodents caught in such traps can quickly die from stress.
8. 8 Take care of children and pets. Keep them away from any type of trap. This is necessary both for the safety of children and pets and for the effectiveness of the traps. Do not touch pets before setting traps, as their smell will scare away rodents.

Method 3 of 3: Using Gentle Traps

1. 1 Note that gentle traps are less effective. While it is much more humane to trap mice or rats to keep them alive and then release them, in this case they will most likely try to return to your home. If they fail to re-enter the house, they may die on the street.
   • If you do release trapped rats and mice on the street, do so at least 1.5–2 kilometers from your home. Protein should be released 6-8 kilometers from home.
2. 2 Think about which traps to choose. Use gentle traps to catch the squirrels. The most common type of gentle trap is a small cage with a sliding door. Look at pet stores or online for suitable traps.It is believed that these traps are most effective when you need to catch squirrels. They are also suitable for rats.
   • If you are dealing with mice, choose a revolving door trap that can hold several animals. Look for these traps at pet stores or online. Since several (sometimes up to ten!) Mice are placed in such traps, they can be checked less often.
3. 3 Try to make the trap yourself. To save money, you can use a cardboard tube (such as paper towels). Try using this trap if you find that mice are at your desk. Flatten one side of the cardboard tube to create a semi-circular tunnel. Do the following:
   • position the tube so that the flattened end hangs over the edge of the table;
   • place a bucket under the hanging end of the tube;
   • put a treat into the flattened end of the tube that will lure a mouse into it - as a result, the animal will climb into the tube, and it will fall into the bucket with it;
   • note that the mouse can get out of this trap.
4. 4 Decide whether to use sticky traps. Many consider such traps inhumane, as rodents caught in them slowly die or gnaw off their stuck paws. However, some pest control professionals use them in some situations. Determine if you should use sticky traps.

Tips

• Use a strong disinfectant to cleanse any areas where you find dirt and excrement left by mice, especially the loopholes through which rodents enter the house to prevent new mice from entering after catching old ones. Also, thoroughly wash and disinfect any areas where you find mouse droppings, as it serves as a sign to other mice.
• The following measures will help prevent rodents from entering the house:
  • keep the kitchen clean;
  • close all food containers tightly;
  • make sure that rodents do not enter non-residential areas of the house;
  • Empty and wash your pet food bowls every night before going to bed.
  • prune plants near the house so that the ground underneath is visible;
  • keep firewood at least 45 centimeters above the ground and do not stack it in the immediate vicinity of the house;
  • cut off those tree branches that touch the roof;
  • cover the chimney and ventilation openings with gratings;
  • seal all outer holes that are wider than 2–3 centimeters.

Warnings

• Do not handle rodents with your bare hands. Rodents carry various parasites and diseases.