Especially during the cooler months of the year, rats and mice commonly take refuge in the attics of homes.
If you are hearing little scratching noises and squeaks at night in your walls and ceiling, it is highly likely that you have these critters in your attic.
Rats and Mice can do massive damage to your home (and not to mention, produce unbearable smells) if left unchecked, so it is important to take action to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Step by Step: How to get rid of Rats and Mice in your attic?
Step 1: Find Which Attic Walls Have Rodent Droppings Along Side Them
Rats and mice always like to travel along the same paths, which are typically alongside a vertical surface, such as a wall. The rodent droppings will help us identify essentially which walls these rodents are traveling along.
Step 2: Place Rat Traps Flush Along These Walls And Bait With Peanut Butter
I typically use the Tomcat Rat Snap Traps for both mice and rats, and I have found that Peanut Butter works great. You want to ensure you use a bait that sticks to the bait cup so there is less chance of the rodent stealing the bait without setting it off.
Step 3: Plug Up Any Potential Entry Point To The Attic With Steel Mesh or Wool
Rats and Mice cannot chew through steel. This is the main reason why you want to use a steel based mesh or wool. I would recommend using Xcluder Steel Wool Fabric. This will get the job done and rodents can’t chew through it. In addition to that, mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime and rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter! So be sure to plug up any holes at least the size of a dime.
Step 4: Follow CDC Guidelines for cleaning up after Rodents
Rodents carry a significant amount of human infectious diseases and you need to be super careful when cleaning up after them. Here is a link to the CDC website which explains the proper protocol for cleaning up rodent droppings and urine. There is also information on how to safely dispose of dead rodents and nests.
Step 5: Repeat the above until no more signs of Rodents
This might be the most important step. Rodents multiply so quickly that if you don’t take out the entire nest, the problems could become exponential. Once you believe the problem is solved and you have fully sterilized the area, be sure to take a quick peek every few days to ensure you aren’t finding any more droppings.
I hope this article has been helpful! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below and I will respond as soon as I can.
Thank you!!
RKD
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