Best Baits and Baiting Tips for Roof Rats

Roof rats are generally found in attics, rafters, and roofs. They are cautious creatures that can’t be trapped easily by using bait. However, fruits and pieces of meat can do a job better than most artificial rat baits. Plus, you can use peanut butter to lure them into traps if you aren’t allergic to peanuts. 

That being said, let us tell you how to get rid of roof rats without calling professional pest control services. This guide gives tips and tricks to keep roof rats away from your property for life. Firstly, let us give you the best baits for roof rats. We have also given some recommended bait and traps you can get to kill roof rats. 

How To Trap Roof Rats Effectively

The Best way to get rid of roof rats is by setting up a live trap that will kill the rat immediately. Firstly, clean your house and then get rid of any potential openings for roof rats. Then you can trap the roof rat by using bait. 

Be careful about hygiene:

To control the roof rats, your house must be clean. Fallen food or leftover pet food that’s left uncleaned attracts roof rats in most cases. Here’s what you need to do:

• Keep food in containers that are hard to gnaw through. 
• Make sure no paper or cardboard clutter might be of use to roof rats as nesting material.
• Try cleaning leftover pet food as soon as pets finish eating. Clean the pet area daily before sleeping. 
• Trim trees and grass so that your outdoor lawn is also clean and free of infestation. 
• Gardeners should keep fertilizers and seeds in a tightly closed container. 
• Clean the garage and don’t keep firewood as roof rats might start nesting there. 
• Clear the garbage can out daily and don’t leave it out in the open. 

Sealing Any Openings:

The next step is to seal the home cracks and crevices so that rats are kept away from entering your house. 

• Use sealant, wood, mesh, or other suitable material to seal holes around your house. 
• Seal the pipe opening with copper mesh or Xcluder material. 
• Change any flood drainage with huge openings.
• Try placing door sweeps if screens on doors and windows don’t fit perfectly. 
• Tightly close the cabinets so that rats don’t make nests in them. 
• We don’t recommend leaving any water sources around your house like bird baths. 

Trapping:

You can use snap traps, electric traps, or ultrasonic devices to kill roof rats. 

Set a trap during nighttime because that’s when roof rats are most active. Follow these steps by using any of the above-mentioned roof rats baits: 

1. Place a rat trap (snap trap or electric trap) flat with walls and the opening should be perpendicular to the wall.
2. Tie the bait on the trap so that fast-roof rats don’t get away with it. 
3. Leave it at night and place the bait while wearing gloves so that roof rats don’t catch the human scent from the bait.  
4. Get rid of the dead rat’s body in the morning! Repeat this until all roof rats are gone. 

Read the signs of roof rats and once you see no sign of roof rats you can stop using rat traps and live with ease. This method works well indoors but you can also use rodenticide baits to kill roof rats slowly. We have given rodenticides below that work well in eradicating roof rats. 

Some Recommended Ways To Get Rid Of Roof Rats

People who have tamper-proof bait stations can use any of the following methods to get rid of roof rats. Place less amount of rodenticide in different places around your house rather than placing it all in one place. 

However, they are toxic and should not be swallowed by pets or children. Another drawback is that you will find dead rat bodies in random places with a nasty smell. Let us give you some useful products to kill roof rats at home. 

1. Tomcat With Bromethalin Bait – Best Rodenticide Bait

The tomcat Bromethalin bait works wonders in attracting and killing roof rats. Most rodenticides contain Bromethalin which kills rats after they take a certain amount of dosage. This artificial bait works wonders for roof rats but unlike traps, you cannot get rid of the body as it dies. 

You might start to smell a foul dead body after two days as it works in a few days. Just make sure to place the bait where you see roof rat activity. It’s not fully weather-resistant so you can not use it outdoors. However, it can be used in attics and pantries as the low wax content offers resistance to moisture. 

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2. Tomcat Rat & Mouse Killer – Best Roof Rat Bait Station 

As rodenticide baits alone can be harmful to pets and children, we recommend using them with the Tomcat bait station. With this, you can kill roof rats indoors and outdoors by using bait or traps. You can see the bait activity as the design includes a see-through window. 

These are simple to use and can be placed in tight spaces such as garages and entry doors, below windows, close to pipes, and anywhere else where roof rats are likely to hide.

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3. Tomcat Rat Snap Trap – Best Roof Rat Snap Trap 

In case you can not find the right snap trap for the baits, the Tomcat rat snap trap is the best solution. It’s durable and affordable with high-quality material. The construction is made easier to set up without any strings. You can place it anywhere you want. We recommend setting traps at night while keeping your pets away. 

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Know the signs of roof rats early on! 

Roof rats reside indoors and outdoors and they eat plants and small animals. They are over 40 cm long with large eyes, pointed noses, and long tails. But the anatomy of roof rats is not what you should be concerned with. 

If you see capsule-shaped brown droppings around your house, you have them. Roof rats can reproduce quickly in a few months so it’s best to deal with them by noticing the signs. Here are other signs you can notice to deal with the pest early on.

• The urine smell of roof rats is not hard to not notice. Get a flashlight and you will see stains as well. That’s when you know you have a rat in your house.
• Damaged wood property could be a sign as well. Any type of 2-inch holes gnawed in food packaging and wood parts of the house is the work of a roof rat.
• Roof rats make pathways when they walk so pay attention to tracks indoors and outdoors. 
• Any type of sound like scratching, scurrying, or gnawing is a clear indication of a roof rat. You might hear more sounds during the night. 

Final words

We hope you understood the ways roof rats can be baited. The best bait for roof rats is nuts, fruits, and meat. You can use rodenticides as well but they are quite harmful. If your property is near trees then it’s best to trim them to reduce the chances of roof rats. If none of this works, you should call professional pest control so the infestation of roof rats doesn’t exceed limits. 

Faqs

Are roof rats dangerous?

Yes, not only are they unhygienic, but they also cause house fires by gnawing on electric wires. Furthermore, they can cause water damage. 

Can roof rats cause diseases?

Yes, they are dirty creatures that cause disease through their urine and droppings. The roof rats also are the cause of fleas and ticks infestation which is dangerous and annoying. 

Where do roof rats come from?

The roof rats can enter through any 1-and-a-half-inch diameter hole easily. Other places that they can come into your house are through trees, roofs, and pipes.