DOING MY PART TO ELIMINATE RATS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Rats need food, water, and harborage to remain in the area. Rats require 1/2 to 1 ounce of water daily when feeding on dry foods, such as dry dog food, cat food, bird seed, squirrel food, etc. but they need less when moist foods are available. Food items in household garbage offer a fairly balanced diet and also satisfy their moisture needs. So by eliminating food and harborage you can reduce the number of rats living in your yard or discourage them from moving into your yard.

Eliminate Food Sources:

1. Don't feed pets more than they will eat at a single time. Pick up any leftover or spilled food after each feeding.
2. If you feed birds or squirrels use catch trays on the bottom of the feeders and clean up any spilled seed daily.
3. Store pet food and seed in metal rodent-proof containers with tight fitting lids. Be sure the lids are kept on tightly.
4. Keep garbage and rubbish in galvanized steel trashcans that are in good conditions with tight fitting lids. Rats can gnaw through vinyl or plastic trash cans or plastic trash bags.

Eliminate Harborage:

1. Grass, weeds, and other vegetation near buildings, sheds, and fences must be kept closely cut.
2. Shrubs and bushes need to be kept trimmed so that they are 8 - 12 inches away from walls and fences and up off the ground. You should be able to see under the shrubby.
3. Lumber, wood piles, rock piles, rubbish, old equipment, construction materials, etc. must be stored at least 18 inches off the ground and 12 inches away from wall or fences. Weeds and debris must be kept out from under these storage areas.
4. Spaces under outside storage buildings or sheds must be blocked off so rats can not gain entry. In some instances, a strip of heavy gravel placed adjacent to building foundations or other structures will reduce rat burrowing at these locations. Gravel should be at least 1 inch in diameter and laid in a band at least 2 feet wide and 1/2 foot deep.
5. Trashcans should be stored up on a storage rack 18 inches off the ground.
6. Buildings and sheds need to be rat proofed. Any openings larger than 1/2 inch need to be sealed.

Already Have Rats Burrowing In Your Yard or Living In Your Garage or Shed?

Before you start cleaning up and eliminating harborage you need to start a baiting and/or trapping program. Rats don't like changes in their environment and tend to avoid new objects at first. You will get better acceptance of the bait if you make as few changes as possible in their environment when first baiting. If using traps, you should bait them (peanut butter works good), but not set them for the first few days. This will help them overcome their fear of the new object. After the rats have been eating the bait for a few days or you have started catching them in the traps you can start your clean up. This will also help keep the rats from dispersing out into the rest of the neighborhood.