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How to Get Rid of Rats and Mice

Valerie Albarda

By Valerie Albarda
Updated May 15, 2024

Removing pests is crucial to maintaining your home’s hygiene and comfort. By using this guide, you’ll learn about how to get rid of mice and rats and keep them away, as well as the tools you’ll need to do so.

Skill

Beginner

Time

Few Hours

Two gray rats eating crumbs on a floor.

Habitats of Rats and Mice

The most common rodent pathways are windowsills, fence rails, foundations, electrical wires, pipes, tree branches and conduits. Inspect your home, outbuildings and landscaping for these signs of rodents: droppings, gnaw marks and burrows.

Good to Know

Rats can fit through a 1/2-inch opening, which is about the diameter of a thumb. Mice can fit through a 1/4-inch opening, which is about the diameter of a little finger.

Preventative Steps to Keep Rats and Mice Away

A gray rat caught in a silver nonlethal trap set at a home foundation.

A first step toward eliminating mice and rats from your home is getting rid of nesting options and food sources that can attract them.

  • Prune shrubbery, trees and other vegetation to keep it back from structures. Don’t let grass grow tall.
  • Establish a 2-foot-wide barrier of cement or crushed rock around structures.
  • Keep woodpiles, yard waste and piles of debris away from structures.
  • Choose rodent-proof bird feeders. Put out a minimal amount of food at a time and store the food securely.
  • Protect small tree trunks with mesh or other material to discourage gnawing.
  • Cover compost bins. Keep them on a hard surface to help prevent rodents from burrowing up through the bottom of the bin.
  • Store pet food in containers that rodents can’t chew through. Remove uneaten food and clean up spills quickly.
  • Make sure garbage cans and recycling bins are chew proof and covered securely.
  • Keep crumbs off countertops and kitchen floors.

In addition to using preventative maintenance to deter rodents, you can use repellents that make an area unpleasant to keep them away. Indoor sonic devices use high-frequency sound to deter rats, mice and other rodents and typically don’t affect humans or nonrodent pets. You can also find repellents that deter mice and rats with active ingredients such as mint oils, garlic or predator urine.

    Controlling Mice and Rats in Your Home

    A package of large glue traps.

    If you have mice or rats in your home, there are two main methods of dealing with them.

    Rat and mouse traps capture or kill rodents. Live-catch or nonlethal traps allow you to capture the animal and release it away from your home. Keep in mind that certain regions have strict laws on live-catch traps and might even prohibit them completely. You must release the animals far away from your home and anyone else’s. Devices like snap traps or spring traps kill mice or rats with mechanical action, and there are also traps that kill with an electric shock. Glue traps hold the animal in place for extermination and disposal. Mouse and rat traps require bait to attract the animal. You can purchase an attractant or use a household material such as peanut butter.

    Caution

    Exercise care when selecting and using traps. Traps that kill rodents can also harm people and pets. If you use traps to kill rodents, consider snap traps that can kill quickly. Keep them away from children and pets and check them frequently to ensure that any captured animal is dead. If you use glue traps, check them frequently and terminate any captured animal quickly and humanely.

    Rat and mouse poisons kill rodents when consumed. These rodenticides are available as pellets or as poison bait for use with bait stations. These products are also harmful to people and other animals. Use tamper-resistant bait stations and keep bait and other poisons away from children, pets and nontarget species.

    Caution

    Consider poison as a last resort for controlling rats and mice. In addition to being harmful to other animals that might consume the poison, rodenticide can lead to secondary poisoning of an animal that feeds on the poisoned rodent.

    Trapping and Baiting Rats and Mice

    A person wearing gloves holding a plastic rat trap.

    Most trapping and baiting programs start after an infestation is discovered, but by using bait and traps in the three areas below, you can prevent an infestation from occurring in the first place.

    The Perimeter of the Property

    Use traps or tamper-resistant bait stations along the perimeter of your property. With bait stations, use block bait that you can set on vertical or horizontal securing rods inside the bait stations. Choose the correct products to reduce the risk of trapping other animals or causing the secondary poisoning of nontarget animals.

    Exterior Baiting and Trapping

    Rodents tend to gravitate to warm air currents or areas where food odors emerge. Tamper-resistant bait stations or traps should be placed every 30 to 50 feet, depending on the severity of the infestation. Place bait or traps around every entry door.

    Interior Baiting and Trapping

    The most effective device placement inside the home depends on the type of infestation. For mice, space devices at 8-to-12-foot intervals depending on the severity of the infestation. For rats, space devices at 15-to-30-foot intervals, depending on the severity of the infestation.

    Using Rat or Mouse Bait

    If you use bait or poison, choose the right product for the job. Your options for bait or rodenticide depend upon the environmental conditions and the severity of the infestation. Identify the problem areas and the species involved. Place bait where rats and mice will find it. To maintain effectiveness, keep the bait fresh.

    Caution

    Whatever rodent treatment product, trap or bait you choose, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for storage, use and disposal. Do this for your own safety and to maximize the efficiency of the product.

    Keeping Rodents Out of Your House

    After reducing the population of rodents in your home with the methods above, apply rodent-proofing measures to keep them out.

    Prevent Rodents From Entering Your Home

    • Close all holes in exterior and interior walls that might act as entry points.
    • Seal openings larger than 1/4 inch, particularly around doors and windows.
    • Install self-closing devices or storm door closers on frequently used doors.
    • Install the proper weatherstripping and bottom seals on garage doors to eliminate any gaps.
    • Tighten seals around pipes, drains and vents.
    • Cap chimneys and make sure the caps are in good condition.

    Recommended Rodent-Proofing Materials

    Eliminate Pest-Friendly Conditions

    Continue following the measures in the guide above to help prevent rats and mice from returning.

    For more information on rodent control, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).