(For gopher problems, read more here.)
Our Got Rats? posters, created with the help of experts including a pest control company, highlight numerous ways to keep rodents away without using poison and other harmful methods. Click image/link to share, download, or print!
While we do not “endorse” products, some products used to deter and/or control rodents include:
- Your first line of defense should be sanitation and exclusion. Check out our tips here.
- Evolve Rat and Evolve Mouse soft-bait sausages by Senestech — This fertility control product is not a hormone and does not bioaccumulate. It does not kill rats or mice; it greatly slows their reproduction rate, helping reduce their numbers. It has no effect on other animals (e.g. if a predator eats a rat who’s ingested Evolve bait).
- Dry ice — Inexpensive and cost-effective, it can be purchased at welding supply stores and even grocery stores. Find the rat burrows and seal up all exits before putting the dry ice down into the burrows. Do not use underneath homes or inhabited dwellings.
- Cayenne pepper — Rats hate it and you can sprinkle it in their pathways or known nest sites. You can use it in compost bins, bird feeders, and chicken coops; it will not harm or repel birds or chickens.
- Goodnature™ A24 Rat and Mouse Trap — Using CO2, the A24 trap is certified humane and toxin-free, kills rodents instantly, and automatically resets for up to 24 kills. (NB: Please use inside another container to prevent other animals from being harmed.)
- Fresh Cab — A botanical repellent
- Rataway — A non-poisonous, non-toxic scented deterrent originally invented to prevent damage to heating and air conditioning equipment, now with a much broader range of uses including cars, food service areas, and more.
- DeTour RoadBlock with Bio-Repellent — All-natural pepper-based repellent irritates rodents’ sensory organs and nerve endings, driving them out of contact areas.
- Raticator — An electronic trap that can also be used inside a bait box.
- Evictor® 10K — High-intensity strobe light quickly drives out problem wildlife.
- Pro-Pell — Essential oil mix is applied to foundations and other areas to repel rodents; used by pest control operators.
- Anticimex SMART box
As a last resort only, use snap traps inside a bait box and only in locations—i.e., a garage—where no other animals can reach them. Never use snap traps in the open! Birds have been caught, and skunks and other animals that help control rodents seriously injured. Be sure to check and empty the traps regularly. There are many brands of inexpensive, reusable snap traps, like this one.
Finally—never, ever use glue traps. They are cruel and inhumane, and also trap other wildlife like birds.
