What should I do if I find a nest of rats in the attic?

Rats are often inhabitants of homes, building their nests in basements, attics and other secluded, less used spaces. They get into human homes because there is an abundance of easily accessible food there. Rats are omnivorous, i.e. they eat every food group, just like people, which makes human homes a perfect destination for every rodent – mice and rats especially.

You can be sure that you have rats if you encounter the following tell-tale signs: scratching sounds around the house, especially in the attic or in the basement; a rat nest in the attic or basement; rat droppings around your home, especially in the pantry and other rooms where they can find the food; biting or scratching marks on wiring.

When you are sure that you have rats in the attic, especially when you notice the already mentioned rat's nest there, there are certain things you should do to get rid of the rats.

First of all, look around your entire home to find every possible entry point (gaps and holes) that could be used by rats to enter inside. Such entry points can be eave openings, the roof line, ventilation openings and similar places. Go from the basement all the way to the roof to discover all the entry points because otherwise you will never solve the problem with rats in your attic. This is crucial – finding all entry points so that all of them can be completely closed. To close all discovered entry points, you should use putty and steel because this will ensure that rats cannot gnaw through. Sealant can be used to block an entrance through air vents, because this will disable rats from even trying to enter through.

Once you have safely closed all the entry points, now is the moment to put traps around the attic (and in other rooms where you have noticed their presence). The best choice when it comes to traps is snap traps because these safely catch them and kill them quickly without any unnecessary suffering. Make sure to regularly (on a daily basis) check traps, remove dead bodies and then set them up again. You should keep on placing traps until you are sure that all the rats have been caught and that your attic has been cleared of them. After you have completed rat extermination, make sure to clean the attic thoroughly to remove all the signs of rats' presence there.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Rats page or email us if you have any other questions about What should I do if I find a nest of rats in the attic?