If rats are outside, why do we need to get rid of them? Rats can be a nuisance. Some people feel that rats should be left alone. But most people do not want rats near their homes, let alone in the yards. If you have a pet that regularly uses the yard, you’re going to want to look for solutions to get rid of rats. You can’t use traditional solutions such as regular mouse traps and poisons, as they are usually harmful to pets. Luckily, there are some nontoxic solutions that you can use to get rid of rats harming none of your pets. Read on to see how to get rid of rats in the yard without harming pets.
Are there rats in your yard?
Rats are crafty because they are always in survival mode. You can see them making homes pretty much anywhere that has a shelter. With that said, you can guarantee that there are rats running around without you even knowing about it. You will want to search your yard for signs of rats so that you can take action:
- Burrows: Do you see any burrows in the yard? Especially underneath bushes and such? If so, you may have found their homes.
- Droppings: Rats are bigger than mice, so their poop is easy to see. The size of a rat’s poop is usually a large grain of rice that’s dark brown.
- Sounds: As you know, rats are excellent climbers. So if you hear scratching or something that’s walking around your house, garage shed, it’s a rat.
Now that you can identify that there are rats in the yard, you will now want to look below at the tips to get rid of rats.
How to get rid of rats in the yard without harming pets
Clean up
This is the most obvious thing to do in getting rid of rats. You’ll want to clean up branches, leaves, etc to ensure that the rats can’t make a home there. You’ll also want to trim bushes to ensure that it’s high enough off the ground (12 inches *30cm* is ideal) so that the rats don’t make themselves welcome. You, of course, always want to ensure that there is no trash around because not only does it attract rats, it attracts bears as well, another animal you do not want in your yard, especially with pets.
Get rid of ALL Food Sources
I can’t stress this enough, all food sources must get removed. If there are no food sources, the rats will find a home somewhere else. Here are some of the food sources that rats are attracted to and you’ll have to remove to keep them away from your yard:
- Pet Waste: Yes, believe it or not, rats can have a feast on the food particles that’s in the waste. You’ll want to remove the waste from your yard regularly.
- Fallen fruit: Fruits that fallen from the trees can feed a family of rats for days. You’ll want to remove this source if you have fruit trees.
- BBQ Grills: The smell from the BBQ grill can attract rats to get inside the grill. You’ll want to put this in the shed or garage if you have one. If not, you’ll have to clean the grill regularly.
These are just some of the food sources. Of course, if you have fruit trees in your backyard, it’ll be nearly impossible to keep them clean, which brings us to the following solutions.
Rodent Bombs
If you are lucky enough to find the rat burrows, you should plant the rodent bombs in the burrows. It will be much easier than actually trying to entice the rats to the traps (which does work eventually). The bombs kill the rats in their burrow (provided you block the burrow to ensure that they can not escape). It usually takes about 15 minutes and you’ll want to keep your pets indoors until it’s done. After it’s done, you can let your pets out.
Pet Safe Rat Poison
Unlike traditional poisons, pet-safe rat poisons such as MouseX Throwback Poison can kill the rats without harming your pets. It’s usually safe and very effective if you place the poison in the right places, such as near rats burrows or in bait containers. Usually, this type of rat poison won’t hurt wildlife, so use this to help get rid of rats.
Scents
Rats have a very keen sense of smell. They often use it to distinguish what’s a threat or what’s for dinner (food). They also have a vehement dislike for certain smells. What smell? They rarely like the following smells:
If you already have these plants, maintain them well. It will help keep the rats away. If not, plant them. You can also make a nontoxic solution out of the three and spray it around where there is rat activity. The good news is, it’s pet friendly so you don’t have to worry if the smells bother your pet.
Sound
Rats also have excellent hearing. It’s so good that they can hear high-frequency sounds that we can not hear. So if you don’t want to use any chemicals, you can use this Electronic Rat Repellent to help deter the rats. It’s very effective and it won’t hurt your pet’s ears.
Bottom Line
These are some solutions on how to get rid of rats in the yard without harming pets. Some are natural, such as using certain smells to get rid of them. But I guarantee every single solution that was listed here will help get rid of rats without harming your pets. Without rats in the yard, you and your pet can enjoy the backyard without worrying about these bothersome pests wreaking havoc. Rats are carriers of disease, so you certainly don’t want to be around them and you don’t want your pets to be around them either. That’s why it’s important to ensure that your yard (and, of course, your home) is free of these pests.
