You are comfortable in your happy home; kicked back, watching TV after a hard day’s work and from the corner of your eye, you see something dart across the room. It is a rat! Now your peaceful evening is ruined. All you can think of is that rat. Why is it here? Your house is clean, you even have a cat…whom by the way was sitting next to you and did NOTHING! Now you can t rest until you decide what to do. Poison it? No, you do not want to leave poison lying around, and if he goes off in a wall to die, then what? Rattrap? Ugh NO, then you have a gory body to deal with! Should you call a service? That sounds expensive! Maybe we can help. Here are some DIY ways to run off that rat with little cost or trouble on your part.

Start with peppermint- That’s right! It is said that rodents can’t stand the smell. You can use peppermint oils, candy, tea, plant mint plants around you home, or put a potted plant in your kitchen.



Mothballs or urine cakes-The “naphtha’ smell emitted by both as they dissolve in the air is bothersome to their eyes and noise. The rats will seek to move somewhere less offensive.

Sonic emitters- there are dozens these in different sizes and shape from small enough to plug in a standard outlet to large enough that it must be mounted. The premise is simple. It emits high-pitched frequencies that are painful to the rat’s ears. Keep in mind it is also not so good for your pets!

Predator Urine- YEP you can buy it! The pee from a fox, coyote, big cat, wolf etc can be purchased at hunting supply stores as well as on-line. It is believed that the rat will believe you have moved in a BIG predator that want to eat it and will move elsewhere.

Placing snips of hair/fur about- supposedly clips of human hair, dog hair or cat hair sprinkled in or around a rat hole will make them think you have infiltrated their nesting area and they will move.

Sonic Strobe lights- These people claim that the brilliantly bright flashing lights hurt the rats eyes (their eyes are different from ours, they are made to see in dim or dark light) and cause it to become disoriented. After a while, it is so upsetting to them that they will move.

Now that you have some ideas on DIY rat eradication, try it! Don’t be afraid to “mix and match” the ideas either! For example: Spray peppermint around and toss some mothballs in their nest. Use a sonic emitter in conjunction with predator urine. If one of these things could work, maybe a combination will work better!

Just make sure you get that rat out! Wild Rats are dirty and disease ridden, and usually come with friends!

Read the How to get rid of rats page for helpful information and to learn more about How to scare a rat away

How to scare a rat away