Sealing Off Entry Points

• 1). Walk around the perimeter of your home to determine any entry points the rats may have used. These entrances include holes in walls, open windows, ventilation shafts, drainage pipes and openings for electrical wiring. Rats can fit through 1/2-inch holes. Holes in walls may be sealed with mortar mixed with ground glass. Ventilation shafts can be secured by covering them with metal grating.
  
  
• 2). Make a map of your house. Check the inside of your house, and mark any holes that might have been caused by a rodent. Place crumpled-up pieces of paper in the holes.
  
  
• 3). Check your house after one day; see if the paper has been moved. If the paper has moved, rodents are actively traveling through that hole. Seal the holes with mortar and ground glass. Check back in a day to make sure all the holes are securely sealed.
  
  

Killing the Rat Nest

• 1). Secure all food items in your house by placing them in sealed containers. Do not leave any food out. Use aluminum trash cans with bungee ties to secure them. Clean your house of anything the rats might use for food. Throw out any food items the rats may have touched.
  
  
• 2). Set traps. Use standard rat traps with cheese. Place these traps in the kitchen, and in areas where you suspect rats are traveling. Lay traps along walls with the trigger facing toward the wall. Do not use poison. Poison leaves decomposing rats inside walls.
  
  
• 3). Consider calling a professional if you are unable to manage the infestation yourself.