How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home or Garden (Dublin Guide)

Step 1: Confirm You Have Rats

Before acting, make sure it is rats. The tell-tale signs are dark, spindle-shaped droppings up to 12mm long; gnaw marks on skirting, cables and packaging; scratching noises in walls or the attic at night; greasy smear marks along walls; burrows 60-90mm across in the garden; and shredded nesting material. A strong, ammonia-like smell often accompanies an established infestation. If you are seeing these signs, you have active rats and need to act promptly - they breed fast.

Step 2: Remove What's Attracting Them

Rats stay where there is food, water and shelter. Cutting these off is the essential first move and makes every other step more effective:

• 1Food - seal bins, don't leave pet food down overnight, clear fallen fruit, tidy bird feeding, and store dry goods in rodent-proof containers
• 2Water - fix dripping taps and leaks, don't leave water out overnight, keep gutters and drains clear
• 3Shelter - declutter sheds and yards, move log and rubbish piles away from the house, and cut back overgrown vegetation and ivy

For the full list of what draws rats in, see our guide on what attracts rats to your house.

Step 3: What You Can Do Yourself

For a small, early problem, there are sensible DIY steps - though be realistic about their limits:

• 1Snap traps - the traditional, effective option for a small number of rats. Place them along walls and runs where you have seen signs, baited with something like chocolate or peanut butter. Keep them well away from children and pets.
• 2Remove attractants rigorously - as above; DIY trapping only works if the food supply is also cut off.
• 3Block obvious gaps - fit brush strips to doors and seal visible holes with wire wool and rodent-proof sealant as a first line of proofing.

Step 4: Proof Your Property

This is the step that stops the problem coming back - and the one most people skip. Trapping or poisoning clears the current rats, but if the entry points stay open, new rats simply move in. Proofing means finding and sealing every way in:

• 1Seal gaps around pipes, cables and air bricks with wire mesh and rodent-proof sealant (rats can pass through a gap of around 20mm)
• 2Fit bristle strips or brush seals to the bottom of doors
• 3Cover air bricks and vents with fine metal mesh
• 4Have drainage checked - defective drains are one of the most common hidden routes into Dublin homes, and may need a drain blocker or non-return valve

Thorough proofing is genuinely difficult for a homeowner, because the most important entry points - especially underground drainage routes - are the ones you cannot easily see. This is a major reason professional rat control is worth it.

Step 5: When to Call a Professional

Call a professional pest controller if any of the following apply:

• 1You have seen more than one rat, or the signs of an established infestation (multiple droppings, runs, burrows, a distinctive smell).
• 2Rats are inside the house rather than just the garden.
• 3DIY trapping has not resolved it within a week or two.
• 4You run a food business - where rat control is a legal FSAI/HACCP requirement, not a DIY job.
• 5You cannot find or safely seal the entry points, especially suspected drainage routes.