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How to keep rats out of my garbage
Do those pesky rats keep tearing into your garbage and strewing it across your back yard or lawn? You’re probably
not the only one that this has happened to, although it should serve as a warning. A couple of warnings, in fact.
Firstly, there are rats close to your home, which means they could actually be IN your home. Secondly, you’re not
doing enough to secure your garbage when you throw it out, and if it’s not rats that are causing you a problem, it
soon will be. Or it’ll be another wild animal - a bigger one, perhaps?
The reasons these rodents (and other wild animals) are breaking into your garbage, is because there is food in there.
Those scraps you throw out might not look appetizing, but that’s the best dish this rat has seen in weeks. Even food
that you would turn your nose up at - moldy food, for example - is still delicious to a rat. All the rat needs is some
nutrition. It’s a scavenger. It’s used to worse meals than what you throw out.
If the garbage is in your home, you need to work out where the rodent is coming from, and then seal up the hole. You can
use a snap trap to get rid of the rat, but only AFTER you have sealed up the holes.
If the garbage is outside your home, why not move it inside? Get yourself one of those large plastic house dumpsters with a
lid, and put your trash in there. You can secure the lids with bungee cords or rope if you find that raccoons are your problem,
or opossums and skunks.
You could move the garbage can to the garage too, or the shed, or any outbuilding that is also secure. As much as it might be a
pain in the backside to need to walk to throw your trash out, rats are going to be an even bigger pain to get rid of. We’re talking
about days, and possibly even weeks and months of work. Getting rid of rats can be a tough challenge, especially if you can’t work
out where they are coming from.
There are certain things you can sprinkle on your garbage to make it less appetizing to passing wild critters, and black pepper is
believed to be one of those things. We cannot recommend that as a reputable way to deter rats, of course, but some homeowners have
had success with this. Other repellents - noise machines, light devices, and even sprays ... they generally do not work. Do not waste
your hard earned cash on them.
We would always recommend moving your garbage, rather than relying on repellents and deterrents. In our experience, the latter very rarely work.
Metal garbage cans are the best option, because rats can’t chew through them. Plastic is easily chewed through, and not just by rats. A metal
garbage can will also last longer, and once you attach cords or rope to keep the lid in place, you shouldn’t find yourself with a problem. Unless
the rats chew through those, of course, but if you keep an eye on things, you’ll soon notice any damage or signs of a rat infestation.
For more rat information, visit our rat removal tips page, or for more specific how-to instructions, read the how to get rid of rats page with 6 step-by-step instructions.
If you have a problem with rats above your ceiling in your house, read my rats in the attic guide. The most important part of rat control is sealing shut entry holes into the building, but after
you've done that, you'll want to know how to kill rats humanely to complete the rat control job. If you need to hire professional help in your city, click on my directory of over
200 rat removal companies servicing 95% of the USA. we can help your with your rat problem!
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