How to Keep Rats and Mice Out of Your Home

Rats and mice in your home aren’t just a nuisance, they can cause property damage and spread disease. You can prevent these problems in your neighborhood by making sure your property is not rodent-friendly. Here’s how:

Remove food sources

• Compost bins: Use only rodent resistant composters, put them on a base, and keep the lid tight. Don’t compost any animal products, like fish, meat, chicken, cheese, or butter.
• Garbage bins: Empty your garbage regularly. Make sure the lid fits tightly.
• Bird feeders: Don’t overfill bird feeders, and make sure they’re on poles and in trays that rodents can’t get.
• Fallen fruit: Pick up and throw away fruit that has fallen from trees or bushes onto the ground.
• Pet waste and pet food: Pick up pet waste in your yard regularly. Don’t leave pet food outside.
• Chicken coops: Don’t leave feed or water in the coop overnight. If your coop has a dirt floor, watch for signs of burrowing in the coop. If you notice signs of burrowing, place hardware cloth on the floor and staple it to the walls to prevent rodents from entering the coop.
• Basements: Keep food in closed containers that rodents can’t chew through. 

Don't give rodents a place to nest

• Firewood: Stack firewood 18 inches off the ground and away from buildings.
• Grass and plants: Keep your grass, vines, and bushes cut short. Prune bushes and trees back so they don’t touch or hang over your house.
• Yard clutter: The more clutter in your yard, the more places there are to nest. Take junk to the dump.
• Sheds and storage areas: Clean out your shed or storage areas regularly and keep them uncluttered.
• Upholstered furniture: Avoid having upholstered furniture on your deck, porch, or in your yard.
• Seal up cracks and gaps: Mice can get through an opening as small as ¼ inch, or the size of a dime. Rats can get through an opening as small as ½ inch, about the size of a quarter. Walk around the entire outside of your house. See a crack or hole? Fill them with steel wool, then seal with caulk. 

Trapping is the safest option if you have a rodent problem

If you do find signs of rodents around your home, trapping is the safest option. Poison is an option, but may be dangerous to children, pets, and wildlife.

• Snap traps are available at most hardware stores. Your best option is simple snap traps. When you remove a rodent from a trap, wear gloves. Wrap it in newspaper or a plastic bag and put it in the trash. Be sure to wash up well with soap and water!
• Call a professional if you can’t handle the problem on your own.

Rat infestations can affect a whole neighborhood

Unfortunately, and on occasion, a rat infestation can affect a whole neighborhood. We investigate reports of rat infestations and provide information to tenants, property owners, and neighborhoods on dealing with rat and mouse problems. When needed, we issue orders to property owners to correct issues that are contributing to rat and mouse problems. Visit our report an environmental health problem page to report an issue. 

Making it a neighborhood effort goes a long way

By sharing this information with your neighbors, you can help control rats in your community, which reduces property damage and disease. We made a video a few years back about preventing rat infestations.

• Got a neighborhood listserv? Share the video and this blog and encourage everyone to prevent a rat problem from starting.
• Got a neighborhood newsletter? Suggest them to the editors. Because who wants to deal with rodents in their home, right?!