How to get rid of a rat in your pole barn?

Question

Yes, a Rat! Who knows where it came from because around here, they are close to non-existent. My husband thought a squirrel got in there. He saw something run in there the other day out of the corner of his eye and assumed it was a squirrel. Well, he could never find it. Then, last night, he heard something inside our outdoor grill. He thought it was the squirrel and got a blanket to throw over it and scoop it up to bring it outside. When he opened the grill, it was a rat! Not expecting it, he freaked out and closed it back up. When he opened it again, it wasn't in there, it must have scurried out.

So, any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

Answer 1

If you live in the country (as I do), and have a pole barn (as I do), you're going to have rats.  They like barns, especially if they have lots of stuff/clutter in it (as mine does).

I would *not* use poison, since it's an outdoor situation.  Hawks and owls prey on rats.  If a bird eats a poisoned rat, the bird will die too, and there goes nature's free rat-trap.

It's quite possible that your husband saw two rats, not one.  Has there been any building or tree-clearing activity near your house lately?  

Best thing would be to spend $10 on Victor rat traps, the old-fashioned snap kind.  They're around $1.25 each at Wal-Mart...  I bring up Wal-Mart a lot in my posts, but I swear I don't work for them.  They just have the best prices on some rodent control stuff.

Bait the traps with peanut butter.  Place them in the barn, next to (but not touching) the walls.  Here's the key: do not SET the traps.  Check next day, re-bait traps that are nibbled on, but still do not set.

Do this for six days.  The rats will be accustomed to the traps by then, and will probably have them all sniffed out.  Seventh day: bait, and set.  The rats will go for their usual feeding, and wham.  You can wrap a little thread (gently) around the peanut butter and trigger on the set day, to make stealing the bait harder.

Alternatively, you can set the traps on the first day, of course, but you will catch more rats with the seventh-day method.  Keep the traps going for 20 days following, in case more rats are around.  Good luck.

Answer 2

They make traps for rats.  Peanut butter usually works.

Answer 3

put some rat traps around your house. NOT the ones that snap. the ones they crawl into and it closes. If you have kids teach them not to go near these. check it daily.

Answer 4

Get a cat or get a rat trap.  There is also rat poison you could put down if you don't have other pets that might get into it.

Answer 5

First you need to figure out what the food source is.  My parents live in the country and the farmer couldn't get the corn off due to rain, they got rats in the pole barn that year.  LOTS of rats.  Mom went to the hardware and finally to the granary and got poison.  It was cheaper at the granary.  I hate to tell you, but most rats live in a pack, so you may have more then one!! After about a week with the poison, the rats that didn't die, moved on.  We have never had that problem again, it has been 15 years!!

Answer 6

get a cat and put it in the barn.