Natural rat control?

Question

Does anyone know of a natural rat control that does not include getting a cat or trapping the rats? I'd prefer not to use pesticides or poison, and prefer a solution that is environmentally friendly! They are in the backyard, not the house.

Answer 1

ask the retailer, your local store might have a product for rat control, just use a pest repeller.

Answer 2

Keep your yard clean and free of hiding places like wood piles and ivy beds.

Poisons do work, I've had to use them.  I didn't want to, but had to get rid of them somehow.

You've eliminated any other options I can think of.

Answer 3

Ha, ha, very funny.

No poisons, no predators, no traps.  I think all that leaves is playing hip-hop music all night.

Answer 4

Donno... Maybe lure a falcon or a raptor of some sort to your house somehow. It'll work, but I assume it's hard as h**l to do. Not to mention the pellets of c**p that'll surround your backyard.

Answer 5

Get an extremely hungry person back there.  That'll do it.  Put a spear and a barbeque, matches, and charcoal out, too.

Answer 6

I think the premise to your question is that you'd really rather not hurt the rats, but at the same time you don't want them around you.  Fair enough.  

Try installing some motion-detector lights in your back yard.  Put them on a timer, so they go on when it gets dark (lights going on during the day wastes electricity).  Anyone at Lowe's or Home Depot can show you what to get.  When the rats appear, the lights will suddenly illuminate them--they don't like that.

The possible downside to lights going off and on all night long is neighbor complaints.  But that's one idea.

A sonic emitter is another notion, if you don't have pets.  But, again, a neighbor might?

If there's an easy way to cut off the rats's food supply--for example, closing a dumpster lid whenever you see it up--do it.

However, these are half-measures.  If rats are visibly in your yard, it's most likely a matter of time before they get in your house.  They are VERY intelligent, and when winter comes, they'll want shelter.  If you make some hard decisions now, you may not have to make it hard on yourself later.  My 2 cents.

PS  A cat won't solve the problem.  Most house cats won't fight a fully grown, 2 1/4 pound Norway rat.  The rodents are very strong and vicious.

PPS I think Carlisle should get best answer.

Answer 7

You haven't left yourself many options. Cats have been providing natural rat control for some thousands of years and do it very well. About all that's left, then, is to make your backyard unattractive to them. This means clearing out hiding places such as piles of lumber, overgrown shrubbery, long grass, etc and making sure they can't get into or under any outbuildings, and that includes the roof areas of such buildings. Make sure there is no obvious source of food around such as a compost pile they can get into.