How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Yard

Plagued with rats in your yard? Seeing a rat here and there isn’t unusual, but an infestation can cause damage to your property. Fortunately, you have several effective DIY options to get rid of yards in your yard. Let’s dig into how these rat-removing solutions work. 

Why Do I Have Rats in My Yard?

Spotting a rat or two in your yard isn’t unusual, and isn’t much cause for concern unless it’s a regular occurrence. Like squirrels, rats tend to enter yards for several common reasons: 

• Foraging for plants: Rats may be more likely to investigate food sources as plants start producing seeds, berries, nuts, tubular roots and juicy stems. If you see many chewed-up plants, a rodent is often responsible.

• Easy access to water: Water features like pools, fountains, and ponds can attract all sorts of small creatures.

• Warm sheds or garages: When it gets cold during winter, rats may start seeking out warm spots to build their nests. An easily-accessed shed, barn, or garage could attract rats to your yard and keep them around. 

• Leftover food in the grill or trash bin: Nothing attracts rats like smelly leftovers. Grills that haven’t been recently cleaned, compost piles, and trash bins are prime hiding spots. 

• Bird feeders within reach: If rats can climb over to a bird feeder with seed that’s easy to eat, they’re going to try it and invite more rats to the yard.

Signs of Rats in Your Yard

So, how do you know when there are rats living in your yard? Here are several signs that the rats need direct intervention before they start hurting your home: 

• Lots of rats in the daytime: Unlike squirrels and other wild rodents, rats tend to keep their activity to the night. It’s rare to spot one wandering around in the daytime. If you see rats during the day, that could indicate they have a nest nearby. 

• A “run” in the grass: Rats create small runs or frequently traveled paths in higher grasses and groundcovers. If you spot runs around the yard, you may have a problem with rats or similar rodents. 

• Burrows: It can be difficult to tell if a ground burrow is a rat or other small animal. But if you notice burrows around trees, foundations, or pavement near your yard, it’s a good idea to arrange a pest inspection. 

• Piles of rat droppings: Rat droppings are small, oblong and tapered at the end, like large, misshapen grain of rice. If you see a lot of them, you could have a lot of rats around, too.

• Gnaw marks on your deck or outdoor furniture: Infamous for gnawing, rats will start creating noticeable marks on deck wood or chew up outdoor furniture, a sure sign of a rat problem. 

• Pets are bringing back rats: Catching some rats is normal for certain hunt-motivated pets. But if your pet is bringing back rats frequently, you likely have an infestation on your property.

How to Get Rid of Rats in the Yard

While rat poison is an option for getting rid of rats, we don’t recommend it, especially for outdoor use because it could be eaten by other animals. Instead, try these methods: Note that most of these options are DIY, but they could be handled by pest control professionals, too. 

Lethal Rat Traps

Lethal rat traps lure rats in with some kind of bait, either store-bought or food, and then spring shut to kill them. The advantage of lethal traps is that you can usually set them yourself, and once a rat is trapped it’s gone for good. However, unless you hire pest control professionals, you have to deal with the aftermath of dead rat disposal. 

Humane Rat Traps

Humane traps are made to trap a rat inside with simple bait so they can be transported and released elsewhere. The advantage is that they’re inexpensive (around $15) and they can work for years. Plus, you avoid killing rats and having to dispose of their bodies. 

On the downside, you need to transport the rat far away to have any effect, and even then rats are pretty good at finding their way back to their old territories. Also, people might not want to deal with a live rat in any capacity. Finally, it’s hard to make sure humane traps catch only rats, and not mice, squirrels, rabbits and other rodents around your property. 

Natural Predators

House cats and wildlife are rarely a healthy mix, and there are even more problems involved with cats hunting wild rodents, which often carry lots of diseases. However, you can create a yard that encourages natural predators like foxes, bobcats, owls, native snakes and similar animals. They don’t have to linger, but if they have relatively easy access to your hunt and occasional hunt there, the rats will quickly start avoiding the area.

So how do you encourage predators? You can build homes made for owls, foster bushes that encourage local wildlife, provide sources of water, and make sure at least part of your yard is easy to access from surrounding areas. You may even be able to contact a local wildlife organization and ask for tips or “donations” of caught predators. 

New Lawn Decorations

This sounds weird, but it works. Rats are infamously neo-phobic, which means sudden new things scare them away. Adding a new lawn ornament, rearranging all your furniture and any kind of significant landscaping is bound to have rats worried and avoid your yard until they’re sure everything is safe. That makes this step valuable as part of an overall “get rid of rats” strategy.

How to Prevent Rats from Getting into Your Yard

If you are worried about rats congregating in your yard and creating nearby nests, there are several things you can do to discourage them: 

• Clean up food-related trash: Don’t leave anything food-related in your yard. Clean up after outdoor meals. Keep your trash bins and compost containers well-sealed so animals can’t access them. 

• Remove weeds and clutter: Mow, pull weeds, and clear out underbrush. Rats are less likely to feel at home when they’re out in the open with fewer places to hide. 

• Keep your birdfeeder unreachable: Use perches and unclimbable mounts so that rats can’t reach any birdseed. As a bonus, this will help prevent squirrel messes, too. 

• Cover vents and deck spaces: Block any foundation vents with mesh to prevent entry, and block access to underneath your deck with wood boards or similar options. Rats can fit into tiny holes, so be thorough. 

• Harvest food ASAP: Don’t leave growing produce in your garden waiting too long. Bring it inside as soon as it’s ready, especially root vegetables that rats love. Otherwise, you could be giving them reasons to stick around and spoil your food. 

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

DIY rat control in your yard is manageable for minor infestations. You can buy traps for around $50 to $100, and monitor them yourself to clear up encroaching rodents.

However, if you discover a well-established rat nest on your property, it’s time to hire a rat exterminator. It’s one of the less-expensive pest control services, ranging from $175 to $600, depending on what the pros suggest as a treatment method.