How to Get Rid of Rats in the Garage

The most common entry point into a garage is at the ends of the garage door. The weather strip seal (garage door bumper) often does not extend all the way to the end, leaving a gap. Seal these ends shut, and set traps at these areas. Sometimes rats get in via pipes or ground vents, such as in the below photo, but usually the ends of the garage bay door.



What will keep rats away from a garage - It would be nice to be able to say with confidence that there is a reliable rat repellent on the market. Unfortunately, no repellents out there—commercial or homemade—will keep a rat at bay for long. Let’s look at the most common home remedies first. Mothballs and peppermint oil tend to be the two favorite repellents out there for do-it-yourselfers. Neither mothballs nor peppermint oil are smells that create alarm for a rat. Out in nature, neither substance would warrant a second thought. The smell from each may be potent enough to make a rat skirt the general area, but there is nothing odorous enough to make a rat leave a home entirely. Commercial products are just hyped versions of the home remedies, operating on the assumption that rats will clear out if they don’t like a smell. Would you abandon your home because it smelled like peppermint oil? The only effective way to keep rats away is to make sure your home is a fortress against them. By keeping your property and buildings in good repair you eliminate the possibility of a rat entering your home. Without a hole to enter through, rats won’t be able to become a problem.



Rats why they come inside the garage - There are rats that live in nature with no contact with humans, living their lives as any other animal of prey would. Rats that have become nuisance rats are a different breed, created from generations of rodents that have lived near humans and adapted to the life of scavenging. These rats will want to live as close to humans as possible because they know that where humans are, food will usually follow. Mankind is one of the most wasteful of all creatures, throwing away pounds of uneaten food in a week. Rats know that garbage and pet food can be stolen with relative ease. Not only is food abundant around people, the homes that humans create are far superior to anything the rat could create on its own. Rats know that inside of a human household they will be protected from predators and will have access to nearby nutrition. Why wouldn’t they want to come inside? This instinctual inclination to be near human beings means that rat prevention starts with keeping your home repaired. If a rat comes to investigate your garage but cannot find a way in it will move on. It is as simple as that. No openings means no rats.

Do You Need Help?
I wrote this website to provide information on How to Get Rid of Rats in the Garage in the case that you have a rat problem and need to make an informed decision about what to do. If you have any questions you may email me, but I do know from experience that rat removal is not simple. If you need professional help solving your wildlife conflict, I recommend that you talk to a professional rat control expert in your town by clicking on my National Wildlife Control directory, which lists experts who I recommend in every USA city and town who can help you with your rat issue in the Garage.

More Rat Articles I've Written:
How to Get Rid of Dead Rats
How to Kill Rats
Rat Repellent
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your House
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Walls
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Kitchen
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Garage
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Attic
How to Get Rid of Rats in a Barn
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Basement
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Ceiling
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Garden
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Insulation
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Crawlspace
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Yard
How to Get Rid of Rats in a Restaurant
How to Clean Rat Feces and Urine

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