| By :
Mark Etinger
Living with rodents can pose a threat to the health of you and your loved ones. These animals carry and spread disease, are pesky, and can damage your home too. If you don't have a cat, keeping your home rodent free can be difficult, but this article will help you do so. There are two main options: catch the rodents and release them, or kill them instantly. 1. Try to find where the animals may be living. Rats and mice usually have nests out of view but may leave signs such as droppings or chewed fabric to alert you to where they call home. Look underneath and behind furniture for these signs. Mice usually feed twice a day, at dusk and dawn, but snack incessantly. Keep a look out and listen for chewing. Their paths are usually clear of dirt and debris as the animals drag their tails behind them 2. If you want to kill a rat or mouse instantly get a snap trap. These are designed to break the neck of the rat instantly. But if you are dealing with a rat, make sure to get a rat trap; if a rat is caught in a mouse trap, it will not be killed but injured, and can become dangerous. Set the trap with meat, candy, peanut butter or cheese. Keep the trap away from where humans will be as these can injure anyone who sets them off. 3. Sticky mouse traps are a good way to catch rodents if you want to keep them alive. But a stuck rodent can become frightened and angry, and is prone to biting. It is a good idea to avoid this by putting the trap in a box and taking the entire box outside once the rodent is caught. 4. Humane mouse traps are also a good option for keeping the rat alive. These trap the rodent in a chamber that prevents it from escaping, but it must be released by a human a good deal away from the home. Rodents have a homing mechanism in their brain that allows them to navigate back to their nest. If you release the rodent into your backyard it will return to your house in no time. 5. The more traps the better. Place them near walls as rodents seldom travel in the open, and prefer to scurry against walls. 6. Rat poison is also an option, but the rodent may die where you cannot see it. It will eat the poison, become very thirsty, and leave its hole to search for water. Make sure that the poison is removed from pets and children. Putting rat poison in bait stations allows more than one rat to feed at once, so make sure to check the station frequently to remove dead rodents. Remember that if you see one rodent, that means there are more. Once they start dying, you will see less and less of them; they may take the hint and move on or you may catch most of the clan before word spreads amongst them.
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