Avoid harmful foods such as onion, citrus fruits, walnuts, rhubarb, grapes, raisins and chocolate. Avoid sugars and high-fat foods such as dairy. Rats like sweet and fatty food, but it can cause health problems if they eat too much of it, so only use these as treats and rewards during training.
Ammonia. This is known as a cleaning agent, but it also acts as a poison to mice and rats. All you need to do is mix 2 – 2 and a half cups of ammonia, 100 – 200 mL of water and a 2-3 spoonful of detergent in a bowl. Then, put it to places where rats are usually seen.
In addition to plants, rats also dislike certain spices like peppermint, cloves, cayenne pepper, and chili. The smell of these near your bird feeder will also deter rats.
Seeds, lactose, chocolate, avocado, garlic, onion, coffee, tea, alcohol, toxic plants (in general, plants toxic to dogs and cats should not be offered to rats).
Baking soda combines with the stomach acids to produce carbon dioxide gas which rats are unable to tolerate. In turn, it builds up within their system and eventually causes internal blockage and rupture. Soon enough, you will have the rat-free environment you always deserved.
So, what is the fastest way to get rid of rats? Pest control is the most efficient method to get rid of rats quickly but the usage of mouse traps, snap traps, chemical baits, and live traps are all effective methods to get rid of rats as quickly and effectively as possible.
As it turns out, there are several smells that these pests cannot stand, which means you can use them to your advantage. But what exactly do mice and rats hate to smell? Mice can be kept away by using the smells of peppermint oil, cinnamon, vinegar, citronella, ammonia, bleach, and mothballs.
Nuts — All rodents love nuts, from peanuts/peanut butter and walnuts to almonds and hazelnuts. In fact, just about any nut can serve as ample nourishment for rats and mice. As such, these high-protein energy sources are always a favorite.
Basic Rat feeding guide
Some examples of suitable fruit and vegetables are: apples, pears, banana, melons, stone fruits, citrus fruits, broccoli, cabbage (not red cabbage), endive, carrots, Bok choy/other Asian greens, celery, parsley, berries, fresh corn (small amount only) and peas.
Peppermint Oil
On a cotton ball use no more than 5 drops of 100% peppermint essential oil. Spread the oil on areas that you want rats to avoid, in your case, around the garden.
Rats are afraid of human activity, mostly because humans are so much larger than they are. Rats also fear predators such as hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey. Other animals that rats are afraid of include your cat as well as rat terriers and other dogs that hunt rodents. Rats fear becoming a meal for a snake.
FASTRAC BLOX with the active ingredient, Bromethalin, is Bell's fastest-acting rodenticide formulation. An acute bait, FASTRAC gets unsurpassed rodent acceptance and control, killing rats and mice in 2 or more days after consuming a toxic dose.
Suitable cereals – must be low sugar and salt:
Cornflakes. Weetabix.
Poison bait by design is food to the rats. Putting out poison attracts rats, just as putting out a quail block attracts quail. Outside bait stations provide an ideal harborage for rats to hide in, safe from predators. Rats will even build nests inside of a bait station.
A rat's favorite fruits and vegetables include: Apples. Bananas. Pears.
Smells and Odors that attract rats
Odors and smells that come from pet waste, pet food, garbage containers, barbecue grills, birdfeeders, and even from unharvested fruit and nuts from plants can attract rats and mice.
Peanut butter makes an easy rat lure that most people already have in their pantry. A scoop or dollop of the spread can serve as a highly attractive bait, since it gives off an intriguing odor that rats easily detect. Another perk of peanut butter? It's also a non-toxic option.
Sprinkle crushed pepper (or spray pepper spray) near rat openings and holes. This will irritate the rats' noses and airways and discourage them from reentering your home.
Hawks and falcons hunt by day, and owls typically hunt by night. Owls are especially dangerous to rats because they hunt at the same time that rats forage for food. The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicenis) is North America's most familiar and widespread large hawk.
Rats are social animals, so if you see one rat then there are likely to be more nearby. Rats have the ability to jump around three feet into the air, four feet horizontally and can fall from a height of up to 50 feet without getting injured.
Both rats and mice are good climbers and can climb vertical walls and "shimmy" up between walls and drain pipes. Rats are also excellent swimmers and have been known to enter premises through the water traps of the toilet bowl when infestations occur in the main sewerage system.