Typically, stainless steel wire with a diameter of 0.56 mm (or greater) is considered thick enough to stop rats.
Rats can squeeze through holes as small as an inch in diameter, thanks to their flexible bodies and collapsible skeletons. What size hole can a rat get through? Rats can squeeze through holes as small as an inch in diameter! Rats rely on their ability to squeeze through narrow gaps for survival.
Copper Mesh wire mesh will not rust and more importantly, the rodents can not chew through it. It is designed to fit into small cracks and crevices in order to stop the rodent entry.
To keep mice out of your home, be sure to cover all openings with wire mesh, leaving no more than ¼ inch exposed around the sides. For the most thorough pest-control, install a 16- to 19-gauge mesh material that is fused at each joint and galvanized.
Stainless Woven Steel 10 mesh (For Rat and Mouse Protection)
These products are used by pest control specialists, and are the industry standard for rodent protection.
Holes and Openings
By gnawing, rats can gain entry through any opening greater than 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) across, and mice through any opening larger than 1/4 inch (0.6 cm).
In some cases, rats will chew through wood, cinder block, mortar, plastic, and even aluminum.
As a rule of thumb, rats are capable of chewing through anything that is not harder than their teeth. After years of supplying rodent control mesh. there is no possibility of mice and rats chewing through stainless steel mesh.
To make sure rats can't crawl through, you'll want to look for wire mesh with relatively small openings. A square weave with openings of a half-inch or smaller in size is your best bet.
Mesh that is used to prevent the passage of rats must be woven with a wire tough enough to stop them chewing through it. This is material dependent. For example, galvanised steel is softer than stainless steel; therefore, rats find chewing galvanised steel far easier.
Steel wool is a great way to block the small holes pests use to enter your home. First off, steel wool is tough but flexible; it can be pushed into all shapes and sizes of cracks and crevices. Pests like rats and mice hate chewing through steel wool, since the sharp edges hurt them the more they try to chew.
"Rats can certainly gnaw through concrete and metal, most normally soft metals such as tin, aluminium, copper and lead, but I have seen gnaw marks on steel, various hard plastics such as waste pipes and terracotta pipes — as well as concrete walls." Alice Sinia, an entomologist and technical advisor with pest control ...
Another food rats can't resist is peanut butter. Not only are rats drawn to the scent of peanut butter, but its texture and consistency make it a very effective bait. It takes some time for rats to eat peanut butter from a trap; they can't just snatch the bait and run away.
For the most comprehensive rodent-control, use a 16-gauge to 19-gauge galvanized wire screen material that's welded at each joint.
RATS AND MICE ARE AGILE MAMMALS. A mouse can get through a small, 6-7 mm hole (about the diameter of a normal-sized pen) and a rat can get through a 20 mm hole.
This makes peppermint oil, chili powder, citronella, and eucalyptus the most common natural rodent repellents. Chemical smells, such as ammonia, bleach, and mothballs also work as mice deterrents.
Chicken wire is a great protection from large predators, but if you have a rat problem, you will need more than just wire to stop them. Steel is about the only thing rats cannot chew through. In addition to chewing through chicken wire they can chew through wood, cinder blocks, and plastic.
Power companies have successfully used a product called CritterGuard® to keep rodents from running on their lines. To protect nonelectrical bearing horizontal lines, cut a 2-inch diameter plastic pipe lengthwise, spread it open, and place it over the cable.
Copper mesh is ideal for use in eaves, roof tiles, retractable awnings, behind signs, where pipes enter siding and foundation, cracks, holes or any small openings that need to be filled to keep mice, rats and pest birds out. Copper mesh is preferable over steel wool as copper mesh will not rust.
Installing your wire mesh: Cut a section of wire that extends at least an inch beyond the edge of the hole in all directions. Bend the wire so it fits snuggly inside the corner or around edges. If there is slack in your mesh the mice will simply push under it. Anchor the mesh with screws, about one every four inches.
Essential oils are some of the best natural rat repellents. Rats have a highly developed sense of smell, which makes strong odors such as pine oil, cinnamon oil, and even peppermint oil offensive to them. Cayenne pepper, cloves, and a mixture of vinegar and ammonia will keep rats away as well.
Actually, yes. Peppermint essential oil has risen greatly in popularity for its effectiveness against deterring rats from the home and can even prevent them from showing up at all with the proper techniques in place.
The article by Apartment Guide (2020) also tells how rats hate the sound of aluminum foil and hence making balls of aluminum foil and spreading it out throughout the house keeps them away. Another simple technique to get rid of rats is to use repellents which are not poisonous.
Copper mesh is an excellent way to exclude rodents from crawling into tights spaces. By stuffing copper mesh into holes and openings and other possible points of entry, rodents will be unable to crawl through and will have to go elsewhere to find a place to gather and cause destruction.