How to trap and release a rat which has appeared at our house - Ask Extension
What seems to be a domestic rat appears to have moved into our home environs. Animal control won’t get it we need to catch it and donate it or reloc...
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How to trap and release a rat which has appeared at our house #872408
Asked June 10, 2024, 12:07 PM EDT
What seems to be a domestic rat appears to have moved into our home environs. Animal control won’t get it we need to catch it and donate it or relocate it elsewhere. It’s wreaking havoc with our dogs. Please help and advise us as soon as possible. We don’t feel right about poisoning it, should we?
Wake County North Carolina
Expert Response
You’re right to be concerned about poisons and your dogs.
There are a few different species of rats in NC, but only 3 in the Piedmont: the hispid cotton rat, which is 9-12” long (including tail); the introduced black rat,14-17” long; and the Norway rat, 13-19” long.
I suggest you get an appropriately sized Havahart trap, bait it, and put it in an area where you have seen the rat. Use grain, fruit, or veggies to bait the trap. Then carry it to over a mile from your house and release it into the woods.
I believe you can rent or buy a trap.
