A Tauranga Technician’s Guide to Clearing Rats and Mice Yourself, Since Feb 2006
The short answer: work out whether it is rats or mice, set snap traps against the walls where they run, take away their food, and block the gaps they use. Trapping without blocking the gaps only makes room for the next ones.
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“Karl was super responsive and got the job done promptly. Great service, very competitive price, and it’s worked a treat — no more white tails in the house, dead or alive! Highly recommend, thanks Karl.
— Tania Brackenridge, Papamoa Beach“We’d never called in for help with spiders before, but Karl at Tauranga Pest Control made it simple from start to finish. Better yet, the unwanted feature-walls of spiders are now a thing of the past!
— Marie R, Tauriko🔍 Rat or Mouse?
🛠️ Step By Step: How to Get Rid of Rats and Mice
1. Find Where They Are Active
Look for droppings, gnaw marks, greasy rub marks along walls and chewed food packets. Listen for where the noise is at night.
2. Set Snap Traps Against the Wall
with the trigger end touching the wall. Rats and mice run along edges, not across open floor.
3. Bait with Peanut Butter
Use plenty of traps. Six traps for a few nights catches more than one trap for a month.
4. For Rats, Leave the Traps Unset for Two or Three Nights First
with bait on them. Rats are wary of new things and this gets them feeding.
5. Take Away the Food
Store food, pet food and bird seed in sealed containers. Pick up fallen fruit and secure the compost.
6. Block the Gaps
A mouse fits through a gap the width of a pencil. Pack holes around pipes with steel wool and fit brush strips under doors.
7. Cut Back Branches That Touch the Roof
and tidy wood piles and long grass near the house.
⚠️ If You Use Rat Bait
Put it in a locked bait station, keep it well away from children and pets, and follow the label. Poisoned rodents can die in walls and ceilings and smell for weeks, which is one reason I prefer traps inside the house.
🏡 When to Call a Professional
- You can hear them in the roof or walls and cannot get to them.
- You are still catching them after two weeks.
- They have chewed wiring or pipes. That is a fire and flood risk.
- It is a shop, food business, school or rental.
Have a look at our professional rat and mouse control service, or call for a free estimate.
❓ Not Sure What You Have Got?
Our free What’s My Pest picture guide shows the common Bay of Plenty pests, what you can do yourself, and when to call us.
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