Humane Rodent Removal
- In addition to carrying ticks and fleas, rodents carry diseases such as salmonellosis, leptospirosis and hantavirus. In addition to being vectors for disease, rodents can also cause serious structural damage to your house, contaminate stored food and start electrical fires. If you have rats or mice, you may notice gnaw marks, numerous droppings and a characteristic musky odor. You can use poison to kill the rodents, but there is a risk to children and pets, and sometimes poisoned rodents die in hard-to-reach places and then rot, causing foul odors for weeks. If you use glue traps, you should be aware that the government of at least one country, Australia, has called for them to be banned because of the agonizingly slow and painful death they cause.
- First, try the most basic humane removal technique: convincing the furry pests to move on by themselves. If you don't already have a cat, you can get the rodent-repelling benefits of one by borrowing some "used" cat litter from a cat-owning friend and placing it in plastic tubs around your garage and basement. This is not a technique you would want to use in your kitchen, but some people swear by its effectiveness in more remote parts of the house. You can also try mothballs hung in a laundry bag, peppermint oil dabbed on cotton and left in the rodents' usual paths, or sprinkles of cayenne pepper; all these odors are repellent to rodents. Try using an ultrasonic device, which emits sound waves that are unpleasant to rats and mice. If none of these methods work, rent humane trapping cages, such as the HavaHart trap, from your local animal shelter or veterinarian. Use several traps, and place them along baseboards after baiting them with peanut butter, cheese or bacon. When you catch a rat or mouse, cover the trap with a towel to reduce stress, chauffeur him to his new address--preferably a wooded area or field at least five miles away from your house and several miles from other houses and businesses--and release him. Reset the trap without cleaning it; the smell of the first volunteer will attract others. When all the rats or mice have been removed, prevent re-infestation by plugging up all entry holes with steel wool.
- Although rodents usually dash straight away from the trap--and you--when released, still use caution to avoid getting bitten. Wear thick gloves and protective clothes; if you do get bitten, see a doctor right away. Although rodents are not likely to carry rabies, there are other diseases they may transmit through biting. Also, wear gloves and use a scooper when handling cat litter; if you are pregnant, you shouldn't handle it at all.
