How to Get Rid of Wood Rats From Storage Sheds

Rats are dangerous pests that unfortunately are attracted to areas inhabited by humans. They will go wherever there is food and snack on garbage, compost, pet food and anything else they can get their paws on. Rats tend to seek refuge in confined spaces ̵2; so a storage shed filled with wood is a perfect hiding spot.

Things You'll Need

  • Rat trap (live or killer style)
  • Bait
  • Rope
  • Cinder block or heavy object
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select the trap style you want to use. There are two different types, depending on your standards. A live trap merely traps the rat so you can release it somewhere else. The other alternative is a trap that kills the rat instantly.

    • 2

      Bait the trap with pieces of food. Rats will eat practically anything but entice them with something tasty. Use a piece of apple, peanut butter, bacon or potato as bait. If you're using a killer trap, place the bait directly on top of the expanded trigger. Because you can't tie down the bait on killer traps, use a sticky bait like peanut butter that the rat cannot carry away. To bait a non-killer trap, place the bait at the very back of the trap and tie it down so it can't be carried away.

    • 3

      Use rope to tie the trap to a cinder block or other sturdy object. If you've seen the size rats you are targeting, you'll have an idea of how large of an object you need tie the trap to. This is especially important for killer traps because large rats can drag the trap away if it is not secured.

    • 4

      Place the trap inside the shed where rats have been seen. Leave the traps overnight or until you catch a rat. Once you have caught a rat, dispose of it or release it into the wild. If you're disposing of a dead rat, put on work gloves, then put the rat into an individual garbage bag. Tie the bag tightly and put it into a sealed garbage can.