If you think the presence of rat traps will make your office more palatable to customers and employees alike, they just might be worth their price. Rat traps are typically cheaper than professional rat exterminators, but there is actually a solution less expensive than an electronic rat trap. Make homemade rat traps instead of purchasing commercial extermination devices. Whether you decide to buy rat traps or make your own, you will need some rat traps education and training.

You have many options when it comes to exterminating rats, so use the myriad of resources available at your fingertips. Consider the following rat trap educational resources:

1. Learn about the differences between rat trap types online.
2. Read reviews about different rat traps to determine the best solution for your business.
3. Check out video tutorials for rat control step-by-step training.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about the differences between professional rat traps

Whether you want to buy rat traps or make your own, you first need to decide which type you would prefer. Electronic rat traps are often quite different from humane rat traps, and online articles and websites are an effective resource to spell out the differences for readers.

I recommend: Do It Yourself Pest Control provides educational information about a few different types of rat traps, as does NationMaster.com.

Read reviews about professional rat trap brands, models and manufacturers

Once you decide on a type of trap, you will need to determine the best manufacturer. You can allow reputation to influence you, but most people do not hear anything about rat traps during their daily routine. For best results, compare reviews and prices online from actual users.

I recommend: Galt Technology offers reviews of the top rat traps, while Buzzillions features customer reviews of particular brands.

Watch videos to get educated about homemade rat traps and commercial rat traps

Whether you have opted to make your own rat trap or just want to know how to properly set a trap, consider watching a video tutorial. It is best to learn from those experienced with this subject before wasting time and materials when crafting your own or setting a store-bought trap.

I recommend: Wonder How To hosts helpful videos, such as one in which the professionals show how to set rat traps correctly. Bugspray.com features videos of several types of traps in action, including some unconventional rat traps.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before deciding to make homemade rat traps, consider the cost of materials and the time it would take. If you have a feeling it would take a while for you to make your own, buying wholesale rat traps instead might be more effective.
• •  Check out online forums for tips from others concerned about rat control. You might find little-known tidbits of information when you use such a resource.

You can use rat traps both at your home and office, and the reasons for them are obvious. Rats can damage buildings by gnawing on pipes, wood and wires, and can cause food poisoning and respiratory illness. They can also drag in fleas and mites, distributing them around your house or office wherever they go. Clearly, exterminating rats is a high priority.

While we can all agree that rat control is important, it's hard to know where to start. Several kinds of traps exist, each with its own way of getting rid of the pests. You may opt to make your own homemade rat traps, but most ready-made traps are so cheap that it may cost you more to take the time away from work to make one than it would to buy one. Rat exterminators are another option, but are usually more expensive than a few rat traps. Choose from the following main types of rat traps:

1. Electronic rat traps;

2. Humane traps;

3. Traditional rat traps.

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Buy an electronic rat trap to avoid any mess

With so many options today, it is not necessary to use the traditional traps that require you to see the dead rat. Instead, buy a trap that uses more modern technology, such as electricity. Many such traps are considered more humane than traditional traps because an electric shock kills the rat more quickly than trapping a rat and starving it to death.

I recommend: Ratmousezapper.com offers a trap that uses electric shock to kill rats, leaving no mess behind. Terradisiac features a trap that simply repels rats using a high frequency sound that pets and humans cannot hear. It plugs into a wall outlet and is easy to use.

Buy rat traps that allow the rat to live

Humane rat traps are popular with animal lovers who simply want to get the rat out of their house or office rather than kill it. If you are comfortable with transporting the rat to a more rat-friendly location, a humane trap is a good fit for you. Just make sure you check the trap often to make sure a rat is not trapped in it for days because that obviously defeats the purposes of a humane trap.

I recommend: Both Safeguard Products and Havahart offer live traps for rats and other rodents. They are specially made to ensure that the animal does not escape, but is not hurt.

Simplify by purchasing a traditional rat trap

If you want to keep this process simple, you can make use of traditional rat traps, such as snap traps and glue boards. Snap traps contain a metal arm that snaps down once the rat grabs the bait, breaking the animal's neck. Glue boards use wet glue that sticks to the rat's feet, ensuring that he is stuck there until he either starves to death or you find him.

I recommend: Do-It-Yourself Pest Control offers a selection of snap traps, while cooperseeds.com features glue trap to get rid of rodents.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Place the rat traps in areas that you know rats travel through daily. If you are not sure, put some flour along the paths that you suspect attract rats, and check the next day to see if there are tiny footprints.

If you have a rat control problem at your business, you may want to purchase high-quality rat traps to help you solve the problem fast. Homemade rat traps may do the job, but if you want to be sure it is done right, you should go with professional rat traps that have a proven history of exterminating rats.

Rat traps pricing and costs depend on what type of commercial rat traps you decide to purchase. So before you buy rat traps, decide if you prefer:

1. A rat trap that will kill the rat,

2. Humane rat traps that will trap the rat alive so it can be released later, or

3. A rat trap that traps the rat with glue.

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Get a cost estimate for snap rat traps

Snap rat traps activate when the rat moves across a trigger. These rat exterminators quickly snap closed on the rat in one powerful motion, which makes it virtually impossible for the rat to escape. Snap traps require bait and can also be used to capture mice.

I recommend: One trap costs $3 to $10 and a case of 12 traps costs between $20 and $60, depending on the model of trap. Do-It-Yourself Pest Control and Any Pest provide prices for various quantities of snap traps.

Estimate prices for live rat traps

Live rat traps consist of a small cage or box with a door that automatically shuts when a rat passes through. You place the bait inside the trap in order to entice a rat to enter. The rat is not killed when the trap activates, and the rat can be released.

I recommend: Good, heavy-duty, live rat traps typically cost between $15 and $30. The Tomahawk Live Trap Company and Wildlife-Trap.com are good sources for estimating the prices of various styles of live rat traps.

Save money with glue rat traps

Glue traps, also called glue boards, are the least expensive type of rat trap. When the rat walks across the sticky paper, its feet become stuck and it is trapped. You can also purchase tunnel-shaped covers for glue traps for an additional $2 to $3 each, which protect the glue sheets from dust and debris and keep captured rats out of sight.

I recommend: Glue rat traps are usually sold in cases and the price averages out to less than $2 per trap, with greater savings if you purchase a larger case. The trap consists of a sheet of sticky paper and a tray. Check out Best1Deals to get an idea of how much glue traps cost. DoMyOwnPestControl.com has much more information about glue traps, as well as prices.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't forget to include the cost of bait in your rat control budget estimate. Packaged professional quality rat bait (typically a blend of nuts and oils) is available for around $10.