Oh rats! How to keep your home free of rats

Various methods for controlling rats around the home, including traditional traps, baits, natural predators and more.

Good old Rattus rattus, the latin name for the roof rat, aka Black Rat. Common in the South, they are destructive to property and food supplies and also are potential carriers of typhus, rat bite fever, and bubonic plague. Unlike the Norway rat, roof rats enjoy shacking up with people. Great news for us urban dwellers.

The cat is an obvious choice for a natural predator of all things rodent-related. The bonus is that they can also be cute and cuddly when they are not hunting, killing and depositing rodent corpses in your bed in the middle of the night. Think this rotund specimen of feline couldn't chase down a rat? We know who the cat is betting on.

Eek, what's this hideous creature? A nutria, a semi-aquatic rodent that devours crops and wetland grasses. Nutrias can swim for long periods of time and the females can even nurse their young while floating. Would you believe that these loathsome creatures are actually prized for their fur? That's right, fur coats made of nutria fur can fetch up to a $1000 or more. Since these things can weigh more than the average domestic cat, our suggestion is just to move if you see one near your home.

The ferret is also a good ratter. Some people are turned off by their powerful, musky scent but there are many people who absolutely adore ferrets as pets because they are inquisitive, playful and affectionate. Pictured here is one very spoiled ferret, who prefers sparkling water with lemon while taking a break from strolling the neighborhood on his mini-harness. We recommend a more blue-collar type of ferret for rat hunting purposes.

PETA wouldn't approve, but some people find that the electrocution trap called the Rat Zapper works for them. A rat is drawn in by bait and is electrocuted when it touches a metal plate hidden in the trap.

The Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegious) are among the most common kinds of rats, found on every continent except Antartica. They are particularly destructive in farm environments, eating a tremendous amount of feed and doing damage to structures. They also carry diseases harmful to humans. While they are a common breed, apparently they enjoy consuming high-quality grains and meats.

Success! Rich Pistolese and his wife Connie live in Snellville and have been doing battle with a cage, and finally, a caged rat. "My wife kept telling me, 'That rat's outsmarted you again,'" said Rich. "'It's been an injury to my manhood here.'"

And here is the goal ... fill this cage with a rat. Seems simple, but the wily rodent is not easy to catch. Pictured here is Michael Bowbliss as he shows off a wire rat trap at the U Spray do-it- yourself pest control store in Lilburn.

As we said, rats are quite trainable, as can be seen here, with Sheerah the rat showing off its mad dunking skills. We don't know if Sheerah or Kobe, the competitor won the game, but we heard the trophy was made out of cheddar cheese.

Sure, most of us would love to be able to train rats in the house to march like this ... right out of our homes. Alas, not all of us have at our disposal animal stunt coordinator Boone Narr with animal trainers Kim Bonham and William Grisco, seen here on the set of "Willard."

Sure, Disney and Pixar can make rats look cute and charming, but most adults have this image in their mind when they think of rats. Rodents are a real health concern in major metropolitan areas such as New York City, with its aged infrastructure and vast underground tunnels, which are perfect breeding grounds for rats. One thing you can do is make sure all trash is contained in receptacles to make the area less attractive to rats.

Snakes can generate as much fear in people as rats, but the aptly named rat snakes live up to their name. Snakes are fairly low-maintenance pets, though they prefer live bait in their diet, which can be an issue for the more squeamish pet owner.

Most rats are seen as destroyers, but the giant kangaroo rat, by hoarding seeds, actually helped propagate native plants in the San Joaquin Valley. Apparently their good deeds are going unrewarded: They are now an endangered species.

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Good old Rattus rattus, the latin name for the roof rat, aka Black Rat. Common in the South, they are destructive to property and food supplies and also are potential carriers of typhus, rat bite fever, and bubonic plague. Unlike the Norway rat, roof rats enjoy shacking up with people. Great news for us urban dwellers.

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