Finding a rat in your home is unsettling, and the instinct is usually to grab whatever bait is on the shelf and hope for the best. But rats are cautious, intelligent and fast-breeding, and the wrong approach often makes the problem worse: bait-shy rats, a lingering odour from a rodent that has died in a wall cavity, or a population that simply moves and rebuilds.
This guide walks you through the full process the right way, confirming what you are dealing with, cutting off food and entry, choosing effective control methods, avoiding the common mistakes, and knowing when it is time to bring in a professional. It works for homes across Australia and New Zealand, with country-specific notes where the rules differ. It also includes a room-by-room rat-proofing checklist you can work through this weekend.
First, Confirm You Are Dealing With Rats
Rats and mice need different treatments, so identification matters. Rats are much larger (18-25 cm in body length, plus tail), leave capsule-shaped droppings 10-20 mm long, and travel along established routes close to walls. Mice are smaller, leave rice-grain droppings, and scatter more widely. In Australia the usual culprits are the Norway rat and roof (black) rat; in New Zealand the agile, climbing ship rat is most common in roofs, alongside the Norway rat. If you are not certain, our guide to the difference between a rat and a mouse will help you confirm before you spend money on the wrong traps or bait. For more on rat behaviour and species, see our rat pest control page
Common early signs of rats include droppings along walls and near food, gnaw marks on packaging, cabling or timber, greasy rub marks at low heights, shredded nesting material, and scratching or scurrying sounds in the roof or walls at night.
Step 1: Cut Off Food, Water and Shelter
Rats stay because your home feeds and shelters them. Before setting a single trap, remove the reasons they came:
- Store dry food, pet food and grains in sealed metal or heavy plastic containers, not cardboard or bags.
- Clear crumbs, empty the bin nightly, and keep compost enclosed.
- Fix dripping taps and remove standing water, rats need a water source.
- Tidy garages, sheds and cupboards to remove clutter they can nest in.
This step alone rarely solves an active infestation, but it dramatically improves the results of everything that follows.
Step 2: Find and Seal Entry Points
Rats can squeeze through a gap as small as 12 mm, roughly the width of an adult thumb. Exclusion is the single most effective long-term measure, because a home rats cannot enter is a home they cannot reinfest.
Walk the perimeter and roofline and seal gaps around pipes, vents, weep holes, air-conditioning penetrations, eaves and door thresholds. Use durable materials rats cannot chew through, such as steel wool packed into gaps, sheet metal, hardware cloth or concrete, not expanding foam or plastic alone, which they will gnaw straight through. Fit door sweeps and repair damaged fly screens and vent covers.
Step 3: Choose the Right Control Method
For most homeowners, snap traps are now the most practical and controllable option.
Traps
Use rat-specific snap traps, a mouse trap will not kill a rat and can leave it injured. Place traps at right angles to walls with the trigger facing the skirting, along the runs where you have seen droppings or rub marks. Because rats are neophobic (wary of new objects), leave traps unset and baited for a few days so they get used to them, then set them. Peanut butter, a small amount of pet food or dried fruit all work well. Never handle traps or droppings without disposable gloves and a P2 mask. rats can carry leptospirosis, salmonella and other pathogens.
Baits
In New Zealand, these products remain available to homeowners, brodifacoum and similar baits are sold in hardware stores and need no licence if contained in bait stations. However, MPI is reassessing brodifacoum with proposals including restricting use to bait stations and requiring retail sales records for tracking, and because rats and poisoned rodents can harm pets and native wildlife through secondary poisoning, best practice is the same on both sides of the Tasman: always use bait inside a secured, lockable bait station, never loose.
What Not to Do
- Don’t rely on ultrasonic repellers. There is little evidence they clear an established infestation.
- Don’t scatter loose bait in the open. It risks poisoning pets, children and native wildlife and, since 2026, breaches the conditions on restricted products.
- Don’t only bait indoors. A rat that dies in a wall cavity or roof void can create a strong odour for weeks.
- Don’t stop at one rat. Where there is one, there are usually more; rats breed rapidly (3-6 litters a year).
- Don’t ignore the entry points. Trapping without sealing simply invites the next wave in.
Room-by-Room Rat-Proofing Checklist
- Kitchen & pantry: Seal food in airtight containers; check behind and under the fridge, oven and dishwasher; look for gnaw marks on packaging and skirting.
- Laundry & bathrooms: Seal gaps around water and waste pipes; fix leaks; check behind the washing machine and hot-water unit.
- Roof void & ceiling: Listen for night-time scratching; look for droppings and disturbed insulation; check where roof meets wall and around vents and downpipes.
- Subfloor & under-house: Inspect for burrows, rub marks along bearers, and gaps around service penetrations; keep vents screened.
- Garage & shed: Declutter; store pet food and seed in sealed bins; seal roller-door edges and wall gaps.
- Exterior & garden: Cut back vegetation and ivy against walls; secure compost and bins; clear fallen fruit; check fence lines and decking for burrow entrances
When to Call a Professional
Bring in a licensed technician if you are seeing rats during daylight, hearing persistent activity in the roof, finding droppings after a fortnight of DIY effort, dealing with a strong odour from a dead rodent, or managing rats in a rental, strata or body-corporate setting where the source may be a neighbouring property. In Australia, with SGAR baits now restricted, a professional is also the safest route to compliant, effective poison-based control where it is genuinely needed.
How Flick’s Rodent Control Service Works
Flick has protected homes across New Zealand for more than a century. A technician inspects your property inside and out, roof void, subfloor, kitchen and perimeter, to confirm the species, locate nests and entry points, and build a tailored plan combining trapping, targeted baiting where appropriate and rodent-proofing advice. For a low-toxicity, ongoing option, SMART Digital Rodent Monitoring uses non-toxic sensors to detect activity 24/7 and alert technicians before a problem takes hold, ideal for homes with children and pets, and for households that want to avoid poisons. Ongoing cover is available through Flick’s Gold Home Protection Plan in both countries.
Not sure how bad it is? Get a professional assessment. A Flick technician can confirm the species, find the entry points and recommend the right, compliant treatment.
NZ: Book an inspection | Call 0800 710 010
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the fastest way to get rid of rats?
A combination of snap traps along active runs plus sealing entry points gives the quickest reliable result. Removing food and water at the same time stops the population rebuilding.
Q. Can I still buy rat poison?
In New Zealand these baits remain available to homeowners but should always be used inside a secured bait station to protect pets and native wildlife.
Q. How do I stop rats coming back?
Seal every gap 12 mm or larger with chew-proof materials, store food securely, keep the exterior tidy, and consider ongoing monitoring so any new activity is caught early.
Q. Is a dead rat in the wall dangerous?
It is mainly an odour and hygiene issue. Ventilate the area, wear gloves and a mask, and call a professional if you cannot locate or reach it.
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