Of course, the problem with invading pests has been around forever, and new and different, and sometimes questionable methods are constantly emerging to give humans the advantage over unwanted guests. It is always advisable to know your adversary and exactly what you are up against before designing and implementing a battle strategy with rat traps. Rats are highly intelligent and can chew through ALMOST anything, including cinder block, and can purportedly tread water for an hour or more. They are able to collapse their endoskeleton so as to fit through a hole as small as a quarter, or, in any case, if they can fit their head through the hole then their body will soon follow.

There are two species which present the main problem of infestation: the Norway rat and the roof rat. The roof rat is sometimes referred to as the black rat, nesting in trees and high shrubs. Norway rats are the larger of the two. These are the animals sometimes referred to as sewer rats or brown rats. These rats are considerably larger than the roof rat. They will nest almost anywhere there is adequate shelter and a food source, including basements, storage sheds, and of course in sewers where it is warm and moist with little or no human activity.

Because of their ability to chew their own exits and entrances, efforts to keep them out will be nothing short of futile unless the strategy for control begins outside the structure. To begin, first be sure there are no holes that the rats can get through. Professionals use a material called STUFFIT copper wool. Stuffit is made of brass and copper and other inert type materials that don't rust like the old standby, steel wool tends to do. It works well around plumbing access
connections and air-conditioning vents, as well as many other areas.

Feeding stations that can be placed outside, such as the EASYKLEAN bait trap and the PROTECTA Bait trap are used where infestations occur, at recommended 40 foot intervals. The EasyKlean resembles a sort of plastic lunchbox or CD case, with a locking lid, and measures 13"x9"x3.5". As the name implies, it is easy to maintain, and uses solid, pellet, and liquid rodent bait. The Protecta Original Rat feeding station resembles the EasyKlean in appearance but looks square instead of oblong. This particular bait trap is used by the pros in restaurant kitchens, factories that make food products, bakeries, storage sheds, and barns. It's dimensions are 11.25"x11.5"x6.25". If a more "eye-friendly" trap is desired, there is the RATROCK RODENT STATION. It appears as the name implies, a rock, which has an inside hidden chamber containing the bait, but is protected from moisture, but more importantly, pets and children. It is widely used around hospitals, restaurants, as well as houses and offices. The recommended baits for these traps are called FINAL CONTRAC and LIQUA-TOX. Contrac is in pellet form.
Some professionals recommend RAT ZAPPER ULTRA for the indoor job. The RZ lures the rat into a chamber where the rat is zapped by an electrical charge, and then again about 20 seconds later for insurance. This method is claimed to be more humane than the slower poison death. The BELLTREX TREX SNAP TRAP, pretty much describes itself. It has spring loaded with a jaw like trap with teeth. It is touted to be the alternative for the old fashioned, wood based spring trap, safer around children because it doesn't have the "finger breaking" danger of the old trap.

Glue board type rat traps are, and have been a source of much controversy. PETA objects to these traps because it is their position that the rodents endure a cruel death. Professional exterminators are of the opinion that glue boards are a tool of the trade used to control rodents and should be viewed as such.

The HAVAHART LIVE TRAP, for a rat's size, measures 16"x5"x5". This traps the animal live, of course, and is constructed of high tensile wire mesh with rolled metal edges so as not to harm the animal. The release is located at the top of the trap so you can have a metal barrier to protect the trapper from the animal. The mission here is to trap the animal alive and unharmed and release it back into the wild.