The proper name for the typical attic rat is a Norway Roof Rat. They are terribly destructive rodents that love to live in attics and crawl spaces. They will chew your home, electric wires, and can cause fires. Attic rats should be taken care of as soon as you think that you may have them. You will hear scratching sounds and rats running around in attics that are infested. You can save a lot of money in exterminator fees by getting rid of the rats yourself. However, you will need a stronger stomach to do this.

1. Go into your attic and find a nice flat surface or wood support beam that you can screw a rat trap to. You do not want to leave these things laying around loose, as some rats get hit on the tails, and drag the traps away.

2. Screw the rat trap to the wood. Go directly through the trap. A single screw should be sufficient. If the screws are large, you will need to drill a pilot hole first, then proceed with the screw. Be sure that the trap is secure.

3. Apply peanut butter to the bait holder. Smear it all into the holes on the bait holder so the attic rat will have to work at the bait to get it off. Remember, the more it works on the trap trying to get the peanut butter off, the more likely it will spring the rat trap.

4. Carefully set the trap as the directions indicate on the trap packaging or instructions. BE CAREFUL! A rat trap can break your finger.Follow the same directions on at least 2 other rat traps. This way you will have a total of 3 traps. Increasing your odds to get more rats. Often rats have entire families in your attic.

5. Eventually you may or may not hear a popping sound. Check the traps every 12 hours (once in the morning and once before bed). If you find a dead rat in one of the traps, you must remove it and reset the trap(s). The best way to remove rats is by placing a shopping bag into several other shopping bags and picking the rat up with your hand behind the bags. Reverse the bag around the rat (much like when you fold a sock, or clean up after a dog). Discard the rat in an out door trash bin.

6. Rats carry tons of diseases. Make sure that you are clean with how you apply peanut butter. After you apply the peanut butter to the trap, do not return the spoon to the peanut butter container. Use simple common sense measures like this.

* Wear gloves when picking up any dead rats! Yuck!