The two most common and effective ways of getting rid of Rodents are poison bait and mouse traps, both of which can be purchased from your local hardware or produce store.

Poison Bait and Mousetraps should be placed in areas where the rodents have been seen by you as they often follow the same paths to food stores and it is likely there is a nest nearby.

However, you must ensure that mouse traps and poison bait are laid in a place where children and your own pets cannot be affected by them as they can be dangerous, especially to young children.

Using Poison Bait

Poison bait is probably the most effective of all methods to kill rodents, although it is considered inhumane by many people because of the way it works.

Generally Rats and Mice will leave your premises when poison bait starts to work so you are not likely to have to pick up any dead bodies left.

Always ensure that you follow the safety instructions on the packet strictly as poison bait can be harmful to humans.

Setting Mousetraps

Use a piece of apple, a pumpkin seed or a piece of fat from some meat to bait mousetraps. Tie the bait on with a piece of cotton to make it hard for the rodent to remove without setting off the mousetrap.

The problem with mousetraps is that they are quite effective at ridding you of rodents if placed in the correct place, but leave you with bodies that must be removed otherwise they will start to decompose.

Rodent Proofing your Home

Rodent Proofing your home should be the first thing to consider when you are in your house because it does not take long for them to find your home a welcome environment to live in.

There are a few methods of rodent proofing your home to ensure that you do not have to worry about rodents, or that they will not return to your property once you have removed them.

• repairing any breakage in wall linings and roof cavities immediately
• removing rat and mouse access up building pipes by placing metal gauze over the ends
• trimming overhanging branches near your roof so that rats can't jump onto your roof from trees

No one wants to deal with rodents in or around the home. Rodents are nuisance pests and they carry germs and disease. The chances are high that if you have had one rodent in your garage or home, there are others lurking nearby just waiting to enter your home.

A mouse can have up to six dozen babies a year. Considering that most rodents (like mice) can mate when they are around two months old, it is imperative to use rodent proofing to make sure that rodents have no way of getting into your home.