What This Service Includes
A complete job, from inspection to confirmed clearance.
Most bait-only programs knock the population down temporarily. New rats find the same gaps within weeks and the cycle repeats. The fix starts with sealing every identified entry point before any trapping. Here is exactly what our service includes.
- Full perimeter inspection of foundation, crawlspace, and roofline
- Identification of all active entry points with written documentation
- Mechanical exclusion using galvanized steel mesh and exterior sealants
- Snap trap deployment inside the structure
- Carcass removal and sanitation of trap areas
- Follow-up visit to confirm exclusion integrity and trap clearance
Pricing
Quoted after inspection. Full scope approved before work starts. Attic cleanup is quoted separately where needed.
Call (206) 555-0188Why Exclusion Matters
Trapping without sealing is a treadmill.
A Norway rat removed from your home leaves a scent trail that guides the next rat to the same entry point within days. Bait station programs exploit this: they kill rats, collect your payment, and return next month to kill the replacements. It is a business model, not a solution.
Exclusion physically blocks every gap the rats use. Hardware cloth over foundation vents. Galvanized steel mesh around pipe penetrations. Closed-cell foam in sill plate gaps. The materials we use are rated for Seattle's wet climate and will not rust or compress over time.
Once the building is sealed, we trap what is already inside. Those rats have no way to be replaced from outside. The infestation ends. We confirm this on the follow-up visit by checking that trap activity has stopped. If it has not, we find what we missed and fix it.
We handle both Norway rat infestations and roof rats with species-appropriate trap placement and exclusion strategy.
Seattle-Specific
King County has a rat problem. It is not random.
Seattle has been dealing with Norway rats for as long as the city has had buildings. The wet climate keeps soil soft for burrowing. Old clay sewer lines in Ballard, Wallingford, and Capitol Hill fracture over decades, creating underground corridors rats use like highways. Mature street trees, compost programs, and the ship canal provide year-round food and water.
Homes built before 1950 on pier-and-beam foundations are the most vulnerable. The crawlspaces are accessible, the cedar skirting gaps over time, and the subfloor insulation is warm and undisturbed. Newer construction on concrete slabs is less hospitable, but rats find gaps around utility penetrations in every type of building.
Roof rats are a separate problem concentrated in Queen Anne, Magnolia, and West Seattle, where warmer south-facing slopes and fruit trees match their habitat preference. We identify which species you have before we start. The trap type and exclusion focus differ between Norway rats at ground level and roof rats at roofline. See our crawlspace exclusion service for detailed foundation work.
Common questions about rat removal.
Answers based on what Seattle homeowners actually ask us before calling.
How do I know if I have rats or mice?
Rat droppings are roughly the size of a raisin, blunt on both ends. Mouse droppings are smaller, pointed, about the size of a grain of rice. Rats leave grease marks along walls and the scratching sounds they make are louder than mice. Call us and we can usually narrow it down over the phone.
How long does rat removal take?
Inspection and exclusion work typically takes three to six hours on-site. We set traps during the same visit. Most active infestations are cleared within one to two weeks. We follow up to confirm entry points are holding and trap activity has stopped.
Do I need to leave my home during rat removal?
No. Our process uses mechanical exclusion and snap traps, not fogging or aerosol treatments. No evacuation required. We position traps away from pet access areas during treatment.
Will rats come back after removal?
Not through the same entry points. We seal every identified gap as part of the job. Exclusion work is what separates a permanent fix from a temporary knockdown. If a new entry develops over time, we identify it on our follow-up visit.
What is the difference between trapping and bait stations?
Snap traps let us remove the carcass. Bait stations cause the rat to die inside a wall, which creates odor and attracts secondary pests. Trapping is cleaner and gives us confirmation of what we caught. We use bait only in limited commercial situations where trap retrieval is restricted.