How to Get Rid of Roof Rats: Trap High and Seal the Roofline

Roof rats are the climbers. If you are hearing scratching in the attic or ceiling at night, or finding droppings up on shelves and in cabinets rather than down at floor level, you are almost certainly dealing with roof rats and not their ground-dwelling Norway cousins. That distinction matters, because it changes where you set your traps.

The short answer: roof rats live and travel up high, so you seal them out at the roofline, cut back the branches they use as highways, and set your snap traps up on beams, rafters, and ledges rather than on the floor. Pre-bait the traps unset for a few days so the rats lose their fear of them, then set them. Skip the poison indoors. For the full method that applies to every rat, see our main guide to how to get rid of rats.

How to Tell You Have Roof Rats

Roof rats, also called black rats, are sleeker and smaller than Norway rats, with a pointed nose, large ears, and a tail that is longer than their head and body combined. They are agile climbers that nest above ground: in attics, upper walls, rafters, palm trees, and dense vines and shrubs. The tell is location. Norway rats stay low in basements, burrows, and crawl spaces, while roof rats live up high, so droppings and gnaw marks on upper shelves, in the attic, or along ceiling beams point to roof rats. Our guide on the different types of rats covers the comparison in detail.

How Roof Rats Get In

Because they climb, roof rats enter from above. They travel along power lines, fences, and tree branches that touch the house, then slip in through gaps at the roofline, vents, eaves, and openings where utility lines enter. Any tree limb within a few feet of the roof is a bridge. Finding and closing these high entry points is half the battle.

How to Get Rid of Roof Rats, Step by Step

1. Cut off their access and food

Trim tree branches back several feet from the roof, pull vines and dense shrubs off the walls, and clear climbing routes. Remove their food too: secure garbage, bring in pet food, and pick up fallen fruit and nuts, which roof rats love.

2. Seal the high entry points

Inspect the roofline, eaves, vents, and gaps around utility lines, and seal anything larger than a quarter inch. Use steel wool, hardware cloth, sheet metal, or cement, never foam or plastic, which rats chew straight through. Screen vents with half-inch galvanized mesh.

3. Trap them up high

This is the step people get wrong. Setting traps on the attic or garage floor does little for a rat that lives in the rafters. Place snap traps up where roof rats actually travel: on beams, ledges, shelves, and along the tops of walls, secured so they cannot be knocked down. Set plenty of them, and pre-bait them unset for a few days first, because roof rats are especially wary of new objects. Bait with a pea-sized dab of peanut butter, nuts, or dried fruit. Our guides on why rats are not eating your bait and how to catch a smart rat help if they are trap-shy.

4. Skip the poison indoors

Rodenticide is a last resort, and indoors it backfires: a poisoned roof rat dies in a wall or attic void, leaving weeks of odor, and the bait risks poisoning pets and the hawks and owls that eat the dying rats. Trapping lets you remove the carcass and confirm the kill. If you use bait at all, use a sealed, tamper-resistant station outdoors.

Are Roof Rats Dangerous?

Yes. Like all rats, they can spread diseases such as leptospirosis, salmonella, and rat-bite fever through their droppings and urine, and their gnawing on wiring in attics is a genuine fire hazard. Clean up droppings safely: do not sweep or vacuum them, ventilate the space first, wear gloves, and dampen the area with a disinfectant or bleach solution before wiping it up. Our guide on how to safely clean up rat droppings walks through it.

When to Call a Professional

Call a pro if the rats are in hard-to-reach parts of the attic or wall voids, if you cannot find the entry points along the roofline, or if the problem keeps coming back. Roof rat work often means height and tight spaces, and a professional can find the access points and trap where it counts.

Related Rat Guides

• How to get rid of rats (the full guide)
• Types of rats in your home
• Signs of rats
• Why rats are not eating your bait
• Safely clean up rat droppings

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have roof rats or Norway rats?

Location is the giveaway. Roof rats live and leave droppings up high, in attics, on shelves, and along ceiling beams, and have a pointed nose and a tail longer than their body. Norway rats stay low in basements, burrows, and crawl spaces and are stockier with a blunt nose.

Where do you put traps for roof rats?

Up high, where they travel: on beams, rafters, ledges, shelves, and the tops of walls, secured so they will not fall. Floor traps are largely wasted on a rat that lives above your head.

How do roof rats get into the house?

From above. They climb power lines, fences, and overhanging branches, then enter through gaps at the roofline, eaves, vents, and around utility lines. Trimming branches back and sealing high openings cuts off their access.

What attracts roof rats?

Food and easy climbing routes: fallen fruit and nuts, unsecured garbage and pet food, plus trees, vines, and wires that bridge to the roof. Remove the food and the bridges and they lose interest.