Hiring a rat exterminator costs around $300 on average but can easily exceed $1,000 depending on the severity of the issue, based on market research by the This Old House team. Rats cause property damage, contaminate food with droppings and urine, and carry diseases or other pests that can impact you and your family’s health.
Few things feel more unsettling than turning on the light in your kitchen at night and seeing a rat scurrying across the kitchen floor. Or, you may have stumbled across footprints, nests, or droppings since homeowners don’t always spot a live rodent. Learn about the total costs of do-it-yourself (DIY) and professional rat control solutions, along with tips on picking the right exterminator for your home.
Rat Exterminator Cost by Treatment Type
A small rat infestation typically costs several hundred dollars to address, with an average pest control cost of $300. Larger infestations or homes with multiple rat colonies can easily cost over $1,000 to treat since you’ll need more advanced treatments, such as fumigation and exclusion, to control the rat populations fully.
| Treatment Type | Average Cost Range* |
|---|---|
| DIY traps (approximately 10) | $10 |
| Pest control visits | $150–$300 |
| Full removal | $200–$6,000 |
| Professional trapping | $250+ |
| Exclusion | $1,000+ |
| Fumigation | $2,000–$6,000 |
*The above cost data is based on an average of multiple figures provided by pest control professionals throughout the U.S.
Rat Treatment Types
The type of rat treatment your home needs depends on the infestation severity, property size, and damage, such as holes in the walls or other structural issues that allow rodents into your home. Here’s a quick breakdown of the primary rat treatment types.
- DIY traps: This method is the most cost-effective but may not suffice for taking care of more than a lone rat. You can buy snap traps at the store to set around your home, but this method doesn’t usually take care of the root issue if you have a large infestation. You can also buy live traps as another option, but you’ll have to release and move the rats far from your home to prevent them from returning.
- Pest control visits: A pest control visit includes an initial rat inspection completed by a professional and follow-up visits to determine whether the issue is resolved. Some pest control companies offer free initial visits, but others charge for the inspection. The company will then charge for each follow-up visit.
- Full removal: Full removal is a comprehensive pest control service that targets all aspects of the rat problem. This approach includes everything from the inspection to treatment, exclusion, and clean-up.
- Professional trapping: Similar to DIY traps, a professional will set the rat traps. Most pest control companies recommend other steps or treatments plus trapping to eliminate the rodent infestation completely.
- Exclusion: Exclusion is a specialized pest control service that’s ideal for long-term prevention. It includes sealing entry points, clearing hiding places such as brush and overgrown grass, eliminating food sources, and reversing rodent damage.
- Fumigation: Fumigation is the most expensive and intensive rodent treatment option. A professional rat exterminator will wrap your home in a tent and pump in fumigant—a poison in the form of gas—to kill the rats. Exterminators reserve this last-resort treatment plan for the most severe infestations.
What Factors Affect How Much Rat Extermination Costs?
While treatment type is a major factor in determining the cost of rat extermination, other factors also impact your final bill. Infestation size, property size, and the location of the rats determine how much a professional pest control company will charge to eliminate the rodent population in your home.
Infestation Severity
The more rats on your property, the greater the cost to eliminate them. A more severe infestation requires more labor, time, follow-up visits, and potentially more expensive treatments, such as fumigation. Rats are good at hiding from humans and are nocturnal, so while it may appear only a few rats are in your home, you could easily have more.
| Infestation Severity | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Small infestation | $100–$600 |
| Large or multiple colonies | $1,000+ |
Location
Rodents are notorious for hiding in hard-to-access areas. For example, a small rodent infestation limited to your garage is easier and less expensive to treat than an infestation in the attic, crawl space, or behind walls. These hard-to-reach locations require specialized equipment and more time and labor to address.
Property Size
A larger property gives rats more possible entry points and hiding places, increasing the required work to inspect your home for rodent activity. Once the exterminator completes the free inspection, they can present you with the best rat removal service plan for your home. If you have a significant infestation or widespread rat problem in a large house, the job will require more materials, labor, and time to address, increasing overall rodent and mice extermination costs.
For example, some providers estimate rat removal costs between $1 and $5 per square foot. With this cost range, a 1,500-square-foot home would cost significantly less to treat than a 3,000-square-foot home. At $3 per square foot, you’d pay $4,500 for the smaller home but $9,000 for the larger house.
Signs of a Rat Infestation
You often won’t spot an actual rat unless the infestation is severe. Instead, look for the following signs of a rat infestation:
- Rodent droppings (dark, pellet-like droppings)
- Nesting materials (shredded paper, fabric, dried plants, etc.)
- Stale smells
- Holes chewed through the floors and walls to create entry points
- Chewing on food packaging
- Grease marks (oily smudges on the wall or baseboards)
- Footprints or tail marks in dusty parts of the home
- Live or dead rats
DIY Rat Removal Methods
While looking at professional rat removal costs, you may wonder if you can save money using over-the-counter glue traps or rat poison. While you can try using DIY methods to handle the odd rat, these traps come with risks, and if ineffective, you can give the rats time to breed and expand the infestation in your home.
Rat Traps
Snap traps, live traps, and glue traps are the most common trapping options. Snap traps break the rat’s neck but can catch your fingers and toes. Glue traps catch a rat as it runs across the glue, holding it in place so it dehydrates and dies, while live traps keep the rodent alive but you’ll need to relocate it at least a mile away from your home to prevent it from returning.
Overall, rat traps are inexpensive but inhumane and potentially dangerous to pets or children. Traps also don’t address the root issue, such as sealing up entry points to prevent rodents from returning.
Rodent Bait Stations
Bait stations contain poisoned bait that kills rats, but this method has several shortcomings. For starters, bait stations can cost up to $20 a piece and take multiple days to work. Rodents may also die inside your walls, crawl space, or hard-to-access areas, creating a different problem.
When Should You Call a Professional for Rat Removal?
We recommend calling a professional for rat removal as soon as you spot a rat or signs of infestation, such as grease marks, droppings, or gnawed food. Rats reproduce at rapid speeds, with a single female giving birth to an estimated six liters per year with up to 12 rat pups each. Rat pups reach sexual maturity quickly, meaning they can start to contribute to the infestation themselves. To put this in perspective, a population of just two rats can turn into approximately 1,250 rodents in your home in one year. With this in mind, calling a professional sooner rather than later is important for your family’s safety and protecting your home from property damage.
How To Hire an Exterminator
Our team strongly recommends looking into professional extermination services when it comes to disease-carrying rodents in your home. Here’s our top tips for hiring a rodent control specialist.
- Start by asking friends and family for recommendations. Then, look up the best pest control companies in your area to begin your research.
- Next, research each pest control provider. Look for specific licenses, insurance, and bonding, with requirements varying based on your location. We recommend checking that the provider is above board, operating legally, and certified for the type of services you may need, such as fumigation.
- Read customer reviews and examine each provider’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating to get an idea of how the company treats its customers. You can also look at Google Reviews for local customer experiences.
- Verify the provider has years of experience treating rodent problems, such as Terminix and Orkin, and offers written warranties or guarantees. Pest control isn’t always a one-and-done process, so look for companies with follow-up plans if the problem persists.
- Call several providers for a home inspection and a free quote. Take your time speaking with each technician and see how thorough the company’s approach is.
- Sign with your preferred provider based on your assessment of cost, services, and customer service, and get the details in writing before proceeding.
How To Prevent a Rat Infestation
Like most pests, rats go after several things: food, shelter, and water. The best way to prevent a rat infestation is to limit the rodent’s access to your home and these items.
Here’s a list of our top tips for preventing a rat infestation:
- Use garbage cans with lids and take the garbage out frequently.
- Seal holes inside and outside your house to prevent rodents from entering.
- Clear clutter—rats use paper, trash, and clutter to hide in and nest.
- Control weeds, shrubs, and bushes around your home. Rats hide in tall grasses and may create pathways to your home.
- Store items away from walls and off the ground to eliminate common hiding spots.
- Keep your home and kitchen clean, and always keep food in tightly sealed containers, including pet food.
- Don’t leave food out for birds, stray cats, or other animals.
Is Rat Extermination Worth It?
Yes, rat extermination is worth it and necessary for your family’s safety if you have an infestation. Rats present a health and safety risk to anyone living in an infested home. These rodents can carry many types of diseases, including murine typhus, leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Some of these diseases, such as rat-bite fever, can result in death. Plus, rats contaminate food with their urine and droppings and can carry viral infections, worms, lice, mites, and fleas. Lastly, rats must constantly gnaw to keep their teeth sharp, resulting in property damage, spoiled food, and a fire risk if electrical wiring is impacted.
If you suspect you have rats in your home, we recommend involving a professional exterminator as soon as possible to keep you and your loved ones safe.
FAQs About Rat Extermination Costs
How long does it take an exterminator to get rid of rats?
It can take an exterminator anywhere from several days to three months to get rid of rats, depending on your home, the severity of the infestation, and the location of the rodents in your home. Small infestations in a tidy home may take a couple of days, but severe infestations with rats in the walls, crawl species, and attics can take up to three months.
Can you get rid of rats permanently?
Yes, you can get rid of rats permanently, but it can require multiple treatment and intervention steps. Professional extermination is recommended because rodents are challenging to eliminate and can present a health risk to you and your family. With the help of a rat exterminator, you can work to seal entry points, eliminate food sources, reduce rat-friendly environments, and treat the root problem.
What is the number one way to get rid of rats?
The number one way to get rid of rats is with traps or rat poison (rodenticide), followed by integrative pest management techniques to prevent the problem from reoccurring. Depending on your home, this may include sealing entry points, eliminating food sources, and clearing clutter or overgrown plants.
How do you identify a rat infestation?
You can identify a rat infestation by examining your home for rat droppings, tail marks or pawprints in dust, gnawed food, holes chewed through your wall or baseboards, and freshly dug earth around the house. At night, turn on the lights in a dark room, such as your basement, and listen for scurrying noises.
