Rat Control vs. Rat Exclusion: What's the Difference?

August 31, 2026

If you’ve discovered rats in or around your home, you may hear the terms rat control and rat exclusion. While both help protect your property, they serve different purposes.

What Is Rat Control?

Rat control focuses on addressing an existing rat infestation. Professional pest control may include inspecting the property, identifying areas of rat activity, and using appropriate traps or other control methods.

Signs of an active rat problem may include droppings, scratching noises, gnaw marks, nesting materials, damaged food packaging, or unusual odors.

What Is Rat Exclusion?

Rat exclusion focuses on preventing rats from entering your home. Rats can squeeze through small openings around pipes, vents, foundations, doors, roofs, and other vulnerable areas.

A professional exclusion service identifies and seals potential entry points to help keep rats outside.

Why You May Need Both

Rat control addresses the current infestation, while rat exclusion helps prevent future infestations. Using both approaches can provide a more complete solution.

Simply trapping rats without addressing how they entered may allow new rats to get inside later. Likewise, sealing openings without addressing an existing infestation can leave rats inside your home.

Need Professional Rat Control?

If you’re hearing scratching sounds, finding droppings, or seeing other signs of rats, Secured Environment Pest and Wildlife Services can help identify the source of the problem and determine the best control and exclusion solution for your property.

Contact us today to schedule a professional inspection and protect your home from rats.

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