Effective Rat Removal Solutions in Austin, TX
Are there rats around your home? Stampede is experienced in removing roof rats and Norway rats, and we stand behind our work to ensure the complete removal of all rodents.
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Effective rat removal solutions in Austin, TX
Are there rats around your home? The most common rats in the Austin area are roof rats, but you may also see Norway rats from time to time. These rodents can enter your home through even the smallest gaps and set up nests that turn into an infestation very quickly.
Fortunately, Stampede is experienced in providing successful rodent control. Our team also guarantees all of our work and we go above and beyond to ensure the complete removal of all rodents.
A full property exclusion is the only thing that makes rat removal stick. Exclusion just means sealing the spots where rodents get in. The inspection and site evaluation are where we earn it. We'll gauge the rat and mouse population around your Austin property, find every entry point, and seal them. We remove the pests and put measures in place to keep them out for good. Call today for a free quote.
Updated June 2026
Quick answer
How do I get rid of rats in my Austin home?
In Austin the culprit is almost always roof rats moving from tree canopy into the attic, especially as fall cools off. Trapping alone won't hold: our team traps the rats, seals every roofline and foundation entry point, and cleans up the droppings and insulation. Every rat job is guaranteed.
Roof rats vs. Norway rats in Central Texas
Which rat you have changes where we inspect and how we seal the home. In Austin, one of these is far more common than the other.
Roof rats (the Austin default)
Roof rats are the rat you're most likely dealing with in Austin. They're agile climbers that live up high, moving from live oak and pecan canopy onto rooflines and along utility lines, then into attics through gable vents, roofline gaps, and where limbs touch the eaves. They're 6 to 8 inches long with pointed muzzles, smooth fur, and long scaly tails, and they favor fruit, nuts, and whatever the pantry offers.
Norway rats (lower and heavier)
Norway rats turn up less often on the central and west sides of town but do appear, especially around alleys, compost, and older sheds. They're stockier with blunt muzzles, they burrow at ground level rather than climb, and they push in through foundation gaps, garage thresholds, and crawl spaces under pier-and-beam homes. Finding a burrow along a fence line or slab edge usually means there are more nearby.
Stampede's full rat removal process
We don't just trap the rats you can see. We remove them and seal up the entry points so they can't come back.
Site inspection and estimate
First, we'll schedule a consultation. This step is crucial since it will help us fully understand your situation and determine which solution is right for you. We'll then provide you with an accurate, upfront estimate to get the work done efficiently.
Exclusion planning
Depending on our inspection findings, we'll create a tailored pest control treatment plan. Our experts will come up with a preventative technique to remove the rats and mice from your property as well as seal up all of the entry points to keep them from re-entering your home or business.
Removal process
We'll set traps in the runways and nesting areas to effectively remove rats and mice. Our team uses safe, innovative methods to deal with these unwanted rodents and there's no need to worry if you have pets and children around.
Exclusion services
We'll seal up the gaps that let pests in, and we'll clear away any organic matter sitting against the outside of your home. That kind of buildup is exactly what draws mice and rats in close.
When rats move into Austin homes
Roof rats live outdoors most of the year, then head for warmth as Central Texas cools off. Timing your exclusion around that shift is the difference between a quick fix and a winter infestation.
Spring & summer
Warm months keep roof rats living outdoors in the canopy, greenbelt edges, and dense landscaping. Populations build quietly. This is the ideal window to trim tree limbs back from the roof and seal entry points before the rats have a reason to come in.
Fall (the move-in)
As the first cool fronts arrive in October and November, roof rats look for warmth and start testing the roofline for a way inside. This is when most Austin homeowners first hear scratching in the attic. Acting now keeps a couple of rats from becoming a nesting colony.
Winter
On nights that drop toward freezing, an attic is exactly the sheltered, insulated space a rat wants. Indoor activity peaks: gnawing, droppings, and nesting in blown-in insulation. Trapping plus a full exclusion is what clears an established winter infestation.
Roof rats
Roof rats are black and brown, with a white or darker underside. They have pointed muzzles, smooth fur, and long, scaly tails. These rodents are around 6 to 8 inches long and weigh around 5 to 12 ounces. They eat meat scraps and other high-protein foods, as well as nuts and fruits.
Outdoors, they live in trees and in areas with thick vegetation. Roof rats are great climbers and can quickly move inside the upper levels of buildings. In fact, they spend 90% of their lives 4 feet or more off the ground. They can even travel along vines, bricks, and power lines. When they find their way inside homes, they'll live behind walls, in attics, inside cabinets, and above ceilings, often around your patio, laundry room, garage, or pool.
Roof rats are carriers of illnesses. They can transmit diseases through bites and physical contact, and fleas feeding on the rodent may transmit diseases as well. Rats may contaminate food and food preparation surfaces, and some people experience allergies related to the dander, feces, and urine left behind. They're destructive too. They displace insulation, chew through walls, and gnaw on electrical wires. It's been estimated that almost 1 in 5 of all unexplained house fires are caused by electrical shorts after rats or mice chewed on them. Because these rats are shy, you may not see them until their population has increased significantly, so it's best to contact a professional right away for an inspection and evaluation.
Why we trap and seal instead of just baiting
It's tempting to toss out a box of rat poison and hope for the best, but in an attic that usually creates a second problem. A poisoned roof rat doesn't die in the open. It crawls back into the insulation, a wall void, or the soffit and dies where you can't reach it, and the smell can linger for weeks. People end up cutting into drywall and pulling insulation just to find it.
There's a wildlife angle too. Rodenticides move up the food chain, and secondary poisoning is a real risk to the owls, hawks, and other predators that hunt around Austin's greenbelts and creek corridors, not to mention curious pets. We rely on targeted trapping placed in the actual runways and nesting areas, paired with a full exclusion that seals the home. Trapping removes the rats you have; exclusion is what keeps the next ones out.
Signs of a rat infestation
- Disturbed pets
- Gnawing sounds and gnaw marks around roof eaves
- Physical damage to plastics and coverings on electrical wires
- Rat fecal droppings
- Scarred or bitten citrus and other fruit
- Seeing rats on power lines, trees, bushes, patios, roofs, etc.
- Squeaking noises in the attic, ceiling, and walls
Inviting water sources for rats
- Air conditioner drip lines
- Birdbaths
- Decorative ponds
- Irrigation lines
- Leaky faucets
- Leaky sprinkler heads
- Leaky irrigation boxes
- Pet water dishes
- Saucers under potted plants
- Water fountains
What to do when there are rats or rodents in your home
If you spot a rat or mouse inside, these steps can help before our team arrives.
Remove any pets
Remove your pets from pest-infested rooms. Cats and dogs can chase or attack rodents, causing rats or mice to escape and hide further inside your home. Worse, your animal companion may catch illnesses carried by the pests.
Open exit doors
Don't forget to open the exit doors around your home. By opening these, you can provide pests a direct path to safely escape the establishment.
Set up a humane rodent trap
If the rodent refuses to leave the room, buy a humane rodent trap from the nearest hardware store. These trap animals in a releasable box. Once they are inside, you can let them go in an area far away from your property. If this still doesn't work, give Stampede Pest Control a call, and let our professionals handle your issue with the utmost efficiency and care.
Stampede's rats out guarantee
Rats are quick to sniff out the poisons people put out for them, which makes DIY removal frustrating. There's a bigger catch with poison, too. The rodent dies somewhere on the property, usually somewhere you can't reach, and a dead rat is hard to find and harder to remove. People end up cutting into walls and pulling out insulation to get at it. That's not a job we'd wish on you.
We can help you get the rats out and keep them away for good! Our team can do this without you having to deal with foul-smelling dead rats in your attic, yard, wall, and other areas of your property.
Frequently asked questions
Almost always a roof rat. Roof rats dominate Central Texas because they thrive in the live oak and pecan canopy and move easily onto rooflines and into attics. Norway rats show up too, usually lower to the ground around alleys, sheds, and older pier-and-beam homes, but the attic scratching most Austin homeowners hear is roof rats.
The first cool fronts of October and November push roof rats out of the tree canopy and toward the warmth of an attic. On the cold nights when Austin dips toward freezing, an insulated attic is exactly the shelter they want. That seasonal move indoors is the most common time we get calls, and it's why sealing the roofline before fall matters.
For an attic or wall infestation, yes. Poisoned rats crawl off and die inside insulation, wall voids, or soffits where you can't reach them, leaving an odor that can last weeks. Rodenticides also pose a secondary-poisoning risk to pets and to the owls, hawks, and other wildlife common around Austin's greenbelts. We rely on targeted trapping paired with full exclusion so the rats are removed and can't return.
Roof rats climb. They cross from overhanging live oak or pecan limbs and utility lines onto the roof, then squeeze through gable vents, ridge vents, gaps in the soffit and fascia, or any opening wider than a nickel. On older central-Austin homes, foundation vents and gaps under pier-and-beam floors give ground-level rats a way in too.
Exclusion is the part that makes removal stick. Trapping clears the rats you have; sealing every entry point, trimming limbs back from the roof, and removing the water and harborage that draw them is what keeps new ones from moving in. We inspect the whole structure, seal the gaps, and back the work with our guarantee.
Yes. Rats nest in attic insulation and leave droppings and urine behind that can attract more rodents and trigger odor and allergy problems. We remove contaminated material, deodorize and disinfect, and replace saturated insulation in areas that have had an active infestation.
Call us right away
Our pest control experts provide full rat removal and rodent proofing across Austin, TX. Get in touch now for a free quote.
Dealing with more than rats? Explore our Austin mosquito control, Austin wasp removal, and Austin cockroach control. In the Houston area? See our Houston rat exterminator service.
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