You may have read on the internet that rats don't like black pepper
much. You may have also read that they don't like peppermint much. We
can't say that we've had the best luck with either of these as
deterrents or repellents of rats, or any other wild animal or rodent for
that matter. You may find, however, that certain foods might actually
work to keep rats away from your garbage can or bag for a while, for
example.
Rats don't seem to be a big fan of overly spicy foods, and some homeowners have had some sort of success with spicy and hot peppers, or products containing those spicy features - a hot sauce, for example. Black pepper probably won't work, we'll be honest, otherwise they'd avoid your regular, run of the mill dinner. I'm sure there will have been black pepper over some of that food, yet they will still pull your garbage bag apart to get to the goodies inside.
Cayenne pepper, on the other hand, or a really hot pepper sauce might actually have some success. Wasabi might also work, being super hot. The rat might try this, realize it doesn't like it at all, and then not come back. The chances are, the foods you are putting down won't have much of an effect at all though. These are rodents who will eat human and canine feces because of the nutrition it offers while they are down in the sewers. They have also been studied eating their own feces if they think some nutrition gan be gained from it and food is scarce.
Go back to the Rats in the Attic home page.
DO MICE FEAR BLACK PEPPER?
Although I wrote this site with rats in mind, the same principles apply to other rodents, such as the house mouse. Mice behave very similarly to rats, they're just smaller. Thus mice are not afraid of black pepper either. It is not a good mouse repellent. If you have extra questions not addressed above, email me if you have any questions about how to solve a mouse problem yourself.
A rat infestation can have any homeowner look for solutions anywhere they can find. It is very common that when you ask to solve a problem, everyone will come up with their way of handling situations. The same can be observed when dealing with rat infestations. There are a lot of DIY solutions that you will find online to repel rats and keep them away from your property. The truth is that it is just money down the drain as very rarely do these deterrents work. Most of the methods are not cost-effective and people spend a lot of money on things such as sound and light deterrents, that cost a lot but rarely accomplish their goals. Instead, you end up spending a lot of time and money on things that do not work at all.
Using ammonia to get rid of rats is one of the most common solutions you will find. Mothballs are also recommended to remove and repel rats, however, in reality, they do not show any results. Instead, you just end up buying these supplies that do not even work. They are not at all effective and in reality, end up doing more harm than good. They are dangerous and cause a lot of serious consequences. Using ammonia and mothballs in your house can be very dangerous and pose a serious threat to the children and pets living in your house.
When you search and look for possible solutions to get rid of rats, you may have come across black pepper. It is commonly known that rats dislike black pepper. People, however, advertise and sell it as a solution to scare away rats. In reality, this does not work. The reason behind this is that even though black pepper irritates them, it does not repel them enough to leave your property. Think of any substance that causes your allergies. You simply find it irritating and find a way around it. The same is observed in rats when they come across black pepper. When they find black pepper or any bait laced with black pepper, it irritates them. However, contrary to popular belief, they do not leave any property because of this. Instead, they find a way around it. They might stop using that way or find another way to cross the path without dealing with the black pepper. Another approach it has is to leave that source of food and go after something else that does not have black pepper on it.
The chances of black pepper being effective are low. It does not work and instead can cause danger to pet animals or small children in the house. Repellents similar to this are also ineffective and are also of no use. Such solutions are ineffective and instead are a waste of time and money. Instead, professional services should be contacted to get rid of rats.
