Rodent exclusion is the key to preventing rats. This includes: Eliminating access to your home and removing the food and water resources that attract them. Sealing gaps and holes around utility cables, outdoor vents or pipe work with steel wool or silicone-based caulk. Keeping your home clean and free of clutter, and use tight fitting lids on trash bins. Picking up fallen fruit outdoors, cleaning up around bird feeders, removing leaf litter, and picking up pet waste.