How Do You Keep Rats Out of Your Garage?

Garages are one of the most common places rats get into GTA homes, especially in fall and winter. They’re warm, full of storage, and often have gaps at the bottom of the door. Here’s how to keep rats out.

Quick Answer

To keep rats out of your garage, seal the gaps they use to get in, starting with the garage door’s bottom seal and side weatherstripping, which wear out over time. Then remove what draws them in: pet food, birdseed, grass seed, garbage and green bins, and clutter they can nest in. Rats can squeeze through a gap about the size of a quarter, and they can chew through rubber and plastic seals.

Signs of Rats in Your Garage

• Droppings about the size of a bean, with blunt ends
• Gnaw marks on the garage door seal, storage bins or wood
• Chewed bags of pet food, birdseed or grass seed
• Holes or burrows along the outside of the garage or driveway edge
• Greasy smudge marks along walls where rats travel
• Scratching or gnawing sounds at night

Not sure if it’s rats or mice? Read our guide on mice vs. rats.

How Rats Get Into Garages

• Worn bottom door seal: the most common entry point. Gaps form at the corners.
• Side and top weatherstripping: gaps along the frame of the garage door.
• Gaps where utility lines enter: gas, water and electrical lines.
• Foundation and slab cracks: where the garage floor meets the walls.
• Open doors: rats slip in while the door is open in the evening.
• Attached sheds or decks: burrows next to the garage can lead inside.

Why Rats Like Garages

Garages are warm, dry and quiet, and they often store food that rats love: pet food, birdseed, grass seed and garbage bins. Boxes and clutter give them safe places to nest. Many GTA homes back onto laneways, ravines, creeks or commercial areas where Norway rats already live.

How to Keep Rats Out of Your Garage

1. Replace the bottom door seal with a heavy-duty rodent-resistant seal, and add metal corner guards if gaps form at the edges.
2. Check weatherstripping along the sides and top of the door.
3. Seal utility gaps with materials rats can’t chew through, such as steel mesh and cement or metal flashing.
4. Store food in metal or heavy plastic bins with tight lids: pet food, birdseed and grass seed.
5. Keep garbage and green bins closed, and clean them often.
6. Reduce clutter and store items on shelves, off the floor.
7. Keep the door closed, especially in the evening.

What If Rats Are Already Inside?

Sealing alone isn’t enough if rats are already living in the garage, because they may chew a new way out or move into the house. They need to be removed first, then the entry points sealed. Rats are cautious and avoid new objects, so traps and bait often take longer to work than with mice.

Can Rats Get From the Garage Into the House?

Yes. Rats can travel from an attached garage into the house through gaps around pipes, wires, and the door between the garage and house. If you hear scratching in your walls, read our guide on mice in the walls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do rats come into garages in winter?

Yes. Rats look for warm shelter as temperatures drop, and garages are one of the first places they find.

Can rats chew through a garage door seal?

Yes. Standard rubber seals can be chewed through. Heavy-duty rodent-resistant seals and metal guards hold up much better.

Will rats leave if I remove the food?

They may move on, but often they stay if they have shelter. Sealing and removal work better together.

Are rats in the garage dangerous?

They can contaminate stored items, chew wiring in cars and on walls, and damage insulation. It’s best to deal with them early.

Rat Removal Across the GTA

Quality Affordable Pest Control removes rats from garages, basements and yards, then seals the entry points so they don’t come back. We serve homes and businesses across the GTA, including Toronto, Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan. See all our service areas.

Call 1-800-726-3913 for a free estimate.