Serving Central Ohio since 2024.
We find the routes rats are using, not just the place you last saw one.
Skedaddle Columbus provides humane rat removal across Central Ohio, from Columbus and Upper Arlington to Westerville, Dublin and Powell. Through late fall and winter, as rats look for shelter indoors, we trace the routes they use from the foundation to the roof, remove the rats without poisons and seal every entry point. We then clean and disinfect the affected areas, with attic restoration where needed.
Reviewed by Bill Dowd, Founder, President & CEO. Last updated November 2026.
Seeing a rat does not tell you where it got in or how far the activity has spread. We connect the signs inside your home with the openings outside, so the plan covers both.
Rats can get in anywhere from the plumbing at the foundation to the vents on the roof. Our inspection covers that whole range, so the work is not focused on the room where you last saw a rat while the real entry point sits somewhere else.
Poison can be dangerous for pets and other animals, and rats that die in hard-to-reach parts of the home leave lasting odors. We do not rely on it. Instead, we remove the rats and close the routes they use, so the problem is solved at the openings.
Our exclusion work carries a lifetime guarantee on all workmanship and materials. Your written quote lists the openings we seal and keeps cleanup and insulation work as separate items, so you know exactly what the guarantee covers.
Where you notice the signs, and whether they appear on more than one level of the home, is a great starting point for our inspection. Leave droppings and nesting material where they are; we will deal with them safely.
Rat droppings are dark, blunt and about the size of a raisin, much larger than a mouse's. Fresh gnaw marks on food packaging, wood, plastic or wires and an ammonia smell in enclosed spaces are other common clues. Outside, rats often live in underground burrows, so holes along a foundation, deck or shed help us decide where to start.
Rats climb, jump and gnaw, and can get into a home through a hole the size of a quarter. Plumbing, gaps between building materials, openings around utility lines, windows and doors, and unprotected exhaust vents are common entry points, along with garage door corners. We check from the foundation to the roof, because a rat found in the basement did not necessarily come in at ground level.
Chewing, scratching or squeaking in walls or ceilings, especially at night, is a common sign. Rats build nests from shredded paper, fabric or insulation in attics, basements or behind appliances. We check those spaces so cleanup is planned alongside the removal.
Tell us what you saw and where you have noticed noise, droppings or damage. Our inspection confirms which rodent is involved and traces the routes into your home before we recommend a removal or sealing plan.
The Mammals of Ohio field guide lists the brown rat, long known as the Norway rat, as one of only two widespread nonnative rodents in Ohio, alongside the house mouse. It is grayish-brown with a long, scaly tail and lives wherever it can find food and shelter, from fields and garbage areas to sewers and basements. Roof rats reached Ohio early in its settlement but never became widely established, so the rats in Columbus-area homes are almost always Norway rats.
Norway rats are heavier than mice, with a blunt nose and a tail shorter than the body. They tend to live outside in burrows and come inside for food and nesting material, which is why foundations, pipe penetrations and garage doors get close attention. They also climb, so the roofline and vents are part of every inspection.
Rats breed quickly. The field guide notes litters of eight to 10 young after a pregnancy of about three weeks, and up to 12 litters a year. A few rats that get in this fall can become a much larger problem by winter.
For your home, that means we confirm the rodent, trace every connected route from the ground to the roof and pair the removal with the sealing and cleanup the space needs.
Our inspection looks for where rats are active, where they nest and which routes they use to get in. We check the exterior from the foundation to the roof and the spaces inside where nests are likely. Then we walk you through our findings and each step we recommend and give you a written quote before any work starts.
Your written quote separates removal, exclusion repairs and any cleanup or insulation work, so you can see the full scope before work starts.
We use the inspection to find the routes rats are using and choose the removal approach. Where appropriate, we install one-way doors at key entry points, so rats can leave but cannot get back in, and we monitor activity until the rats are out. No poisons are used.
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Once the rats are out, we remove droppings, nesting material and debris and disinfect and deodorize the affected areas. Heavily contaminated attics may need full restoration with new insulation; smaller areas often need targeted cleaning only.
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We reinforce the gaps and entry points with durable materials built to resist gnawing, from the foundation to the roof. Your written quote lists each protected opening covered by our lifetime guarantee on all workmanship and materials.
Learn moreRats are active around Central Ohio homes all year, but the seasons change where they spend their time. Here is what each season can mean for your home.
| Season | What may change | What it means for the homeowner |
|---|---|---|
| Winter(Dec–Feb) | Rats that moved in during the fall nest in attics, basements, wall cavities and crawl spaces and keep breeding indoors. | Signs inside do not fade with the cold. We remove the rats now and seal the routes they used. |
| Spring(Mar–May) | Small rodents usually breed most in spring and fall. | New burrows along foundations, decks and sheds may show up as the ground thaws. We check them and find any connected routes inside. |
| Summer(Jun–Aug) | Many rats live outside in underground burrows and come in for food and nesting material. | Summer is a good time to seal foundation, pipe and garage door gaps before rats start looking for winter shelter. |
| Fall(Sep–Nov) | As outdoor food becomes harder to find, rats look for reliable shelter and food, and homes provide both. | This is when many rats move in. We seal the openings before a small amount of activity grows over the winter. |
Humane removal means solving the problem at its source without leaving rats to die inside your walls. We pair every removal with sealing and cleanup, and we explain how each part fits your home.
We decide how to remove rats only after we know which routes are active and where they are nesting. One-way doors are used only where appropriate for the opening, and we never rely on poisons.
We locate the nesting areas and monitor activity through the removal, so we know when the rats are out before we close the last openings. Timing depends on your home and how established the activity is, and we explain it at the inspection.
We remove droppings, urine and nesting material and disinfect the area. The CDC warns that sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings can put tiny droplets carrying viruses into the air, so we clean with disinfectant and protective equipment and replace insulation only where it is contaminated.
We close the entry points with durable materials built to resist gnawing and weather, at ground level and at the roofline. Our lifetime guarantee on all workmanship and materials covers the openings we seal, and if one needs attention later, we come back to inspect and repair it.
Every rat problem starts with a different route. Book an inspection and we will follow the signs through your home, map the openings that need protection and explain the removal, sealing and cleanup before work begins.
Our Columbus team provides rat removal in Clintonville, Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Franklinton, Gahanna, Grove City, Groveport, Hilliard, New Albany, Obetz, Pataskala, Pickerington, Powell, Reynoldsburg, Sunbury, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington. If your home is nearby but outside these communities, call with your address and we will confirm availability.
Rats can get in anywhere from the foundation to the roofline, in older homes and new builds alike. When you book, tell us whether the signs are near the foundation, in the garage, in an attic or in rooms you use so we can prepare for the inspection.
Cost depends on how many routes rats are using, where the openings are on the home, which materials the sealing needs and how much cleanup or insulation work the affected areas require. We inspect the property first and provide a written quote that separates removal, exclusion and cleanup, so you see the full price before any work starts.
Same-day service is sometimes available, but it cannot be guaranteed. Removal also takes more than one visit in many homes, because we monitor activity until the rats are out before closing the last openings. Call 614-662-1800 and we will explain the next available appointment and what to expect.
We start with an inspection that finds every route the rats are using. Where appropriate, we install one-way doors so rats can leave but cannot return, and we monitor activity until they are out. We never rely on poisons that leave rats to die inside your walls. We then seal the openings and clean the affected areas.
Our Columbus team serves Clintonville, Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Franklinton, Gahanna, Grove City, Groveport, Hilliard, New Albany, Obetz, Pataskala, Pickerington, Powell, Reynoldsburg, Sunbury, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington. If you live near these communities, call with your address and we will confirm availability.
Our exclusion work comes with a lifetime guarantee on all workmanship and materials. It covers the repairs and sealed openings listed in your written quote, and if one of those repairs needs attention, we come back to inspect and fix it. Rats living outdoors in the neighborhood, or a new concern on another part of the home, get their own assessment.
Cleanup is part of our recommended scope whenever rats have left droppings, urine or nests in a space, and the quote lists it separately. We remove the material and disinfect and deodorize the area. Not every attic needs full restoration: small areas may need targeted cleaning, while heavily contaminated insulation may need removal and replacement.
Norway rats are much larger than mice, with a blunt nose and a heavy body, and their droppings are about the size of a raisin rather than a grain of rice. Rats also tend to burrow outside along foundations and sheds. We confirm which rodent is involved at the inspection, because the openings and the plan differ for each.
Yes. Norway rats often burrow along foundations and come in through gaps around pipes and garage doors, but they also climb, jump and gnaw, and rats can get in anywhere from the plumbing at the foundation to the vents on the roof. We check both levels, because a rat found downstairs may have come in from above.
Gnawing in the walls, droppings in the garage or a burrow beside the foundation all deserve answers before the problem grows. Our Columbus team traces every route rats are using, removes them without poisons, seals the entry points and cleans the affected areas, with attic restoration where needed. Every exclusion repair is backed by our lifetime guarantee on all workmanship and materials.
Reviewed by Bill Dowd, Founder, President & CEO. Last updated November 2026.
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