How do you get rid of rats?

I live in a nice suburban area and I went to do some laundy in my basement and there is a mother rat with babies in my laundry basket of dirty clothes.

I thought about drowning them, any other suggestions?

Answers:
I had roof rats and put out some rat poison, it killed them in less than a week. Fortunately for me when I found them dead, they were outside. If they die in a place where you can't find them, eventually you will smell them. If you put out LARGE traps make sure you attach the traps to something heavy, the rats will pull the traps to a place where it gets wedge and then will pull there bodies out of the trap. Someone told me this would happen but I didn't believe them until one day I saw a live rat in a trap as I was leaving the house. When I got back a couple of hours later it was gone. I got a cat a couple of years ago and have not had rats or mice since. Good Luck

Other answers:
maybe u can fry them up..
maybe u can fry them up..
Yuck! Just put down glue traps. When they get stuck, just throw them away.
Keep a cat and it will do the job for you !
The broom always worked. Then put down poison to avoid future problems.
Get a cat. The rats will move out when they smell the cat.
you should give them to richard gere
he must be getting sick of those gerbils by now
Use fly traps and use a bit of piece of food as bait. Once you catch some make sure to burn them. Rats live in dark places where they can lay their offsprings so make sure you clean your place from time to time. Basically, cleanliness is the key to a rat-free house.
Get a big cat
mortien rat killer
First of all, rats are lazy. Just put bait bars, not pellets they can hide, in the areas they frequent. Make sure you have no water sources available in the house. Toilets closed with a weight on the cover, no leaking faucets. Most poisons cause internal bleeding by thinning the blood, so the rats become very thirsty, and will go outside ni search of water. If there is one rat family, there will always be others. Who do you think got momma rat pregnant?
Look around your property, for holes about 2 to 3 in in diameter. They will generally NOT have dirt around them, as a gopher would. Put bait bars down the holes. Lazy buggers will eat them, and die.
Last, dispose of any dead rats IMMEDIATELY. Hawks, buzzards, skunks, and pets will die from eating poisoned rats. Good luck.
You definitely have to do something about them before they multiply again!

Rodents are so dirty and destructive that drowning might be the simplest option. Poison works, but sometimes they go inside your wall to die, and then it will smell very bad for weeks. A cat is only helpful if it's a good hunter; some cats have no hunting instinct.

If you decide to use a trap, I agree with the poster who said to tie the trap so the rat can't drag it away. Also, a rat trap can break your finger or toe if you bump into it, so be careful, and good luck!
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