Technically you can just get used litter without odor control from someone who has a cat. Cat urine will keep rats away all on its own. Just give them a bag of dollar store litter and put the whole box where you need control. Works for months.
Edit: we have chickens and rats have been an issue with getting into their feed. The chickens don’t care about the smell but the rats stay away.
“Infection with T. gondii has been shown to alter the behavior of mice and rats in ways thought to increase the rodents’ chances of being preyed upon by cats.”
Technically you can just get used litter without odor control from someone who has a cat. Cat urine will keep rats away all on its own. Just give them a bag of dollar store litter and put the whole box where you need control. Works for months.
Edit: we have chickens and rats have been an issue with getting into their feed. The chickens don’t care about the smell but the rats stay away.
Except rats with toxoplasmosis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis
“Infection with T. gondii has been shown to alter the behavior of mice and rats in ways thought to increase the rodents’ chances of being preyed upon by cats.”