Can Onions Kill Rats?

If you have rats in your house, you may be wondering if onions can kill them. While onions are not a regular food source for rats, they do have a strong smell. Rats cannot tolerate the strong odor of onions. While using onions to kill rats is not a humane way to do it, they may temporarily deter rats.

While rats may be attracted to the smell of raw onions, they are not particularly attracted to the smell of cooked ones. Even if you can cook raw onions, you would have to use a huge quantity to kill a rat. This is not advisable since rats will be more affected by the long-term effects of the toxins.

Onions kill rats by depriving them of oxygen. The rat’s blood becomes anemic and dies because it is deprived of oxygen. Besides causing anemia, raw onions cause digestive issues for rats. The gaseous odour from onions also irritates the rat’s respiratory system.

Another natural way to kill rats is to put onions near the holes where the rats live. The smell is also very repellent. It is also possible to place a container of vinegar near the holes so that the rat will be scared away. You should be careful when using this method since rats don’t like the smell of vinegar. The scent must be strong enough to scare them away.