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Blog · October 2026
Can rats come up through the toilet?
It sounds like an urban legend, and it is rare, but extension services and health departments both say it happens. Here is how, and what to do if one shows up.
- Possible, but uncommon
- Mostly Norway rats
- Lid down, door closed
- Most rats use other gaps
Rat in the bowl right now? Jump to what to do.
Start here
Can a rat really come up through my toilet?
Yes, a rat can come up through a toilet, but it is uncommon. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension says that, although uncommon, rats can enter buildings through toilet plumbing, and that rats can swim half a mile in open water, dive through water traps in plumbing and travel in sewer lines against substantial current. The rat that does this is usually the Norway rat, the stronger swimmer of the two common rats. Roof rats prefer to live up high. Seattle and King County public health says kitchen pipes are too small for rats, so they try the toilet, and that old side sewers and plumbing raise the risk. If one shows up, keep the lid down, keep people and pets out of the room, and call. Most rats in Oxford homes still come in through gaps in the crawl space, roofline or foundation, not the plumbing.
How it happens
From the sewer main to your bathroom
Physical abilities from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, G2017.
Every toilet drains into a pipe that leaves the house, called the side sewer or lateral, and joins the sewer main. A rat in the sewer can work its way up that line.
The toilet has a curved section that always holds water. It stops sewer gas, not rats. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension lists diving through water traps in plumbing among a rat’s normal abilities, along with climbing the inside of vertical pipes from 1½ to 4 inches wide.
Seattle and King County public health adds a useful detail: kitchen pipes are too small for rats, so the toilet is the fixture they try. Rats can also follow the scent of food washed down drains into the sewer.
Which rats
Norway rats do the swimming, roof rats do the climbing
Species habits from UC IPM and University of Missouri Extension.
| Norway rat | Roof rat | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Burrows along foundations, under woodpiles and rubbish | Up high: trees, dense vines, attics and wall voids |
| In a building | Basement and ground floor | Upper floors and attic |
| Swimming | The more powerful swimmer | Swims, but is the better climber |
| Sewers | Swims through sewers, per Missouri Extension | May use sewers when high nesting spots are not available |
| Toilet risk | The usual suspect | Possible, much less likely |
Missouri Extension says Norway rats can swim through sewers and enter through toilets or broken drainpipes. UC IPM notes that roof rats may occupy sewers mainly when high nesting spots are not available. Our roof rat guide and identification guide help you tell them apart.
What raises the odds
What makes a toilet rat more likely
Sources: King County public health and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Two items are our reasoning and labeled that way.
Old or broken side sewers
King County public health says old side sewers and plumbing can put a home more at risk. A cracked line gives rats a way in from the soil, too.
Heavy rain and flooding
Flooding or heavy rain may push rats out of the main sewer and into the side lines that run to houses, according to King County.
Food down the drain
Rats can follow the scent of food washed down drains. Grease and disposal scraps keep that trail strong.
Open floor drains
Rats and mice use drainpipes as routes into buildings. A floor drain without a fastened metal grate is an open door.
Toilets nobody uses
Our reasoning: a toilet in a guest bath or empty rental gets no traffic, so a rat in the bowl may go unnoticed until it has already left.
Sewer or street work nearby
Our reasoning: digging and line repairs disturb the sewer, and rats that are disturbed move. Watch for signs during nearby work.
Rats in the bathroom more than once? That is the time to have the sewer line camera-inspected by a plumber, and the rest of the house checked for gaps.
What to do now
A rat in the toilet right now
Steps from Seattle and King County public health.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You see a rat in the bowl | Stay calm and close the lid so it cannot climb out. |
| The lid is down | King County suggests squirting liquid dish soap into the bowl. The rat will usually go back down the way it came. |
| It will not leave | Keep the lid closed, keep the bathroom door shut and call for help. |
| It got out of the bowl | Close the bathroom door to keep it in one room and set a rat trap. |
| Kids and pets at home | Keep them out of the bathroom until the rat is gone. |
| It is gone | Wet-clean the seat, rim and floor with disinfectant and gloves. Do not dry-wipe. |
A lid weight or a child-safety lid lock can keep the lid shut while you wait. For the cleanup steps, see our droppings and urine cleanup guide, which follows the CDC method.
Rat in the house?
Saw a rat, in the bathroom or anywhere else?
Call (662) 208-6880, answered 24/7. We find how the rat is getting in, seal it with metal and trap what is inside. The price is in writing before any work starts.
Prevention
Keeping the sewer side closed
A backwater valve, according to the City of Côte Saint-Luc, keeps sewer water and rats from coming in through plumbing.
Most homes never need special hardware. If a rat has visited, these steps lower the odds. A product once sold to block rats in toilets, called a rat guard, is no longer available, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Keep the bigger picture in mind. In north Mississippi, a rat in the house almost always has a way in somewhere other than the plumbing: a crawl space vent, a gap at the foundation or a hole at the roofline. Our rat control page covers how we find those, and our crawl space page covers the most common route under Oxford homes.
- Keep toilet lids down; add a lid lock if a rat has visited
- Have a plumber camera-check an old or cracked side sewer
- Ask a plumber about a backwater valve on the sewer line
- Fasten metal grates with openings of 1/4 inch or less on floor drains
- Never pour grease down the drain; go easy on the disposal
- Seal gaps around pipes where they pass through walls and floors
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Straight answers
Toilet rat questions
Can rats come up through the toilet?
Yes, but it is uncommon. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension says rats can enter buildings through toilet plumbing, and that rats can dive through water traps in plumbing and travel in sewer lines against current.
How common is it for a rat to come up a toilet?
Rare. Extension services call it uncommon. It happens more often in cities with older sewers and after heavy rain or flooding, which can push rats into the side lines that run to houses.
Should I flush if a rat is in my toilet?
First close the lid. Seattle and King County public health suggests squirting dish soap into the bowl; the rat will usually go back down the drain. If it does not leave, keep the lid shut, close the door and call for help.
Does a rat in the toilet mean I have rats in the house?
Not always. A rat can come up the toilet without living in your walls. But it is worth checking for droppings, gnawing and noises, and having the side sewer looked at if it happens again.
Who do I call, a plumber or rodent control?
Often both. A plumber can camera-inspect and repair the sewer line. A rodent company finds and seals the other ways rats get into the house and traps any already inside. We handle the rodent side.
Do toilet lid locks keep rats out?
A lid that stays shut keeps a rat in the bowl and out of the room. It does not stop rats in the sewer line, so fix a broken line if one is the cause.
Keep reading
Related rodent help for Oxford homes
Sources
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Rodent Control Oxford team. Biology and control standards follow Mississippi State University Extension and the CDC. Price ranges are labeled benchmarks; your price comes in writing after we inspect.
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Rodent-Proof Construction: Drains and Feeding Equipment (G2017)
- UC IPM, Rats Pest Notes
- University of Missouri Extension, Norway rats (G9446)
- Public Health, Seattle and King County, Sewer baiting and rats in toilets
- City of Côte Saint-Luc, Rodent control
- CDC, Clean Up After Rodents
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