This would be a great time to spread some poison pellets around their regular food sources.
You gotta be careful with poison.
Far enough away from the house, it’s OK. But when they get sick, they tend to wedge their filthy little bodies in the walls, the attic etc., and then they really stink.
I like the “Victor” trap, baited with a raw almond. Tie a string to the little eye that holds the trip rod, and secure that to something. That’s the cleanest, you just cut the string, and dump the bugger in the trash. Never have to touch the rat.
Also, the “walk the plank” traps, into a 5 gallon bucket or garbage can with a couple of feet of water at the bottom.. This is tricky, you might have to scoop out a couple of dozen the first night. Yuk.
The only good rat is a dead rat.