Rat and mouse traps

[Alien]

Living rural it seems that you never get 100% mouse/rat free.
When we bought the property there was a number of old sheds that had dozens of rats inhabiting them. We knocked the sheds down and knocked off a lot of rats with air guns but traps just did not work.
We tried cage traps and snap traps but the cunning sods managed to remove the bait without setting off the traps.
Anyway, the population was controlled but there is always a mouse or rat somewhere and unfortunately my barn has a dirt floor and they create burrows and because I have so much junk in the barn, (good junk) it is impossible to completely eradicate them.
Poison does work to a certain degree but they carry it and unfortunately one of my dogs was found chewing a bait one day which necessitated a visit to the vet. She was OK after treatment and going on vitamins for several weeks but since then my wife has put a ban on all baits.
I often see something scurrying away when I enter the barn and lately there have been holes dug around our aviary.
I saw RED!
I did some research and raced up to our local Bunnings and bought an electronic rat trap. Not cheap but I had thought of trying to build one myself but never got around to it. (as usual)
I sat the trap near the aviary and first morning 2 dead mice in it. I checked it again before I went to bed and another dead mouse. Wow! These things work.
Best trap I've ever used . I used a tiny bit of jam roll cake in the trap and it seems they love it.
Starting to think there are no rats now, only mice. I hope this is the case but you never know.
Anyway I just want to give the electronic traps a plug after years of trying to persevere with the mechanical devices with little success.
They must be popular as they had over 50 of them in stock.

RATSAK Electronic Rat Trap | Bunnings Warehouse

 

[reb]

I find the electronic traps work well. I have also had good luck with the plastic bucket, baited bottle on wire type traps. They just take more maintenance than I like.

 

[ovrszd]

I am very Blessed. Only have rodent problems in my Machine Shed and other out buildings. Nothing in my shop or house. I only use bait. I put it in a plastic Folgers Coffee container with a hole drilled in the side for entrance. Prevents the dogs from chowing on one. So far that's worked fine. On any given day I've got 20 chunks of bait scattered around.

 

[ponytug]

I'm glad glad that works for you. We do fine with the standard snap traps for mice with peanut butter and oatmeal mixed.

For rats and ground squirrels, we have had great luck with this tube trap.


I put it against a wall or wherever they have a runway. Unbaited seems to work as well as baited. We have caught American opossums in it as well.

All the best,

Peter

 

[oldballs]

I have the old fashion spring mouse trap (10), using crunchy peanut butter for bait. They work fine for me, except the need to re-bait them ....since the ants like the peanut butter too. By keeping the traps placed year around, I can stay aware of how many critters abound. I also keep some solid bait chunks in a rat box.....but have never seen a dead or alive rat at my place.

 

[Alien]

Some months back we had a rat getting onto our roof at nights. We figured out it was climbing a frangipani close to the house and then onto the roof. We cut the frangipani back and no more problems. Now if it could just inspect our trap it would be very good of it.
That tube trap is an interesting looking thing.

 

[Mendonsy]

I have had a set of 3 Victor Rat Zappers for several years. They work really well for rats, mice, chipmunks, and red squirrels. The only issue with electronic traps is that they don't like moisture so you have to keep them dry.

 

[Alien]

I think the Victor is the same trap as Ratsak. Good to hear you are happy with them. I just found a mousehole in the middle of my barn floor so I have sat the trap beside it. Maybe I have already got him but we will see.

 

[ponytug]

Some months back we had a rat getting onto our roof at nights. We figured out it was climbing a frangipani close to the house and then onto the roof. We cut the frangipani back and no more problems. Now if it could just inspect our trap it would be very good of it.
That tube trap is an interesting looking thing.

I agree it looks...different, and I waffled a bit before buying it, as it isn't cheap. However, it is very solidly built and has caught many times more than all of my other traps combined.

I also have wire cage traps that are supposed to be filled by all of the associates responding to the one in distress. Only OK. I mostly just catch one. They need to be baited, propped open, and then baited with the doors in action.

I also have Duke #110 conibear traps, which are effective in the right location. (Careful setting these! Wear gloves and consider getting a trap setting tool!) I do not bait these. I would recommend getting the blacking agent to treat the steel against rust. I have to anchor these in the ground or predators run off with the rodent and the trap, never to be seen again.

The tube trap seems to be better because it seems to attract the rodents to a dark, seemingly safe, place. It is also predator resistant.

FWIW: Both the tube trap and the conibear traps can be mounted in trees.

I also have had cats. We are down to one and she is not big enough to take on rats sadly. None of the current canines are hunters of rodents.

Our primary concern is that rodents attract rattlesnakes, which are hard on everybody. We have had cats and horses bitten, multiple times (everybody survived, though the cat limped for years, not that it stopped her from hunting in general, or rattlesnakes in particular). I'm just trying to avoid it. It is a one hour trip to the nearest hospital with antivenin...

All the best,

Peter

 

[rangerfredbob]

I'm cheap and determined, with limited success with standard snap traps like everyone says they trip them and get away, one day in the house I was frustrated that I couldn't catch a mouse on the counter so I set out traps surrounding a stick of butter (already had mouse tooth marks in it) in an array alternating directions, worked, caught the thing in I think 3 traps... Anywho, that gave me the idea of making what's in the picture attached, works great, no bait necessary if you put it where they walk by... and when you get one you don't have to bend over to pick it up.

Then I found some rats in my back shed and made two with rat traps (7 traps, same size plywood) and caught both rats...

If anyone's curious, it's just plywood with traps screwed to it, and a piece of bent allthread with some fuel tubing for a handle, the allthread is cheaper in the conduit section of home depot or Lowes, most employees don't know it's there... A T nut on the bottom and a regular nut on top holds the handle on easy.

That said, I'm always open to other options and have been curious about the electric traps, but might do a bucket trap or 4 too, gotta finish the shop before I get distracted too much...