+mcallahan Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I've got a rat in our garage and I can't catch the little ******. I've got a traditional rat trap and I've put peanut butter on the trigger...he licks it clean w/out setting off the trap. then I tried super gluing a piece of shrimp to the trigger...got it all off except for the super glued part. I"m setting the trigger correctly as it is easy to set off the trap, but I can't catch the rat. Anyone got any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yeah, poison. If you are using a traditional neck breaking trap and not a live trap, then what's the difference if you poison it or catch it? Obviously it knows you'll put food out for it by now. Or borrow a barn cat (mouser) and lock it in your garage until it gets it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Agree totally w/Mike......that's one of the many reasons I love my cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 Agree totally w/Mike......that's one of the many reasons I love my cats. which fluffy can you loan me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Problem with poison is you aren't going to know where it crawls off to die. So expect to find it in a couple months in a random box of stuff. But you should smell it long before then. Since it is taking the bait from the snaptrap, I would keep on trying with that until you get it. He'll eventually get real comfortable with this free food and slip up. Is it actually snapping the trap and taking the food? Or is it taking the food leaving the trap still set? There are some really cool ZAP traps now. But they are around 30$+ But they have a place for the rat/mouse to crawl in, then they shock 'em! http://www.victorpest.com/ Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 Problem with poison is you aren't going to know where it crawls off to die. So expect to find it in a couple months in a random box of stuff. But you should smell it long before then. Since it is taking the bait from the snaptrap, I would keep on trying with that until you get it. He'll eventually get real comfortable with this free food and slip up. Is it actually snapping the trap and taking the food? Or is it taking the food leaving the trap still set? There are some really cool ZAP traps now. But they are around 30$+ But they have a place for the rat/mouse to crawl in, then they shock 'em! http://www.victorpest.com/ Good luck! the trap never goes off. One reason I wanted to avoid poison is that he's coming in through the attic so I don't want him to die up there. The poisons I've seen say they dehydrate the rat so he runs outside to look for water and I'm not sure I'm willing to trust that claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 If the trap isn't going off, then I would keep trying diff types of food on it. He will eventually trip it. Maybe try superglue + a big chunk of kibble. Thats gonna take some tugging to get off. What brand/type of trap are you using? If its a oldschool wooden snap trap, you can carefully file down the metal trigger so it takes less to wiggle it loose from the hook. But this is also a good way to snap a finger if you aren't careful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I would try a trap with food surrounded by other traps with no food. The little ******* might trip one of the others while trying to get to the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffT Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I had small mice in my garage a couple of years ago. Snap traps were not effective, but glue traps were. They would run around the snappers, but I caught several in glue traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 The glue traps work pretty well. In a house I lived in about 5 years ago I had rats. The regular snap traps did the job but were messy. Nothing is worse than waking up in the morning to a kitchen covered in rat blood. The glue traps worked. Some of them come with a covering that makes them look like a shoe box with a side cut off. The critter goes in there, gets stuck, then you just toss it in the trash. It is a bit sad since the thing is still alive when you toss it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 A .22 and some rat shot might help too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'd try the glue traps as well. That's what ABC used in combination with the snap traps in the drop ceiling at my work. You could surround the trap that he has gotten comfortable eating from with the glue traps, also baited with peanut butter. Or you could put the snap trap on the glue trap, and even if he gets the food from the snapper, you still got him stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I've had luck with the snap traps, mainly the old fashioned type with the steel trap plate vs the newer ones with the plastic tray/food plate. Try baiting it on the underside towards the hinge instead of on top. Forces them to reach under and around which forces them to be more active around it thereby increasing the chances of setting it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 the trap never goes off. One reason I wanted to avoid poison is that he's coming in through the attic so I don't want him to die up there. The poisons I've seen say they dehydrate the rat so he runs outside to look for water and I'm not sure I'm willing to trust that claim. When we had mice in our attic, our pest guy gave me a bunch of green poison cubes which I scattered in the attic. He said they did the same thing, dehydrated them, so they mostly would leave to go outside and died. I have not had any foul smells in the attic since using them. I know the mice ate them, as there were nibble marks on the ones I could see. Haven't heard/seen the mice since. I believe you can get them at stores also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmaster Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 i have used mice traps to catch rat with corn supper glued to them i used corn because thats what they were already eating they were chewing through my feed bags, but the reason for the mouse traps instead of rat traps is they take less weight to set them off the mouse traps almost always kill the rat dead on the spot but sometimes they take the trap with them but i dont think a rat with a trap around its neck is going to live long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Melissa Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I should let you borrow our weenie dog. Fastest little rat catcher ever. I watched her swallow a field mouse whole like a snake lol Edited March 23, 2010 by Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dena Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Get rid of the snap trap and get a humane trap! This will enclose the rat in it....it will have to go in it to get the food. I've caught mice in our house this way. I would lend you a trap, but I don't think a rat will fit in the mouse trap. It's just big enough for the mouse to go in...it can't turn around even. So...PLEASE don't poison it because if a yard cat or a hungry stray dog happened to get it then they are dead too. And PLEASE don't use that snap trap because the neck may not break completely and the rat will be paralyzed. Yes...I'm trying to save the dang rat's life!! I feed them to my snake after they've already been killed, but I would NEVER have snakes if I had to kill them myself. I like all critters, no matter how much of a pain in the arse they can be. Callahan's Feed store should carry live traps for rats....please...pretty please...try one of those and relocate the thing VERY far away from your house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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