Australian Politics Forum - improving a rat trap

freediver

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improving a rat trap
Jun 22^nd, 2019 at 5:52pm

The only rat trap I seem to be able to get to work is a trapdoor live catch variety. But, it only seemed to catch about half of them. If I stopped using it for a while, I could catch one or two, then no more. I suspect the rest were reaching in from the side to get the bait rather than entering the trap.

So, I improved it by putting the bait in a small plastic container with holes drilled on one side, so the rats can only get their paws on the bait if they go in the trap. Then I secure this inside the trap. Similar in principle to a crab pot bait holder. I also drop a few bread crumbs around the entrance. I just caught another rat with it before dark. I can also drop the bait container out of the trap before drowning the rat so I can re-use it. Which is handy as I use a mixture of cheese, bread, pumpkin and whatever fruit I can find to really get a nice smell wafting around, so it is a pain to keep rebaiting it.

I recently secured my compost bin a bit better to stop the rats getting into it, so I now have a number of very hungry rats getting around the place eating whatever they can find.

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Valkie Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 16096 Central Coast Gender:	Re: improving a rat trap Reply #1 - Jun 22^nd, 2019 at 7:15pm There are some great you tube videos of a guy that used an infrared camera as a sight on his bb gun to shoot rats on his farm. The silenced bb just takes them out and they don't know where it's coming from. I wonder ........politicians.........???????????????????????????
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Grappler Truth Teller Feller

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Re: improving a rat trap
Reply #2 - Jun 22^nd, 2019 at 7:19pm

freediver wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2019 at 5:52pm:

The only rat trap I seem to be able to get to work is a trapdoor live catch variety. But, it only seemed to catch about half of them. If I stopped using it for a while, I could catch one or two, then no more. I suspect the rest were reaching in from the side to get the bait rather than entering the trap.

So, I improved it by putting the bait in a small plastic container with holes drilled on one side, so the rats can only get their paws on the bait if they go in the trap. Then I secure this inside the trap. Similar in principle to a crab pot bait holder. I also drop a few bread crumbs around the entrance. I just caught another rat with it before dark. I can also drop the bait container out of the trap before drowning the rat so I can re-use it. Which is handy as I use a mixture of cheese, bread, pumpkin and whatever fruit I can find to really get a nice smell wafting around, so it is a pain to keep rebaiting it.

I recently secured my compost bin a bit better to stop the rats getting into it, so I now have a number of very hungry rats getting around the place eating whatever they can find.

Had one of those once - a rat caught inside chewed his teeth down on the mesh and got trapped and impaled on the sharp ends trying to get out - I figured that if he was willing to die to live free, I'd forget the rat traps... same as the mesh over the fruit trees - one fruit bat caught and died and no more.

They can have their paltry share of my fruit...

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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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Jasin Gold Member Offline Posts: 46559 Gender:	Re: improving a rat trap Reply #3 - Jun 22^nd, 2019 at 7:56pm I just leave chunks of meat with Irukanji injected in them, around the place and within a few weeks - all rats are gone.
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Mattyfisk

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Re: improving a rat trap
Reply #4 - Jun 23^rd, 2019 at 1:00am

I have a rat - just one, but he seems okay. I've thought of trapping him and letting him go down the street somewhere, but then I'd feel bad because he's homeless.

The only thing he eats is soap. Amazing. I can leave out tomatoes, potatoes and sweet potatoes, but he doesn't touch any of it. He doesn't mind the odd plastic bag. I caught him one night carrying one down the hall.

I keep hoping the cats next door will chase him away, but they're useless.

He only comes out after I go to bed. He's quite cunning that way. If I stay up late though, he comes out anyway. The cheek of it. I tell him to go away until I'm asleep, that's the rule.

I don't care what he does after that.

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Setanta

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Re: improving a rat trap
Reply #5 - Jun 23^rd, 2019 at 9:11pm

Mattyfisk wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2019 at 1:00am:

I have a rat - just one, but he seems okay. I've thought of trapping him and letting him go down the street somewhere, but then I'd feel bad because he's homeless.

The only thing he eats is soap. Amazing. I can leave out tomatoes, potatoes and sweet potatoes, but he doesn't touch any of it. He doesn't mind the odd plastic bag. I caught him one night carrying one down the hall.

I keep hoping the cats next door will chase him away, but they're useless.

He only comes out after I go to bed. He's quite cunning that way. If I stay up late though, he comes out anyway. The cheek of it. I tell him to go away until I'm asleep, that's the rule.

I don't care what he does after that.

Do you drop the soap for him often? Just to make sure he gets what he needs?

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