OT outwitting rats

riverbend · Apr 19, 2014

It seems the rats have moved into our old granary this winter. Momma rat is pretty smart, she avoids snap traps even if they are baited with peanut butter and sunflower seeds. I have has some luck catching the little rats ( and the male ) by floating some oats on a bucket of water. Even after sweetening the pot with a jar lid full of corn, she won't bite.

Any ideas ?

Thanks

Greg

Dave8N in Pa · Apr 19, 2014

Cats!

F-Dean · Apr 19, 2014

I messed with traps for years and got rid of rats and mice (and a opossum) with D-Con.

John G. Hasler · Apr 19, 2014

Most cats aren"t much use against adult rats. Get a terrier (unless you have cats).

jeffcat · Apr 19, 2014

What is tippin her off is your SMELL. The guy I knew who did a lot of trapping left his traps out in the rain all of the time. Get all of a human stink off of them. He would use brand new leather gloves and latter used rubber gloves. This is how he would set his lines so as not to get any smell on them. Try bacon grease too. At work we get mice and I put a little piece of fresh cheese steak in the trap. The meat and cheese drew two of them in give or take about thirty minutes! Any other smell than human.

Rumplestiltskin · Apr 19, 2014

My uncle used to make "candy bars" for them out of bacon grease and warfarin. The bars seemed to work pretty well.

Mark W. in MI

Rumplestiltskin · Apr 19, 2014

Of course, you'd have to keep the warfarin bars away from other animals.

toymaker 27 · Apr 19, 2014

I have heard of putting water in a barrel that has had the top removed. then fashioning a lid out of construction paper. You put feed on top of the paper and let them get used to eating on top. then you purferate the paper so that when the rats go up there to eat their weight rips the paper they fall through and drownd.

another option is an electronic sound signaler. it produces a high pitch squeal and drives the rodents away. we use them in storage facilities that are not manned during the winter months .

henryv11 · Apr 20, 2014

Back when I used to feed hogs I did like toy maker said I filled a 50 gal drum 3/4 with water than put some oats on top and laid a plank on the drum. The next morning I had several rats swimming around in the barrel

Roy in UK · Apr 21, 2014

Cornmeal mixed with Plaster of Paris or get a friend with an air rifle and a night sight! Others have mentioned Warfarin but here in The UK Warfarin is pretty useless now and judging by the pest control videos I see on Youtube using air rifles I think they must be getting resistant to the 'Second Generation' Anti-coagulant baits too.
Shooting rats

mkirsch · Apr 21, 2014

Rats like the Tomcat chunks from Tractor Supply.

If they're mice, use the pellets.

IH fan · Apr 21, 2014

Couple of years ago I left my F-150 parked with my trailer in the far back yard. I noticed after a few days that my pair of Beagles kept crawling around under the pickup, so went to investigate what they were interested in. A pack rat or wood rat looking thing was building a nest under the intake manifold. Tore out the nest and got the rat out, but when I went to start the pickup, it would not start. Noticed a few chewed wires under the hood, but nothing except a little insulation damaged. Then looked under the pickup... dogs had stripped a whole bunch of wires out trying to get at the rat. Cost me almost $400 to get it up and running again.

rhtx55 · Apr 21, 2014

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Victor-Electronic-Rat-Trap-M240/100400789

T in NE · Apr 24, 2014

Caught a rat in a trap a couple days ago.
Must have been a momma rat
Brought the mama cat in tonight and she's had about a half dozen baby rats for supper.

OT outwitting rats

riverbend

Well-known Member

Dave8N in Pa

Member

F-Dean

Well-known Member

John G. Hasler

Member

jeffcat

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Rumplestiltskin

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Rumplestiltskin

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toymaker 27

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henryv11

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Roy in UK

Well-known Member

mkirsch

Well-known Member

IH fan

Well-known Member

rhtx55

Member

T in NE

Well-known Member