How to Build a Better Mouse Trap?

[RonP]

Great...might have your nephew give you all the fish waste.

All fish byproducts are an excellent protein treat for the birds!

FYI, A large portion of the rat colony may very well be dead in their tunnels...

 

[Katz5617]

Chalk the first snap trap kill up. I got home from watching the grands and had a big guy in the snap trap. That makes six. I would have never believed there were this many rats around. Given the fact that we are catching/trapping and killing so many I have decided as a precautionary I am going to put bait in the attic, in the garage and under the sink in the house. Heaven forbid they get started in the house.

 

[RonP]

As I said, if you see 1 there are probably 50....

 

[Katz5617]

As I said, if you see 1 there are probably 50....

That is not a very comforting thought. We may be putting together more of those bait traps and put them throughout the yard. Our dog is too big to get into them and I can always keep him penned up during the rat killing, but I want the rats to be able to freely feast on the bait. In the forty years we have lived here I have never seen a rat before this. We have an occasional possum and on rare occasions a raccoon, but have never seen rats. I can only assume they are coming for the chicken feed. I only feed the dog twice a day and he eats as soon as it hits the bowl so they can't be after his food.

 

[Katz5617]

This is like a double edged sword - on the one hand when I searched the yard and chicken run this morning and found no rats - dead or alive - it was a relief, but then again, I want to see evidence of their demise and that the traps and bait are working. I know that the six we have confirmed are not the only little scurvy beasts around and I would feel better to see them dead and know, yet breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see any.

 

[RonP]

As designed, you will know it's working when you see the baits disappear.

Just keep checking the bait stations daily, then weekly.

I now check monthly, and replace the baits for fresh ones.

 

[Katz5617]

Two mornings in a row with no confirmed kills. We cleaned the zapper and snap traps with vinegar to take away any dead rat smell that might scare them away from either of those contraptions - but nothing this morning. We have tried both peanut butter and cheese and peanut butter and apple which seemed to be the things they liked. My husband has gone out during the night and has seen nor heard any sight or sound of the creatures. We're hoping with what we found in the yard there were that many more or more that went back into the woods or their tunnels, but we will be keeping the bait out as well as continual zapper traps. We have to keep the snap traps where the dog or chickens can't get to them. Those Tom Kat traps would definitely do some damage.

 

[Katz5617]

Got a great big one this morning. Even though we bring in all the food and try to rake up, there is a small amount of spillage. He was in the pen this morning when my husband went out to take the feed and let the girls out of the coop. He carries one of the grandson's BB guns with him when he goes out now and killed that one with the gun. That brings our total to seven. We didn't see any for two days and thought we might have them on the run, but apparently not. We're continuing to bait, bring in the feed each night and have traps set.

 

[RonP]

Are your baits still disappearing?

 

[Katz5617]

Yes the bait is still disappearing and we found number eight dead today in the yard and disposed of him. We still have the zapper and snap traps out - but nothing in them for several days - just the bait is working. Today when we found number eight it had been a couple of days. I figure if we have found that many that there are others either dead in the woods or in their tunnels. It is definitely slowing down and the bait isn't going as fast, but we plan on leaving it out continually. We have bait in our attic and have seen no sign of anything in the house, we have bait in the playhouse and haven't seen any sign that anything has eaten any of it or in the workshop or garage - the only activity we have is around the chicken coop and run.