A better rat trap?

[Lazy Farmer]

If the other rats see this happen to their brethren, do they get wise to it?

With our rat infestation, our snap traps work only once in awhile.. rats are smart. The live cage traps only work upon relocation of trap far from the last capture. If Hub resets the cage trap and places it where the last one was caught, it will sit there empty forever. Move it to the other side of the barn.. bingo! rat trapped same night.

We tried the "rat plop in the water bucket trap" awhile back, I think rats a savoy.. they send in stooge rat to scout. When the rats makes all that desperate sound while trapped or drowning, the others take note. THEY DO SCREAM..
The best method so far for us has been "Bait Stations". They eat the bait and go off and dehydrate in search of water.
This one here died in the live trap over night. The trap had a full dish of cracked corn. The rat ate so much that it died of thirst only over night.

We have been battling these giant mambas for years. We can't get rid of them, just control the population. They are the size of squirrels.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

what to do with the dead rats?

Use them as bait for their cannibalistic comrades? Chop them up and feed directly back to the chooks? Maggot bucket?

Donate to a wildlife rehab center or zoo as feeders?

Yes, they DO scream! Nothing nice about it. Diggin' the idea of trapping live inside the can... then maybe do a rapid dunking or other means of culling.. so that others behind them won't immediately recognize this as a danger. Can I figure if they are just trapped that they don't actually scream?

This thread and that video have really helped to clue me in to the rats behavior. Knowing you enemy surely helps with an appropriate battle plan!

Thanks @Farmer Connie for reminding me just how important it is to move the traps around!

Those trash can aren't super cheap (plus the trap). But I think this might be my next rat killing investment. The $50 electronic trap wasn't cheap and only killed about 4 so far. Snap traps always make me fear for my fingers and usually require culling still. The alligator snap traps have killed one and caught and held a couple. But been relieved of their bait a couple times and broke the top off a couple others. At least the ones I bought (not tomcat brand) were a complete waste of $ even though I no longer feared losing a finger. Even if I could probably make it myself, my anxiety would slow me way down and it might be forever before I get it working right. So I will just order one ready to go!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Thanks @Farmer Connie for reminding me just how important it is to move the traps around!

Caught 2 last night in separate traps in NEW locations.
I wanna guess they pee or mark a scent in the panic attack location when they are trapped. Pheromones or something. They are HUGE this year.. Feeding out off the pig pens.

 

[Howard E]

Same box can be used for both. With traps set to kill.....or remove the traps and use the box with just the rods for bait blocks.

 

[aart]

Great!!

Now we need video of setting it...then game cam vid of one getting caught!

 

[aart]

Somebody should start making these again. Don't know if they would work in a jumbo sized brown rat, but would be good to know if they do:

I wonder why they don't??!!

 

[Howard E]

Good question. The design seems solid......if not big enough to kill a big ol brown rat, scale it up until it is?

As to the videos, I don't do those, but can find some that this box / trap combo was patterned after to demonstrate the process.

And as for rats, I don't have any to test it on. Perhaps I should ship this off to Shawn at Rat Trap Monday and let him test it?

 

[aart]

Perhaps I should ship this off to Shawn at Rat Trap Monday and let him test it?

That would be great!
I really like his Mouse Trap Monday videos, no jibber jabber,
no self or product promotion,
just the facts ma'am...and great testing footage.

 

[Howard E]

This kids video does a good job of explaining how the box is used, and how to set and install the trap. My modification to this was to place end caps on the box to limit what can enter. No cats, no dogs, no chickens, etc. A rat could get in, as could a weasel, mink, martin, etc.

NOTE, kid clearly has a lot of experience setting these things. It takes a lot of hand grip strength to squeeze those springs down enough that you can spread the jaws. And setting the triggers can be tricky until you get the knack of it. So while he makes it look easy, be careful when you try this yourself. Be very careful.

In the event you find you don't have enough grip to set it, they make a setter tool to help compress the springs. On the larger traps of this design, all must use these tools to set the traps.

This video talks about the basic triggers and alternatives. Of special note is the treadle or platform trigger. Like a Victor wooden trap, they set this off by stepping on the platform, but when these jaws come down, rat does not walk away. He may get popped like a zit instead.

As noted, the Duke traps, which are mass made and mass marketed will be the easiest traps for you to find, but in my opinion, they are inferior to the BMI in a number of ways. The Dukes have the whisker style triggers, and are about half a sensitive as the BMI. So a rat may have to work harder to set it off. There are at least two subtle, but significant differences why the BMI is more sensitive. Remarkably, the two traps cost the same.

The BMI also has that bell shaped trigger.....so is more or less that cavity hole design they may try to push through. But could be rigged with a treadle or platform trigger.

Yet one more expanded video about triggers and platform triggers (aka, pans).

Simplest and cheapest version of these pans seems to me to be the one shown around the 8:40 mark. You could even use a heavy piece of cardboard instead.

A pan might be the best way to set a Duke, but still not sure how sensitive it would be. On my Duke, the tips of the whiskers have to travel nearly an inch before the trap fires. An alternative might be to impale a bait on the trap.....something a rat is going to attempt to grab and take home to feed momma and the kids. That tootsie roll?

 

[Howard E]

Here is the link to the only source I know of for the BMI traps. Direct from the folks who make them:

http://www.bmi-traps.com/products.html

The 110 traps all measure about 4.5" x 4.5" inside dimensions. BMI also has a 55 magnum that measures 3.5" wide, x 4.5" tall, so is a more compact trap, which is just as deadly, but being smaller in size, also limits the size of the target animal. Other than that, as far as I know, it is the same as the 110.