Best way to catch a rat with babies :(

[leadwolf1]

I have a rat that loves to run in our backyard. It has tunnels and holes everywhere. I need to get him/her and any offspring before they manage to find their way into the house. Tried an electric trap, no luck. Tried old fashioned snap traps and it managed to spring it but not get caught. Tried rat poison...put it down tunnels, covered the tunnels...the rat dug back out, pushed the rat bait into the chicken run and almost did them in before I found out that it was under the coop!!!!!

Please help! What has everyone done about this problem?

 

[nurse_turtle]

If the rat has babies, the babies won't be following her around. I've caught an adult rat in a live trap used for coons/possums/skunks. You're probably gonna need a .22.

 

[leadwolf1]

Thanks. We were thinking that, too, but would prefer to use something that was silent. We live in a small group of houses...in a large farming community. We don't want to scare the neighbors shooting at a rat Although, my DH shot a groundhog and several rabbits that were munching on our garden and didn't seem to have a problem with the sound....

At this point, I know that the babies are following her around...but, I don't know how old they are...we can hear them squeeking under our deck...nasty sound and need to get to them before they are old enough to be out on their own.

 

[Mattemma]

Trex or basic victor snap traps.Glue traps in boxes so birds can not land on them.Posion baits in bait stations so non-target animals don't eat them.Toss the poison in the tunnels. I have placed snap traps along vole paths to get my target pest.