The problem I've had with the open Victor traps (which are great) is the wild birds are attracted to the bait ... they end up decapitated in the traps while the rats run free. I've had good luck with unbaited black plastic snap traps set at strategic spots, i.e. entrances and exits -- without the heartbreak of seeing a bird dead in there. They're not AS good as the original, but I got so tired of finding dead birds that I couldn't keep using them.
Figuring out you've got rats is the first and most important step. The buggers learn very very fast, especially if they see one of their own dead in the trap. I've come out to find all my traps sprung with zero casualties after the learning curve where I get a bunch. There have been lots of youtube videos on how to improve the fatality rate of the standard Victor trap - everything from raised blocks of wood under the spring and in front of where the bar would break the neck to having nails/screws poking up in that same spot to jigsaw blades around the outer edge of the trap where the bar lands. Not sure of the legality of these methods, and I haven't used them - but I've had way too many untargeted animals and rat escapes- and I haven't found the Victors to be universally fatal- too many caught but not dead. As much as I despise and wish rats dead, having to finish them off manually isn't my cup of tea.
