They cleared some woods near us, and the rats started looking for new homes...shiver....I hate rats!
The only things that worked were a rat snake who moved in (stole eggs once the rats were gone)
Sticky glue traps which require you kill the rodent because they don't always die (...more shivering...)
A baited rat bucket: any can deep enough to hold water to half full yet and not allow a large rodent to touch the bottom; punch holes near the top edge straight across center from one another. Next, a smooth round bottle gets holes punched in top and bottom, centered so the container will be level while lying on the side. (A big round pill bottle, or 1pint milk bottle works). A wire hanger is straightened out and put through the holes. The bottle should spin freely. The wire should be long enough reach across the bucket, go through the holes, and have enough left to bend the ends down to hold it in place. Before you secure it, though, center the pill bottle over the bucket and kink the wire hanger on each side so it cannot slide along the wire, the secure the wire to the bucket. Put peanut butter only on the very center of the pill bottle in a thin line all the way around. Arrange a board so the rodents can barely get to the pill bottle. They should have to commit to the step. When they do, the pill bottle spins and they fall in the water and drown.
You can also put hay/straw in a bucket of water with feed sprinkled on top. It appears like a solid surface, but the rodents are heavy enough to drown.
