Rodent

[MandaRae]

Opinions on why type of rodent do y'all think this is? It burrows under the garden and under my chicken coop. I've had the smaller trap up for a week with no hits. I will try the bigger trap.
It comes out like clockwork at 8:30pm. I set the camera up closer to try and get a good picture but night vision isn't perfect.

I've tried Peanut butter, chicken feed, bird seed, Bread & cheese nothing is working.
Please help


Video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbdRgWCjOy20k5VLWYjBbwcUbGr8MuoUwhs0PI0/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

[Isadora]

Looks like a rat to me.

 

[MandaRae]

Looks like a rat to me.

Thats what I originally thought then It looks so huge in the video. Ughhh stinky rats

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

I’d say rats too.

 

[DukesDucks]

I also think it is a rat. I had one last year that was so big I thought it was a young groundhog. They are very smart but I got some good advice from an exterminator friend. Use gloves when setting trap so you are not leaving your scent. Put trap by a wall. I wired a small cat food can to the far end of live trap cage so it had to come all the way in. I spread some bait around and just inside trap to lure it near. After a couple of days bait was only in wired can at end of trap. Replenished bait each day without touching trap with bare hands. Cat chow was the bait that worked for me. Be patient. It took well over a week to actually trap the thing.

 

[MandaRae]

I also think it is a rat. I had one last year that was so big I thought it was a young groundhog. They are very smart but I got some good advice from an exterminator friend. Use gloves when setting trap so you are not leaving your scent. Put trap by a wall. I wired a small cat food can to the far end of live trap cage so it had to come all the way in. I spread some bait around and just inside trap to lure it near. After a couple of days bait was only in wired can at end of trap. Replenished bait each day without touching trap with bare hands. Cat chow was the bait that worked for me. Be patient. It took well over a week to actually trap the thing.

Thank you! I didn't think about using cat food! I've been using gloves but might hose it down again anyway. Should I cover the cage with a tarp maybe?

 

[DukesDucks]

I didn't cover it. I did place it near where I knew the rat had been but not in place where I would be passing it frequently. Patience.
I used the same trap to convince a Red Squirrel to stop breaking into my duck food. It had chewed through the rubber trim of the old freezer. I trapped and released it 3 days in a row before it stopped coming.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

This critter doesn't seem to have a long tail, which is making me think it may not be a rat. Or perhaps it's an injured one? We had a clever rat that was around a lot even after half his tail got caught in a trap (he was fine). Is there another angle you could put the camera at if this guy appears like clockwork?

 

[DukesDucks]

Patience. Set the trap and wait. As I said, it took over a week for me to be successful.

 

[MandaRae]

This critter doesn't seem to have a long tail, which is making me think it may not be a rat. Or perhaps it's an injured one? We had a clever rat that was around a lot even after half his tail got caught in a trap (he was fine). Is there another angle you could put the camera at if this guy appears like clockwork?

Thats what I thought that the tail was short so I second guessed myself. Plus I really only ever see 1 critter never a pair.
Maybe I'll setup a spot light.
It's supposed to rain the next few days but once it's over I'll set it up ground level.