Rats bait ot traps, Which is the best?

[zaax]

Traps kill them out right most of the times.

Bait gives them a slow dead, and can be eatern by domestic animals and other wild life. Also if the body isn't found it can get smelly.

[dom]

Best? RatZapper!

[Roger Dewhurst]

R

[spamlet]

[ARWadsworth]

So how do they do that then? Watch and learn off their mates mistakes?

Adam

[spamlet]

Their mistaken mates are generally their next free meal.

They also like those little blue 'poison' pellet packets. I found the empty packets all neatly stacked under the fibreglass matting nest they had made in our loft. (Fraid it was us that moved out in the end: even with uderground tv and smoke bombs in the loo, the 'rat catchers' never did find how they were getting in. Spose we should have just kept a cat in the loft.)

Always wanted cctv to find out how they beat the traps: never could afford it then. I even tried recessing the platform into the trap and putting panel pins all round to stop them putting their hands under to stop it dropping down. Even when I put chocolate down inside a metal tube on the platform they could still get it out without setting off the trap.

But that is nothing compared with squirrels: one time - in the cage type trap - I made the trigger the bait itself. An almond with a hole in each end, spring loaded, with cotton from each hole tied through to the trap door. The nut was always gone next day, and the door closed, but no squirrel. And I tried many other even more complex triggers. They never worked more than once: the older squirrels must be forcing the younger ones to sacrifice themselves so that they can see how the new designs work.

It can be done though. If you've not seen it, take a look at this:

[ARWadsworth]

Seen that. When the girlfriends house was infested last year I called in one morning to check the traps. I opened the cupboard door and Roland was sat there eating his dead mate.

Trouble is they can get anywhere and eat anything. I have heard that they can eat a McDonald's and not be ill.

I have got to admit I have had a very good success using traps. A kill rat of 5 to 1 compared to the food going missing. Maybe Yorkshire rats are not as well educated as yours?

I have not had cause to call squirrels a pest yet. I will change my mind if one gets into my loft.

[Periproct]

I read somewhere partly cooked bacon. I used that and peanut butter in a humane trap and they scoffed the lot and escaped the trap.