The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: GribinIsaf on November 15, 2019, 08:38:13 pm

Title: Electronic rat traps
Post by: GribinIsaf on November 15, 2019, 08:38:13 pm
Has anyone tried using electronic rat traps, for example the ones from Victor eg:
https://www.victorpest.com/victor-electronic-rat-trap-bm241 (https://www.victorpest.com/victor-electronic-rat-trap-bm241)  (which is available here but for some reason is not on their UK site)
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: chrismahon on November 16, 2019, 10:28:43 am
Haven't tried one, but wonder if it is really a Victor product or someone using a similar name? Perhaps try contacting Victor on their site and asking about it?
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: SallyintNorth on November 16, 2019, 12:24:17 pm
Tried something similar many years ago and had no luck at all.  Rats way too clever for us and for it :/.  Before we learned to peg it down securely, they’d overturn it and spill the bait so they could eat it safely  ::).  After we pegged it down, I think we got one - but after that none of the bait got taken. 

We tried just about everything before resorting to poison. 

With rats, the only thing that seems to really work, sadly, is poison.  Managing the availability of feed and shelter is the single most effective non-poisonous measure. Cats, owls, dogs, all help along with managing feed and shelter, but once they’ve moved in and started breeding, only poison seems to work, sadly.
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: Womble on November 16, 2019, 12:30:45 pm
We had the mouse version for a while, which worked well. However, it wasn't actually any more effective than a traditional snap trap, so I gave it to a friend in the end.

We had it in our loft, so I wired the kill indicator light up to a piece of cable and dropped it down into the kitchen. Then I wired it up to a picture of a cat hung on the wall, so that its eyes blinked when it had caught a mouse.

Oh happy pre-smallholding days, back when I had spare time!  ;D
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: GribinIsaf on November 16, 2019, 07:00:48 pm
wonder if it is really a Victor product or someone using a similar name?

To clarify:
I linked to the US Victor site here (https://www.victorpest.com/victor-electronic-rat-trap-bm241)
Rather than the UK site  here (http://www.victorpest.co.uk/shop/rat-control/electronic-traps)
As the latter does not have details of this product in spite of having a picture of it and also selling it in their UK Amazon shop here (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074XXNC9G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

With rats, the only thing that seems to really work, sadly, is poison.

We have been trying to avoid poison but have now put some in the loft as the rats have moved into the house including making gnawing sounds within inches of our bed in the walls and ceiling.  We are reluctant to use poison outside as the dog (Welsh sheepdog) does catch rats (not enough) and we are concerned about poison getting into her - as well as the more general reservations about its use. We do manage animal food stuffs etc to eliminate access.

We are getting a bit desperate now though (see bedroom gnawing above!).  For years we saw no sign of rats at all but this year they are everywhere.

We had the mouse version for a while. We had it in our loft, so I wired the kill indicator light up to a piece of cable and dropped it down into the kitchen. Then I wired it up to a picture of a cat hung on the wall, so that its eyes blinked when it had caught a mouse.

I like this idea - gives me visions of devising a network of traps sending wireless signals to a big scoreboard in the house.
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: pgkevet on November 16, 2019, 08:15:52 pm
V is into humane trapping. Best bait seems to be combo grape, hazelnut or brazil nut +/- piece of chocolate. Then she drives them a distance away before release.
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: Womble on November 16, 2019, 09:04:51 pm
......Then she drives them a distance away before release.


Oh, I've got a story about that as well!  ;D


Before we moved here, we lived in a wee cottage in the woods. It wasn't quite made of gingerbread, but it might as well have been. Anyway, come the first frost in autumn, all the local woodmice invariably decided to move into our loft, which we couldn't prevent, due to the walls being made from confectionery loose boulders.


Anyway, one summer, our neighbours invited us to a BBQ. Everything was going swimmingly until a stranger clocked me from across the garden. "It's you!" he exclaimed. "The bloke from the layby!".


"er, beg pardon?" I stuttered, somewhat stunned. "I see you every morning in the layby outside the village. It's only in autumn, and you're always stopped at the same time. You're not picking anybody up. You're not dropping anybody off. You're not even having a smoke."  "It's been driving me insane for the past three years - what the hell are you doing there!?!"

"Oh, that's easy", I said. "I'm emptying our humane mousetrap".
Title: Re: Electronic rat traps
Post by: DavidandCollette on November 17, 2019, 09:38:07 am
Smooth peanut butter in a fan fenn trap. Works for me because I hate the stuff so there is always some to hand