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Author Topic: Electronic rat traps  (Read 2926 times)

GribinIsaf

  • Joined Aug 2015
  • Montgomeryshire
    • Gribin Isaf
Electronic rat traps
« 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  (which is available here but for some reason is not on their UK site)

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #1 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?

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #2 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.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #3 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
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

GribinIsaf

  • Joined Aug 2015
  • Montgomeryshire
    • Gribin Isaf
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #4 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
Rather than the UK site  here
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

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.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2019, 07:07:42 pm by GribinIsaf »

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #5 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.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #6 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".
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Electronic rat traps
« Reply #7 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

 

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