[Womble]

We have a minor rat problem here, but after leaving traps unset but baited for a couple of weeks, we're now catching them pretty well in our humane traps. (I'll only use live catch traps now, after once catching a blue tit in a snap trap - I cried  )

But what's the best way to despatch rats humanely once caught?

Drowning is unspeakably cruel, and the mesh size on the traps is too small for an air rifle. Any ideas folks?

[chrismahon]

We use an air pistol. Can't get the whole barrel through the mesh but it is easier to line up the pellet flight path between the wires.

[Womble]

Sadly the mesh size on these traps is about 5mm, and I'm not that good a shot, Chris!!

(I do have a couple of dented traps to show for it though!)

[Anke]

I don't think you will get a straight answer... the only rats I ever "catch" are already dead, having drowned themselves in the goats' water buckets.

[Fleecewife]

How to dispose of the living, pretty scared, cornered rat is one of the things that makes 'humane' traps inhumane.

[Womble]

Yep. I do agree, Fleecewife - hence the dilemma. Is live and let-live really an option though?

I do think trapping is preferable to poison  though (and no risk of also killing owls). However, after the blue tit incident described above, I won't use kill traps. If it were woodmice, like we get in the house, I'd cheerfully let them go somewhere away from houses, but I can't do that with rats.

Bugger.

[Rosemary]

Could you snip one bit of wire to make a hole big enough for the air rifle?
We had a bloke come here with a rifle, night sights, infra red - boy, did he make a dent in the rat population. 

[Womble]

It's quite cheap mesh, Rosemary. I think if they could get their noses through, they might well be able to enlarge the holes?

Thankfully we're not at the night vision sniper rifle stage yet. Give it time though, I guess!

[doganjo]

Can't you find a moor somewhere far enough away from habitation to let them go?  There's a huge one down near Paisley I'm told

[Womble]

Seems a bit cruel to starve them to death though, since that is eventually what would happen?

[Rosemary]

Thankfully we're not at the night vision sniper rifle stage yet. Give it time though, I guess!

He loved it. Ex military.

[Q]

Couldnt you simply empty the trap out into something bigger - like a barrel?
The rat wouldn't be able to get out and you would get your clean shot.

[arobwk]

OK, so I've not had to deal with rats and best means of their dispatch, but surely it is not beyond the wit of man to design a humane trap (avoiding killing-traps killing bycatch) that will better allow rat dispatch via an air gun/rifle (if permitted under the laws of our lands).
Business opportunity anyone ?

[harmony]

Make a large comb (for want of a better word" ) that fits through the mesh and effectively traps the rat at one end. If your trap mesh isn't great then replace one side with stronger stuff that you can push the comb through and you can get your air rifle through.

[arobwk]

Not absolutely sure [member=24672]harmony[/member] that I can visualize your thoughts/design, but sounds sound !