Author Topic: unusual Rat trap bait that works for me. (Read 4076 times)

Dalesman217 · « **on:** December 20, 2015, 10:18:16 pm »

Hi,
I'm new to the forum & this is my first post - just thought I'd pass on the tip below & see what other tips other members might have.
I'm Currently having a problem with Rats stealing the layer pellets from my chicken feeders, they were beginning to eat more than the chickens did. All the feeders are suspended well off the floor if they were any higher the chickens wouldn't reach the food in them. The Rats seem to have developed acrobatic skills far beyond what i thought they were capable of. I was having reasonable success in catching them in snap traps in the barn adjacent to the feeding area using layer pellets/ peanut butter mix as bait, but have recently tried soft STRAWBERRY flavored carp fishing pellets - first night 8 out of 10 traps had rats in them two weeks on still averaging better catch results than the original peanut/pellet mix I started with & I have a lot less rats pinching my chicken feed.
Anyone else got any proven snap trap baits they have had success with in the battle against Mr. Rat.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** December 20, 2015, 10:47:08 pm »

Brilliant - and the rats die happy smelling strawberries.

I didn't know carp like strawberries

I thought they went in for maggots falling off lumps of suspended rotting meat

but you live and learn.

doganjo · « **Reply #2 on:** December 20, 2015, 11:27:00 pm »

Does the carp food kill the rats or just entice them into the traps.

I'm thinking of leaving my cat in the chicken and duck shed overnight to see how many he can catch

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #3 on:** December 21, 2015, 05:55:35 am »

Dalesman rats are incredibly acrobatic, determined and athletic. The same family as the squirrel and although not as light and agile they can certainly climb a tree. I havent had them here in the country but had a garden population when I lived in the suburbs near a pig farm.

I always used snappers and found softening a slice of mars bar and then forcing it on to the spike and leaving it to harden worked every time. They cant remove it like they can bread or cheese.

The other thing that I learnt was that they are cautious with new foods and prefer to stick to what they know so if you can bring the feed in at night and deprive them of the source they are more likely to try your new bait. They take a little at a time to see if it makes them ill and then become more confident and eat more or take it to feed their babies;

They also love things in bags so where they have a food source on hand ( like a composting bin) placing the poison in a tied plastic bag filled with air makes it too exciting to resist.

In edition to this, when the poision causes internal hemorage over a period of days they instinctively know that the antidote is vitamin K which can be found in peanuts and I have known dying rats lay under bird feeders looking for nuts.

chrismahon · « **Reply #4 on:** December 21, 2015, 06:54:05 am »

We use a Nutella type paste- chocolate and hazel nuts was the cheapest on the shelf. We changed from peanut butter because being an English food it is very expensive here.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** December 21, 2015, 09:03:16 am »

Rats are very cautious about new food sources and won't take any until the alpha male and female of the group have eaten it. One that happens the youngsters will eat it too. I take all the poultry feeders in at night and store them in a very well baited shed, which seems to keep rat numbers down. It's a bit of a faff but better than rats.

Womble · « **Reply #6 on:** December 21, 2015, 09:12:02 am »

We use 4.5mm diameter pieces of very fast moving lead

.

Seriously though, after our rats became trap-shy, we got rid of the rest by baiting with Raco poison blocks. Prior to that, we tried "Eradibait", which is marketed as being non-poisonous to hens and pets. It looks a bit like the wood pellets you'd use in a boiler, and is meant to cause death by dehydration.

I'm sure it works..... if you can get the rats to eat it! We tried all sorts of things, including mixing it up with chocolate and peanut butter, and leaving bags of it by the rat runs. This was a total waste of time - the rats just licked off the good stuff, and left the bait! An utterly pointless waste of rather a lot of cash - you have been warned!

P.S. If anybody's desperate to try it, let me know. I have about 30 quid's worth left that you can have if you'll pay the postage!!

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #7 on:** December 21, 2015, 10:31:22 am »

We had a similar experience some years ago, Womble. Just sat and got dusty - but composted down very well.

Womble · « **Reply #8 on:** December 21, 2015, 11:38:00 am »

Perhaps I should have flavoured it with some snake oil. I hear that stuff's good for all sorts of things

Fleecewife · « **Reply #9 on:** December 21, 2015, 11:41:53 am »

We mainly use digging paws and snapping jaws, with the occasional bit of high speed lead. We do use a poison which I think is Eradibait inside buildings, mainly the attic, but mostly that gets the mice. I don't like using poison as I think an instant death is the kindest. For me, I think rats are highly intelligent creatures with a well developed society and care well for their babies. It's not really their fault that they have far too many offspring, dribble urine as they go and like the same foods as our livestock do........

It's ok, I know what everyone else on TAS thinks

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #10 on:** December 21, 2015, 01:22:57 pm »

I like them too Fleece. I used to be rat keeper in the school science lab as a kid. I also kept rabbits and mice which I also like. And although I havent kept moles or foxes Inrespect them too. Just a shame that they all seem to need "managing" in such a life threatening way.

Dalesman217 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 22, 2015, 09:12:29 am »

Thanks for the varied comments so far - The carp pellets just attract them to the bait platform to fire the trap.
I will certainly keep the Mars bar bait as a standby if they go off the strawberry carp pellets or i'll give it a try on some cage traps maybe put a ball of it on the trigger arm so they go straight for that rather than hoping the knock it while the root round the floor - thanks again