Catching Rats or Mice

[Barrabart]

G'day all,

What's the latest in rat catching and terminating?

Over the last few weeks we've seen/heard a few rats getting about, obviously I want to knock them on the head, think they're coming in from next doors chook pen.....

We have a small dog so I'm concerned about poisons, and years ago I used a poison at another place and I reckon a couple of rats went and died up in the ceiling, stunk for weeks...... and I couldn't find them.

Tell me what you have used or recommend.... tips on catching the little toothy sh!ts!!

And before anyone suggests, no i don't want a python.....

[paceman]

old school rat traps with peanut butter....

works a treat...

[Bm0]

these traps work really well:

http://www.the-bigcheese.com.au/

i have not used the rat ones.. just the mice ones but they work really well, they have a special bait that comes pre-loaded but you can buy that separately (or use peanut butter)

Not sure how small your dog is, but the rat ones might give them a fright

available from the big green shed

[GGV8Cruza]

We are having a similar problem at the moment but I have no pets so baits for me.

My grandfather showed me a good trick of a piece of wood balanced over a large bucket half filled with water. A morsel of their favourite food on the end of a stick and then they get to practice their swimming for a while, after they walk the plank.

GG

[cruiser 91]

We tried the old wood traps.........................useless to say the least......................they just took the bait.

The plastic traps seem to be more sensitive. Peanut butter as mentioned also seems to be the bait of choice.

Next time I will try the bucket, good wraps about it too.

The remaining mice become smarter as they become accustom to others being caught.

[scarpsD40]

This is my rat catcher. Very efficient.

[paceman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OijRH-lduq4

[Streetkid]

Tomcat 2 single feed, put it up in the roof, one week later no more rats and mice. I stuffed around with traps for a while but it turned into a never ending story. Zip tie this stuff to the rafters and as any new rats move in they have a nibble and bye bye, this way they never have a chance to move in and start a family.

[shanegtr]

I know theres been a few mentions of peanut butter, but I've never had any luck with it. Chocolate however has never failed me. I once managed 3 mice in a single trap for one night on chocolate - was watching TV and heard the trap go off, emptied mouse #1 and reset, 5mins later it goes off again, emptied mouse #2 and reset, woke up in the morning to be greeted with mouse #3

[paulo]

I've used vegemite in traps also.

[LuckyDog]

If using old style traps, try Pumpkin skin or seeds as bait, always worked a treat for me.

[tk421]

We have kids, and chooks but no dogs.  I just poison them, as I can't be ersed with laying and checking traps and disposing. Lay bait up in the roof cavity, and along the fence near the chook pen (they go after the feed). Chooks don't roam outside of the pen

Last time I poisoned, it was summer and the bedroom started to smell, went up and found a dead one. Removed it. Smell got worse. Eventually found another dead one between the ceiling and the insulation, directly underneath where I found the first one.

Generally though they crawl off and die somewhere else. That's the first time I've had them die in the house.

[MarkGU]

Tomcat 2 single feed, put it up in the roof, one week later no more rats and mice. I stuffed around with traps for a while but it turned into a never ending story. Zip tie this stuff to the rafters and as any new rats move in they have a nibble and bye bye, this way they never have a chance to move in and start a family.

yep agreed with this stuff.i have mine inside a bait station ( cause of young kids about) the poison is gone and so are what ate it in a few days.

[dales133]

Get a cat

[Rumpig]

This is my rat catcher. Very efficient.

they are great for catching crabs also 

[LuckyDog]

they are great for catching crabs also 

[chillipepperz]

Plastic trap loaded with a small bit of ham- three in quick succession just last week. Peanut butter never seemed to get the same results for me.

Cheers!
Andrew

[FNQBunyip]

The bucket half full of water with a long neck beer bottle out over the water , peanut butter or what ever you want as bait ,  we had a plague once when we were managing a station on the nullabor  getting so many they were filling the bucket and jumping out .. lasted weeks .. they chewed their way in through floor board , would come in every time you opened the front door to come or go ..

The mesh traps with coconut work very well , i've got 2 sizes .. the cat size one for the white tails and the small ones for the mice or melomys , them just drop them in a bucket of water for 5 mins..

Cheers

[champin]

Cotton balls soaked with peppermint essense keeps mice away. I have them stashed around the walls of my shed where they tend to run. Seems to work fairly well. Haven't seen a mouse since I started using them.

[rotare]

Like others have said, just poison them.  The majority of poisons available from hardware stores (Ratsack etc) are primary poisons anyway.  Won't harm another animal if they digest the dead rodent.  I asked the vet after my dog chomped down a couple of dead rats.

[lino6]

Could try one of these.

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pestill-electric-mouse-and-rat-zapper/?gclid=CMPIhseixcQCFdgmvQodsSoA6A

We have a different brand (same principle) and has worked well with the mice. We had a rat that wouldn't take the bait and destroyed out stove. Decided to pull the stove out and dragged it outside. Turns out the rat was still in it at the time so it ran off with the dogs after it (didn't get it). So not sure if it would have cooked the rat, but has killed a few mice. Usually just put a bit of cat food in it.

[Reddirtroaming]

The bucket half full of water with a long neck beer bottle out over the water , peanut butter or what ever you want as bait ,  we had a plague once when we were managing a station on the nullabor  getting so many they were filling the bucket and jumping out .. lasted weeks .. they chewed their way in through floor board , would come in every time you opened the front door to come or go ..

Same as above. But we use a large garbage bin half full of water. Put an old sock over the bottom half of the bottle up to the neck. The rats or mice can then crawl onto the bottle, but when they get close to the neck of the bottle with the bait they slip off the glass & into the bin. Used this trick on farms when mice plagues were bad & it worked well.

[xcvator]

An old .22 rifle and ratshot works well 

[bergersau]

I've got one of these and they work well - catch 4-5 at a time (Live catch).


Only drawback is you need to empty the trap into a tall bucket and dispatch the mice yourself.  Some people can't deal with that.

[Barrabart]

I've got one of these and they work well - catch 4-5 at a time (Live catch).


Only drawback is you need to empty the trap into a tall bucket and dispatch the mice yourself.  Some people can't deal with that.

Bought one of these yesterday...... will see how it goes. got a sneaky mouse who has eluded the mouse traps......