Sweet Revenge

[Jeff H]

I've had problems in the past where they just lick the peanut butter off the triggers without ever tripping the traps.
Does cotton balls work better?

I'm curious too. I'll take any edge I can get to deter these mini-monsters.

No rats that I know of but I have mice like crazy. They chew wires too - got into the lawn mower's engine shroud and filled it with fiberglass insulation they robbed out of the wall and then chewed off the coil wires on the v-twin - so TWO $40 coils because the wires are potted - can't just buy the coil wire. Ate the foam pre-filter off the air cleaner too.

This year, they've been ridiculous. Set a trash can out that had scratch-grain in it, which I'd cleaned and left to dry. Forgot about it. Noticed the other day a drowned mamma and four almost grown young-'uns all fell for the same unintentional trick. We'd gotten a good week of rain and there was four inches of water in the can. Don't know if they fell in after or before the water accumulated, but it did the trick.

 

[BBerguson]

When I was growing up on the farm, I’d use my coil spring fox traps in the grain bin. Set up a board for them to walk across and just line the traps on top of it and let the rats walk over top of them. Best catch was one that got caught just below the tail and just below his eyes. It didn’t cut him in half but those 1.5 coil spring traps were strong and he was pretty thin in the middle when I found him. Wish I had a picture... . I don’t remember any getting away (legs or tails left in the trap) but there could have been, Most would have had to gnaw themselves in half to get away...

 

[Gary]

I've had problems in the past where they just lick the peanut butter off the triggers without ever tripping the traps.
Does cotton balls work better?

Worked like a charm with my Pack Rat; set the trap and within an hour he strangled himself.

 

[blackthorn]

The rat pictured in post #1 does not look like the pack rats around here. Ours look more lie a Chinchilla, light gray with a sort of bushy tail. That picture looks like a common barn rat to me.

 

[Gary]

I don't know one Rat from another; I just know THAT damn critter is dead and never going to get in my back pocket again.

 

[blackthorn]

In the 1960's I built a fishing camp/cabin from whatever material was cheap or free. All I had built previously was a grain bin, so the cabin bore some faint resemblance to one of those. To save money I didn't have I used a lot of poles cut off the property for wall studs and top/bottom plates, consequently there were many gaps and openings where none should have been. Varmints came and went at will. One day on a hike I found a large fish lure (single hook with colored feathers). I picked it up and nailed it to the the top plate (small log) in the sitting area. A few years passed and one day I arrived at the cabin to find a pack rat hanging (dead) from that hook. I did feel kind of bad because it was not a good way for it to die. I guess it was running along that pole and hooked its back leg on the fish lure.

 

[popper]

Got a pack rat in my house that chewed up my guitar cord and I'm not allowed to trap her. She also hides doggy treats in unexpected places. So far my slippers are fine.

 

[Gary]

Got a pack rat in my house that chewed up my guitar cord and I'm not allowed to trap her. She also hides doggy treats in unexpected places. So far my slippers are fine.

What; wait;; here's a link that will give you at least 35 reasons you SHOULD trap the critter, none of which mention the damage they cause.

What Diseases Do Mice & Rodents Carry? Rodent Diseases

These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of live or dead rodents, through contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, and through rodent bites. Diseases carried by rodents can also spread to humans indirectly through fleas, ticks, or mites.

www.pestworld.org

 

[Bliksem]

I've had problems in the past where they just lick the peanut butter off the triggers without ever tripping the traps.
Does cotton balls work better?

Just mix poison into the peanut butter. On the farm I do this and make snack packs for the pests using wax paper wrapped around about 1/2tsp portions. These are then placed in various locations of the John Deere’s harnesses/hoses.

 

[Gary]

I've had problems in the past where they just lick the peanut butter off the triggers without ever tripping the traps.
Does cotton balls work better?

Cotton ball was fantastic! Just have to tie it onto the trigger for some resistance.

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

I am gona try that--------- first time someone said "cotton balls " I didn't know what ya were talkin about<<< but the lite bulb just came on!!! They love that kinda stuff for there nestWe have mice not those monster's in the pic

 

[RBHarter]

Peanut butter.

 

[Gary]

All I can say RB is I've got 100% effectiveness with a cotton ball. I'm such a predator!!

 

[Jeff H]

I'm going to try the cotton balls too now, in hopes it works on mice. They're onto the peanut butter trick.

I did a general Internet search on the cotton balls expecting to find that you would smear peanut butter on them or something, but here it's just primo nesting material they can't resist. OK, cheap enough and probably not going to draw even more into the house with the aroma of a treat.

 

[dale2242]

I got a mouse in a trap last night under the sink,
I use the meaty part of bacon for bait.
I secured it to the trigger with the smallest zip tie I could find.
There is no way they can steal the bait secured this way.
!00% capture rate.

 

[Hawk]

The only rat my wife is allowed to waste bacon on is ME.