# Think I have a rodent in my attic



## nil4664 (Dec 14, 2010)

Red Squirrel said:


> I got an idea of putting some peanuts up there and tomorrow I'll check if they're gone. That should confirm if I have a rodent hopefully.


Or else you will have them now because they got a whiff of the peanuts, and they'll be back every night to check for more.:wink:


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Yeah hopefully with this cold, the smell wont go very far. :laughing:

If it is a rodent I'm hoping it's just one of the neighborhood chipmunks. He'll be hibernating most of the winter, I'll just leave him alone and kick him out in spring. It's kinda hard to go inspect the roof vents and other areas for entry points when it's covered in a foot of snow. :laughing:

Hmm now that I think of it, I could check for tracks.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> I got an idea of putting some peanuts up there and tomorrow I'll check if they're gone.


And what if it is a RAT? Why feed him healthy peanuts then send him off to tell his friends? You'll have a commune in no time. Why not just bait a trap with peanut butter and test your theory that way? Those things reproduce rapidly and you'll have an infestation in no time if you don't get ahead of it now. By next spring you could have a hundred of those rascals crawling around in your walls and kitchen drawers.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

By all means you should set multiple rat traps now to monitor/catch whatever is up there. If it is rats they are “neophobic” meaning fear of new things. They will have to get used to the traps, unless they are real hungry or are young rats. Don’t wait.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok so peanuts are gone as of this evening. There definitely is something up there. I don't want to use lethal force yet just in case it's a chipmunk or squirrel. I will have to try to find or make a small live trap. I just have to remember to check it often. 

I might be forced to actually go for a crawl up there and inspect things further. Last thing I want is a fire because of chewed electrical lines arcing after being chewed lol. I see no signs of damage above the insulation, but perhaps he's playing between the batts so I'm not seeing the whole picture by just popping my head up there from the step ladder.

I just need to really figure out how it got in so I can fix it first thing in spring. I don't want a nursery up there LOL.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Been brainstorming for a trap design, think this will work?

Or will a rodent be smart enough to try lifting the door up to get out? I could maybe add some kind of mechanism that makes it lock in place when it closes. I could have it so it's always up and then it gets activated once the mob goes in. Basically like a mini cat trap. 

The tricky part is I need to build this big enough for a squirrel, in case that's what I have, but small enough for a mouse. I'm thinking a plastic container as it's rather cheap and versatile, having a lid and all. I'd just punch a bunch of holes in it. I'll just have to be sure to check it every single day.

I'm still trying to figure out how it got in the attic though, that will be a tricky one to find. Guess the easiest way to check is from outside. I'll have to wait till summer and go on the roof. The only thing I can really think of is that there may be something wrong with a vent hole where the flashing has some spacing or something.


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## Ironlight (Apr 13, 2011)

Get one of these and be done with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Havahart-1025...QMJQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323662006&sr=8-4

If you build your own chances are 9 in 10 that it will have some flaw that will render it useless if it is not designed to kill them outright. They'll chew their way out, get the door open, etc. They are persistent when they are trapped.

As to finding how they got in, if it is a small rodent you could spend a lifetime looking and never nail it down. A mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime, a rat through a quarter. Better just to leave a trap baited up there and check it every couple of days. The varmits come in when it gets cold. Clear them out and you'll be done for the winter as they are not likely to migrate from other warm places they have found in other homes.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

The gestation period of a female rat is normally 22 days, but can vary from 21 to 23 (and maybe even to 25):

http://www.ratfanclub.org/repro.html


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

I made a simple pipe trap, I will start with that. The cage on amazon is not available in Canada. It's been warm out, so hopefully I catch it during this weather, and I will just drive it far into the bush and leave it a bunch of food. No idea how those roads are in winter though, but I'm guessing there's enough traffic so the snow should be well packed. I'll probably put the chipmunk in my cat's cage and wait for the weekend so I can drive in daylight. I'll keep it well fed and give it water. Damn thing is lucky I'm an animal lover, putting a snap trap would be so much easier. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what it is though, it might surprise me and be something completely random like a bat or something lol.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok so that trap was fail, and the chipmunk ran out laughing. I went to Canadian Tire for supplies so I could add a locking door to it and figured it's worth looking around, maybe they actually sell traps, and sure enough there was some made for chipmunks and squirrels. Should have looked the first time. Did not figure they'd sell that. So I bought one and set it up there now.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

Yes, like the other posters have said, get on top of it right away.

My wife heard the noise first, I dismissed it for a few days. When I did start setting traps, I got 18 of the rascals (mice) in two weeks....

I am sorry to say it, but my experience has been the only effective means of dealing with them is with lethal traps. Most of the "capture them live" they always seem to get out of, the glue pad traps are terrible....

Good luck to you! And def check for their "running trails" (mice tend to leave trails of urine and grease when they move around, you will see these brown streaks where they are running).

Prob got into the attic by way of a chimney chase, that's a favorite of theirs, in my experience.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

I don't see anything unusual on top of the fiberglass, though if it was to poop or pee it would probably just get absorbed in. (yummy). I have not gotten up there with a full size ladder and crawled around though, only looked around the opening as I can't actually get up there with the step ladder. Once I capture it, I'll probably go take a look around for any damage and clean up any food stashes. The sounds I was hearing was probably it getting into it's stashes that are burried under the last layer of insulation. 

I'm assuming it's a chipmunk, but I might be surprised and it will be something completely random like a snake or something lol. But I don't think snakes eat peanuts.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

No catch yet. The weather cooled down to the seasonal norm, so it's probably hibernating more now. I wonder if playing Justin Bieber or Celine Dion in the attic will wake it up, though it's probably going to just kill itself and I'll have to deal with the smell.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> though it's probably going to just kill itself


That's probably what I would do if I had to listen to either one of them.


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

While it's very humane of you to worry about harming a chipmunk or squirrel, its not the best way to deal with them. Once they get used to wintering in your house, you will have a very hard time keeping them out. Then they will nest and have a litter, and that whole group will move in every fall too....

Many years ago, my wife found a mouse in our dog food storage bin. She was CERTAIN it was a domestic pet, and tried to adopt it out ([email protected]#%^) eventually, convinced that it was in fact a wild pest, she took it a mile away and released it. I am certain to this day that it beat her back to the house.

kill them.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

This thread could be turned into a reality show! It’s better than the ones they show now.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

"Last Rat Standing"

Oh wait! That's a game show isn't it?


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Nawh it's not a game show it's Tim Allen's new show. I had to go look it up. Funny as hell.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok so get this, the trap triggered, the peanut butter was licked clean, no rodent.

I'm now convinced it must be a mouse, a chipmunk would not have been able to fit between the bars, but perhaps a mouse can. 

Once I confirm it's a mouse, I'll have to go the lethal way. If it was a chipmunk, there would probably be one, but if it's a mouse, there will be a lot more and mice don't look all cute and don't eat from my hand in the summer, they're just pure pests. At least a chipmunk or squirrel I was willing to give some leaway given they are like undomesticated pets and fun to have around.

Then my priority next summer will be to try finding how it/they got in, but that will be pretty tough. I can catch them all I want but if I don't fix it, they'll just keep coming back in. 

I'm hoping it chewed through something to get in, that will make it easier to find.

Oh and I put a web cam but it's an old camera, not really a clear picture, but it may help me spot it if I happen to be looking at the screen at the right time. Though I don't know what effect the light will have.


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

It's just about impossible to keep mice out. Every fall here, before the big freeze, the come in looking for shelter. I end up killing one or two a day for a week, and then they are gone until next fall.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

I have killed 81 mice since September 10.:yes:


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

Bud Cline said:


> I have killed 81 mice since September 10.:yes:


My wife would have moved out if we had it that bad. 

Which is actually kind of funny considering her past history with mice....


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

1910NE said:


> It's just about impossible to keep mice out. Every fall here, before the big freeze, the come in looking for shelter. I end up killing one or two a day for a week, and then they are gone until next fall.


A proper house should not allow them in. My parent's never had a single one in their house, and the same can be said for a lot of people. It's just the thing of figuring out how they're getting in. Since my house has two attics, at least I can isolate it to one half of the house, but it will still be like finding a needle in a haystack. The thing that gets me is how in the world does a mouse climb up there to begin with? They aren't really agile like chipmunks or squirrels, I doubt they're climbing the wall or the electrical lines. 

I'm suspecting maybe the cracks in the bricks for air flow, maybe from inside the wall there is then a way to get to the attic. Even then, those are like 3 feet off the ground. I will have to go around the house in spring to ensure there is still steel wool in all of those holes.


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## royboytn (Nov 14, 2011)

*Evictor Strobe Light*

Has anyone tried the Evictor Strobe Light for rat control in the attic?
The reviews are all positive but who knows how authentic those are.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Here is one negative review from Amazon, there are others. If you read the manufacturers recommendations that the attic MUST BE totally dark and any other light sources totally closed and then the Evictor Strobe MUST shine in all four corners of the totally dark attic for it to work...sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. They certainly seem to have plenty of loop-holes built in to their claims.










> Customer Review
> 
> 9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
> 
> ...


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

My experience has been that occasionally I will find a trap licked clean, and the buggers even leave some poop near it, just to really rub it in (thanks for the free food Doug, useless trap you got there, and we'll be back). 

Just reset it, they won't be lucky every time. Start looking for those holes for how they are getting in, and you'll just be trapping them all winter, instead of keeping them out.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Well I can now confirm it was a mouse, and it wont get to see 2012. My car had broken down and I got it back yesterday so today I went to buy some snap traps and put them up today I noticed one had moved off camera (I setup a web cam so I don't have to keep going up there to check). I went up, and sure enough it had a mouse and lot of blood on it. I glued the trap to a piece of cardboard, which ironicly was cut out from the box for the no kill trap I bought. It's crazy to think that this mouse was able to fit through the holes of the cage. It was quite big, about 3 inches long. Guess it's all how their skeletons are made, and the fur makes it look bigger. It was actually a pretty nice looking mouse, really soft fur, and surprisingly very clean. But it looks like it died instantly from anal blowout, so at least it did not suffer much, if at all.

I left another trap up there and I'll be keeping an eye on it as well, to ensure there's not more. Then in spring I'll have to figure out how in the world it got in or I'll just end up having more. What are typical entry points of mice to look out for? This is a split level house, so there's two attics. It was in the top one.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Don’t hesitate to re-use the same trap and/or cardboard as other rodents will be attracted to the previous rodent odors, even if a massacre occurred there.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Good to know, I was kinda wondering if they'd be turned off by that.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

PAbugman said:


> Don’t hesitate to re-use the same trap and/or cardboard as other rodents will be attracted to the previous rodent odors, even if a massacre occurred there.


I was shocked when an exterminator told me this, but it is apparently true. The smell of a dead member of the same species is attractive to them....ugh.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Caught a second one. I was kinda hoping I only had to kill one, but looks like I may have a war at my hands, and at this point, there will be casualties.

I have a webcam and web page up there so I can monitor it. :laughing:


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Caught #3.

Going to need more traps for n+1 redundancy.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

cool web cam- sure beats watching that over usual trash reality TV..........


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

nest time, go real skimpy on the peanut butter- you dont want to add too much. just a tad will do, and they will have to lick harder and snap the trigger.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

Also, put the opening of the trap near a wall. If you ever see one scurrying around, you will see that they generally run in corners (with a vertical wall on one side of their body). You will still catch them with your traps in the open like that, but you will catch more with them near a wall. At least that's been my experience.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

dougp23 said:


> Also, put the opening of the trap near a wall. If you ever see one scurrying around, you will see that they generally run in corners (with a vertical wall on one side of their body). You will still catch them with your traps in the open like that, but you will catch more with them near a wall. At least that's been my experience.


That is 100% right. Its a practice used by rat pros, I understand. take advantage of their travel habits.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

This is up in the attic so there's not really any walls, it's hard to describe but it's just a really awkward space because of where the opening is, the peak of the roof is also very low angle so it's barely a wall, if I was to put it at the end, which I can't physically reach anyway. 

This has worked ok so far, though it makes me wonder if I should set traps around the house, just in case. I put peanuts in the basement a while back and so far they're still there so it's a good sign, seems it's only the attic that has an entry point. 

I'm still at 3 so far, but I've been keeping an eye on the traps just to be safe. I'm also thinking I should maybe put traps in my other attic to ensure that one is mouse free. It's a split level house so there's two separate attics. The other one is a huge pain to get into though. The opening is behind some storage shelves.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

I've been trying to figure out ways they could be getting in, it's hard to check now because of the snow and the fact that it's cold outside to be using a ladder, but here are some things I've thought of:

* Roof vents: Maybe they can fit under the flashing and go in that way? When I checked my vents real quick they look rather well sealed though so it's a tough call. But I suppose it's a possibility, I will inspect them closer in summer. I have a hot water heater chimney, an attic ventilation vent (one of those square ones that looks like a mini house) and the bathroom vent. 

* Electrical mast: It goes through the eve part of the roof then along the wall outside. Maybe the hole has a gap to let them in the eves? Once they're in there, they're essentially in the attic.

* Shingles: Can they force themselves under shingles? Maybe I have a spot where the plywood is not right up against the next piece, and they can get to it that way? Though with the way shingles layer, I can't see that being possible... 

* Brick vents: These are little spaces where mortar would normally go, but they are left open for ventilation of the wall. I'm pretty sure a mouse can fit in there. Could it get to the attic from here? I have steel wool in all of them, but I will have to double check them in summer as there's the possibility that some have it missing. 

Also, for the mouse to actually get to the roof or the eve is a mystery to me. Are they able to climb brick? What about trees or electrical lines? I know squirrels and chipmunks can, but I'm not sure if a mouse can climb that well, or can they?

Anything else I should check? Another suspicion is there's a small section of siding where the roof meets the other roof. Though that was repaired by a pro when I bought the house. Here is a pic of how it was before. Now that I think of it, the other side was not repaired and looks something like that. Think that could be where the mice are getting in? The mice were in the top attic which is the higher roof in the picture. 

Also what about where the sofit meets the brick? If mice can climb brick, think they could squeeze in there? There is most likely a 2x2 lumber going all around where the fascia border is screwed to though.


Just trying to think of every possibility so I can check all these in the summer. Really I should have tried harder to build a live capture trap as I could have let it go right on my property and there would be tracks of it going back in.


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## nil4664 (Dec 14, 2010)

Do you have a basement? You might try looking to see if there are any holes down there that would allow them access inside a wall from below. Maybe a hole drilled to run an electric wire? Mice do chew out holes in wood if the hole is already started.

Just a thought. Good luck.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

I do have a basement, but I confirmed it's not going down there. I placed peanuts on the ground as soon as I knew I had a rodent and they're still there. Should probably just replace that with a trap, but whatever works. I originally suspected the chase that goes up to the attic. Basically an open area for the hot water heater chimney and the bathroom fan vent. It's fairly well sealed though, but still can't rule it out.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

I Just spotted my first mouse 2 days ago in my basement and I caught 2 last night with snap traps. Have 4 traps set up down there now. I got a kick out of reading this.


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## 1Roofer1 (Mar 11, 2012)

I am the designer of the Evictor Strobe Light. It was created to solve a 37 year old attic squirrel problem. Everything known to man had been tried to rid the homeowner's attic of squirrels. After months of experimentation, and the installation of (6) 100K Evictor Strobes, the squirrels vacated the attic. Seemed like a minor miracle. After 7 years and 2 light bulb changes, squirrels are still gone. 

See the Pest Tools web site for product description. Comes with a 90 day, money back guarantee. Yes, it will evict attic roof rats.


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## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

Did you ever see the trap made out of a bucket with water in it? It works very very well,little buggers crawl out there to no-man land spin around and fall in and DROWN.
Google it -U-tube has lots of stuff on it.


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

Ravenworks said:


> Did you ever see the trap made out of a bucket with water in it? It works very very well,little buggers crawl out there to no-man land spin around and fall in and DROWN.
> Google it -U-tube has lots of stuff on it.


if you use poison, a bucket of water placed nearby makes it easy to collect the rodents.

afaik, most of the consumer poisons make the little buggers really thirsty.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

I just checked the attic again and both traps are still set, no mouse. So guess I caught them all!

I did find some mouse feces in my other attic while checking out a leak issue. I'm guessing the mouse entered by that leak area. So by fixing that I'll kill two birds with one stone. Hopefully.


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## kentling (Mar 21, 2012)

Red Squirrel said:


> I just checked the attic again and both traps are still set, no mouse. So guess I caught them all!
> 
> Hi everyone, I am new to this forum I found when searching for solutions for my attic rats problem.
> The webcam is a great idea. I may buy one of those cheap night vision remote video setup to try in my attic. It shouldn't be that hard to rig up a remote control CO2 pellet gun with a motion detector trigger
> ...


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

one thing I've been thinking of, if I don't figure out where they're coming from is to make a small hole in the ceiling in a closet or other area not well seen and have a piece of conduit coming down, then some kind of contraption that kills them instantly, maybe high voltage, then have them fall inside a jar that is screwed. The whole setup would be sealed to prevent heat loss, and insulation put on top (they most likely travel under the insulation anyway so they'll eventually find that hole and go in). That way just need to check the jar for dead mice, unscrew it, dump them, screw it back. Not sure how well this would work though, but in theory it seems it could workout. Could also just fill the jar with water, though drowning is kinda a cruel death, I rather something instant where they wont feel a thing. 

I have a few hunches about where they may be entering, so I'll fix those this summer and then monitor it in winter. It may take a few years to finally nail it. My guess is they only go in fall when looking for shelter.


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## kentling (Mar 21, 2012)

Interesting trap door rat body retrieval idea. Sounds like a Bond evil genius invention. But if my rats don't even nibble on the snap baits, I am not sure if I want to flush more time into killing these rodents. I don't want to be in this business!

Here is a electric zapper that I came across:
It sells for $40ish and there is a cute mouse LED that lights up remotely when it killed. Anyone with experience with this product?
Agri Zap RZCOO1 Rat Zapper Classic


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## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

You may be interested in watching some of the movie's on the bucket trap,have found the bucket trap work very very well.

https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=bucket+mouse/rat+trap&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

kentling said:


> Interesting trap door rat body retrieval idea. Sounds like a Bond evil genius invention. But if my rats don't even nibble on the snap baits, I am not sure if I want to flush more time into killing these rodents. I don't want to be in this business!
> 
> Here is a electric zapper that I came across:
> It sells for $40ish and there is a cute mouse LED that lights up remotely when it killed. Anyone with experience with this product?
> Agri Zap RZCOO1 Rat Zapper Classic


Holy crap, is that a rat, or a cat? It looks like something that would eat my cat for breakfast.


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## kentling (Mar 21, 2012)

Ravenworks said:


> You may be interested in watching some of the movie's on the bucket trap,have found the bucket trap work very very well.
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=bucket+mouse/rat+trap&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8


That is a cool, simple trap. 
Not as bloody and can catch more than one at a time.
I guess the question is, what is the most effective bait to use?
I thought peanut butter was great until these guys came along and won't touch it.


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## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

kentling said:


> That is a cool, simple trap.
> I guess the question is, what is the most effective bait to use?
> I thought peanut butter was great until these guys came along and won't touch it.


Try bacon,usually peanut butter does the trick


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