Trap Rat – Humane Wildlife Removal

The steps to trap a rat

You’ve probably already seen rat droppings or munched on furniture, and know there’s a rat hiding somewhere in your house. That’s why you’ve decided to take action and trap the rat, but how do you go about doing that?

1) Pick a Trap Type:

In today’s world, there are tons of different trap types with different features, costs, and quality, so saying you’re spoiled for choice is an understatement. Here’s a brief overview of a few trap types that might interest you.

Snap Traps

Snap traps are perhaps the most common and well-known trap and are constantly featured in films and shows, like Tom and Jerry. These traps typically have a pressure plate and a spring-loaded bar that comes smashing down on the rat’s head. They’re designed to deliver a quick blunt strike to the rat’s skull to kill it instantly and without pain. That said, some snap traps can fail to kill the rat, and will instead leave it with a severe injury that’ll quickly lead to it dying somewhere that’s hard to retrieve the body from. Yet they’re the cheapest traps to find, but you’re going to want to use a lot of them.

Glue Traps

These traps are perhaps the easiest to set up, but you only get one use out of them. They’re just a plastic or cardboard base with a sticky material placed on top. The idea behind them is to bait rats into stepping on them, at which point they’ll be stuck and unable to leave. Leading them to slowly die. Of course, these traps are widely regarded as inhumane because of the cruel prospect of starving a creature to death, as well as because the glue often burns the rat’s skin and fur.

Live Traps

If you just want to get rid of rats without killing them, this type of trap is your best bet. It’s essentially a large cage with a pressure-activated door. Once the rat enters it to get the bait placed inside, the door will slam shut and leave the rat trapped. You can then take the rat somewhere far away, so it can’t crawl back to your home. The only downside of this is that it’s far from subtle, and rats might spot it and stay clear.

Electronic Traps

Electronic traps are quite pricey, but they’re guaranteed to kill an unaware rodent. They’re powered by batteries and will deliver a large enough shock to instantly stop the rat’s heart without making it suffer. They last quite a while before you have to change their batteries and some models let you know when it’s trapped a rat by flashing a light.

2) Place It in the Proper Spot

Rats, much like people, are creatures of habit. They’ll tend to stick to the same path when going about their business, and will rarely change it up. That’s why you should first find out where rats have already been, to get an idea for where to place the trap. Things to look out for include rat droppings chewed furniture, and holes in food packaging.

Because of how enclosed and dark the insides of your walls are, they make a perfect place for rats to call home. That’s why when setting traps, it’s a good idea to place it where there are signs of habitation, like droppings, and to keep them close to a wall or hole. When setting up the trap, it’s also essential to wear gloves. The reason for this is pretty straightforward. Rats have learned to fear people, and if you don’t wear gloves, the trap will smell like you and will make rats stay clear of it.

3) Picking the Bait

To get the best bang for your buck with traps, it’s a good idea to use a bait. This is simply because it makes rats more likely to trigger the trap. Yet picking the right bait isn’t all that simple. It’s best to first figure out what type of rat is causing chaos in your home and to then tailor the bait to their natural diet. Some, like the Norway rat, will gladly eat human food and meat. Others, like the Roof rat, tend to prefer food that’s naturally found in the wild, like fruits, berries, and nuts. But if you aren’t sure, you can just go with good old peanut butter.

There you have it. If you’re looking for how to trap a rat, first choose a trap type that meets up with your goals; second, figure out where they’re coming from and place the traps where rats are most likely to step; and third, try to tailor the bait to the rat species causing you trouble. With that, you can sit back and relax as your traps handle the rest.