Theres a rat in ma kitchen!

miss choc

So loads of building work next door and think it unearthed a nest council were round last week to put two silver boxes out in garden. And I bought the super duper big cheese ultra power rat trap kit for the kitchen as dog going mad hearing them behind pipes and kickboards. I put it in the large drawer where they are coming in (there was a large hole left by kitchen installers just under the gas hob so I know they came in there as a pack of unopened biccies were demolished) no luck so I took the trap out of the box and put cheese and chocolate near bait yesterday the bait taken and trap sprung no rat! This morning same they are able to get at the food right on the red spring and release trap but not get caught how is this? Today I am going to put the trap back into the box tie box either side of drawer with garden wire so it cant move and rub bait as close to red spring and I have dropped in feta into the actual bait hole. I dont know how they can get the bait and spring it and not be caught cheeky f***ers

cookimonster

Have a look at the droppings if there small, oblong and black in and around the food source then it's most likely mice and not rats.
If that's a rat trap your using it will not be set off by the mice, even the leathal spring mouse traps need to be tweeked super sensitive or they'll steel the bait.
I had trouble last year and no amount of trapping worked, you need to rodent proof your food.
Don't leave food in presses unless in plastic sealed containers. They will target cereals, confectionary, pasta and even candle wax. In my case they went after 15Kg bags of dog food as well as house hold food.
Some we put every thing into containers and dog food into a scalable bin we were able to get rid of them. Remember mice are great acrobats and can jump so height is not and issue. I had one jump out of the bottom of a catering sized mayo bucket.
The rule of thumb with them is denigh harbourage and food source so lock away food and use mouse traps set on a hair trigger.

rsole1

miss choc wrote: »

So loads of building work next door and think it unearthed a nest council were round last week to put two silver boxes out in garden. And I bought the super duper big cheese ultra power rat trap kit for the kitchen as dog going mad hearing them behind pipes and kickboards. I put it in the large drawer where they are coming in (there was a large hole left by kitchen installers just under the gas hob so I know they came in there as a pack of unopened biccies were demolished) no luck so I took the trap out of the box and put cheese and chocolate near bait yesterday the bait taken and trap sprung no rat! This morning same they are able to get at the food right on the red spring and release trap but not get caught how is this? Today I am going to put the trap back into the box tie box either side of drawer with garden wire so it cant move and rub bait as close to red spring and I have dropped in feta into the actual bait hole. I dont know how they can get the bait and spring it and not be caught cheeky f***ers

Rats are latrinal in their toilet habits, they go in one specific place, not like mice dropping crap all over the place. Try the old style break back type traps and fine Tune it. Try a mouse trap as well in case it's not rats but a colony of mice.

miss choc

I think it's defo rats as the droppings are oval like a rugby ball shape and in the same place. I had a 6 pack of small popcorn and one bag devoured as well as the biscuits the gnaw marks look bigger than a mouse they just seem to be concentrated behind kickboards/piping of extension and coming in the drawer under the gas hob. I have stinky feta cheese and nutella marks to lead them to trap and pieces of feta on the trap and spring itself. The trap is in the rat box held together either side of drawer by garden wire so it wont move. I'm too nervous to use the wooden ones hence why I got the Big Cheese plastic rat trap says it's guaranteed to kill rats fast but not working so far it's an easy gadget to use but their bait was crap hence why I'm using cheese and choc. I know it's just a matter of time they will get hungry enough and I will get it or them. all the other pressed are sealed as kitchen only two years old but as op says I have bag dog nuts in kitchen so not sure if they are eating them they are defo concentrating on that drawer as it has sprung twice and moved and food around box eaten I don't want to put poison down or I will never get them if they die trapping is better.

yubabill

The old-fashioned break back traps are best in my experience (or maybe it's that I know how to use them the best). They are like a giant mousetrap.

The trick is to get something as bait that they can't pull away and eat somewhere else.

I always get the rind of an uncooked rasher (the darker layer on top of the fat, a lot of modern rashers have this removed, so you might have to look closely at the pack if you're going out to buy some).

Then I cut off a small piece of the rind with nearly no fat and tie the rind onto the trap's trigger really well - I use ordinary thread but lots of it criss-crossed in several directions.

The rat has to pull the rind hard to try and get anything to eat.

You might want to tie the whole trap to something in case it doesn't do the job immediately, but it's normally not necessary.

Grizzly 45

Change your bait to peanut butter as well.Rats love it! Go for the old style neck breaker rat trap,they are still the best.Make sure you put enough on the trip board, you need to get Mr Rat to climb onto the trigger board.

Also,they are incredibly smart,I have seen one almost pull of a gymnastic stunt to get the peanut butter off a trap.He climbed 3 wires and then held onto the 3 with his paws and used the 4th to scoop up the bait off the trigger board.:eek:
So make sure there is nothing around the trap which they can use to avoid climbing onto or from which they can work the trap.

yubabill

Also, reading your last post, there is no need for the trail of bait to the trap, if anything it will distract them from your bait at least temporarily. Rats have amazing sense of smell, it's guaranteed they will find your bait, especially if you remove all other sources of food from the area or put the food in sealed containers.

There might be more than one, so when you catch one, set the trap the same way again until it's empty for a few days. Then seal up where they're getting in, as they leave a scent trail to the food and others will recognise it.

Expanding foam is a good temporary fix and they don't like chewing it.

Captainaxiom

Make sure and add steel wool to the hole your spraying the expanding foam into it stops them eating away the foam to get back in.

Mississippi.

Captainaxiom wrote: »

Make sure and add steel wool to the hole your spraying the expanding foam into it stops them eating away the foam to get back in.

Some finely broken glass mixed in also deters them chewing

gctest50

miss choc wrote: »

....So loads of building work next door

Get some plaster off them and use that to block the hole where your new furry friend is getting in

Don't put plaster in direct contact with the gas pipe or it might leak in future and cause a fire/death etc

gctest50

Could be one of them Viking ones though :

J.R.

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Change your bait to peanut butter as well.Rats love it! Go for the old style neck breaker rat trap,they are still the best.Make sure you put enough on the trip board, you need to get Mr Rat to climb onto the trigger board.

Also,they are incredibly smart,I have seen one almost pull of a gymnastic stunt to get the peanut butter off a trap.He climbed 3 wires and then held onto the 3 with his paws and used the 4th to scoop up the bait off the trigger board.:eek:
So make sure there is nothing around the trap which they can use to avoid climbing onto or from which they can work the trap.

I find chocolate works great...put it on the trap and heat it until it melts slightly onto the trap....stuck solid when cools......no way can he take it without setting trap off

miss choc

Jeez the size of them unless it's those capybaras from south america they grow to 4ft in length. I got onto the Big Cheese manufacturers yesterday and found out other stuff as well seemingly rats are neophobic and wont touch anything new for a few days, paste like jam or peanut butter is better than solid food bait as they can snatch the latter quick and with the spreadable food it takes them time. The reason the trigger snapped minus rat was probably cos I had the solid bait nearby he took that quick and might have bump against the trap triggering it. I tried jam last night no good but I'm going to try what op said removing the solid bait and food trails and just putting peanut butter this time in the box they will have to come down to get hungry some time.
The hole is right back at the back of the drawer about 6" wide and there was some gnawing around the wood last week I don't know if I can reach in and about putting stuff in to block it as worried about all the gas pipes there the hob is above also if more than one rat they will be blocked in then ie behind kickboards and walls

solarwinds

I would ask the builders next door to block up any holes in your walls vermin could be coming in. Out of courtesy as it was a result of their actions you now have a problem.
No harm in asking anyway.

miss choc

Well I'm hazarding a guess nearly sure but not 100% and they left about 6 weeks ago anyway. I got another reply back from Big Cheese they have said that rats are developing a fear now of new food sources and are very cautious where they go near he advised not to have food trail or even put food on entry to rat boxes just in the bait hole so I'd try that now

rsole1

miss choc wrote: »

Well I'm hazarding a guess nearly sure but not 100% and they left about 6 weeks ago anyway. I got another reply back from Big Cheese they have said that rats are developing a fear now of new food sources and are very cautious where they go near he advised not to have food trail or even put food on entry to rat boxes just in the bait hole so I'd try that now

These work but you have to deal with a live rat

https://www.raygrahams.com/products/5118-the-big-cheese-rat-mouse-glue-traps-twin-pack-stv183.aspx?pv=3921&currency=eur&gclid=cjwkcajw9qfzbra5eiwaiq0abx89ixh2orkwxjefnohjmnpdomrx5ipl7_1v_m1wpaejyefs7a0ysxocvwwqavd_bwe

miss choc

No it's a rat box with trap inside rat goes in steps on red trigger to eat and snap there is no way I'd deal with a live one :eek::eek:

prinzeugen

As someone said, the old wooden snap traps baited with bacon (I hold the bacon with a drawing pin) work best.

However rats are very, very smart. I find you get one about 2 days after the trap is set and that is all. The others seem to then to avoid any traps.

I have had luck with unbaited traps left outside against the walls of the house and shielded with a old slate etc.

miss choc

Council have two silver poison boxes either side of garden so it's to get the feicers inside I won't give up yet I was avoiding getting a second trap as first one was 18.99 and I really dont want to buy the wooden ones I guess at least you can just pick it up and dump it quick with the plastic ones you have to open lever to release dead rat but you don't touch it anyway. I have learned so much about rats in the last week

Esel

Obligatory Yore Ma reference (from thread title).

rsole1

miss choc wrote: »

Council have two silver poison boxes either side of garden so it's to get the feicers inside I won't give up yet I was avoiding getting a second trap as first one was 18.99 and I really dont want to buy the wooden ones I guess at least you can just pick it up and dump it quick with the plastic ones you have to open lever to release dead rat but you don't touch it anyway. I have learned so much about rats in the last week

The wooden traps are only a couple of euro from the hardware store, and you can just throw the whole thing out. Just mind your fingers when setting as they will break your fingers.

miss choc

Knowing my luck I would break my fingers hence why I went for the easy Big Cheese one but they arent going need that at all even with the lure of delish bait when council come round will be interesting to see if they got any in the boxes outside

rsole1

miss choc wrote: »

Knowing my luck I would break my fingers hence why I went for the easy Big Cheese one but they arent going need that at all even with the lure of delish bait when council come round will be interesting to see if they got any in the boxes outside

The boxes outside are bait boxes where ratty pops in for dinner and then goes to his nest and dies after a few days.

miss choc

Urgh so he could be fine dining inside and on his death bed in my gaff :eek: that crafty rat knows that that trap pops and I think would avoid it even if it's starving I can see their point

iphone6

Have a rat outside for the last week we are putting out poising and they seem to make off with the whole lot. Gonna go down to woodies for the traps there a nightmare.

rsole1

iphone6 wrote: »

Have a rat outside for the last week we are putting out poising and they seem to make off with the whole lot. Gonna go down to woodies for the traps there a nightmare.

Don't worry they're taking it back to their nest to eat. You could use Storm Secure which you put a nail through it attached to a piece of board, so they eat it then and there. Just make sure it is covered so as not to let any non target animal to eat it. Poison is not instant it could take 2-5 days.

miss choc

I thought poison takes about an hour or two to die didnt think few days :eek:

solarwinds

They say everyday is an education but i cant help but feel that somehow you might be learning a little more than you actually wanted to know.

miss choc

Ha ha true but it's good to know this. Anyway breaking news, one has been killed I pulled out the pantry this morning and one looking at me think Fawlty Towers episode with the cracker box! I screamed the house down as wasnt expecting to see it at 12.30 figured he was on the food search. I had something in the oven but just ran in the sitting room dog going crazy barking at it. It was quite cheeky laid vertical between the racks dead silent then when dog calmed down it when to other rack and stared down at dog barking at it. I was too nervous to go into the kitchen neighbour switched off oven the rat/mouse had disappeared now for him to go as pantry sealed.
When Mam got home we put on the gloves and started dumping the cereal, crackers porridge etc and then he raced out onto the floor my yorkie pounced on in in 0.1 seconds a sharp quick death. Into the bin and done, washed the dog and rewarded him with a sausage roll. I don't know if there is anymore but just to kill one I delighted about. My heart was going a mile a minute seeing it.

Bogwoppit

The thrill of the chase! Welcome to hunting ðŸ˜

solarwinds

Do i see an o/u in someones future