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A different kind of trapping

5K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  timetohunt 
#1 ·
I got a bunch of rats in the barn and my cat and couple dogs (believe it or not the dogs catch the rats too) are not keeping up very well.

These are not your little field mice. Some of them are a little to big for your average cat to catch. I guess thats the kinda rat you get when you feed them sweet feed, hi protein dog food and chicken scratch. :ranting:

I havent found a live rat trap yet that would work for rats. Gonna hit tractor supply and look again today. For the little dudes Im gonna set up a 5 gal bucket with a little feed in the bottom of it. They are not big enough to jump back out once they get in but that trick isnt helping on the bigger ones. They just jump back outta the bucket.

You fellows got any old timer tricks on catching rats. Im against the poison method because I dont want the cat and dogs to eat on them after their dead and ingest the poison their self.
 
#2 ·
Why do you want live rat traps? I once bought some rat traps that looked like mouse traps only bigger. When them things went off, the earth moved. :biggrin: Good traps. Or, nail a couple of those sticky traps to a board and bait it. You'd be suprised at what they'll hold. You might try putting your feed in metal trash cans too...with lids.
 
#3 ·
I got the feed in metal trash cans with lids.. What im seeing when I go in there at night is they go to the chicken coop and eat the food that is in their feeder.. I click the lights on and they all scatter. They usually high tail it to the hay or they like to run around the boards on top of the barn and laugh at me!

The answer to "Why live rat traps" is my neighbor takes them and feeds em to his snakes.
 
#4 ·
I have a feeling haveahart traps might work. I would put the same grain in the trap aas they are eating in the barn and place it close to where they are stealing the food. These traps will only catch one at a time and they will be alive. If the screen is too big and they get out I would wrap it with chicken wire or something similar. Snake food makes nice use of the rats. Post some pics of one you catch. I'm not complainng but have never seen a wild barn rat before.
 
#6 ·
Just went out to the barn to get some wire to wrap the cages and upon seeing the rats scatter and getting a look again at how huge they are I figured they wouldnt get out of it anyway. Put both traps in there and removed the food. I had 9 of the big dudes staring at me. Im out of 410 shells or I would have started blastin.. Didnt feel as safe shooting a 20 or 16 gauge. Dont care nothing about getting a bb back on a richochet.
 
#7 ·
Success BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went out to the barn this morning and was pleased. Got 1 rat in the big cage and 3 in the smaller one. They are a little to big for the snake so me and the dogs had fun with them. The cage with 3 rats i took the cat out there as well thinking she would catch one for me. Both dogs got theirs within seconds but the cat was a little slow. She did tree it though. I shot it outta of the tree with my daughters pellet gun. (took about 8 shots, sucky pellet gun) And the dogs got it then.

Dogs were going ape crazy like they were born to hunt rats.





 
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