You will find information on rat traps throughout this page.
Content by Jon Mahata.
It is never fun to have unwelcome guests in the home, especially when they are of the rodent variety. These
creatures not only eat your food, they leave droppings, and many of them carry diseases. People who have rodent problems should purchase rat
traps to permanently rid their homes of these pesky critters.
Rat poison is one way to rid an area of the unwanted rodents, but it is not always effective. In addition, the
substance can harm animals and people and rats often become resistant. A better solution is to purchase a trap that contains the rat.
Types of Rat Traps
Snap traps: These are the most popular traps. A big reason is that they are inexpensive, simple to
use, and very effective. Small rats can often be killed with these. These wooden devices feature a wire snap and a metal trip pedal. Bait is placed on the
far side of the trap and when the rat steps on the pedal to get the bait, the snap is sprung and traps it, allowing the human to dispose of the trap and the
rodent. The Victor brand is the most popular.
Electrocutionrat traps: These battery-operated devices trap the rat and kill it
without the use of poison. A flashing light on the device indicates when the rodent is dead and the human can simply open the trap and let the rat slide into
a trash bag. These are great for commercial use because they do not require a person to keep a constant eye on them. Since these instantly deliver a deadly
shock when the rat enters the trap, they are considered a more humane trap than the snap or glue trap versions.
Rat glue traps: These are common as they are chemical-free devices. They basically are pieces of
cardboard with very sticky glue on one side. They can be viewed as safer to use than the kind that snap for obvious reasons. However, they really only are
effective in clean and dry locations. Unfortunately, if a rat gets stuck on the glue, they might not die quickly and that would be a reason why those
concerned about humane treatment would not want to use them.
Live traps: For a much more humane approach, there are live traps which allow you to trap and
release the animal. These work great outdoors and indoors, and pose no little to no risk to children. These can only be used in areas where trapping and
releasing live rat is permitted.
General Tips For Rat Trap Use
Use the most appropriate bait. The best types of bait to use would be candy, peanut butter, meat, raisins, strong
smelling cheese or bread. You might have to experiment with this part a bit.
Read any user guide that comes with the traps. Not just for safety, but to ensure the highest likelihood of
trapping the rat.
Set more than one trap. You might have several animals, so setting just one trap might not be
enough.
If you use snap traps, make sure the trigger portion is directly in the path of where you suspect the rat to be
walking. Make sure to put it only in places where other animals or children will not come in contact with the trap. These types of traps are often most
effective when bait is placed in the traps for a week without it actually being set. This gives the rat time to get used to the trap as they normally shy
away from new things. Once you notice the rats are coming to take the bait, it's time to set the traps.
Be careful when letting a live rat back into the wild as it may bite or could simply return to the home. In most
cases, it is recommended that the animal be killed using bait inside that will end its life.
You can usually find all of these traps in hardware stores and places like Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart and Target.
There is also a huge variety of online options.
