Finally caught this little guy

[dochawk]

OTOH, we had one in PA that took down rats, mice, squirrels, birds, voles (I'd never even heard of those!), and . . . bats.

Yes, it managed to Cath bats.

OTTH, our extra-stupid cat once proudly strutted up to the back door. Curious, we went to see what she had.

All hail the Mighty Huntress, Scourge of Fallen Pomegranates!

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[kidshelleen]

I can vouch for this contraption...but don't use water, use ANTI-FREEZE in the bucket.

Your nose and stomach will thank you on clean up day.

.especially if you leave if for a few days, or more.

Andy

Those traps are great. I have one in my garage. Using a sort of radiator-standard mix of water and antifreeze both keeps it from freezing in cold weather and also wets out the fur for a quicker drowning (adding a few drops of dishwashing detergent makes that aspect even better).

There's also the DIY version with a metal rod and a beer can with a hole through its ends, sized very slightly larger than the rod so it can rotate freely. Smear some peanut butter on the beer can and give them a ramp to the edge of the bucket, and they'll jump onto the can, which will rotate and dump them off into the liquid for a refreshing swim.

 

[kidshelleen]

OTOH, we had one in PA that took down rats, mice, squirrels, birds, voles (I'd never even heard of those!), and . . . bats.

Yes, it managed to Cath bats.

OTTH, our extra-stupid cat once proudly strutted up to the back door. Curious, we went to see what she had.

All hail the Mighty Huntress, Scourge of Fallen Pomegranates!

'
My childhood farm cat (outdoors most of the time) used to jump up on the windowsills and bang on the window to be let in. One night he did that, and when I opened the door he brought in a dead flying squirrel,. He was exceptionally pleased with himself. He must have carried it back quite a way from the closest woods. He was pretty good about not killing birds (and loved to hunt frogs around the pond). Fairly early on he brought a dead bluebird, and after a scolding from my mother (she was a 4th grade teacher - she was good at that), the only time I knew of that he killed a bird after that was a barn swallow. They would dive bomb the cats. For a long time he just kept walking with an annoyed look, but one time he seemed to not be able to take it any more and jumped up and grabbed one out of the air.

Another cat I had used to regularly leave a dead shrew at the driver's door of my ex's car (long prior to her being ex). I can't help but continue to get a chuckle out of that when I remember it.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Those traps are great. I have one in my garage. Using a sort of radiator-standard mix of water and antifreeze both keeps it from freezing in cold weather and also wets out the fur for a quicker drowning (adding a few drops of dishwashing detergent makes that aspect even better).

There's also the DIY version with a metal rod and a beer can with a hole through its ends, sized very slightly larger than the rod so it can rotate freely. Smear some peanut butter on the beer can and give them a ramp to the edge of the bucket, and they'll jump onto the can, which will rotate and dump them off into the liquid for a refreshing swim.

Yep, can confirm the effectiveness of the home made version. Had a neighbour at camp who kept it under his cottage to keep the mice at bay.

Andy

 

[xk42]

Caught a live one. It's dragging the trap around. Kinda cute, don't have the heart to kill it.

 

[xk42]

Another one ..

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Caught a live one. It's dragging the trap around. Kinda cute, don't have the heart to kill it.

I use those Have-a-Heart traps.. they work good... In the morning I drop them off in the desert a few miles from my home. I catch the PackRats in waves... maybe 3 or 5 in a 1 week period...Then I don't see or catch any for months at a time.

The Kangaroo Mice have been more problematic for me. I've had to flood their tunnels and set kill traps. They get into my bodegas and just poop and pee all over my tools. Hard to turn a blind eye after that... It's on...

 

[DGMavLove]

Rats are tricky buggers.

One tip that often works... they are afraid of anything new and take some time to warm up to new things, so putting a new trap out with bait on it for a few days/week *without* setting it gets them used to it. Then randomly one day - WHAM! - surprise, you're dead.

Well worth the few bits of free bait they get while building a false sense of security...

Thanks for the tip. And, the nut + peanut butter may make it too hard to resist.

 

[dochawk]

Caught a live one. It's dragging the trap around.

When we moved back into my house from tenants from Hell, it turned out that they'd been hosting mice in oh so many ways.

My wife asked me to take care of the one in the garage; I did.

Then she asked me when I was going to deal with it, an I older I had, a couple of days earlier--except that it ran over her not that morning!

I started running eight traps in the garage, and about half caught something daily, until I had over fifty!

I set some outside, too--and one went missing!

a couple of days later, I was walking through the yard when the zucchini rustled. I had long enough for the anomalous, "that's odd; they don't normally do that" to flash through my mind before I realized how ridiculous that was, and went to investigate.

The missing mousetrap had broken the back of a rat, but not killed it, and it had crawled under the zucchini.

[sidenote: don't bother growing zucchini, pumpkin, or other squash in the desert--you get massive plants but just a couple of small zucchini, or a 4 inch pumpkin or two!]

 

[SorryDad]

Well worth the few bits of free bait they get while building a false sense of security...

Hmmmm - there's a life lesson right there, wouldn't you say?

 

[Bob The Builder]

Rats my ass, that’s a lowly mouse! You Americans make such a BIG deal over the smallest things, and I’ll have to leave it at that or get suspended! Jeez , a Rat. We have grasshoppers in Canada bigger than that ‘Rat’.

Be nice. At least you are better tempered than a lot of the Quebers we have up here.

 

[Grabber Rick]

What kind of mouse trap is that? looks like there is some kind of sensor on it.

BTW nice job getting that critter!

I don't see a mouse or a trap. All I see is the mess the mouse made.

 

[First Sergeant]

Rats my ass, that’s a lowly mouse! You Americans make such a BIG deal over the smallest things, and I’ll have to leave it at that or get suspended! Jeez , a Rat. We have grasshoppers in Canada bigger than that ‘Rat’.

Western Colorado mid 90's. Little rat here, caught a few close to 20 inches! This guy was making a home in my grill "Bushy tail packrat" Kind of handsome fellow and I do like the eyes!

f

 

[SafetyGuy]

I don't see a mouse or a trap. All I see is the mess the mouse made.

1 Please return to first post by the OP

2 Click on the link just above the mess in the engine bay...it is so thst those tht may be more sensitive to seeing a dead animal won't see it by accident.

Quite thoughtful, I think, of the OP!

Have a good deal,

Andy

 

[kidshelleen]

The rats that will typically try to cohabit with you in the US are brown (Norway, often ground-warrens) rats and black (roof, full-time household tenants) rats. Norway rats are the most widespread (lower 48, at least). Roof rats tend to be in coastal areas and the southeast. They're both non-native invasive species.

Various native woodrat species are commonly called packrats because of their trinket-hoarding tendencies, and are relatively rare in the NE and great plains regions. They also don't generally try to invade your home.

The invasive Norway and roofrats (genus Rattus) have scaly tales. The other native species have furry tails.

Of course, YMMV with regard to rodents commonly called "rats" in other countries.

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