Rats are disease carriers and, for many people, simply disgusting. Nobody wants them in the garden, let alone in the house. Since many of the drugs used to treat rats do not really work or work only once, it is not easy to get rid of them. Even a rat trap is not a 100 percent sure thing. The animals are extremely adaptive and if a rat has been caught, the others avoid the trap, no matter how often you surround them. So if you are dealing with a single animal, the trap can be quite helpful, with a whole family it will be difficult.
A distinction is made between snap and box traps. Snap traps kill the rats, usually very quickly, without torture. Box traps are more humane, at least as long as they are checked regularly so that the animals do not starve to death and die of thirst in them. The important thing is to place the traps on the rats' paths. These can be recognized by smear marks on the walls. Rats prefer to move along walls.
While rat traps are quite inexpensive in stores, they are mostly ones that kill rats. Live traps cost a lot more, which is why many hobbyists prefer to make them themselves. These traps have the advantage that the rats are allowed to go on living. They are released in the wild, as far away as possible from human habitation.
Build a rat trap
One can build very simple traps with little means,
but also a little more complicated with a little more materials. Since you need different traps in a rat family anyway, it makes sense to try all of them once.Simple models
The easiest way is to take a tall vessel like a metal bucket and place it with the opening facing up. The smooth walls are important. The rat is not allowed to climb on them. A bait must be put in the bucket. Rats do not eat cheese as reliably, fruit is better, but the animals are very fond of something sweet like chocolate. They prefer Nutella, which is difficult to resist. In order to get in, an entrance has to be created. A small wooden board or thick folded cardboard will help. You can also build a staircase out of boxes for them. The best thing to do is to put some small bait on it, so to speak for feeding. So the rat gets on the edge of the jar, jumps down and is stuck.
- Larger, tall vessel with smooth walls so that the rat cannot climb out
- A large bucket, preferably made of metal, is cheap
- Bait, preferably Nutella, alternatively fruit or chocolate
- A staircase made of cardboard boxes, a wooden board or thick cardboard
Alternatively, you can try something else with the bucket. To do this, an empty plastic bottle is placed on a stick. Of course you have to make a hole in the bottom and in the cap for this. The stick must be long enough to be able to put it over the bucket. It can be easily attached with string on both sides, but in such a way that it can rotate. Alternatively you can
drill two holes for the rod in the bucket, resp. you use them for the handle. Spread sticky delicacies in the middle and all around the bottle that won't fall off when the rat touches them. Nutella is again well suited. The bottle must turn easily. If the rat tries to get the goodies and steps on the bottle, it turns and the animal falls into the bucket.
It is important that the rat can get to the bait easily, so you have to build a "ramp" again. The bottle at the top can be placed in two ways, in the direction of travel, if the animal comes up the ramp, then it can just go on. However, it is better if the rat has to jump on the bottle, i.e. if it is placed against the direction of travel or simply across it. As soon as the rat lands, the bottle spins and the rat falls. - Plastic bottle "glued" with bait
- Rod for threading through
- Bucket, if possible with a removable handle (two openings for the stick)
You need a little skill for the next trap. A larger vessel is also required for this, as well as a small wooden stick. The bait is speared onto the stick, preferably a piece of bacon or bread. Then it is leaned against the wall on a “rat path” with the bait pointing downwards. The vessel is placed with the opening facing downwards so that the edge comes to rest on the wooden stick. To get the bait, the rat has to pull it away. The stick falls over and the jar hits the floor. Of course, it must be heavy enough that it cannot be lifted out and must not get stuck on the rubbing rail. The problem is how do you get the rat out of there? You have to slide a thin wooden plate under the vessel and then turn them over together, but in such a way that the rat cannot jump out. Alternatively, thick cardboard or a wooden plate can be placed before the trap is set up.
- Larger vessel, such as a pot
- Wooden stick, such as a chopstick or pencil
- Bait, something to skewer
These two solutions are really easy to implement.
More complicated traps
The
Build a rat trap from a box. This should be a little longer, at least twice as long as a rat. An entrance is created at both ends. The box is divided in the middle and a grid is installed. This ensures that the rat can enter from both sides and is then trapped. A mechanism that closes both doors would be quite complicated. A small hole was to be drilled in the lid of both “departments” so that a view inside would be possible. The bottom of the box is sawn out. It serves as a rocker to trigger the lock that closes the exit. Store the rocker in the middle of the box.The entrances on both sides should be about 60 mm in diameter. They can be closed from the inside with a sheet metal lid. When empty, a mechanism keeps it open. If a rat enters the interior and the installed seesaw, its weight moves the mechanism and the metal lid falls in front of the entrance.
The mechanics are simple. The bottom of the movable floor is connected to a shaft made of iron wire. The shaft must protrude as a lever on one side. The bottom is fitted into the box so that the shaft can move, otherwise the rocker cannot tip. The sheet metal lids must of course close the opening tightly, i.e. be large enough. It is beneficial that they are quite heavy so that the rat cannot press them on. It is better to install a small latch as a safety device, which prevents it from being pushed open. It is important that the opening is accessible from the outside so that the trapped animal can be released in a suitable place.
- Crate at least twice as long as a rat
- Grid for separation
- 2 sheet metal lids
- Iron wire shaft
- lever
- Small handle
Live traps are much more humane, even if it's only about rats. They are absolutely intelligent animals that are suitable for more than laboratory animals. They can be tamed and trained, not many animals can. You don't need a lot of manual skills to build a trap. There are very simple options. It always depends on the rodents' intelligence how well they can be caught. What is certain is that the animals are capable of learning. If you catch a rat from a family, no member of the family will fall into the same trap. You have to come up with something new. Necessity is the mother of invention. The correct installation location is important, on a rat path.
