Hi everyone,

I know we have some experienced ratters on the forum,and I'm in desperate need of some ratting advice. I have a couple of rats in the barn and a couple by the outside of the house. Food is scare but they've chosen to make their home here after a neighbour moved out, who used to feed dogs outside which attracted rats and now theyve moved out, the rats are on the move and have found new board and lodgings.

But these guys are clever and I do mean clever, Ive had some mice in bait box traps but never a rat since I laid them down a month ago, I thought the rats were either not interested or too big for the smaller traps to catch them, as they would sometimes go off but no rat caught, and they would clear out the bait boxes as a bonus. So I bought big cheese snap traps which are very big, big enough for the rats anyway, food gone, trap either sprung or emptied but no rat.

So I installed PIR cameras to see what they're doing. Ive watched them and theyre clever, they have approached the rat traps from behind, so they walk over the spring holder and sit on the middle loaded spring in the middle of the trap. They arent putting their feet on the trap but it looks like they are just licking the bait off from the lower end of the trap. The traps arent going off, they are even jumping them, I think to set them off so they can feed after.

I have also a pressure plate trap outside in a wire box, they use it as a dinning table never putting a foot on it. I will try to block one side of the two entrances and put bait the side so they cant get in, to force them over the pressure plate I think

You have to admire their ingenuity and cunning, I think it may be about patience and adjusting the sensitivity, but if anyone has any ideas on optimising the traps the advise would be most welcome.

Cant shoot them as they are in areas with no realistic backstop or clear view point, so trapping is preferable, dont like baiting as they eventually die and stink in the barn.

Any help on how to set them up most welcome, I have the bait working just their very clever at avoiding the trap - who teaches them to be so clever - maybe the university of hard knocks -

ATB