Rat baits

[pigeonfan]

What home made recipes do people have for there favourite rat bait for encouraging rats to come out while rat shooting

[Craig-P]

I used to use peanut butter or watered down dog food (so that they couldn’t pick it up and run off with it)

[Stevenz]

I use cheap fish flavoured cat food mixed with instant potato mash.(sloppy consistency)
I find they hang around longer rather than doing a “smash & grab”

[ZAKDINGEL]

Peanut butter --mixed with wild bird food or them fat balls smashed up -you can stick it into the little bags that you get with some washing tablets -tie it near by after baiting them into the area you want -but sometimes they can chew it off the tie and leg it but you usually get some fun first --I have herd of lads using mackerel heads and the unwanted fish after taken the fillets off -but this will stick to high heavens so best not left near any buildings or pens

[ZAKDINGEL]

I use cheap fish flavoured cat food mixed with instant potato mash.(sloppy consistency)
I find they hang around longer rather than doing a “smash & grab”

should that be "Mash and Crab"!!!

[Stevenz]

should that be "Mash and Crab"!!!

Lol, that’s what I’m going to rebrand it has from now on. If it ever goes into production of course you will get the royalties from the branding

[Phil Russell]

I have 4 traps dotted around in wooden boxes; each box has one or two holes about 7cm diameter for rat to enter. Why boxes? To keep cats and other things out ... even squirrels will not go into a box.
But ... not a lot of success even though we have tried peanut butter in the trap 'bowl', bird seed (predominantly wheat), cat food, bread even some old mozarella cheese. But as I said, very little success. This is despite seeing a rat or two in the area of the box and the box being on the rat run. Box is about 30cm x 25cm internal x 15cm high with either open wire mesh top or a solid top.

At times the bait has gone but trap not sprung ... maybe mice which are too light to spring the trap? Traps are either the plastic ones with a 'jaw' that closes or a plastic base with strong steel traditional spring action.
I tend to think we have got it wrong somewhere ...

Cheers, Phil

[pigeonfan]

Im looking for a good bait to entice the rats out so that they can be shot, do people think the smellier the bait is the better it is

[Stevenz]

Im looking for a good bait to entice the rats out so that they can be shot, do people think the smellier the bait is the better it is

Definitely, that’s why I use fish flavoured rather than beef or chicken pet foods. I’v Tried all flavours & fish seems to work the best, probably because it’s the smelliest

[wall90]

when i have seen rats in my garden i put a fen trap in a wooden tunnel but i dont bait it,but when shooting them i use watered down cat food so it is almost liquid.

[PCPShooter]

Smooth cheap (smelly n full of sugary) peanut butter
Cheap ‘chocolate’ spread

[WebleyWombler]

Rats tend to use straight lines as motorways so trap boxes should really be set against a wall or blocking a run. bait tends to depend on how much and what type of food is available locally.

I can bait traps on 1 animal sanctuary and not get a thing. They get all sorts of stuff donated by local supermarkets but bread seems to be popular. every trap baited with bread will catch. Nothing else works. Another place has lots of grain about, most baits work but budgie blocks are a killer. again, a chicken farm. a broken egg in the box gets them every time.

A slightly ripe chicken or rabbit carcass will usually attract magpies in the evening and rats at night. introduced baits are all well and good but look round and see what is keeping them in the area in the first place, that will be their comfort food

[the growler]

I used the cattle feed of the farmer for free. It's the stuff calves eat. And it's very powdery. I mix cheap coffee granules into it sometimes. But cheap chocolate spread is good to.

[angrybear]

Rats are smart, base your bait on whatever food is drawing them there in the first place, because that's what they're used to, but add a bit of something like peanut butter or nuttella.

Also give them time before shooting, if their mate dies first time it goes for the new food it'll scare them off it, so let them get the taste for a few days first, & every now & again.

[where's it gone]

A full size Mars bar tethered down hold their attention.