Rat baits

[WebleyWombler]

A full size Mars bar tethered down hold their attention.

it would hold my attention as well, but it isn't worth dying for!

[Kuyajonathan]

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.

Go along with bread, friend had plague of mice, vacant ajoining house seemed to be source.
Bread they left out open but wrapped was nibbled. Yeah I suggested a bread bin !
Knew something bigger was around after whole wrapped loaf was dragged about 6foot along work top and 'opened' with almost child like semi circular bites out of discarded slices, baited rat trap with bread, took bait few times without setting it off. Finally got the bugger, it was about 16" nose to tail and body thick as my forearm. As others have said, see what they are feeding on & used to locally. Finally tally 17 mice + rat after week with 3 mouse & 1 rat trap. Mains Sonic rodent device has kept them clear for last 3 yrs.
In my own property mice had opened and eaten tea bags and induvidual porridge packs. Baited traps with few tea leaves and sprinkling of oats/ tea leaves on bait tray and few bits around trap, that sorted them out. Again sonic device kept clear since.
Partners son and my Aunty swear by Mars bars in their traps, bought specially. Said why waste money buying Mars bars, I want to kill'em not feed 'em

[bozz]

Ha west and south must be rich areas we can't afford mars bars for our children let alone trapping little buggers, I agree feed them with what they are used to as they are very weary of new food, I think they try a little bit then wait to see , I read that they cannot vomit it back up so that's why the grace period, that's what I read anyway right or wrong works on my arch enemies Graham

[Mr.Fixit-Norm]

Banana works as well. As someone whose kept pet rats, they love banana, chocolate spread and peanut butter.

I appreciate wild ones may be different but it still helps. I’ve found tame ones don’t seem to like grain much but that’s probably because they get a lot of other nicer goodies. Oh, they also go nuts for a corn on the cob as well !

I’ve shot rats using a whole over ripe banana ( in the skin ) pegged down with a couple of thin wire pegs so they can’t run off with it.

Norm

[rapidboy1]

I have a few at the minute, they are always in the trees, never on the ground.
Peanuts seem to bring them in better than anything else.
They raid the bird feeders every evening 7-8 and only ever one at a time and only the peanut feeders.
Shoot one and next night a new rat appears.
Four wire traps on the ground with peanuts only catch the hegehog or birds, roller / bucket trap with peanut butter catches mice but never rats.

[Chris77]

Had a lot of luck with peanut butter in Fen traps, if that fails peanut butter mixed with drink choc powder works well too.

[Steyr]

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

Good response. Rats are super smart. They will send young out to try something unfamilair and wait to see what happens. Watching youtube and it showed a rat pulling a big twig and putting it deliberately on the trigger to spring the trap. The trap fired and it then went to get the bait.

[Steyr]

Sweetcorn blended. You have LOADS of foodstuffs at your disposal. They are there for a reason so you need to try and mimic what they are choosing to eat or find the magic bait they love.

Dont rush it... rats can be very suspicious indeed. They use lower ranks to test and look for the results. They can learn very fast. Its why they are such a successful species.

[nitemax]

The rats are there because there is food around somewhere, use the same food that they are eating.
Research 'rat breath'
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-rat-food.html

[baldinio]

Rabbit guts is a good smelly rat bait. I sometimes use tuna mixed with oil and then liquidised then leave it in the garage in a plastic bottle for a few days to go off so it stinks to high heaven.

[PCPShooter]

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

smooth (cheap) peanut butter, cheap chocolate (brown fat) spread

[Steyr]

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

Set up bait points with a different bait on each. See what your rats like.

A lot of peeps dont realise rats can be very smart and they learn quick.

A recebmnr residential job... there was a lot of activity running across 0atio and lawn and under bushes. 1 shot and they all changed there daily routine. Extreme reaction but some are really on the ball using younger rats as testers on food to see if they die or something new and unfamiliar.

Your rats will have their own regime depending on the environment around them.

They respond to foods around them so a spread of baits will quickly tell you what they lean to.

[Mattblack]

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.

Go along with bread, friend had plague of mice, vacant ajoining house seemed to be source.
Bread they left out open but wrapped was nibbled. Yeah I suggested a bread bin !
Knew something bigger was around after whole wrapped loaf was dragged about 6foot along work top and 'opened' with almost child like semi circular bites out of discarded slices, baited rat trap with bread, took bait few times without setting it off. Finally got the bugger, it was about 16" nose to tail and body thick as my forearm. As others have said, see what they are feeding on & used to locally. Finally tally 17 mice + rat after week with 3 mouse & 1 rat trap. Mains Sonic rodent device has kept them clear for last 3 yrs.
In my own property mice had opened and eaten tea bags and induvidual porridge packs. Baited traps with few tea leaves and sprinkling of oats/ tea leaves on bait tray and few bits around trap, that sorted them out. Again sonic device kept clear since.
Partners son and my Aunty swear by Mars bars in their traps, bought specially. Said why waste money buying Mars bars, I want to kill'em not feed 'em

Rats currently getting through 20cm wide bars in the chicken run. Two in there the other evening. When they saw me they slipped out through the bars as though they weren't there. So I've since tried peanut butter, choc caramel bar, liquidised cat food, smeared on a card in front of a back stop (concrete slab) and stay in wait. One scuttled across my line of fire the first night and settled between a drain pipe and the house wall. Shot too low and he ran off. If I put chicken food outside in a pile in my chosen safe shooting spot they'll just run off I suspect, same with bread, so how do I keep them stationary for a while to shoot them? Maybe pin a slice of bread to the ground? Thing is, as has been said, they know there's nice food to be had in the chicken run so why go to another source?

If I go for a poisoned trap (safe for dogs/cats) would I have any better success? If so, what trap/bait works best? Have to say it's a pain sitting, waiting, for an hour around dusk for them to scuttle around teasing me!

[mdunn]

Try a couple of mk4 traps, not sure if the poison you can buy is much good. Need a license to get the strongest stuff. Atb mick

[rapidresponse1]

i use a small bowl of peanuts does the job