Aussie Finch Forum

AAARRRGGGHHH !!!! Cannot seem to catch this latest rat hanging around - i know he is inside my aviaries now as i discovered a half eaten king quail two days ago ( dont worry folks ! NOT going to post a photo of that one ).
We have every type of trap set around the aviaries, and a couple inside as well - Can anyone tell me, what has been the best bait to use that attracts them ? We have tried everything from peanut butter to sardines, but it just wont go near the traps. I cant use poison bait due to my dogs. But i'm getting desperate. I have even filled in his holes with cement powder and water, but he just pops up somewhere else from another hole. Any suggestion appreciated.

I'd always thought peanut butter butter was the ultimate but your rat seems too cleaver. Have you thought about changing the type of trap? As well as the break back traps there are cage traps like the Elliot trap or if you're prepared to dig a bloody big hole a covered pit-fall trap using a plastic garbage bin or large diameter PVC pipe.

JEWEL wrote:AAARRRGGGHHH !!!! Cannot seem to catch this latest rat hanging around - i know he is inside my aviaries now as i discovered a half eaten king quail two days ago ( dont worry folks ! NOT going to post a photo of that one ).
We have every type of trap set around the aviaries, and a couple inside as well - Can anyone tell me, what has been the best bait to use that attracts them ? We have tried everything from peanut butter to sardines, but it just wont go near the traps. I cant use poison bait due to my dogs. But i'm getting desperate. I have even filled in his holes with cement powder and water, but he just pops up somewhere else from another hole. Any suggestion appreciated.

Well if it likes king quail bait it with that......no just kidding, Poison can be used just put it in something rat can get into but the dogs cant....such as a long pipe, Good luck..

vettepilot_6 wrote:

Well if it likes king quail bait it with that......no just kidding, .[/quote]

Not such a bad idea! I have used the remains of their last kill to bait a trap, with great success, as they very often come back next night to finish off the meal.

You will have to be patient...and sneaky!
From a program I saw (Life of Grime) about rats they have a strong sense of smell and avoid things with a strong human scent, so maybe wash (if possible) the traps and use gloves when handling and setting them. Also they are very clever in recognising what another rat has died from and will avoid any traps set with the same bait.
Maybe try something totally new edible wise and bait any traps using gloves, but be prepared to wait for a while as they are also very suspicious of new things. They are even known to just taste a bait and if they feel ok after a day or so they will return to try a bit more.
No wonder they survive everywhere!

Tintola wrote:

vettepilot_6 wrote:

Well if it likes king quail bait it with that......no just kidding, .

Not such a bad idea! I have used the remains of their last kill to bait a trap, with great success, as they very often come back next night to finish off the meal. [/quote]

My experience was very different. They did not go back to eat the newly fledged varied lorikeets that they had killed the previous evenings, no matter what trap I used.
This was 25 yrs ago when they were worth $800-$1000/pr!! Not happy Jan!

They do prefer to run along walls etc so set your traps against other structures.

If you bait the centre of PVC pipes laid against the wall it might help as Greg suggested.

You can also try mixing bait with melted chocolate with peanut butter mixed through it. Keep presenting it & eventually they will be unable to resist- well, that's the idea anyway!!

Hubby wears gloves when touching the baits etc. If they are killing for meat maybe some mince?
LML

( Chuckle ) We did actually use the remains of the king quail, in a trap that catches them alive - but he hasn't come back to it . Just set traps somewhere different tonight with some tin cat food on one and nutella on another. Gonna get this SOB if its the last thing i do !!! Gotta get him before he gets into my other quail / canary aviary - i have two one legged quail in that aviary, so they would be sitting ducks. Thanks for the replies all ! Appreciate the feedback.

Although I have never had rats in my aviary they seem to love living in my shed.I have tried several baits but they seem to love racumin and dont even touch some of the others.The problem you have is you need the bait away from your dogs and also your birds.I would use a bait station where the dogs cant get to and also the birds.Use liquid nails for your satchel or block, so the rat must eat it in the station and not carry it away.This should eliminate your dogs getting directly poisoned by the bait,aslong as the bait station is either secure or where the dogs cant get too.Then after day two from the bait being eaten either lock up the dogs if possible in a smaller yard away from the area.Or inside at night and do a thorough search of the yard daily untill day eight.The rat will be dead if it has been eating the bait between day 3 and 8.So either the rat has been found by you in this time.or has died in its nest(preferably in the neighbors yard).A rats nest will be somewhere dry and high normally eg.wood shed,man shed,house roof etc this is where the body should be.If you use racumin as the link below says the risk of secondry poisoning is minimal if you dog does happen to catch a sick rat at night.If you are still very worried about secondry poisoning occurring.Stick to your other only and hope you get him sooner then later.
Happy hunting JEWEL and dont forget a trophy photo when you get this beast

http://www.bayeranimal.com.au/default.a ... &ItemId=49

The best way to catch a rat is by using another rat!! (one from a pet shop will work)
This has been trailed over here in Kiwi land refer to this link http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10798067.