Rat Poison, Rat Zapper, Rat Traps for Getting Rid of Rats
Pictures of a rat, rat nest, and rat poop after eating poison
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Rat Problems
Over the years I've been a part of three rat problems. The first rat was a large rat that was crawling in from underneath the house and getting into things under our kitchen sink. The second rat was attracted to our dog food in our garage and made a little house in our washing machine and the last rat was at my in laws and it made a home in their outside barbecue. Here is how we got rid of them.
Using Rat Poison
Rat poison definitely will kill rats. We used these large green pellets. They attracted rats like crazy. The rats came and ate them and even hauled the pellets to their nest. As they at the rat poison, it kills them slowly. We could tell that they were eating the poison because the poop from the rats turned from hard pieces to a runny green liquid. The downside of the poison is that rat poop is messy and if they are in a place like a barbecue, than I don't like the idea of the poison any wear near where I prepare food. After the rat is dead, you have to clean things incredibly well. The other reason I don't like poison is the rats get sick and weak and can be easily caught by dogs and cat and that makes it unfriendly to the environment. Also, having poison out can be dangerous to your pets and small kids.
Rat Trap - Watch it in slow motion break a pencil
Rat Traps
I killed a large rat with a rat trap baited with peanut butter under our kitchen sink. The rat set the trap off in the middle of the night. It made a loud slap sound and I knew I had caught a rat. This type of rat trap is spring loaded and tripped when the food is taken. In the morning, I went to the rat trap to see blood all over the inside of our kitchen cabinet and in the corner was a maimed rat. I then had to scoop the rat out with a shovel and place it in a bucket. The bad news was it was still alive and I had to kill it. That was pretty miserable. I'm not sure why it becomes my job to deal with things in our family that have to be killed like mice, spiders and rats. Anyway, I'll never use a trap again because it seems pretty cruel to not kill it quickly.
Rat Zapper Video
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Rat Zapper
I was introduced to the Rat Zapper by my brother. He's killed a few rats with it at his house. The rat zapper works by placing some bait in the trap. The rat walks into the trap and several volts of electricity powered by batteries electrocute the rat in a few seconds. Then, all you do is empty the trap in the garbage. I think this is the way to go. My father in law has a rat problem now where they are getting into his hot tub and making a new rat nest in the cabinet of his barbecue every few days. I'm going to send him a rat zapper as a gift. As a side note, from the rat zapper videos, it looks like it easily kills a rat, but not strong enough to kill a possum.
Ratting Dogs
As I was talking about the rat problems, I was introduced to these videos on ratting dogs. The dogs have been bread over thousands of years to kill rats. They catch the rats, bite them and then shake them until they're dead. It's pretty gruesome to watch, but I can see hiring dogs to kill rats as an option if you had a huge problem with rats. Watch how many rats run out of the hay.
Dogs Hunt Rats Youtube Video
Terrier Dogs Kill Rats in Hay Youtube Video
Comments
If I had not actually seen this work, I would not believe it. A plug-in-the-wall device that runs off rats and mice... even some bugs and ants... It does not bother/affect/effect small animals/pets... Ultrasonic rat/mouse repellents will help you get rid of rats in your home. These electronic rat repellers use ultrasonic sounds and other technologies that chase mice/rats out of your home and out of your walls. The sound and vibrations produced by the plug in rat repellents make living in your home and walls uncomfortable for the rats and chases them out.
Three things about rat poison.
(1) It used to be sold from feedstores as "Wafarin" and still may be as far as I know. It works because it makes the rat bleed to death internally. However, it's not lost on some old timers (like my husband) the irony of that -- because "coumadin" a blood thinner often prescribed for serious heart problems -- is the manufacturer name for generic "wafarain." At 68 he's convinced they are poisoning him.
(2) When my daughter was a toddler, our apartment complex had a rat problem. They put the rat poison down and for whatever reason she ate it. Spent a terrified night in the hospital after having her stomach pumped and for that reason -- my advice is if you have small children or pets -- don't go the poison route.
(3) Strange but true -- in the building my son, his wife, and two year old live in (in Hong Kong) rats are a huge problem. For about 4 months the building manager kept poisoning the rats on the common porches, everyone was upset because the dead rats decaying bodies had produced a horrible smell (or so they thought). Turned out the elderly lady above their apartment had expired and no one knew it as her corpse rotted for all those months. After the discovery, the manager posted a notice that no one is allowed to poison the rats and must only use traps -- to ensure that situation does not repeat itself.
Wow pretty gruesome stuff. But rats have to be dealt with.I like the sound of the zapper. Pretty humane way to go.Strangely, I have no fear of rats but I am really scared of mice. The weird thing is I even know the origin of my phobia. I wrote a non commercial hub about it.Voted up and useful.
Rodents are the bain of my existence! They scare me, and I scare them I am sure. Reducing the population in almost any way, shape, or form is just okay by me. I am not partial to the poisons however, they are just too inhumane for me. My fear with rat/mouse poison is that a rat that has eaten the stuff would be caught and consumed by a domestic animal (cat/dog) and cause the end of these fine creatures lives as well, and that is NOT a good thing. The Rat zapper you speak of, sounds perfect! Up and awesome Paul!
K9
Very good tips and I also like the zapper. It is horrible to get rid of them.
I have a rat zapper and I am so glad for it.
Electric Trap - This trap speaks for itself.
10 Homemade - This is for the guy who wants to make a better mouse / rat trap, or wants to try something different. The most common is the 5 gallon bucket and soda can with wire stretched across the top. Don't forget to place the board on the lip of the bucket (AKA plank), before you send the local mice and rat populations to their death.
. Live trap - A lot like the Ketch-All, a live trap is a lot smaller version of standard live cat and dog traps. A Fig Newton or peanut butter in the back behind the trigger plate does the trick every time.
8. Cube Tilt Trap - A cube trap is a gravity trap with a door on one end. When the mouse enters, the cube tilts causing the door to close. Peanut butter at the back of the tube works great.
Mice, rats and other rodents are unwanted guests in many households. They will eat your food and chew holes in all kinds of items. They also carry several diseases that put you and your family's health in jeopardy. Rats are one of the most diseased rodents that will inhabit a house, and eliminating the problem needs to be done quickly.
However, they are also very intelligent, and it doesn't take long for them to learn their surroundings.
I had one come from an open drain in my house. He crawled up the wrong tube. My black lab greeted him with a neck shake. Somehow it got away and holed itself up in a space under my sink. Ordered a bb gun online and put bbs in it, came home tonight and found it hiding in the cabinet under the sink. Sadly, I didn't pump it enough times to drop it on the spot. Now I am going to have to pull out my sink to get the dead body before they start to reek. Iknow it's dying because I heard it make noises and now they stopped. Moral of the story, if your going to do it yourself, do it in a way it dies in a easy to access spot.
You shot a rat in your house with a bb gun? I think the rat zapper is a better way to go.
I am glad to see this hub, thanks for more information.
After removing yet another rat from a trap, I'm buying a zapper. Just broke my heart to see that the trap broke the rat's lower back. I certainly hope it went quickly.
This rodent was my fourth trap. The rodents have cost me three service trips from the washing machine guy to repair chewed water hoses. The last guy sprayed WD40 on the hoses; something rats and mice don't like. Who knew?!
SteveoMc 18 months ago
OMG I would use any means possible to get rats out of my house. WE had some mice once and they lived in the ceiling of the basement rooms, I had to catch them, poison would have resulted in dead mice in the ceiling. I used mouse traps, it took a few weeks, but I got them all. I loved the zapper though, that works neat. I too used peanut butter, seems they can't resist the stuff.