MAZURI and rats

[ZEROPILOT]

Every now and then, I just toss whole, dry Mazuri into my two Redfoot pens.
I've done this a few days a month for a few years as a way to get my tortoises to forage and find food in hidden areas.
However, the last two nights, I've seen a few rats outside in the enclosures and running down the fence.
The one in particular I caught with a flashlight had a piece of 5M21 hanging out of its mouth.
These rats come and go on the neighborhood power lines. They mostly eat mangoes and fruit on the local trees. But the fruit season is ending.
So, no more indiscriminately tossing of Mazuri and no more "extra" food for a while.
And it might be time to whip out the rat traps again?

 

[Tom]

Funny you should say this tonight. I was putting tortoises away tonight and I kept hearing a weird squeaking from over where my new chicks are housed. I walk over there with the head lamp and there are about a dozen rats feasting on chick crumbles in the dark. I almost got one by the tail, but it slipped my grasp. Unfortunately I only had a few rat traps to put out, but I'll fix that problem tomorrow.

Yes on the traps. Keep the numbers down as much as you can. Do your torts sleep in a secure area? When there is no more free food, the hungry rodents might go for your torts.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Funny you should say this tonight. I was putting tortoises away tonight and I kept hearing a weird squeaking from over where my new chicks are housed. I walk over there with the head lamp and there are about a dozen rats feasting on chick crumbles in the dark. I almost got one by the tail, but it slipped my grasp. Unfortunately I only had a few rat traps to put out, but I'll fix that problem tomorrow.

Yes on the traps. Keep the numbers down as much as you can. Do your torts sleep in a secure area? When there is no more free food, the hungry rodents might go for your torts.

My torts have some night houses that they can seek out. But I only "put them inside" when it gets into the 50s. So that's almost never.
They usually just crash into the bushes at night.
Thankfully I've never encountered an injury or a wound I'd attribute to a rodent. In fact my tortoises have eaten more than a few of them. ESPECIALLY if I trap one, and that trap gets drug into or falls into an enclosure.
I'm very mindful of not poisoning them. But I'm concerned about other homeowners poisoning some, and then they seek out my yard drawn in by all of my pond water.
It seems that a dying rat always seeks out water...
It's currently 2:07 am.
I placed 4 traps at 7 pm
I'm sure there is a rat in every trap!

 

[Blackdog1714]

Wow I must have the smart rats. Peanut butter bait is avoided-hell back when I was dogcatcher 20 years ago I could catch almost anything with peanut butter or a Reese's cup. The rats are why I rebuilt the chicken coop and rencapsulated it in hardware cloth. My chicken feed use dropped dramaticaly it lasts days and weeks longer.

 

[wellington]

My torts have some night houses that they can seek out. But I only "put them inside" when it gets into the 50s. So that's almost never.
They usually just crash into the bushes at night.
Thankfully I've never encountered an injury or a wound I'd attribute to a rodent. In fact my tortoises have eaten more than a few of them. ESPECIALLY if I trap one, and that trap gets drug into or falls into an enclosure.
I'm very mindful of not poisoning them. But I'm concerned about other homeowners poisoning some, and then they seek out my yard drawn in by all of my pond water.
It seems that a dying rat always seeks out water...
It's currently 2:07 am.
I placed 4 traps at 7 pm
I'm sure there is a rat in every trap!

Most rat poisons make the rats thirsty so they seek out water. When they drink the water that makes the poison work. At least here in Chicago, that's how the city rat poison works.

 

[Tom]

Wow I must have the smart rats. Peanut butter bait is avoided-hell back when I was dogcatcher 20 years ago I could catch almost anything with peanut butter or a Reese's cup. The rats are why I rebuilt the chicken coop and rencapsulated it in hardware cloth. My chicken feed use dropped dramaticaly it lasts days and weeks longer.

Peanut butter never works here... They just lick it off and fail to set off the trap.

 

[Tom]

My torts have some night houses that they can seek out. But I only "put them inside" when it gets into the 50s. So that's almost never.
They usually just crash into the bushes at night.
Thankfully I've never encountered an injury or a wound I'd attribute to a rodent. In fact my tortoises have eaten more than a few of them. ESPECIALLY if I trap one, and that trap gets drug into or falls into an enclosure.
I'm very mindful of not poisoning them. But I'm concerned about other homeowners poisoning some, and then they seek out my yard drawn in by all of my pond water.
It seems that a dying rat always seeks out water...
It's currently 2:07 am.
I placed 4 traps at 7 pm
I'm sure there is a rat in every trap!

Well? Was there a rat in each trap?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Well? Was there a rat in each trap?

I got 3 and the 4th had snapped, too.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Peanut butter never works here... They just lick it off and fail to set off the trap.

In the wooden snap traps I use a 1 or 2 inch piece of rag material pinched into the metal food part. Them smear the rags with peanut butter. It makes them yank on it.
However, last night I used Blackberries.
These are the black plastic claw looking snap traps.
Unfortunately it's not unusual for the rat to not be completely dead. They are very large and strong. And it's why I hate using traps.

 

[Tom]

G

I got 3 and the 4th had snapped, too.

Going to go check mine now...

 

[Tom]

I got 3 and the 4th had snapped, too.

I went 2/2!

I'll set out a bunch more traps tonight. Where are all my owls??? They usually feast and keep this problem under control...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I went 2/2!

I'll set out a bunch more traps tonight. Where are all my owls??? They usually feast and keep this problem under control...

IDK
They seem to be running amok right now

 

[Blackdog1714]

In the wooden snap traps I use a 1 or 2 inch piece of rag material pinched into the metal food part. Them smear the rags with peanut butter. It makes them yank on it.
However, last night I used Blackberries.
These are the black plastic claw looking snap traps.
Unfortunately it's not unusual for the rat to not be completely dead. They are very large and strong. And it's why I hate using traps.

Will update my system Thanks!

 

[TriciaStringer]

I am having the same problem. I want a rat snake so badly on our farm, but no such luck yet. We set out traps. I got one mouse that night. I want to build a rat trap box. I've heard it is very successful.

 

[Tom]

I am having the same problem. I want a rat snake so badly on our farm, but no such luck yet. We set out traps. I got one mouse that night. I want to build a rat trap box. I've heard it is very successful.

Ive tried all sorts of things, but nothing has worked better than correctly set snap traps for me. Try your idea and let us know what you learn. I'm always looking for better ways to do things.

 

[TriciaStringer]

Ive tried all sorts of things, but nothing has worked better than correctly set snap traps for me. Try your idea and let us know what you learn. I'm always looking for better ways to do things.

It is snap traps set inside a box so nothing else can get to them. It has two 1 inch entrances on two sides. You set four traps in it and close the lid. The mice love a dark place and go inside. They also go where other mice have been, so the smell left from the previous mice draws them in the box. I'm planning on attaching it to a fence, so that nothing can move it too. Here is the video I watched. You'd need to build a bigger box for rats I guess. I'm focusing on mice right now.

 

[Minority2]

The you-tuber Shawn Woods is known for his rat trap reviewing channel. There are many different sorts of traps depending on the level of involvement needed during clean up.

This quicksand trap for example is re-usable, cheap, and very effective in drowning rats.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I used to work in a Warehouse that set up 5 gallon buckets about 1/3rd filled with water. Then they had wax paper taped to the top. Like a drum. Peanut butter smeared on the wax paper and then an X slit in it.
Most of the mice did not drown, but each bucket captured a lot of mice.

 

[Blackdog1714]

So last night I set out two traps- one is an old fashion snap trap and the other is a Tomcat jaw snapper with a tiny modification. I added a deck screw to the top center near the jaws and for bait I used Mazuri! For the snap trap I put it in a mechanics towel and wired it to the trigger. For the Tomcat I put it into the bait spot. Today I had two juvenile rats! Success

 

[ZEROPILOT]

So last night I set out two traps- one is an old fashion snap trap and the other is a Tomcat jaw snapper with a tiny modification. I added a deck screw to the top center near the jaws and for bait I used Mazuri! For the snap trap I put it in a mechanics towel and wired it to the trigger. For the Tomcat I put it into the bait spot. Today I had two juvenile rats! Success

I've had 11 kills. Several empty traps and three still alive and suffering in traps.
I hate killing these guys. And having to dispatch them after they've been in horrible pain all night is pretty rough.
Tonight will be very productive because I tossed a few ears of corn into my Redfoot pens.
I never do.
Mainly because rats love it.
So do Redfoot.
So do I