Humane rat catcher

[PositronicRay]

ssray said:

if you find its the compost heap, keep it very damp and turn it occasionally, they don`t like change it will spook them

Thanks, I'll try that. I won't be doing anything for 5 weeks, so I'll just look @ garden hygiene for now.

[PositronicRay]

I've found a few rat runs under the concrete gravel boards leading to next door. All blocked up except one, I've put fresh soil around this to see if it's still being used.

[EggsBenedict]

For humane rat traps, google is your friend.

However, we had three, and only ever caught baby rats. We released them by a nearby waterway that has loads anyway. The adults were too canny. They eventually ate their way through the plasterboard ceiling in my garage, pissed everywhere made the place totally filthy. At that point I lost it and decided I'd get them with the air rifle. Then I saw them, and how fast they moved. Called in the rat man. Problem solved.

Had a cat at the time that could kill rabbits, squirrels and the odd rat, but he wasn't interested in these buggers. They were huge.

[Andy RV]

I've had the most success with a Mk4 Fenn trap.

[netherfield]

ChemicalChaos said:

They are pretty vicious fkers. We had a proper rat trap in our shed, one got caught by its hind leg and proceeded to knaw the leg off to escape.

If you are still serious about keeping them alive however, Rentokil do a very good humane tunnel trap where a battery powered door closes behind the rat once inside.

That would not survive anyway, it'd crawl away and die somewhere, any injury and the rest of the rats would kill it if it tried to rejoin the group.