Roof Rat Bait Suggestions

[Guest]

Rats are omnivores like racoons and possums so ... Do what the professional trappers do.

Get a quart mason jar.

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cans of sardines or tuna

1 pint of crisco or bacon grease

Put all the stuff in the jar and mix well. If you can stand it run it in a blender.

Now put the lid on the jar LOOSLY and sit it in the sun for a couple of days.

Take the whole mess back inside and stick it in the freezer till you intend to use it.

A teaspoon of it will go a LONG ways. Don't stand down wind. 

 

[GoldenFrog]

That sounds delicious oldspook, I’ll spread that rat paté on some toast. If I put that out I’m afraid of what I’ll call to the bait station. I’ll have to cast some silver pellets.

 

[Bander124]

I’ve been having good luck with hotdogs. The wonder bait from catfish to bears hotdogs will catch it all. 

 

[greenterror]

We have a lot of roof rats here in lake havasu, sunflower seeds work the best for me. They like nijer seed too, fruit is another one, like oranges or pomegranate, but sunflower seed seems to work the best. Set a motion sensor on the bait station, like them cheap ones from Harbor freight so you'll know when they're on the seed, than just sneak out and zap them...happy hunting.

 

[GoldenFrog]

Thanks I’ll try sunflower seeds. I tried our bird food last night and I have a Harbor Freight motion detector on it. No hits last night. 

 

[Bander124]

So I don’t have roof rats we have “pack rats” at least that’s what the locals call them but by roof logic they would be floor rats. Their just rats to me and are all around A-holes. My wife called me once while I was at work freaking out because one was in the kitchen from the basement. She blasted it and my old oven with a .25 pellet from the leshiy now I have new oven. hotdogs, grass seed, tuna, but they don’t like cat food or sweets for my rats . I’m following this thread for more bait ideas. Roof rats - floor rats, bastards is the name I have for them they also seem to out smart a lot of traps too

 

[JohnL57]

Here's what the OP is referring to-They also make huge nests of piled up sticks.

 

[sonny]

Here's what the OP is referring to-They also make huge nests of piled up sticks.

looks like a hamster 

 

[greenterror]

That looks like them, alright. Here's another picture. They do pile sticks up in they're nests, and in the desert when they can they mix cholla cactus needles in to keep the coyotes and other predators from digging them out. This one's laying next to his mate who got a few days before, they're usually always gone by morning, but what ever takes them...yotes most likely must have been slacking on the job.