I have rats in my horsebarn (not surprising) and have set traps for them, baited with peanut butter. I haven't caught any, and there are no nibbles in the peanut butter bait.

Now, I'm in my 50s, and have lived in the country for large parts of my life and have never had peanut butter fail as a bait before.

Any bright ideas? I have successfully used bacon in the past, but would rather not do so now that the temperature is approaching 90 in Florida. There's something about the stink of rancid bacon I'd rather avoid.

So, if you have any ideas about what to bait the traps with to get rid of the little bastards, I'd be grateful.

Note, I've also considered the bottle of whiskey, chaise lounge and .22 with rat shot method. That idea was vetoed by a higher power.

Back in the 1970s I was an enterprising young lad. I charged store owners to trap rats in their basements.

I used peanut butter - Skippy - and a small piece of cooked bacon on top, pushed down into the peanut butter (so as not to be easily pulled off).

It worked like a charm. Some days I made $25 when I checked my traps. Which was a lot of money to a 13 year old. Kept me in BB guns and ammo anyways. Good luck! Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI

The electronic traps are much more effective at killing mice and rats, than the spring type.

Peanut butter has always worked for me the best.

great pix vtail.

Jack Russell Terrier.

I would use the big Victor traps. I like 18DAI method.

Have you actually seen them?

Freshly cut apples, cat food, pistachios or sunflower seeds have all worked for me. Strangly, peanut butter didn't interest them.

A raisin rolled in flour will knock em out.

Use chunky peanut butter, and try to lodge a piece of peanut under the tab of metal on top of the trap. That way, they have to try and unlodge it, and set the trap off.

I use the store bought bait/kill green blocks with great success. I tried numerous other things first- the gel sticky pads, never caught a rat but plenty of little lizards and hated seeing them suffer, springs loaded types but they always ate the bate and never were struck by the bar, (although I have).

Caramel on the trigger covered with peanut butter. The sticky caramel will trip the spring

Sweet feed mixed with extra molasses to form a sticky ball. They are probably addicted to sweet feed.

quote:

Sweet feed mixed with extra molasses to form a sticky ball. They are probably addicted to sweet feed.

I might try this. They are going for the feed (and grass seed). I have molasses in the barn for the horses as well.

I'm using those big Victor traps, and damn, if one didn't get my finger about a week ago.

And yes, I have seen the little bastards. They run up the walls and along the rafters. Most efficient method of killing them so far has been when they fall into the water buckets and drown.

I load up on cats.

They're available at a variety of shelters.

Shelter them in the barn with plenty of food and water.

Rats will be a thing of the past.

Sardines from a can...expired and stinky.

Figure out what food the rats are pursuing - and use more of that?

Look at the videos on YouTube under 'Goodnature' traps. Holly cow. I ran across these video's and they are good for advertising their rat/possum/mice traps. They use a C02 driven piston that whacks the rodent when they stick there head in the trap. They have an odor bait that makes the animal stick their head in the trap and then "whack" and the trap resets itself. Interesting product.

Peanut butter draws them out...

Rats eat just about anything, but it's smell that draws them in. Sardines, cat food, raw bacon, small fish heads, catfish stink bait.... anything that stinks will attract them.

I do use peanut butter in the traps I keep set 24/7/365 in my attic. It doesn't seem to go bad even in the extreme heat in the attic in 100 degree Texas heat. I have noticed though, these attic rats learn quickly and will take to just lightly licking the PB without setting the trap off. If I see that, I'll bait with something they need to chew on like bacon secured with multiple wraps of light test weight monofilament fishing line so they've got to work at it to get if off.

I always use cheese, I'm a traditionalist.

You can smoosh it into the bait holding thing, it hardens and stays in place. I put a little peanut butter on that.

One youtuber said Tootsie roll makes good mouse/rat trap bait. Chew it up a bit and squish it in place. I keep meaning to try it but always forget.