Rats are known for their intelligence. These pests have shown a remarkable ability to navigate mazes and perform other intelligence based tasks. This includes the ability to avoid traps. But what can you do about this and how do you make it so that your traps actually work?
Why do rats avoid traps in the first place?
The problem with rats is that they are terrified of anything new. These pests are smart enough to understand that anything new in their environment could be dangerous. This is the main reason why they avoid traps. Solving this problem requires time and patience. It just means that you’ll have to leave the trap out for longer. It could take several weeks before the rats get used to the trap and approach it.
Another issue with your rat control measures could be with your bait. The best bait to use is whole nuts or peanut butter. Rats love this. Nutella also works well. What you should also do is something known as “pre-feeding”. This is a process where you get the rat used to eating the bait. You do this by placing it around the area where rats are active, and also around the trap itself. The rats will get used to eating your bait, and then eat the bait that is in your trap.
What if they are still avoiding your traps?
Rats may still be suspicious of your trap, or afraid of it. So, what you want to do is get them used to eating from the trap by bait the trap without setting it. Once they start eating the bait in your traps, you can then begin to set them. This applies whether you are dealing with rats in your garden, a garage, shed or in the basement.
In addition, be careful of where you place your traps. Rats usually move along the same pathways. At a certain point, it becomes easy to spot these routes. This is usually because of the droppings they leave behind. Place your traps squarely along these paths.
One other tip is that you should always wear gloves when handling a trap. Rats sometimes avoid traps because your scent is on the trap. Finally, be patient. Do not expect to catch rats on your first attempt. Its takes time, effort, and experimentation, so don’t be in a rush.