# Wood Rat Trapout



## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

Do you have a friend with a pet snake? -james


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Now that is a good thread. Nice job!!


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## Steven Ogborn (Jun 3, 2011)

Rats, ****roaches, and fire ants are the only animals in the world that I wish would go extinct. Does anybody know 
how to cause fire ant CCD?


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

I vote for a swim lesson:applause:
Nice picture page 

Tommyt


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Must be the season. This wood rat took a walk into the Rat Zapper in my garage last week.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Wow, that's a huge rat! (Nice hair odfrank )


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Steven Ogborn said:


> Rats, ****roaches, and fire ants are the only animals in the world that I wish would go extinct. Does anybody know
> how to cause fire ant CCD?


yes - beneficial nematodes. Not instant, definitely organic, works for me every year. I treat in spring.

And that is one prize-winning rat!


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

"Must be the season. This wood rat took a walk into the Rat Zapper in my garage last week. "
I had this image of ODFRANK - 6'13" tough bloke and noe I see this photo and his holding a little rat with a TISSUE!! Please tell me I'm mistaken.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

max2 said:


> "Must be the season. This wood rat took a walk into the Rat Zapper in my garage last week. "
> I had this image of ODFRANK - 6'13" tough bloke and noe I see this photo and his holding a little rat with a TISSUE!! Please tell me I'm mistaken.


:lpf:


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

:lookout::lpf::lpf:


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

max2 said:


> I had this image of ODFRANK - 6'13" tough bloke and noe I see this photo and his holding a little rat with a TISSUE!! Please tell me I'm mistaken.


Hantavirus is a life-threatning disease spread to humans by rodents that has symptoms similar to influenza.
*Causes, incidence, and risk factors*

Hantavirus is carried by rodents, especially deer mice. The virus is found in their urine and feces, but it does not make the animal sick.
It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they come in contact with contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings. You may come in contact with such dust when cleaning homes, sheds, or other enclosed areas that have been empty for a long time.
Hantavirus does not spread between humans.
Rodents carrying the hantavirus have been found in many U.S. national parks. Campers and hikers may be more likely to catch the disease than most people. This is because they pitch tents on the forest floor and lay their sleeping bags down in musty cabins.
However, only a couple of cases have been directly linked to camping or hiking. Most people who are exposed to the virus have come in contact with rodent droppings in their own homes.

I cleaned up a cabin a few years back and was sick for weeks, like a flu. And it was a paper towel, not TISSUE!


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

FYI, And yes this info comes from training as I am a Maintenance person for a university. Always wet mouse or rat droppings with a spray bottle before cleaning them up. wear disposable gloves or a rag you will throw away. In other words don't get your hands in direct contact so that you are carrying any virus around with you. Those are the two main issues when dealing with this virus. you breath it in, that is how you can get sick from it. So no sweeping up dry droppings with a broom etc.
Odfrank is correct in picking up the rat with a towel for example. Nothing you have to get a radiation suit out for. just common since don't get it on you methods of prevention.
Nice rat by the way. all dead ones are nice.


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

Frank,

Would you mind sharing the make/model of your Rat Trap? Not sure if I have mice or rat(s) in my garage, but I want to get something that works.

Thanks,
Tony P.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

toekneepea said:


> Frank,Would you mind sharing the make/model of your Rat Trap?


I caught this one with the Rat Zapper Ultra:

http://www.ratzapper.com/view.cfm?ProductID=4

But I also keep regular snap type rat and mouse traps set in the garage baited with peanuts and peanut butter and catch them with those also. I live on the edge of a 23000 acre wildlife preserve, so the stream of rodents is constant (and racoons, coyotes, bobcats, deer, geese, ravens, bee swarms etc.). For some reason rodents love my garage. The Rat Zapper sat ignored for over a year and then caught this big guy.


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks Frank.

Tony P.


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## MichaelShantz (May 9, 2010)

I have good luck baiting standard rat traps with banana. Even after it dries they often go for it. But many rats seem wary of traditional traps and I usually have better luck with homemade box traps behind entrance holes where they don't see anything unusual until the door drops. We also are near open space and have endless stream of rodents.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

"
Hantavirus is carried by rodents, especially deer mice. The virus is found in their urine and feces, but it does not make the animal sick."

Sorry, never heard of it here. But then we don't have Rabies, Limes Disease, Foot and Mouth, Mad Cow or Varroa. No doubt it all will arrive here one day. Take care.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

I have periodic rat and prairie vole invasions, particularly at the beginning of winter, or during summer drought. So I feed the feral cats, and they visit my garden. Saw one of them carrying off a nice 6 inch rat back in October, and no more chewed melons afterward.

My housecats patrol house and garage, my dogs got a juicy vole in the back yard, and of course dropped the body in the living room floor to show me. . 

On the beehives, I don't know much about protecting them except a mouse-guard, because I don't think the feral cats are going to hop in and rescue the bees. Will have to look at your trap.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Daniel Y said:


> FYI, Odfrank is correct in picking up the rat with a towel for example.


If you knew odfrank personally like I do you'd tease him too. (I only tease people I like and have respect for).


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Does anybody know how to cause fire ant CCD? 

Someone posted that they put the hives from a CCD demise on an ant hill and it killed the ants...

I've had my best luck with raw meat for rat bait.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

For your evenings entertainment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ajw_n-mwhY


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

OD, you get more rats than I do. But how about a 38 inch diamond back water snake for your entertainment? (when I do get rats, the predators just move on in and eat my fish...)

(the male insisted on hanging around after I starved the 60 inch female out and she left)















The one in water was after I discovered him, and before I caught him.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Your west coast rats look like Chicago mice. Here's a Chicago rat:
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2266156


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

odfrank said:


> For your evenings entertainment:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ajw_n-mwhY



Did you mount any of them, that 3rd one was a monster. 



Don


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

odfrank said:


> For your evenings entertainment:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ajw_n-mwhY


Same rat in different positions? Farming rats? Alternative food source?


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

Australian rat ( I think) -the baby is eating a Pomello.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?img...ODMvwmAX-1JSMBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFMQ9QEwBQ&dur=168


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## RogerCrum (Jun 19, 2011)

Expected photos of Chicago politicians Barry. LOL


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

RogerCrum said:


> Expected photos of Chicago politicians Barry. LOL


That was either a Norway rat photo or a candidate for city council. Which one was it? :scratch:


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

max2 said:


> Australian rat ( I think) -the baby is eating a Pomello.
> http://www.google.com.au/imgres?img...ODMvwmAX-1JSMBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFMQ9QEwBQ&dur=168


I've got possums bigger than that, can live trap 3 a night, but I haven't figured out anything they are good for, so I just cut them loose.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Gypsi said:


> so I just cut them loose.


Do you know they eat bees? Don`t turn them loose!!


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

I didn't know they ate bees. I know they eat catfood and torment my dogs. So what do I do with them? body too big, and probably too stinky for the trash bin. Can I eat possum? (I almost ate that snake, I'm funny like that.)


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Gypsi said:


> Can I eat possum? (I almost ate that snake, I'm funny like that.)


You're missing out on a valuable source of protein! :lookout:

http://www.tngenweb.org/tntable/possum.htm


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Gypsi said:


> Can I eat possum?


If you want to you can  I have back when I was to young to understand, my Mother said after WW2 when my uncles came home she cooked everything but a skunk and snake.

Around here I put them in the woods for coyote food.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

"I've got possums bigger than that, can live trap 3 a night, but I haven't figured out anything they are good for, so I just cut them loose. "

We have a number of mum's with babys living in our ceiling. They are harmless, entertaining and in our case do no damage. A different story in NZ where they where introduced. A big pest. Uses" Meat Pies, Fur Products ( in Australia they are protected)


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

You definitely can eat them. Question is, would you want to. You probably don't want to simply release them, either. I would dispatch them with a .22 and, as someone already alluded to, chuck them for coyote feed. (One less deer or turkey the coyotes will harass that day.)

Generally speaking, I don't believe in killing anything that I am not willing to eat. Possum is one exception. (Others include crows, coyotes, raccoons and just a very few others.)

-james


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## MichaelShantz (May 9, 2010)

One way to make a rat trap. It's simpler if you put the door in the end and run the trip wire directly to the pan, but this plan has caught literally hundreds for me. No latch is needed to hold the door down, they have never figured out how to lift the door and escape.
http://ww2.michaelshantz.com:8001/homepage/gardens/RatTrap.pdf


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Well they get in my live-traps when I'm trapping feral cats to spay/neuter. I re-release the cats, and they control my rodent population, but a possum in the cat-house will keep the cats out of their feeding station, they don't mess with possums. The question is, can I shoot a possum in a live trap, I do have a pellet gun. And no, they really don't look appetizing. For now I've been just releasing. I can defend my hives somehow, can't I? 

Then again, if either the trucking company or allstate don't give on paying for my truck, I may have to eat possum. Thank you for the recipes Charlie B!


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