No one ever wants to see a rat in their home, but sometimes it happens. Unfortunately, these pesky little rodents can cause quite a lot of havoc when loose in a home. They can chew on wires, leave droppings all around, rummage through food storage, and make those eerie scratching sounds at night. What’s worse, rats breed quite often, so if you’ve got a few rats, it could only be a matter of time before you’ve got a full-blown infestation.
Luckily, people are getting clever when it comes to catching rats. Check out these five times where people became the modern-day genius of rat control.
When Household Foods Worked as Bait
One of the best baits for catching rats is peanut butter. Something about the sweet smell attracts them regardless of whether or not this means they have to go out in the open where they are vulnerable and exposed. One of the cleverest ways to attract a rat using peanut butter comes from a Reddit thread and requires a bucket and spoon.
Dab some peanut butter on a spoon and place it on a countertop. Place the bucket just underneath the spoon handles hanging over the countertop. When the rat runs out to get the peanut butter, both it and the spoon will fall into the bucket, alerting you to its capture.
Apparently, the salty-sweet goodness of peanut butter works better than cheese—who knew?
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You Could Recreate Rat Nests
Rats breed a lot—like a lot—which means they’re often looking for places to nest. You can create a clever rat trap by making your own rat nest to lure the rat(s) to you so you can oust them from the house. Find materials like straw, grass, and cotton wool, as these are the typical things rats and mice use to create their nests. Once you’ve created the perfect spot to rest, they will come.
Use Buckets and Bottles
This simple trick involves turning an empty bottle into a skewer, placing it across the opening of a bucket, and revisiting the use of peanut butter. Once the rat makes its way up to the bottle to get the peanut butter, the bottle will spin, thus dropping the rat into the bucket. This is a more peaceful trap that won’t harm or kill the rat.
The Basics: A Cage
Sometimes, the simplest traps are the best traps. As you’ll see in the video, there are great ways to catch rats using simple cages that are expertly placed in and around one’s home. Again, this is a good option for those who don’t want to harm or kill the rats but simply capture them and set them free elsewhere.
The Bucket With a Plate Trap
This trap also used peanut butter, a bucket, and other household items to expertly and peacefully catch your rat. By simply skewering the plate, dabbing it with some peanut butter, and waiting, you can quickly and easily catch your rat. The best part about this trap is that it’s self-resetting. Once the weight of the rat touches the plate, it will automatically dip, dropping the rat into the bucket. Once the rat has fallen in, the plate will spring back, ready for the next one.
Catching rats doesn’t have to be a whole production using poisons, kill traps, and other harsh and potentially messy methods. There are plenty of ways people can catch rats using creativity and their wits that don’t require any violence or mess. Try these methods or do some extra research for even more.
You hear a scuttle and your eyes dart across the room. Nothing. As soon as you turn your head, you hear a little squeak. This time, you catch sight of that annoying little pest! Once again, it’s man vs. mouse, and, this time, you’re surely going to win… if you use one of these genius tricks, that is. Some find it best to stick to the store-bought trap, but for these people, nothing is better than becoming a rat-catching mastermind with everyday tools at home.
A super homemade rat trap
Armed with only a bucket, a coat hanger, a bottle, and a drill, this man-made a rat-catching mechanism fit for any frugal individual. He lined the bottle with peanut butter to attract the rats and mice, though any rat-friendly food will do. For extra measure, he filled the bucket with water in hopes of drowning it before it got loose. They might be clever, but they won’t find a way to swim out of this problem!
How to catch a mouse with chopsticks
This trap, albeit much more intricate, is a tried and true method shown at the beginning and end of the video. This genius uses a bottle, some rubber bands and, yes, CHOPSTICKS to create a fail-proof rat-containment system perfect for anyone willing to take on an elaborate do-it-yourself project.
The stone age rat trap
If your rat problem doesn’t reach your front door (or if you live in the Stone Age), this tutorial provides a primitive way to catch those pesky things outside! It works best if you have a forest of bamboo in your front yard and tools made from the wildlife around you. This trap is so easy; even a caveman could do it!
The one way door trap
Sometimes it’s easy to catch the pests, but not so easy to release them in a humane way. This method ensures that the rats will go in on their own accord and come out only as you see fit. With a large bottle connected to a funnel surrounded by inward-pointing nails, this snare is a one-way door to success. Simply unscrew the funnel and release the rats once you get far, far away from home.
The easy rat trap
Literally, all you need is a piece of cheese inside a toilet paper roll. Stick that on a ledge overlooking a trashcan, and you’ve got yourself the simplest rat trap ever invented! Perfect for anyone who uses toilet paper, this trap is a simple gem that cannot be overlooked.
There you have it—if you’re dedicated enough to create a worthwhile rat trap, more than likely, there’s a method to the madness that you’re going to want to try. Whether it’s elaborate or easy, with these rat trap hacks, you’ll be catching rats, mice and all types of rodents in no time. More importantly, you’ll never have to share your cheese again!
What are the most ingenious ways to get rid of rats?
No one ever wants to see a rat in their home, but sometimes it happens. These pesky little rodents can cause quite a lot of havoc when loose in a home. They can chew on wires, leave droppings all around, rummage through food storage, and make those eerie scratching noises at night. What’s worse, rats breed quite often, so if you’ve got a few rats, it could only be a matter of time before you’ve got a full-blown infestation. Luckily, people are getting clever when it comes to catching rats. Check out these five times people found ingenious ways to get rid of rats.
Household foods work as rat bait.
One of the best baits for catching rats is peanut butter. Something about the sweet smell attracts them regardless of whether or not this means they have to go out in the open where they are vulnerable and exposed. One of the cleverest ways to attract a rat using peanut butter comes from a Reddit thread and requires a bucket and spoon. Dab some peanut butter on a spoon and place it on a countertop. Next, place the bucket just underneath the spoon handles hanging over the countertop. When the rat runs out to get the peanut butter, both it and the spoon will fall into the bucket, alerting you to its capture. Apparently, the salty-sweet goodness of peanut butter works better than cheese—who knew?
Catch rats with rat nests
Rats breed a lot—like a lot—which means they’re often looking for places to nest. You can create a clever rat trap by making your own rat nest lure the rat(s) to you so you can oust them from the house. Find materials like straw, grass, and cotton wool, as these are the typical things rats and mice use to create their nests. Once you’ve created the perfect spot to rest, they will come.
Buckets and bottles make great rat traps
This simple trick involves turning an empty bottle into a skewer, placing it across the opening of a bucket, and revisiting the use of peanut butter. Once the rat makes its way up to the bottle to get the peanut butter, the bottle will spin, thus dropping the rat into the bucket. This is a more humane trap that won’t harm or kill the rat.
Catch a rat with a cage.
Sometimes, the simplest traps are the best traps. As you’ll see in the video, there are great ways to catch rats using simple cages that are expertly placed in and around one’s home. Again, this is a good option for those who don’t want to harm or kill the rats but simply capture them and set them free elsewhere.
Buckets make some of the best rat traps.
This trap also used peanut butter, a bucket, and other household items to expertly and peacefully catch your rat. By simply skewering the plate, dabbing it with some peanut butter, and waiting, you can quickly and easily catch your rat. The best part about this trap is that it’s self-resetting. Once the weight of the rat touches the plate, it will automatically dip, dropping the rat into the bucket. Once the rat has fallen in, the plate will spring back, ready for the next one.
Catching rats doesn’t have to be a whole production using poisons, kill traps, and other harsh and potentially messy methods. There are plenty of ways people can catch rats using creativity and their wits that don’t require any violence or mess. Try these methods or do some extra research for even more.
