The Big Snap-E Rat Trap

[Recently a fellow Blogger was having trouble with some rats and I decided to pass along this info about snap traps to her at her site. I had such fun remembering how much less dangerous these were than the old-fashioned chop-your-fingers-off kind that I decided one or two more of you might need a little quick-study as well. This is a little more than what I previously told her. I never miss an opportunity to elongate.]

"Just So Curiosity Kills Something, Dammit!"

They say curiosity killed the cat, but it’s almost as harmful to mice. Mice are curious, they’re dabblers, they will often nibble at or “taste” everything in a food storage area. Rats are generally more suspicious and will often take days longer to decide to eat something new, whether it’s poisoned bait or a perfectly safe food. This is troublesome of course, for people are generally more emotional about rats and more eager to be rid of them right away!

If you use snap traps, watch your fingers. Mouse snap-traps can hurt a little, but the rat snap-traps can really bust you up! If you happen to see a brand called Big Snap-E Rat Trap, made by Kness Corporation, it used to be excellent. Of course, I haven’t used it for 6 or 7 years, back when I was doing regular pest control. The Snap-E keeps your fingers safe and it’s pretty easy to set. It's strong, yet didn't have a hair-trigger. You can take a look at it at Big Snap E. I used to get it cheaper buying them by the case, but I see you can buy two in a pack for $10—that price might sting you a little, but it's probably worth it if you don’t lose or throw away all tools and equipment not in daily use. The traps do last a long time, I found. Or if you're a big shopper, you might find it cheaper. Ideally, you do want two or more, anyway, so as to keep the rat jumping—they sometimes dodge the first one, then trip right over the next one!

I’m only recommending this brand Highly because this brand is less likely to smash your fingers. Use relatively slight dabs of peanut butter; though they like cheese, a hard cheddar can often be thieved from the mouse trap too easily. Avoid any bait in a solid chunk form unless you can tie it to the trap’s trigger. Anything that has ever worked well for you is fine. Peanut butter always worked well for me. It’s a good bait because it has to be licked, licked, licked off, increasing the chance of a rodential misstep! Whack!

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