Best Rat Traps: DIY Techniques

The thought of rats in your home is one of the things that can deliver a hefty round of goosebumps to your skin…and not in a good way. Not only are rats creepy, but they are often dangerous because of the diseases they carry. That paired with how quickly they reproduce can really cause a big problem in your home in a short amount of time. All of this begs the question of how to get rid of them? Well you’ve come to the right place! Here you can learn all about what works and the best rat traps on the market–both ready-made and DIY.

Rats are natural scavengers that have abundant breeding habits. If you don’t get control of the situation in your home, you will quickly have a complete nightmare on your hands while they destroy your things—costing you a significant amount of money.

The best bet to catch a rat is to use foods they can’t resist like peanut butter, nuts, bacon, and dried fish. Peanut butter is always a good choice and can make for the best rat trap as it sticks to the traps easily and doesn’t have as great a chance of falling off. Against popular belief, cheese will not work for rats—they don’t like it! Rats are omnivores and prefer certain foods over others. The higher the protein count in the meal, the more likely they are to indulge.

The best bet to catch a rat is to use foods they can’t resist like peanut butter, nuts, bacon, and dried fish. Peanut butter is always a good choice and can make for the best rat trap as it sticks to the traps easily and doesn’t have as great a chance of falling off. Against popular belief, cheese will not work for rats—they don’t like it! Rats are omnivores and prefer certain foods over others. The higher the protein count in the meal, the more likely they are to indulge.

One problem we often see in homes is a pan of bacon grease sitting on the stove. Sure, bacon grease makes everything taste much better, but it’s also a significant attraction to rodents and insects like cockroaches. Foods with a high fat or oil content are another thing they can’t resist; if they’re hungry, they will eat just about anything. But let’s face it..bacon is delicious.

Bacon grease almost always has some small meat scraps, which are highly enticing to rats. So, if you must keep your bacon grease, it’s best to put it in a covered dish and store it in the refrigerator. Now that you know what rats love to eat, you can use some tried and true baiting techniques to create the most effective rat traps to capture these large critters.

You’re among the masses if you use peanut butter on your rat trap. Nut butter has a strong smell and texture, making it irresistible to rats and to many pets so be careful where you lay them out. You must securely ensure that the peanut butter is on the trigger when using a snap trap. Otherwise, they will take the bait and leave the trap unscathed. It acts as a binding agent and will ensure it stays put.

The sweet smell and flavorful taste of chocolate is something that no rat can resist. Many people use chocolate chips as bait, which is a good idea. However, they work better on sticky traps than traditional snap traps. There’s no good way outside of melting them a bit to get them to secure to the trap mechanism. Chocolate works well on enclosed and captured traps inside a small box. Unless of course, you want to mix them into the peanut butter as an additional temptation.

The same can be said for dried fruits such as pineapple, raisins, and apricots. They won’t work well alone with snap traps, so it is best to use them in an enclosed situation or with a binding agent.

Important Note: Chocolate and various fruits can be extremely dangerous to certain animals so if you have pets, do your research on what is toxic to your best fur friends.

One thing that bacon grease has going for it is its strong smell and can help create one of the best rat traps around. Rats can smell bacon grease from miles away, so it’s a compelling item to use to help you capture them. You can use it on a snap trap as it easily sticks to any surface. Grease can also be used on an enclosure or any DIY trap you might create.

As a professional pest control company, we often get calls from people who do not understand why they’re not capturing the rodents. Once we inspect, we often find the cheese, peanut butter, or other food items have been there for weeks and are old and unappealing. You might not know this, but rodents are intelligent creatures who want fresh food like you.

The bait you use needs to be fresh or the scent dissipates, and the food becomes unappealing to them. Another common problem is that the bait needs to be secured. We touched on this a bit, but it bears repeating since it’s such a significant issue. Ensure the food is securely attached to the trigger mechanism, or it will fall off and become ineffective.

Rats have different preferences and it’s important to understand them in order to create the most effective rat trap. You could get a picky rat in your home that doesn’t like peanut butter, so putting it out doesn’t entice them to the trap. Experimenting with different baits to find the right one that works for your rodents might be necessary.

Rats are also brilliant animals; if they remember a close call with a specific food from before, they will leave it alone. They don’t see well and try staying on the familiar pathways, but if they sense something new like a trap, they will avoid it. So, it would help if you played around with trap placement and bait to find what works for you.

Remember to be patient. Don’t give up if you don’t catch any rats the first time. When you learn the proper baiting techniques, you’ll increase your chances if you’re persistent. Ensure the bait is fresh and the traps are where you see the most activity. You can always tell your hot spots by grease smears on the walls and fecal matter lying around

Now that you’ve learned what rats like to eat, their preferences, and how to find their frequented areas, it’s time to build a great rat trap. Remember, before making your trap that rats are skittish and will stay clear of anything new in their environment.

So, placing a trap probably won’t bring results on the first day because they need to get used to the new object. Their excellent tactile perception helps them compensate for their poor eyesight, so building traps requires you to keep these things in mind.

If you love a good DIY project, a rat trap is perfect. You can be as elaborate or simple as you want. Here is a list of traps that our customers use and have worked great for them.

The great thing about the bucket trap is that you can catch several rodents simultaneously. It’s one of the best rat traps for this purpose. So, if you have a significant problem, this gadget is beneficial.

Materials Needed:

• Bucket
• Ramp
• Bait
• Water

The design of this one is simple and doesn’t take much to put together. Fill the bucket about one-fourth of the way with water. Take the wooden ramp and lean it up so the end rests on the side of the bucket. Put the bait on the edge of the bucket.

The rats will smell the bait and climb up the ladder, and once they get to the edge of the bucket, their poor balance will cause them to plunge below. Since there’s no way out for them, they will perish inside.

The tin can trap is cheap and efficient. You can use items you already have in your home to concoct this device. 

Materials Needed:

• Wire
• Tin can
• Bait
• Pivot point
• Bucket
• Water
• Drill

The can must be large enough to hold a rodent, so you can’t use a small soup can. Put holes in each end of the can using a drill or other device. Once you have your holes in place, run a wire through them so they can be hung suspended. Now, make sure to attach the wire to a pivoted point that’s stable. 

The bait goes inside the can. Place a bucket of water below the can about one-fourth complete. This system allows the rats to go to the can to get the food, which will naturally rotate and cause them to plummet below into the water. This is an effective trap, but it will require precise placement and playing with it to align things correctly.

You probably have plastic bottles lying around your home. They can be used to create great rat traps.

Materials Needed:

• Wire coat hanger
• Knife
• Bait
• Plastic bottle

Start by cutting one-third of the plastic bottle and flipping it inside to invert it. This creates a funnel-type structure that will be used as an entrance. Use the wire hanger to make a device to suspend the bottle securely. The bait goes into the bottom half of the bottle to attract the rats.

Remember that rats can get through a space an inch around, so the hole needs to accommodate their larger size. Once the irresistible bait lures the rat into the bottle, there’s no way out. The smooth walls leave them trapped, and they will perish. It’s worth noting that many people have used these types of traps to capture all different kinds of critters.

You already know that you need to put the traps in areas where rats frequent, but concealing them is another necessity. Using a cardboard box or other materials that rats are familiar with can help them overcome their natural fears of using such devices. It doesn’t matter what kind of food you put inside these traps—if they’re scared they will go the other way. Another safer food source is always nearby if they’re inside your home.

Ensure that you keep these traps out of the way of children and pets, especially if you’re using the old-fashioned snap traps. Many fingers and paws have been broken from being entangled in these devices, and it’s better to put them out of the way. Additionally, wearing gloves when disposing of or redoing a trap is wise, or else your DIY top-rated rat trap will suddenly become the worst for your poor fingers.

Never forget that these creatures carry bacteria and diseases, so they’re dangerous to you should you encounter any of their germs. Always wipe down counters and any surfaces they’ve been on with bleach or another cleaner that will sanitize the area.

While one rogue rat may be easier to capture with one of the DIY methods listed above, it won’t be as effective for a home or building that is overrun with them. Even the best rat trap around might barely make a dent in an infestation. Once rats find an entry and food source, they will make your home their new place to squat. They will also bring all their friends and family members who need a place to call home. Have you seen Ratatouille?

Since there are health and safety concerns, it’s always best to bring us in for assistance when it comes to a rat problem. We can help you understand rat behavior and employ effective trap designs that can get the problem under control. We also allow you to monitor and adjust things to obtain optimal results.

The most valuable service we offer our clients is peace of mind. We find entry points that you might not even consider, making it easier to eliminate the problem. When you seal off those accessible spots, you’ll notice that your problem diminishes. If you need assistance with a rat or mouse problem, give us a call and let us help.

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