5 Reasons Why Rats Are So Hard to Trap

If you’ve ever had a rat problem in your home, you know just how frustrating the situation can be to resolve. Rest assured, you’re not alone: Nearly 30 percent of U.S. households have had a rodent invasion. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. The trick is evicting the rats before the problem gets out of hand.

Unfortunately, trapping a rat—or two or ten—is actually a lot harder than it sounds. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why:

1. They’re larger than mice.

This is a common issue with traditional rodent traps: They’re often not the right size to catch rats.

Of course, when homeowners realize they have a rodent problem, they typically don’t know whether they’re dealing with mice or rats—they just know they have heard or seen something furry and icky. So many people set out snap or glue traps and hope for the best. But if you’re dealing with rats, many common traps are a waste of time and money.

Averaging between 7 and 10 inches in length, a rat can be more than double the size of a typical house mouse. Unfortunately, many standard snap, glue, and live cage traps can’t actually trap that size of rodent.

2. Different species have different diets.

Most rat traps rely on bait to attract rodents. Homeowners often use bits of cheese or a smear of peanut butter as bait and then wonder why their traps aren’t working.

In some cases, the failure may be due to the bait itself; after all, different species of rats eat very different types of food. Black rats, for example, usually live in rafters, roofs, and tree tops. Because of this, they exclusively eat plant based foods and wouldn’t be attracted to cheese. Unfortunately, it can be challenging for a homeowner to identify the specific species of rat he or she is dealing with, and in the meantime the problem will only get worse. Knowing what type of rat(s) you have, will help you decide what type of bait is needed to spring your traps.

3. Rats can be pretty darn clever.

Rats are inherently suspicious of anything new, so when a trap appears in their environment, they’re probably going to avoid it for a while. This can add to the frustrations of homeowners who are trying to quickly solve their rat problems, especially when they find themselves repeatedly baiting a trap, only to find it undisturbed a few days later.

4. They travel carefully.

Rats don’t often dart out in the middle of a room or yard; they like to play it safe by scurrying along walls and fences. This can make it even more difficult to trap them, since it’s often hard to identify their favorite pathways. Imagine a family of rats in an attic, with hard-to-reach areas and low ceilings, and you can see why it might be challenging to place traps in the perfect spots.

5. They reproduce quickly.

Let’s say you have a rat problem in the space above your garage. After trapping a few with snap traps over a period of a few weeks, you’re surprised to hear more scratching coming from the attic. The rats are still there—but how?

Rats can reproduce every 21 days, so it can be difficult to fully eradicate a single family using traditional trapping techniques. Although a single trap might take care of a single rat, its family members will require even more traps. In fact, experts advise homeowners to use dozens of snap or glue traps for a full infestation. Setting and monitoring all those traps takes time and effort—and all the while, those rats are continuing to procreate, making your problem even worse.

A More Effective Alternative

As you can see, a variety of factors can make it difficult to trap rats. However, there’s a new solution that is more effective (and quick kill) than traditional rat traps: the A24 automatic rat and mouse trap.

The A24 is an indoor or outdoor trap that kills rats instantly, without the use of toxins or electricity. The trap uses a CO2-powered shot for a quick kill, then automatically resets itself.

The A24 can handle any size of rat or mouse. Instead of relying on food as bait, the trap uses specially formulated bio-attractant lures that last up to six months. This enables you to use a trap for months at a time, without the need to reset or rebait it, allowing time for the rats to become comfortable with the trap’s presence and enabling you to eradicate the entire family of rodents. Finally, the A24 can be installed in less than a minute in nearly any location, making it easy to place the trap in the most effective place possible.

Although rats can be challenging to trap, a little innovation can go a long way toward making your rodent problems a thing of the past. Get started today, and learn more about the A24 automatic rat and mouse trap.