What Makes Rodents so Tough to Trap?

It’s not uncommon to find yourself in a battle of wills with a rodent. They can be very tough to trap sometimes. They are one of the smartest and most adaptable creatures around, but they’re also pesky and unsanitary. If you’re growing frustrated with your rodent problem, there are some things that you could be doing wrong, since they are so tough to catch.

First of all, if you’re using traps, make sure you’re using the correct kind of trap for the rodent that you have on your hands. A lot of times, a rat trap won’t capture a mouse, and a rat will scoff in the face of a mouse trap – they’re just too big. Identifying your rodents and getting the appropriate traps will make it easier to trap them.

There are also a few issues with the bait that you might be having. Have you ever come out in the morning hoping to find your rodent trapped, but instead found that your bait was gone? You’re not the only one! It’s actually possible that something other than the rodent – such as cockroaches, crickets or ants – is eating the bait before they even get to sniff it out. If you put sticky traps next to the bait, you will be able to identify that these other pests are the ones eating the bait.

Another problem you could be having with the bait is not distinguishing it. If you lay a trap out amongst other filth, then the rat might go for that rather than the bait on the trap. Make the bait on the trap something for the rodent to strive toward. You’ve got to make them want it. You can do this by cleaning up the area surrounding the trap and using bait such as cheese, peanut butter or apple. Make sure that the bait is firmly planted on the trap. That way the rodents won’t be able to simply eat it and leave unscathed.

Rodents are sneaky and tough to trap at times. You could be using all the right traps and methods and still be coming up empty-handed. If you’re successfully trapping rodents, but finding that they keep coming back, they could be coming in from the outside, so you may try searching for entrances and plugging them. If you feel like the rodent problem is out of your hands, try calling an exterminator and seeing what you need to do to get rid of them once and for all.