How to kill rats without harming your pets or wildlife

An Effective Rat Trap That Doesn’t Hurt Our Wildlife

Today I want to share with you guys a different type of rat trap that is 99.9% effective*. Through the years rats learn to deal with the standard traps (you know, the ones you see in cartoons with hunks of cheddar on them). A lot of people get so frustrated that the traps aren’t working that they revert to poison. Poisoning the rats is not a good idea.

On Maui (where I grew up) we have indigenous owls, the pueo, as well as introduced barn owls. Their main food source is rats. Poison disorients the rats making them easier prey for the owls. The rats build resistance to the poison so they’re able to eat more and more and more of the poison. When it finally does work against the rat, the owls will see them, prey on them and, in turn, ingest the higher doses of poison.

No matter where you live, you have hawks, weasels, owls, rabbits, vultures, crows… and all sorts of animals that are being poisoned by the rat poison or by eating poisoned rats. When you kill the predator, there is naturally an explosion in the rat population, who no longer has a predator to keep the population in check. So by thinking we’re solving the problem (by poisoning the rat) you are actually adding to the problem.

It’s important to note that wherever the rats die and decompose, there’s poison left in their place. We need to be careful with what we do – action for reaction. Many don’t realize that they’re poisoning the owls, pets, and soil through using poison to kill rats. It’s a very delicate ecosystem and we have to be aware of how we deal with things.

We have recently come across a great alternative to standard rat traps and poison. The TomCat Rat Snap Trap is incredibly easy to set up and actually work. We just put a little bit of sunflower butter on it and we have had a pretty much 99.9% success rate in our outdoor kitchen. Every time a rat even comes near it, the trap catches it. There’s no getting away from the trap.

I have found several dead owls due to people poisoning rats. I thought this would be a good way to educate, by providing alternatives. This is one simple, cheap alternative that works. Hope this helps you guys out!

* No, this is not a paid endorsement. We found this product and it works and wanted to share it with you.

[1] Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons

[2] Photo credit: The Smart Consumer