Pack Rats

[Ken the Kanuck]

The wife just home from the cabin and found some animal had been into the backroom and made a big mess, apparently it crapped all over the place and ripped up all the paper towels and knocked a bunch of stuff off the shelves. She's blaming a bad squirrel but me thinks a pack rat.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of the pest?

Thanks,
Ken

[bsa30-06]

wait till you find it outside and use him for target practice.

[ruger#1]

find where it is getting in and use a snare, or use some large glue traps. if you poisen it and it gets into a wall then you are going to have some very interesting smells.

[Walksalot]

You can either live trap it or get a killing trap and lay a thin piece of wire between it's ears and it's eyes.;-)
A piece of bacon as bait in either will do the trick.

[Marc]

A couple of rat traps should do the trick with peanut butter on them. I caught two trats in my garage that way and haven't seen one since.

[ruger#1]

ive never seen a trat before, is it a new rodent

[Gateholio]

Live trap works best for pack rats, although I have shot a number of them.

Indoors a .22 shotshell works great on packrats without destroying too much extra. Use a revolver for ease of handling.;-)

[Ken the Kanuck]

Live trap works best for pack rats, although I have shot a number of them.

Indoors a .22 shotshell works great on packrats without destroying too much extra. Use a revolver for ease of handling.;-)

That a high velocity or a low velocity .22? I imagine that you would want to use a low velocity so you didn't wake the wife or kids up, but does it have enough stopping power? Pack rat defense is another consideration I'm sure you have thought about ;)

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Ken

[Boo]

Use a 2 foot section of 6" stovepipe. Place a #1 coil-spring trap halfway down the pipe length. Lay the pipe against a wall in the rats favorite room. The fuzzy little buggers like going through these "tunnels" and the pipe prevents them from jumping out of the way as the trap springs, which btw they do more often than not.


If you want to shoot them a pump-up BB gun is ideal.

[Boo]

She's blaming a bad squirrel but me thinks a pack rat.

The level of "stink" will tell you which you are dealing with. A squirrel nest just smells bad while a pack rat (Bushy-tailed wood rat is the new "proper" name btw) produces a stench you will not forget.

[Gateholio]

Ken

A .22 shotshell is just a .22LR shell with a crimped over case mouth or a plastic cup that is full of tiny shot.

A BB gun works well, too, but I dont' own one.

The stovepie trick works well-as rats DO tend to jump out of the way...

And the stink is...really, really foul...