How to catch a rat?

My dads got a rat getting in his building. We can't catch it made a box and put dog food and a #1 coil spring and a conibear in it, he ate all the dog food. I know where his hole is going under the concrete pad but not sure how he's getting in the building. Any tricks to catch him?

We have never had educated rats to deal with. We normally use a T-Rex trap in a bait box to protect any non-targets but even the old

stand-by Victor snap trap has worked very well.

I'd 86 the coil spring and use a vprt and if you don't have any with the yellow pan, you could make a larger pan with a piece of flashing or tin for the original victors. If they're eating the dog food I'd turn it into a paste and apply it to the pan. Personally think the trap you're using might be the problem, try a piece of pvc pipe placed over or in front of the hole and place a trap in front of it. The old T pipe trick works well too, add a T to the pipe and place two traps on the ends with or without bait.

Rat's have what's called "New Object Shyness". Takes a while for them to get used to a change in their world. Try a mink box set up, with Peanut Butter.

I've been able to avoid new object shyness by throwing their food (the dog food) into and around the trap and bait box. Droppings will do it too.

New object shyness is called neophobia and people or animals that have it are called neophobic. I'm so proud. People who are covered

with powder sugar don't usually know stuff like that!

Is it powdered sugar or mold?????

I like the small pan victors.....

Thanks for all the replies I will give a few of them a shot.

I like to use older weak 1 1/2 long springs. Set real light and sprinkle the food they are used to using around and inside the trap jaws.

I used the smashed up dog food paste to seal the deal. Thanks everyone for the replies.

Don't get a lot of rat calls but had one big one a few years ago, caught bags full with all kinds of traps. Used 55 and 110 conibears in snow trails, tight spots, along structure. Used 1-1/2 stop loss to prevent an escape in a bucket bedded in sawdust and bait. Also used cage traps of all sizes, single door with pans. Had some old Safeguards, 11x12x32, tight mesh and caught them in those. Used some yellow pans too. There were so many that I tossed everything at them at once and it all worked. Had a few T Rex inside, but caught only one rat. They were on to it after one catch in one night and avoided them like the plague. You might have thought there was only one but there were over 100. The trailer owner had put out a few conventional rat traps that may have helped to spook them.

Wrote about it in WCT magazine a few years ago. What I also believe helped, the park manager put a barrier around the entire trailer to help keep the rats from migrating. There was rabbit food everywhere and a leaky pipe with a heated trailer, rat paradise.

What ever you do dont waste your $ on nooski traps!
Just tossed 15 of them in the dumpster after 4 years of trying them in the mix of other traps!
Not a single take in all that time!

I had never heard of them so thanks for the warning. I guess I'll stick with the oldskis too.

I heard of them on here years ago and went and bought a pile.
Hugggggge wast of time and $

Never had heard of Nooski either. Odd trap that is supposed to put a ring around their neck as they take bait and is supposed to suffocate them. Made in New Zealand. Strange how some traps just do not work at all.