Back Yard Trapping - Resources for Success
Five Steps to Trapping Success
- Check there are rats to catch. Included in your kit are some detector cards which can be used to check if rats are present. You can buy more detector cards from Good Nature direct or Mitre 10.
- Place trap tunnels close to walls, under or in trees, behind wood piles, in the rafters of your house or next to compost heaps. Don’t place out in the open where there is no overhead cover.
- Pre-feed in the area which means placing bait around the opening of on just inside the trap tunnel as well as on the trap. You can also pre-feed without setting the trap for a night or two before setting.
- Check trap daily if possible or for weekenders, daily when you are in residence
- Clear catches quickly, reset trap with fresh bait then report catch to MERRA
If you catch rats for a few nights then it stops, you are likely to have cleared the immediate population out. Consider moving the trap to a new location but keep a note of each successful place so you can return the trap back in a few weeks once populations recover.
Trapping is not ‘set and forget’ . Engage in the thrill of the chase and be diligent in paying attention to your trap.
Here are some external website and video tutorials you can visit to gain more knowledge:
This is the coordinating entity moving us towards our Predator Free 2050 goal. Their website is full of great advice on trapping
How to safely set a Victor Trap
How to use a T-Rex Trap
Auckland Council Backyard Trapping Guide