Top tips for backyard trapping

It’s Conservation Week from the 14th – 22nd of October. You can get involved by protecting the native species in your neighborhood with a backyard trap.

We’ve talked about how to trap in your backyard, and how to build a trapping tunnel, and now we’re going to share some tips for getting the most out of your backyard trap.

Here at DOC we’ve been trapping rats and mice for quite a while, so we know a thing or two about how to catch them. Here are our top tips for backyard trapping.

1. Choose the best bait

This is a widely disputed issue, with some trappers swearing by good old peanut butter, while others buy rodent bait from specialist retailers.

Researchers at Victoria University of Wellington have put the different baits to the test, and found that stock-standard peanut butter might not always be the best bet. They found wild rats prefer cheese, milk chocolate, Nutella and walnuts to your standard peanut butter.

A selection of rodents’ favourite foods

2. Offer some ‘Free’ bait

Put a bit of ‘free’ peanut butter in the tunnel (the wooden box that you put your traps inside) in front of the trap – this encourages the rats and mice in. It helps attract more rodents too, as they’ll return to their nest with the first haul of peanut butter, and then bring their family back to the trap for more.

‘Free’ peanut butter offered at the front of a trapping tunnel

3. Put your trap in a prime location

It might be tempting to put your trap smack bang into the middle of your garden, where surely the most rats and mice will be scurrying. This isn’t necessarily the most effective position though, as rodents tend to avoid big open spaces.

Rats and mice prefer to run close to walls, plants and fences where they’re hidden from keen cat eyes. So the best place for your backyard trap is beside a wall or fence where the rats might be running.

Trap set beside a wall that mice and rats are likely to run beside

4. And if the first location fails, try again

If you don’t have a wall/fence to put your trap beside, or you’re not catching much, think about where in your garden the rats and mice might be hanging out.

Rodents will be attracted to places where they can find food and water. If you have a compost heap or trees that drop fruit on the ground your resident rats will probably be spending some time there, so that’s a good spot for your trap. Another good place is beside a waterway if you have one as rats and mice tend to run alongside streams and creeks.

Trap set in chicken coop, where there is often food on the ground that attracts rodents

5. Get your neighbours involved

If you reach a trapping plateau and stop catching as many rats and mice as you used to, it could be because they’ve cottoned on to that fact that your yard isn’t safe. They could be seeking sanctuary in properties nearby instead, so getting your neighbours involved in trapping will help ensure your entire neighbourhood is protected.