Salted or unsalted? Shelled or whole? 

This sounds tryable.  I've already caught rats in the past by accident in 5 gallon buckets half full of water.

also 8/24 11:50 pm.  have already caught 2 tonight.  body count 35   2nd edit: 1 more before midnight.  that makes 9 caught today 36 total.

8/25 am  2 more.  bc 38

I buy what ever is on sale cheaper the better. .no matter salt or not.

I took some videos tonight.  Here is one.  The flashlight I use is a small Cree led flashlight.  View in full screen since the action is a tiny part of the screen.   Forgive the vertical shot.   I stood in a small bit of rain to capture this.


boxing rats:

Wow... that's a lot of rats!  i can see why the idea of sitting there with a pellet gun is appealing.

Wow... that's a lot of rats!  i can see why the idea of sitting there with a pellet gun is appealing.

i don't know if any amount of trapping is gonna control that population
i think you need a bait that they will take back to the nest and feed the young
and even then, in a few weeks/months a new population will move back in

Wow... that's a lot of rats!  i can see why the idea of sitting there with a pellet gun is appealing.

+1
That is a target rich environment ! 

Keep us posted on the body count. 

I live near the canal in Kailua. And there are a bunch if rats. I was having trouble catching them at first with the snap traps. Until I did a little modifying.

I took two loops of burlap string. About 1/2" in diameter. And looped them under the triangle wedge of the pressure plate/trigger. Then folded the triangle piece down so they wouldn't come loose. Then I pack the loops with peanut butter.

It worked like a charm. I caught about 10 rats over 3 days about a month ago. And once I modified my traps I only had 1 instance where the trap tripped and didn't catch a rat.

My reasoning for modifying and the reason I think it works so good is that the rats can't just steal the peanut butter off the trigger plate anymore, they have to actually jerk on the burlap string to get the peanut butter. I have also used twist ties in the same method with similar results but I think the burlap works better.

Also one key is to make sure you have fresh snap traps. Once they get rusted/old they lose a lot of their pop.

I can take pictures when I get home in September if you want.

Also I would go the legal route and complain to government reps. I know they occasionally go along and clean those ditch/streams out and remove all the vegetation and stuff. Which would give a lot less habitat for rats

After having had 6 in the traps yesterday morning I was a little disappointed to find nothing today.

Body Count still at 38.


mill8316 - the triggers are pretty darn sensitive.  I doubt a rat is eating any of the peanut butter without triggering it.  However, I do have a problem with cockroaches eating the peanut butter.  4-5 roaches can eat a lot of peanut butter in a very short time.  I have seen them clean a trap in 15 minutes.  I re-bait before going to sleep if it's gone.  As far as them escaping when it triggers - I think the rats are just too big and strong.  Fewer get away now with the barb mod but it still happens.  They've been escaping even when the traps were brand new.  The only one they never escape from is the live trap - which brings me to:

A short while ago I mentioned the live trap had been sprung but had nothing.  I was really surprised.  My neighbor tells me last night that the trap had caught a pigeon and he let it loose.

electronic rat trap.............city mill have um

electronic rat trap.............city mill have um

I haven't seen an electronic one that can hold more than one and is big enough for these rats.

Most of the rats at our house come out around dusk to midnight. And I am usually up at that time. So if I have the traps set I just put a red Ryder BB gun by the door with a flashlight taped to it. And when I hear a trap I head outside and shoot it in the head, then rebait and wait some
More.

I know the trigger plates are sensitive but before I modded them with the string loops I actually watched more than one rat just chomp away at pb and the trap never triggered.

I think I might try the nails in the board mod, but I was worried about splitting the board. I guess if I get thin finishing nails.

Most of the rats at our house come out around dusk to midnight. And I am usually up at that time. So if I have the traps set I just put a red Ryder BB gun by the door with a flashlight taped to it. And when I hear a trap I head outside and shoot it in the head, then rebait and wait some
More.

I know the trigger plates are sensitive but before I modded them with the string loops I actually watched more than one rat just chomp away at pb and the trap never triggered.

I think I might try the nails in the board mod, but I was worried about splitting the board. I guess if I get thin finishing nails.

I'll give the string method a shot.  Many mornings the bait is gone without a trip but I've been assuming it was roaches since I have seen that happen.

Pic of stream from kapiolani.

No bites on traps yet tonight (as of 15 minutes ago).

8/27 am - live trap had one this morning  BC 39

8/28  BC 40.

 I called the cities vector control.  I was told that due to budget cuts a couple years ago they only have 1 inspector/exterminator guy who handles complaints for the whole island.  He also said feel free to use poison until he can get around to my area.  I mentioned all the poisons said not to use around water. "Well yea, that's another issue"  and left it at that...

It kinda makes sense that I've noticed the population explosion around now.  They did use to have an full time rat control division consistently doing poison all over the Waikiki/Honolulu area but since they've stopped - the buggers have procreating at an exponential rate.

8/28  BC 40.

 I called the cities vector control.  I was told that due to budget cuts a couple years ago they only have 1 inspector/exterminator guy who handles complaints for the whole island.  He also said feel free to use poison until he can get around to my area.  I mentioned all the poisons said not to use around water. "Well yea, that's another issue"  and left it at that...

It kinda makes sense that I've noticed the population explosion around now.  They did use to have an full time rat control division consistently doing poison all over the Waikiki/Honolulu area but since they've stopped - the buggers have procreating at an exponential rate.

And I wonder if the C&C is calculating the potential cost of liability if/when somebody gets sick and dies from a rat-carried illness? 

Remember, fleas from infected rats is how the great plagues in Europe started. 

How we worry so much about mosquitoes carrying Dengue Fever but allow rats to reproduce unchecked is beyond me.

And I wonder if the C&C is calculating the potential cost of liability if/when somebody gets sick and dies from a rat-carried illness? 

Remember, fleas from infected rats is how the great plagues in Europe started. 

How we worry so much about mosquitoes carrying Dengue Fever but allow rats to reproduce unchecked is beyond me.

you assume the government want to prevent a plague?

8/28  BC 40.

 I called the cities vector control.  I was told that due to budget cuts a couple years ago they only have 1 inspector/exterminator guy who handles complaints for the whole island.  He also said feel free to use poison until he can get around to my area.  I mentioned all the poisons said not to use around water. "Well yea, that's another issue"  and left it at that...

It kinda makes sense that I've noticed the population explosion around now.  They did use to have an full time rat control division consistently doing poison all over the Waikiki/Honolulu area but since they've stopped - the buggers have procreating at an exponential rate.

Are you on hauoli street?
I had a cousin whose aunty and grandma lived there

I really think you should bait
Buy one of those boxes if you are worried about kids and dogs/cats getting at the bait

Are you on hauoli street?
I had a cousin whose aunty and grandma lived there

I really think you should bait
Buy one of those boxes if you are worried about kids and dogs/cats getting at the bait

I am closer to University.  I know there is another stream near Hauoli.  It's probably rat infested too.

8/29  BC 41

8/30 bc 43

Damn bro that's a hell of a lot of rats.  I'd get the Costco sized peanut butter and stick a 5lb load of tannerite in it.

BC 43.  One had gotten free and was still very much alive but acting dazed. It was on the ground in an area it wouldn't easily get away from in its current state   Figured this was my chance to try the blowgun. 

The first hunting dart was a direct headshot between its eye and ear.  It penetrated but I don't know how far.  Did it go through the skull?  I don't know but it was certainly stuck.

I didn't want to prolong its suffering so I continued putting hunting darts into it (6 total). About half went completely through the thick of its body.  Thing poor thing was in bad shape at this point but still alive.  I was able to grab it with BBQ tongs, put it into the live trap, and drown it.

From this I decided the blowgun I have would not be adequate to kill a rat humanely.