There are many rat control options on the market. You have numerous types of poisons that range in their effect, toxicity and mechanism of action. You then have a lot of repellent products, from sound to chemical repellents. Finally, you have traps, which can be anything from snap traps, to glue traps, live capture traps, and electric traps. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the electric rat trap and its effectiveness.

How electric traps work

Electric traps are reusable devices powered by batteries which will deliver a shock to the rats that enter them. The death is fast, and the trap will kill about ten to twelve rats on a full charge, depending on the type of batteries used. Rats will enter the trap to eat a bait that you place inside, and once the rat is killed, the device will let you know that it needs to be emptied, usually by flashing a light. The device is also designed to let you know when its batteries are running low.

Baiting an electric rat trap

To bait the trap, you can use a variety of foods. The most effective bait across all manner of traps is peanut butter, but you can also use pet food, chocolate, sugar, and dairy products. With the trap baited, you have to place it in areas where there are a lot of droppings, and you will have to wait for the rats to get used to it. Rats have neophobia, which means that they are afraid of any new objects that they encounter in their environment. Once the trap catches a rat, you can remove the dead body using gloves and then reset it.

Pros and cons

The electric rat trap has several advantages. It usually leads to a fast and immediate death, unlike snap or glue traps, and the rats are killed without any blood or viscera being spilled, making the cleanup process much easier. The main disadvantages of this trap however are that you will need to make sure that the batteries are relatively high in energy, because as they are drained, the shock gets weaker and weaker and it will only injure the rat instead of killing it. By using rechargeable batteries, you can make sure that the trap is always fully powered.

Like with any trap, you will have problems when you are dealing with a larger infestation, and in this situation, you will need the help of a pro to get it under control. Contact us today and we can help you remove this type of infestation.