Some animal in the attic


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Old 11-19-22, 06:51 AM
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Some animal in the attic

I have been hearing some scratching noise in the attic so I put some victor rat traps both in small and large sizes - total of 5. I have caught rats many times before so I know how to set them right. To my surprise the peanut butter on the traps were fully eaten with traps not activated. What animal can manage that?
 
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Old 11-19-22, 06:56 AM
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If there are mice they can eat the bait and not set off the trap because it's too big.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 07:03 AM
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Thanks Mark, good point but I have set tiny traps as well for mice. They usually work well on mice. But in case that is the issue, any suggestions?
 
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Old 11-19-22, 08:11 AM
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Tying a peanut (out of the shell) to the trip lever with a thread often works. Or some folks tie a thin, short string to the trip lever and coat it with peanut butter.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 08:21 AM
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Thanks for the tip Carbide. That should work.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 08:44 AM
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A larger animal like an opossum or a racoon. This was my initial thought. Then when you said the peanut butter was missing but no mouse.... its a bigger animal than a mouse/rat. Raccoons will get into an attic even when you cant find a hole. They are like a cat, they can squeeze into some tight places. They'll have their babies in there too if they aren't removed.

Squirrels are also notorious for getting into attics. Again, they are larger than a mouse/rat.

Either of these animals can stand outside the trap & take or eat the peanut butter from the trap without activating the trigger.

Hopefully PAbugman will come along shortly.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 09:41 AM
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Dixie, that makes sense. Thanks. I put in a medium size squirrel trap (humane cage style) and I will see if that gets anything. Any specific traps/methods you would recommend? I guess I can put in rat poison but then will be hard to find the animal when/where it dies.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 10:00 AM
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If indeed it turns out to be a larger animal, I'd get a live trap. First we need to see if anyone can figure out if its a smart rat, a squirrel or a raccoon.
If its a mouse/rat, you just need to stay focused on the current traps & try different approaches.
If its a squirrel, I am assuming they make small animal live traps. I'm not sure a squirrel will trigger a larger live trap for a racoon.... but I don't know. Maybe so. I've never tried to catch a squirrel with a live trap.
If its a racoon, you'll need a little larger live trap.

Hopefully, someone will provide some additional advise.

Remember that if you do use a live trap, no matter what the animal, take a large towel or a small blanket & throw over the trap before handling the trap with a live animal in it. They'll stay calmer & not as likely to try to bite you through the wire sides/top/bottom.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 10:26 AM
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Well since we are spending your money.. why not buy a game camera and set it near the traps to see what is taking the bait? Then you will have a better idea as to what type trap you need.
 
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Old 11-19-22, 04:47 PM
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I use rats traps with expanded triggers so they catch smaller rodents, too. We get mice and chipmunks in our kayak storage shed, so I rubber band a whole peanut (in the shell) to the trigger and have good luck with that. Another option is to tie a piece of cotton to the trigger and smear peanut butter on the cotton. The rodent is forced to bite into the cotton and pull.

I know you hear scratching sounds, but over the years I've seen (rarely) where ants/roaches/etc will eat the peanut butter off the trap. Probably not the case here, but keep it on the list of possibilities for now. Sometimes people hear bats/birds making scratching sounds but our minds go right to rodents.
Any rodent/animal that's making noise and emptying traps is up there long enough to be leaving fecal droppings in the area. Look for fresh droppings and get us a pic as best you can. The trail cam idea is a good one, too. We have several in the woods and they take good pics in the dark. Flying squirrels are active at night and are very nimble and delicate.

Another issue that I read about in the social media pest control sites is that the quality of snap traps has declined quite a bit, even the ones made in the USA. Operators are having to use tack hammers to secure the staples better, bend wires, shave plastic, etc. Some break after going off just one time. Maybe you're working with a newer batch of traps than before and they aren't nearly as sensitive. Just something to think about.

Keep us posted with what you find, especially fecal droppings.


 
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Old 11-20-22, 10:10 AM
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All great suggestions. Thank you. It could also be a bird as we had that in some air vent before.
I installed a spare smartphone to monitor the traps. No activity yet but maybe they are avoiding the light. Will keep it on for a few days and report back.
 
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Old 12-10-22, 09:45 AM
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Update

I found a flashing that must have blown out during the storm. The roof guy who replaced said it was most likely a bird going in and out. No noise for a week now. No footage in the phone. Thanks for all the help.
 
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