Got rats?  You need an electric rat trap to keep your coop free from rodents.

Why?   Here are just three good reasons.

• Rats carry disease, and their urine leaves disease wherever they run. 
• Rats will torment your chickens (they nibble feet at night).
• They eat chicken eggs - and if they're big enough, they'll have a go at eating baby chicks, too.

How do I know?

I found out the hard way - there were hundreds of rats in my coop before I realised what was going on, to the extent that I dreaded going in to see my chickens each day.

I had to discover what works well to get rid of them by trial and error.  There are a lot of products on the market but not all of them are effective. 

So if you have rats, my aim is to make your life easier - and to keep your flock rat-free.  I want to share with you what worked well for me.

This is a review of the only electric rat trap I use.

Victor's electric rat trap : would I recommend it?

Definitely. 

In my experience it's easy to set up, easy to use, works on both rats and mice, convenient for disposal of the remains - this trap has it all.

Did you know that rats can re-start their heart after an electric shock?  Strange but true!

So if you're looking for a quick and safe way of killing them, you need a trap which will stop their heart - permanently.   It may sound "heartless" - but isn't it better than your chickens getting ill?

If you follow my pages you'll know I award products between one and five "Golden Eggs" depending on how good I've found the product.  So what do I give the electric rat trap?

A great big golden ...

Five Eggs!

If you'd like to buy it and you live in America, clicking on any of the pictures will take you to Amazon USA, who sell it at the best price I've been able to find. If you live in the UK, see this link.

How to use the electric rat trap : Be strategic!

When I was dealing with an infestation, I learned a lot about rats and how to deal with them.  In some ways, they're fascinating creatures, and knowing how they behave actually helps when it comes to dealing with them.

So here are a few practical tips.

• Rats learn.  Sometimes that helps us - like when they learn where to take the bait - but sometimes it can prevent a trap from working properly.  Be one step ahead to have any hope of catching them.

• They're very cautious animals.  They will always avoid something new if they can until they become used to it.  And they always try to avoid running into or across an open space.

• The answer?  Put a trap (any trap, not just an electric one) close to a wall or boundary fence where you know or suspect the rodents are running. Make sure the opening of the trap is closest to the wall.

• Leave it turned off for several days, but put food in it so they get used to a free source of goodies.  Once it's been in place for a while, turn it on and bait it.

What to use as bait?

You'll find a lot of conflicting advice about this.  I've found four things that seem to work  well : peanut butter, cheese, bacon bits and mashed up cat food.  You don't need a lot of it - on this trap a smear will work well.

How does the electric rat trap work?

• These traps are powered by four 'C' batteries which the manufacturers say will kill around 50 rats.  I've found it to be a lower number than that - probably around ten to twelve.

• The rat, enticed into the box by a yummy treat at the entrance and smeared on the back wall , steps on a metal plate.  This triggers an electric shock which - as long as the batteries are full or nearly full - kills within a couple of seconds.

• A green light will flash on top of the unit to tell you there's remains needing to be disposed of.

• If the battery is getting low, a red light flashes to warn you to replace.

Clicking on this image will take you to its Amazon page where you can look at other reviews before deciding whether to buy.

My electric trap is placed close to a wall where I know the rats run.

Advantages.

• It's relatively quick, unlike poison or some of the other methods which are slow and drawn out.  Much as I dislike rats, I prefer to dispatch them in as humane way as possible.

• The rat is killed without blood being spilled which makes cleaning up easy - you just slide the body into two plastic bags, seal them and put them in the waste.

• I've personally found the electric rat trap to be extremely effective where other types have failed.
  

Disadvantages.

• The main drawback - and it is an important one to consider - is that the batteries need to be kept full, otherwise the shock isn't enough to kill. 

• I've found that the batteries have lasted for between ten and twelve rats.

• Rechargeable batteries can help minimise the cost of constant replacements.
  

• Even if the batteries are low, it will give your unwelcome visitor a solid warning that it's not welcome.
  

Does it work?

I use this electric trap now as my main method of getting rid of rats, and yes, I've found it to be very effective, particularly when combined with a cat or two.

It's important to re-state, though, that I used it only after I'd spent time getting rid of a large infestation of rodents in my chicken run.  Until you have the population under control this trap won't be of much use because it can only kill one at a time.

I prefer it to snap traps because of the lack of blood and gore - the body is very easily disposed of without leaving a mess behind which is a potential hazard to chickens, pets, wildlife or children.

Where to buy the electric rat trap.

Click on whichever flag is yours.

You will be taken to your local Amazon site where you can buy this trap.  For other countries, please see your Amazon page.

Need more information about getting rid of rats?

Knowing whether you've got a rat infestation is the first step, and looking at other ways of dealing with them is also important. 

Click on any of these images to go to whichever page you feel would be helpful to your situation.

Or ...

If you're not sure which page you need, clicking on this picture will take you to an article which lists all the other pages on my site relating to getting rid of rats and mice from your chicken coop.

Each one has a link to the separate articles and a brief description of what each covers, which will help you decide where is most relevant for you to look.

Once you've decided, just click on the link to get to the page you want.

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Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. There is no extra cost to you. This helps me keep the information on the website free of charge. Part of my income from affiliate sales each month goes to charities such as the British Hen Welfare Trust. Details are on this page.

Because my integrity and your satisfaction are very important to me, I only recommend products I have purchased or would purchase myself and which I believe would benefit you. To learn more please see my affiliates disclosure document.

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