Mice

[eagle]

I have 6 of the yellow bucket tops with the trap door,and 6 buckets with the spinning can.The problem is they don't work well in the cold.I can't be buying gallons of lowtox anti freeze all winter long.I thought maybe if I just baited them dry they would fall in and starve or freeze after a couple of days.Not so.They just climbed up,and gnawed the edge of the trap door enough to get back out again.

Used antifreeze from your local car repair will work just fine, and it's free. A couple three inches in a five gallon bucket won't be accessible to neighborhood cats or dogs, especially if the cover is secured properly. If you've got a persistent cat or dog, tie the bucket to a post so it can't be tipped over.

 

[David in San Antonio]

Based on this thread it sounds like rats love to eat wiring. Maybe bait the traps with wiring! You can even tie the wiring in a knot on the trigger so they can’t pull it off. Watch this space for more genius life hacks.