# Going a little crazy, need advice for catching a rat



## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Ok. Soooo about two weeks ago a baby rat escaped into my room. She stays under my bed except for random occasions when she comes out on top of the bed to taunt me. I leave food and water out, but she doesn't come out into the open pretty much at all so I can't use the bucket trick, I can't really afford one of those fancy cage contraptions. 

So... Ideas! Give me them! I really want to be able to get her and rehome her rather than have her scrounging for food(considering I'm moving in about a month, give or take) for the rest of her life.


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

Have you tried a humane trap?


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Such as? If you mean those cagey looking things, I'm pretty broke. I've been spending pretty much all my spare money taking care of the 20+ rats that I ended up with thanks to someone thinking males and females could live together. I've considered maybe laying out packing tape and hoping it'll slow her down enough that I can catch her, but idk how well it'll work. I wanted to do the bucket trap(where you put a stick with a papertowel tube on the top and a treat and when they climb out onto it the roll spins and they fall into the bucket) but she never comes out into the open at all, so I don't think it'll work.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Maybe she does come out into the open, but just at night. You should give the bucket thing a try at least. Use some food that smells strong so she will smell it and come out.


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Is peanut butter a good plan or is there something stronger I can use?


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## mzunderstood09 (Feb 22, 2012)

Baby food helps, and sometimes ferretvite. Something super sweet smelling they will enjoy. I hope you catch her!


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Thank you and I have all of the above! Now I just need to find a bucket that isn't broken, lol(long story).


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

If the bucket thing doesn't work - I've tried it on multiple wild mice and never caught anything lol - call your local shelter and ask if you can borrow a little humane trap...


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Hhhmmm I hadn't thought about seeing if I could borrow a trap. That's a good idea. Thank you. ^_^ Hopefully one of these plots works. I hate thinking of what random things she could chew her way into once she gets a little older.


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## Maiden (Mar 9, 2012)

peanut butter cookie dough. My boys go NUTS for it. More then baby food or actual peanut butter.


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

That may be brilliant. And an amazing excuse for me to bake some cookies, lol. I wonder if she'll go for it if it's sugar free... Do they taste good without sugar(total derail)?


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## minnehaha25 (Mar 14, 2012)

Tuna! Smells strong abd they love fish!


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

Bright.Side said:


> That may be brilliant. And an amazing excuse for me to bake some cookies, lol. I wonder if she'll go for it if it's sugar free... Do they taste good without sugar(total derail)?


You could try using Stevia crystals  They are sweet like sugar but - to my knowledge - won't affect your blood sugar (important for those of us who are on the verge of diabetes O.O ). Plus, they are natural, like sugar, instead of processed and cancer causing like equal...


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

This is making me want to mix tuna, peanut butter, and ferretvite all into one terrible abomination for foolproof catchery. lmao.


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

British said:


> You could try using Stevia crystals  They are sweet like sugar but - to my knowledge - won't affect your blood sugar (important for those of us who are on the verge of diabetes O.O ). Plus, they are natural, like sugar, instead of processed and cancer causing like equal...


Thank you! One of my girls has seizures if she eats too much sugar(found this out because Gran was sneaking her graham crackers) so I'm extremely selective about what I give any of them, just in case it happens again.


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## petratts (Feb 14, 2012)

hey i had to catch a rouge mouse in my house. It was wild. I bought a human rat trap from lowes for like 5$. If u live around a Lowes it is worth a look. they are really easy to use and i caught 2 wild mouses with them. but they might be to small for a full grown rat. 
this is the link the trap is called TOMCAT Single Catch Live Trap 

http://www.lowes.com/pd_199802-3031...7_?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Thank you! Oddly, I think catching a fully grown rat would be easier. She's about a month and a week old now so still tiny and bouncy. I almost had her at one point but she jumped straight up and then over like two feet. I swear she can fly. >.<


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## Afwife83 (Mar 28, 2012)

Bright.Side said:


> Thank you! Oddly, I think catching a fully grown rat would be easier. She's about a month and a week old now so still tiny and bouncy. I almost had her at one point but she jumped straight up and then over like two feet. I swear she can fly. >.<



LOL! Keep us updated!!!


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

So... I'm at work, kind of face planting into my desk. I got home after getting some more rat food for the babies and went to check my "trap". The paper towel roll with the peanut butter was upside down and there was a bite taken out as well as a bite taken out of the tuna in the bottom of the giant tub. Alas... No rat girl was in the tub. Somehow, some way, she got trapped and escaped in the 20 minutes it took me to get food. 

Fail trap is fail, lmao. Or she's a genius rat. Not sure which. >.<


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

Most rats can jump out of a bucket without even thinking. If you where to sit on your bed very quietly would she come out? When Willow was 7 weeks old she managed to get under my double bed which I can't move. What I did was get a small cage with a door on the top and tie a piece of string to the door then thread it through the bars so when I pulled the string the door shut. I then baited the cage with anything smelly that I could find, then sat on my bed and waited. It took a couple of hours for her to come out from under the bed, but when she finally went in the cage I pulled the string and she was trapped.


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

She peeps up but won't actually come out into the open if I'm there. It's annoying, the tub I used is like 2 1/2 -3 feet deep. So. Not. Fair. >.<


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

I had to lie almost completely still for hours when Willow escaped. Eventually her stomach won. I think it's just a case of seeing who's more stubbon.


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

Lol, hopefully I'll win!


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## Bright.Side (Dec 19, 2011)

By the way, yes, I caught him.


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