If you opt for catch and release, take the cage to an unoccupied, natural area of woods or fields, place the cage on the ground and release the trap’s door. The rat will see to the rest. I’m not going to put graphic images up but you can absolutely trust me when I say the rodent was lights out immediately. Key specs – Pest control method: Mechanical; Pest control type: Lethal; Usage: Indoor/outdoor; Bait included: No; Dimensions: 22 x 15 x 8cm So as you can see I tested it for a week and I thought my problem was rats – but as you can see I landed a mouse every night, I didn’t actually get a chance to snare a rat because there were so many mice. I am going to have to make one of those home made jobbies that can catch many many rodents at once. However, with that said, lets take a look at these. We’re now firmly at the expensive end of the rat trap spectrum: Goodnature’s A24 model uses a gas-powered bolt system to instantly exterminate vermin, ensuring no suffering.

It’s essential to handle the bait and trap with gloves, and the bait should be carefully stored away from where children and domestic animals can access it. It’s also essential to avoid breathing in any bait dust. On top of that they do bite like I said, more so than other rodents you might come across, and this is even more dangerous for disease transfer etc. They’re much more harmful than the odd mouse or mole, more so to you than your garden, which they can also damage in the same way mice do through eating your plants! Can I kill rats humanely?

How do you outsmart a rat? From catch-and-release to old-school "snappers," check out this collection of top-rated rat traps.

I place the Roshield 4 x Rat Traps – Professional Quality & Heavy Duty Pest Control Traps around the edges of my garden as rats and mice feed under cover better On top of that, rats lay babies easily and will happily set up shop close to home or by bins, so you’re likely to have an infestation sooner than you would think. Because they’re big they can bite too, which you really don’t want happening. They are much more of a problem than finding mice that’s for sure, and you really want rid of them ASAP. Why are rats dangerous and more of a problem than other rodents? Now when I compare this to the other rat traps I have to say live traps present a bit of a dilemma. You probably want to have a look at my what do I do with rats I catch?section for that. There’s anecdotal evidence that they don’t last long when re-located to woods but surely nicer than the kill traps if you’re sensitive to this kind of thing, and I throughly appreciate that.

There is another, slightly old-fashioned humane method to deal with rodent infection: cage capture and wild release. This is the third time I have updated this article and have to say this deserves top spot. I absolutely love how easy the trigger works and it is exceptionally good against even the smallest of rodents that can easily disturb the trigger. And being as heavy duty built as they are, the trap door comes down like a bullet – nothing is getting out. Here’s a short video of me demonstrating that as it’s far more effective than just talking about it:

The best rat traps to buy in 2023

We’ve gathered the best examples of all of these here, leaving you to make your choice based on budget, ethical sensibility and confidence of dealing with a rat you’ve caught that’s still alive. They’re dead easy to set and it honestly couldn’t be easier, and the handy guide that comes with it is something I don’t remember last time, so that makes it even better this time round. Even without one its not difficult, but just wear gloves in case. Once they’re set, place them steadily on any surface, as these things can be put anywhere (garage, loft, etc). Some other traps I’ve looked at recently have had a few changes to their size, as rats are generally bigger than other rodents and so they needed bigger traps, but the Roshield traps already had this in mind. It was 14cm long anyway, which is the right size for a rat trap and it didn’t actually need any upgrades. Use the right bait, and this is potentially a cheap and easy way to round up the majority if not all of your rat problem in one fell swoop, prior to releasing them somewhere more suitable in the wild.