Rugged Ranch Rat Trap, Live Mouse Catch & Release Cage, Ratinator

Chipmunkinator worked fantastic for trapping red squirrels in our attic. So far I’ve caught three and hopefully the third was the last.The quality really held up because once they were caught, they tried everything they could to get out.I sprinkled some squirrel/critter feed (corn, sunflower seeds and whole shell peanuts) from our local grocery store in the middle of the cage and at the entrances of the cage. I also put dab of peanut butter in the middle of the cage.Happy trapping to everyone!

I followed the recommendations and set the ratinador with bait but with the trap door wired open for two nights. On the third night I put bait in the trap and unfired the trap door. The picture is a little hard to see but I caught 12 rats. I am very happy with the results. I have been dissappointed in several different types of traps I have tried over the years. This one works great.

UPDATE #13 - 18 May 2018 - I finished 2017 with a total of 229 squirrels trapped since I bought my first Squirrelinator. I took the traps up during the cold weather and just put them back out 3 days ago. I've already caught 4 squirrels, and I just let die on their own. I never thought I could do such a thing, but after having them eat the wiring in my car 3 different times and into my attic twice, I just have no choice.They just started running across my roof all day and I've seen where they pulled off shingles while trying to chew their way back into the attic. They're also snacking on my eaves. They're not just pests, they're dangerous and could burn my house down or cause a terrible car crash.UPDATE #12 - 6 June 2017 - I've just trapped squirrel no. 218.UPDATE #11 - 13 March 2017 - Since first buying this trap, I just crossed the 200 mark with #201 today. People ask how I've caught so many squirrels, and I tell them Rugged Ranch Squirrelinator.UPDATE #10 - 16 Aug 2016 - They're back! I went several weeks with no squirrels, I think because of heavy rain we had nearly daily. Then yesterday I caught 3. Total count this year is 42.UPDATE #9 - 4 June 2016 - As of this morning, I've caught 32 squirrels. A coyote was able to partially pull 2 of them through the wire mesh because they were smaller than usual, leaving the heads inside the cages and the eviscerated bodies outside. I chain each cage to a tree and pin them to the ground with wire. Something (deer or coyotes) is moving the cages at night to eat the bait (I live next to the woods) I'm looking for a better way to anchor them.UPDATE #8 - 12 Apr 2016 - As of yesterday, I've caught 21 squirrels with 3 Squirrelinators in my backyard. I've had two occasions where 2 squirrels have gone into the same cage. They don't play well together. I put the bait out early in the morning right after the sun's up, and the little critters arrive within an hour. My new next door neighbors were delighted because the squirrels chewed into the attic of their former house resulting in expensive damage. It's nice to have a cheering section.UPDATE #7 - 8 Mar 2016 - We went about 2 years without squirrels after the big haul of 149. The squirrels are back, so I put out the cages 3 days ago. We've already caught 7. TIP: Once you see a squirrel in the trap, close and latch the doors that are attached to the cage. That should help any smart bushy tail from learning how to escape.UPDATE #6 - 21 Nov 2013 - 149 squirrels - I live on a lake, and in July the geese began to eat all the bait in the traps. I took the traps up and the geese continued to come into my yard. They left a mess, but they kept the squirrels at bay. The geese have dwindled, and 3 days ago the squirrels returned. I'm putting the traps back down tomorrow.UPDATE #5 - 3 July 2013 - 138 squirrelsUPDATE #4 - 24 May 2013 - 126 squirrelsUPDATE #3 - 3 May 2013 -114 squirrels and 1 possum (they love deer corn, sunflower seeds, and peanut butter)UPDATE #2 (23 Mar 2013): It's been 3 weeks since my first update. We're now at 90 squirrels and more are checking out my traps. For bait I've been using peanut butter, which I spoon out onto wax paper and put in the freezer, and a nut and seed mix I get at the grocery store designed to draw birds and squirrels. The frozen chunks of peanut butter can be dropped right into the traps without opening the top hatch.I've noticed that other squirrels in my yard take no notice of squirrels that have entered the Squirrelinator, and some have even joined them in the same trap.THANK YOU RUGGED RANCH!UPDATE #1: Since I purchased these traps a year ago, I have now caught 81 squirrels. More have come to my yard, but they aren't yet aware of the power of the Squirrelinator. I plan to add more notches to my belt in the next couple of weeks, and for as long as necessary. The ravens and hawks have noticed the activity and have joined our efforts in disposing of the no-longer cute or sweet fuzzy tailed nightmares.ORIGINAL REVIEW: I hired a professional pest control company to trap the squirrels that were eating their way into my house and that had chewed the wiring in my car three times. In 2 months they caught 3 squirrels. I bought one of these Squirrelinator traps at my local hardware store, and using Deer Corn as bait, starting catching squirrels right away. I ordered two more of these traps from Amazon for a price that was 10% less than the one I bought locally, and have now caught 21 squirrels in one month. The professional traps had a snap door on them, and somehow the squirrels figured out how to get the food without tripping the door. The 2 doors on the Squirrelinator have confounded these bushy tailed pests and they can't find a way out. The cage blends into the background and is easy to bait and open to retrieve or release the squirrels. These cages cost less than the initial fee the professional charged, and they really work!

Please read further down for my night-by-night story & an empath's first-time experience with the drowning method. (The trap worked but I was only able to set for one night before the rats destroyed it.)Preparation:1) Location & presentation are key--We placed the trap against the barn wall in a high traffic area with a LOT of rat droppings & manure.2)The trap is too exposed so we kept it slid in the box, just cutting the end of the box off on the side with the entrance. (Rats feel safer entering an enclosed space.)Nights 1 & 2:1) The trap door was zip-tied open.2) The trap was baited with a scoop of sunflower seeds.RESULTS: No action--no droppings & no empty sunflower hulls. But it was new & smelled odd (to a rat) so I figured it may take a few days for the trap to be accepted. (Location/position is a common problem but I knew that wasn't the issue in this case.)Nights 3 & 4:1) Trap door still zip-tied open.2) I swept up the copious rat droppings in the area & sprinkled them in the trap through the top so it would smell like them.3) I decided that, although they LOVE sunflower seeds the seeds do not have enough scent to advertise their presence. So I added a scoop of the horses textured sweet feed which has a strong, delicious smell.RESULTS: Two scoops of feed (1 sunflower & 1 sweet feed) were completely gone! Empty seed hulls & a new layer of fresh manure were all that remained.Night 5:1) Zip tie removed--trap set!2) Baited with a scoop of sunflower seeds & a scoop of aromatic sweet feed since those worked great to draw them in the last two nights.RESULTS: Checked the trap 4 hours after dark (didn't want to leave rats all night, terrified & possibly fighting/injuring each other). There was at least a dozen and a half rats inside!HOWEVER . . .Although the concept is good, the design & construction has some flaws. There is a narrow dead-end section next to the entrance. The rats shoved themselves, tightly packed, into this section, smothering & panicking. Then they started escaping while I filled the pan with water to drown them. One rat was caught half way through the wire & stuck out too much so I couldn't set the trap in the pan of water to kill it. While we tried to get the live, terrified rat unstuck (while not being bit!) more started squeezing out next to it again & eacaping. We realized the rats had pulled back a poorly welded wire & created a row of larger holes. Some could fit through these holes but bigger ones got stuck. I had to poke a stick through the bars to rap them with to keep them back from that area so more couldn't escape while my daughter kept trying to deal with the stuck rat. She eventually had to dispatch a stuck rat with garden shears & it pulled out easily through the larger hole they made once it's body was relaxed.A NOTE ABOUT DROWNING:I have had rats & mice as pets so seeing them terrified & the situation with the stuck one wasn't easy. Dealing with the stuck one unfortunately drew out the whole scary time for all the other rats. The thought of drowning them pained me but I can't just go dump this many rats in someone else's field to be a problem for them so killing was really the only sollution.Once the stuck one was removed I set the trap in the included pan filled with lukewarm water. They started to swim & I had to turn away. My daughter check on them just a minute or so later & said they were pretty much all dead. I walked over & there was already no more movement: their struggle was over. I was relieved that the drowning was over so quickly & believe it was a faster & more humane death than being caught by our cats. So, while I still don't like killing any animal, I am much more at peace with the method than I thought I would be.I will contact the company for a replacement trap right after posting this review. If they send a replacement & it holds up, I will gladly give this trap 5 stars. For the price, I should certainly be able to get more than one night of trapping out of it & it should be sturdy enough to hold up against it's target species.

This cage has great possibilities! We have successfully caught a rat in our chicken coop. The trick was the recipe of snack inside. To discard the rat was a whole different thing. I have a dog who was ready for me to "release the rat". I give it a thumbs up. I followed the advice of a YouTube video I watched on this product of securing the gates to prevent escape with wire ties from the grocery store. Good luck