The fascinating packrat

[puglogic]

I hadn't been in my shed for a while, and one day when rooting around for some frost cloth I noticed something odd. There were lots of leaves in there. In little piles.  And droppings, and shiny things like washers and coins.  Hm.

And here I'd thought "packrat" was just a noun used to describe a hoarder.

I put some onions out on the garage floor to dry one night, about 50 of them. The next morning there were 17 left.  The rest had been dragged off into various spots in the garage.  There was some old silverware collected and piled under the workbench.

I'm not a fan of rodents in my domicile, but it's funny what these guys do. (until they gnaw through wiring, I suppose)

Anyway, fascination aside, has anyone ever been able to successfully get rid of one of these freeloaders without hiring a service?  I've tried our live trap, but he seems clever enough to steal the bait without springing the trap. 

[JZinCO]

This has worked for me.
http://gentlemanhomestead.com/diy-five-gallon-bucket-mouse-trap/

[puglogic]

Packrats are great jumpers and climbers, but I'm definitely going to do the bucket trick for mice. 

He climbed up on the kegerator last night and stole a bottle opener. Strange little animals.

[JZinCO]

Packrats are great jumpers and climbers, but I'm definitely going to do the bucket trick for mice. 

He climbed up on the kegerator last night and stole a bottle opener. Strange little animals.

I must have been tired and falsely equated pack rat with mice. Did you try the snap trap?

[argonaut_astronaut]

How are you loading and baiting your live trap? We have no problem trapping them. BTW, raw onion is my preferred bait for packrats.

[puglogic]

I have been using a live trap baited with peanut butter moooshed up with chex cereal.  I'll improve on that, and will check the trigger to make sure it's not too stiff.  Thanks.

[argonaut_astronaut]

In case you want other tips:

The bait should be past the trigger, not on it.

Weight the trap down so that it can't be moved/jostled to get at the bait.

[enigmaT120]

I've killed lots of them over the years.  Wood rats, technically.  Apparently they think our bathroom attic is a good place to spend the winter.  They would be correct if some rodenticidal maniac didn't keep putting a battery powered rat zapper up there, baited with cat food or  a few nuts.  The rats don't even fit all the way into the trap but it kills them. 

http://www.victorpest.com/victor-electronic-rat-trap-bm240promo

are the kind I have right now, but I only bought one.  They last a few years.  When I don't have pack rat problems I keep it in my garage to suppress the mice population, since I don't like them chewing my electrical wires in my vehicles.

I'm not even really opposed to poison, except that I'm afraid one of our cats would eat a dying rat and die himself.  But now that I think about it, I'd prefer not to risk accidentally poisoning any natural predator of wood rats, either. 

[JZinCO]

But now that I think about it, I'd prefer not to risk accidentally poisoning any natural predator of wood rats, either.

+1.
it happens, alot.