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The key to having consistent, successful results is location & placement, before you even use the trap;  clear up competing food sources in your area. Pre-bait the site with the chocolate formula and use the detector cards. Rats communicate through their breath and whiskers, if a good head of rats in your area feel safe to feed on the chocolate gel, they will pass this on and actively seek out the food. Look to place the traps nearer where the rats are living, in a safe place out of sight of avian and ground predators. Don't be tempted to put it where you saw one running down the side of a building, this is not a feeding spot. They will not have the confidence to stop and feed here.

Once they have taken all the free offerings, set the trap in an area that is away from disturbance; place in a box or under shelter at a 45' angle as this will help hugely! The detector cards will tell you if they feel safe to feed there.

It will take a few days for the rats to overcome their initial fear of it, then you should start seeing results. Don't be afraid to continue offering freebies of the chocolate formula, this will help vastly! Check out our easy lure pouches, they are perfect for the job. The big thing with our traps is finding where the rats will interact comfortably, you may feel like you're having a slow start, trust us when we say that the more time you put in getting it right initially; the less time you will put in later.

To get the best results from your A24 rat traps ensure you use Goodnature Rodent Detector Cards to find suitable sites for the traps. Not every trap site is equal, and the detector cards will quickly reveal the better sites.

Rather than setting your trap near an existing food source for pests, install the traps away from food competition for better results.

If your trap is already installed near a compost site or other excellent food source you may have to remove the food source or restrict the pests’ access to that site. If pests are in the habit of accessing a regular source of food you may have to break that pattern to get them interested in the lure within the trap.

Pre-feeding with the lure pouch will dramatically increase catch rates, give it a go!

If you need extra assistance give Goodnature a call!

Food-rich areas are complex rat trapping sites and may require extra effort to achieve success. Locations where you see rats or signs of rats are not necessarily spots where they will trigger the trap. Use Rodent Detectors to determine the best place to set a trap. You may have to disrupt the rats' routine by moving or reducing access to the food-rich source, if possible, forcing them to look elsewhere for food.

The general rule of thumb is two per acre (spaced 40m apart). If you have a large area for conservation or a complex site such as an orchard, then please call us.

While our lures are long life, they will eventually tire and diminish in scent when exposed to air. At least once a month, remove the shroud cap and take the long life lure bottle out, tap it against the tree trunk so the tired lure is dabbed out as a pre-feed to attract pests. Wipe all excess lure away from the bite block, or mouth of the lure bottle, and return to the trap. See the Success Guides for more information.

We usually establish a landscape/grid operation where it is not critical that all animals are affected immediately, only that they are attracted to the trap by the formula; and it is ‘armed’ when they interact with it. This may happen on the first night, or after many nights; when they are in this area of their home range. Timing is not critical since control is achieved over a period of weeks, and then maintained over longer periods.

Goodnature's long life rodent formula is not attractive to cats. The shroud entrance is also too narrow for a cat to fit its head into, and the trap is installed 12 inches off the ground to further prevent a cat interrogating the trap. It is extremely unlikely that a cat will trigger an A24 rat trap. Neighbourhood cats, however, are likely to remove dead rats and from below the trap. You may also purchase an extender tunnel to add a third layer of security.

Use target specific Goodnature stoat formula in the A24 Rat & Stoat Trap. Set the trap near the edge of a stream/waterway, on a ridge, track, or on a crop margin/hedge line. Ensure the trap is set away from houses and other food sources such as chicken coops that can act as a competing food source for the lure.

Be aware of hedgehogs, these are a protected species in decline. A well-placed A24 set at 12-15 inches above the ground will make it difficult for entry. Hedgehogs may scale log piles but they are not built to climb vertically. If your detector cards show hedgehog activity in your area, it is important to do everything you can to stop interaction with the trap. This can be achieved with our UK specific formula for rats, building up around the entrance of the tunnel to restrict access, or used in conjunction with the excluder tunnel we sell you can help protect this species.

If you have any more concerns over hedgehogs in your area, please get in touch. We would be happy to offer support on how to carry out a safe trapping regime that will help to protect hedgehogs in your area. Check your garden doesn’t hold these hazards that threaten our prickly friends.

A responsible, well thought out trapping regime will actually benefit hedgehogs by stopping food competition and predation of their young.

Have a look here on how to create a safer more enriched sanctuary for them in your garden.