Trap predators in your backyard (2024)

Trap set in chicken coop, where there is often food on the ground that attracts rodents

Image: DOC

Trapping protects native animals

Native animals are returning to urban areas around New Zealandas DOC, restoration groups and councils protect more and more reserves by removing introduced mammals such as rats and mice.But wildlife do not recognise reserve boundaries and happily visit private gardens for the food they find there.

You can ensure native birds and lizards are safe when they visit your home by trapping predators on your land. If everyone puts one or two covered rat traps in their garden, the number of native animals will increase and you'llbe able to enjoy more birdlife in your garden.

The easiest way to start trapping is to find your nearest predator control group. Many community groupsthroughout the country are carrying out predator control and can provide advice to help you get started.

Find your local groups with thePredator Free NZ map.

How to trap in your backyard

Trap predators in your backyard (1)
Top: mouse trap, rat trap, peanut butter. Bottom: trapping tunnel

What you'll need

  • A mouse trap
  • A rat trap
  • A trapping tunnel (also known as a trap box)
  • Peanut butter
  • An outdoor area to put your trap

If there is aPredator Free communitynear you, they may have trapping tunnels available, or you can build the tunnel yourself.

You can get the traps from these sources:

How to set your trap

1. Place the rat tunnel beside your bank or wall and open the door, ready to insert your traps.

2. Put a teaspoon of peanut butter into the rat and mouse traps, and set them.

3. Slide your rat trap into the tunnel with the step plate facing away from your hands (ie facing the tunnel entrance), then slide the mouse trap in behind it. Try to keep the traps near to the back of the tunnel where you are sliding them in. If they are clear of the entrance to the tunnel there is less risk of snapping curious pets or children's fingers.

Trap predators in your backyard (2)
Trap set at the edge of the garden where rodents are more likely to be running
Image: DOC

Where to put your trap

Rats and mice don’t like to run across big open areas like lawns, and instead tend to stay near the cover of plants of buildings. This means that a good place to put your trap is beside a wall or bank, as the rats and mice are likely running along here.

How often to check your trap

Have a look inside every day or two for the first couple of weeks to get an idea of how many mice and rats are around.

Keep checking every few days if you're finding you're catching quite a few, but if you find you're not seeing many you can reduce your checks to once every week or two.

Make sure you keep your bait fresh as well, replacing it and cleaning your trap every month or so.

What to do with the rats and mice you catch

This is up to you, but we recommend either burying them in the garden or putting them in the rubbish, wrapped up if your rubbish day is a while away.

Tips for backyard trapping

Choose the best bait

This is a widely disputed issue, with some trappers swearing by peanut butter, while others buy rodent bait from specialist retailers.

Researchers at Victoria University of Wellington have put the different baits to the test, and found that wild rats prefer cheese, milk chocolate, Nutella and walnuts to standard peanut butter.

Offer some ‘free’ bait

Put a bit of ‘free’ peanut butter in the tunnel in front of the trap – this encourages the rats and mice in. It helps attract more rodents too, as they’ll return to their nest with the first haul of peanut butter, and then bring their family back to the trap for more.

Put your trap in a prime location

It might be tempting to put your trap into the middle of your garden. This isn't necessarily the most effective position though, as rodents tend to avoid big open spaces.

Rats and mice prefer to run close to walls, plants and fences where they're hidden from keen cat eyes. So the best place for your backyard trap is beside a wall or fence where the rats might be running.

And if the first location fails, try again

If you don’t have a wall/fence to put your trap beside, or you’re not catching much, think about where in your garden the rats and mice might be hanging out.

Rodents will be attracted to places where they can find food and water. If you have a compost heap or trees that drop fruit on the ground your resident rats will probably be spending some time there, so that’s a good spot for your trap. Another good place is beside a waterway if you have one as rats and mice tend to run alongside streams and creeks.

Get your neighbours involved

If you reach a trapping plateau and stop catching as many rats and mice as you used to, it could be because they've cottoned on to that fact that your yard isn't safe. They could be seeking sanctuary in properties nearby instead, so getting your neighbours involved in trapping will help ensure your entire neighbourhood is protected.

Then, next time you reach a plateau it may well be because you’ve caught the lot!

What else can you do?

  • Allow lizards to use your buildings, garden plantings and firewood piles for homes.
  • Diverse gardens are a great food source for native birds and insects.
  • A'messy' garden is good for wildlife such as lizards. Rank grass and thick plantings are much better than large expanses of short, mowed lawn.
  • Be a responsible cat owner: microchip and neuter your cat and know where your cat is.
  • Encourage your neighbours to trap rats and have wildlife friendly gardens.
  • Find out more about attracting birds and lizards to your garden.
  • Minimise the use of sprays, which will kill native invertebrates, and the food source for many native birds and lizards.

Disposing of predators

It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to use any inhumane methods to dispatch of predators.

Approved methods for dispatching of predators using kill traps are outlined in our Predator Free 2050 trapping guide. All of these traps have been approved by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and comply with The Animal Welfare Act 1999.

Predator Free 2050 trapping guide (PDF, 6,227K)

Trap predators in your backyard (2024)

FAQs

Trap predators in your backyard? ›

Offer some 'free' bait

What attracts coyotes to a trap? ›

To create a more realistic scenario, trappers can often use natural coyote droppings and coyote scent to ensure that the smell they are attracted to is typical. By providing scent and something visual, they become more relaxed and often commit to the area where the trap has been set.

How to attract predators? ›

Create a small wildlife pond. Plant flowers. Mulch your growing areas. Create perches or plant trees or even snags near your garden to attract birds.

Do predators set traps? ›

Some ambush predators build traps to help capture their prey.

What attracts rats the most? ›

Fruit and berries — Out of all the foods rodents consume, their top two loves are generally fruits and berries. In the wild, rats and mice consume these foods at every opportunity. Therefore, raspberry and blackberry bushes — as well as apple and pear trees — can serve as magnets for the animals.

What draws coyotes to your yard? ›

Coyotes are attracted by bread, table scraps, seed, or even birds that come to the feeder. Secure garbage containers and eliminate garbage odors. Don't leave small children unattended outside if coyotes have been seen frequently in the area. Don't allow pets to run free.

What scares coyotes away? ›

Coyotes hate loud noise. It terrifies them to no end, so you can easily use noise to your advantage. Try banging some pots together, blasting an air horn, or blowing a whistle. Any sudden noise you make will make your property that much more unappealing!

What scares off predators? ›

Many species make use of behavioral strategies to deter predators.
  • Startling the predator.
  • Pursuit-deterrent signals.
  • Playing dead.
  • Distraction.
  • Mimicry and aposematism.
  • Defensive structures.

How do you scare away a predator? ›

Like our pet cats, mountain lions will instinctually chase anything that runs and are triggered to stalk potential prey from behind. Instead, as with black bears, shout at the cat, clap loudly and spread your jacket over your head to make yourself look larger to scare it away.”

How to attract coyotes fast? ›

For attracting coyotes, your best bets are to use calls that imitate the distress sounds of their prey and the communicative howls and yips of coyotes themselves.

How do you get rid of a predator? ›

Armed with that knowledge, develop a plan to eliminate the issue using these six strategies.
  1. Exclusion. The best way to remove a predator threat is to simply keep the predator out. ...
  2. Guardian Animals. ...
  3. Distraction and Scare Tactics. ...
  4. Removing Attractants. ...
  5. Relocating. ...
  6. Lethal Force.
Feb 27, 2015

What animal keeps predators away? ›

A growing number of livestock pro- ducers are using guard animals to reduce predation on livestock. Llamas, donkeys, and dogs are animals most commonly used for this purpose. The best guard animals stay with the livestock without harming them and aggressively repel predators.

What animals get caught in traps? ›

Traps pose a danger to the public because they are indiscriminate, which means that any animal can get injured or killed in traps. This includes ungulates like deer, birds, reptiles, endangered species, and our companions: dogs and cats.

What smell do rats hate? ›

Peppermint oil — Essential plant oils like peppermint, rosemary, citronella, sage and lavender have strong botanical scents that rats dislike. One customer successfully repelled a rat by stuffing a peppermint oil soaked tissue into the rat hole chewed into the wall. The rat appeared to never come back.

What keeps rats away permanently? ›

Filling holes and cracks that provide entry points and installing professional exclusion systems from companies like Cat-Guard provides a safe, natural, permanent barrier to keep rats out.

What keeps rats away permanently outside? ›

Repel Rats:

It's possible to repel rats using essential oils such as peppermint oil and other smells that they naturally don't like. Using peppermint oil is one of the easiest ways to keep rats away from your home as long as you aren't giving them an easy food source.

What is the fastest way to attract coyotes? ›

Calls are small tools that imitate the sounds of certain animals - you should be able to find them at any hunting shop. For attracting coyotes, your best bets are to use calls that imitate the distress sounds of their prey and the communicative howls and yips of coyotes themselves.

What smells attract coyotes? ›

Though this is a broad category, it cannot be understated: the smell of meat will attract coyotes. The meat can be raw, cooked, or rotting. So, if you live in areas with a lot of coyote activity, it's best to avoid outdoor cooking and storage of meat.

Why am I not catching coyotes in my traps? ›

Not Bedding the Trap Properly

“Bedding” refers to placing the trap solidly in the hole you have dug for it, with solid support beneath the entire trap. A well-bedded trap won't shift or move if the coyote steps on parts other than the pan, which is critical.

What is the best bait for coyotes? ›

During the fur trapping season, the best bait to use for coyotes is some type of meat. Coyotes are attracted to beef, chicken, and most species of wild game. In addition, meat that may be less commonly found in a coyote's natural diet can also work very well, including beaver, fish and horse meat.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edwin Metz

Last Updated:

Views: 6237

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edwin Metz

Birthday: 1997-04-16

Address: 51593 Leanne Light, Kuphalmouth, DE 50012-5183

Phone: +639107620957

Job: Corporate Banking Technician

Hobby: Reading, scrapbook, role-playing games, Fishing, Fishing, Scuba diving, Beekeeping

Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.