I noticed a rat in my shop about three weeks ago and have been unsuccessful at trapping it.  I've seen him just three times but have heard him several other times.  I discovered it had got into an old bag of grass seed so I removed that bag and cleaned up the mess a few days ago.

I stuck 40 new cuttings 3 days ago and the next day I noticed some of them had been chewed on.  Since it was small pieces, I figured it was maybe a mouse.  Now, it was this blasted rat.  I moved more traps in, snap traps and glue traps but this blasted thing likes Galicia Negra, Black Madeira, CdDG, etc.!  High priced diet!!!  This evening I noticed six cuttings were completely gone!

I chatted with Wills about this and he identified my rat species as a Norwegian rat (based on a photo of this rat's ancestor in a trap).  I may need to try some other baits besides cereal, peanuts, and a power bar (meat, maybe?).

Then I remembered a special cocktail used by another member here to dispose of some larger pests, using GM poison (details deleted at request of other member due to dangers of misuse).  In his case, the pests dropped dead a few feet away after toasting when the "last call" was made.  I stopped by a farm supply place and bought some GM poison and local store for other supplies.  I mixed it up and am hoping...praying...for success!  I also moved all 150 or so plants and cuttings into my greenhouse were temps fluctuate a fair amount.  I'll move the new cuttings back in as soon as I kill this blasted rat.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

This criter may have got fatten on your chestnuts, hence try some chestnut bait on trap or Get a cat in the room.
Hope you got good news re this rat.

Harvey,

   It sounds as though you have formally declared war. I can visually John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn astride his mount and yelling out, Fill your hand  . . . !

Good luck. Those rodents can be devastating.

Used to box trap for rabbits some years ago and caught a few rats with apple slices.   

I would go with the big snap traps baited with peanut butter.  They also make the chunk baits that go in bait stations that keep any pets or other animals from getting poisoned.

  Harvey, my fig cuttings treated with paraffin candles, 2 rats chewed. My hunt using trap success. For two nights caught 2 animals. Now everything is calm and quiet.

Trust me.....the golden marlin will work.  you might have to put out 3 or 4 saucers of it and try other flavored soda like cola or strawberry or peach but it does work.  There is a chuck bait too that works called "Just one Bite".  I've had little success with it though because squirrels and birds will eat the chunks and die in a few days.  The malrin works within seconds.

Good luck Harvey. We all have to deal with nasty critters!

Just bait your trap with some Galicia Negra and CdD Gris cuttings, Harvey:))

Put some fried chicken on the floor and a sorce of light ( just by the chicken) i am serious. Ok stay in the darkness with in 15 minites he will appear. Shoot him with pellet gun.

Seeing we are talking about fig cutting destroying vermin, I'll share something I used to do when I was the live-in super for a building in Boston, MA.

We sometimes had rats (the big Norway ones) in the basement of the building and it was my job to set and check the traps monthly to "discourage" them from the building. That being said I have never had a problem in catching them in whatever way I could.

We used poison and the large humane snap traps but also the large sticky traps too. If you find their "path" then you can use these but you could also put a few around a pile of food and there is little chance the bugger will not get stuck to the trap.

A 5 gallon bucket of water will humanely dispose of the "caught" rat.

I know it's not the most humane way but it has worked for me in the past when the snap traps or poison haven't worked.

Sorry if I offended anyone with the less than humane way to catch rats.

We are talking about a fig killing rat after all :)

I more successfully used fried but still soft bacon than peanut butter, maybe try some of that?
Not that many rats can ignore the smell

That no good bat rastard.

Them the mice attacked my fig trees as well. They killed several large trees in the greenhouse. Entering from the bottom drain hole eating all the roots and exiting from the top. Geez.
Did not like it but after trying several different traps, nothing worked and I used Bromadiolone poison mixed with wheat to kill them.

Thanks, everyone.  No sign of a dead rat yet.  I think snap traps are probably out of the question now as he tripped one a couple of times already and hasn't tried his luck again.  I need to try bacon or some other meat.  I have a small box trap and maybe can put in a feast in there he can't resist.

Harvy did you notice in other threads about figs cuttings getting eaten? Something you have in common with them is California. Hmmm. ??

Harvey,

All you need is a 6' plus Boa or Python.... problem solved. 

Harvey,

I had a similar issue in the greenhouse.  This is what the pro's do.  Get the really big snap traps (the finger breakers).  Take a shelled almond and drill a small hole through it.  Take a file and make some cutting in the brown coating to release the aroma.  Wire the almond to your traps and wait.  Rats are very smart and suspicious of new things so you will not catch any the first day or two unless you have young and stupid ones.  The trappers tell me that marking the almond make it look like another rat was there first.  If you kill one then you need to move the trap because they will not go back to that one.  They are smart.  Almonds work on most types.

http://www.amazon.com/Tomcat-Killer-Resistant-Refillable-Station/dp/B00CQDNBTG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1423969083&sr=8-8&keywords=rat+poison

or

http://www.amazon.com/MOTOMCO-Tomcat-Mouse-Bromethalin-4-Pound/dp/B005BV0DD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423971927&sr=8-2&keywords=rat+poison+tomcat

I don't use the bait station, I just throw them under shelves and behind pots

Bob, I don't want a dead rat in the wall or behind something I can't see stinking up the joint.  I have my exercise equipment in there and workout very hard and want to be breathing some clean air or at least air that smells clean.  The thing that attracted me to the Kool Aid drink is the fast kill so I should see it.

There are some old kitchen cabinets in my shop and I now suspect that it is in one of the drawers.  One of the bottom cabinet doors has been opened twice in the past two days and I don't see any holes in the back wall. I have a smoke canister used for squirrel holes (big ones that require a pesticide applicator's permit) and am debating lighting it up in a steel bucket.

Harvey, 
we had a problems with rats few years back..My husband just was sitting quetly at night and wait with night scope..He kill 22 rats in 7 days.. After this we never saw them..
So, if you have a air gun.. use it..
Good luck!

Olya, I don't see the rat for long enough periods of time to get a shot at it with an air rifle.  I'm a pretty good shot, but that's not very feasible.  May get some shot shells form my .40 handgun though.

I did end up trying to gas the sucker but I don't think it worked. I held my breath afterwards and went in to see if I could find him and there was very clear evidence he had been eating fig cuttings and leaves in the upper drawers (see photo) but I did not see him anywhere around when I opened all of the drawers.  Still hoping.  On the bright side, I did not burn down my shop!!! LOL

 

Rats are smart about snap traps. They do learn quick, that is for sure; I think they get hit by regular mouse traps and get wise to them and figure out the big traps fast. I have only had to deal with a few rats in my life and only one fell to the big snap trap. Another one that liked to hang around the chicken coop fell to a BB gun, well it didn't die on the spot but one of my roommates was pretty sure he hit it but it ran off and the good thing was that it never came back. I'm guessing it died of a nasty wound. The most unique rat removal was the one that went out with our trash! We had one that I would see every now and then on the patio and could tell he was hanging out in the garage. Well the same roommate previously mentioned used to eat sunflower seeds all the time and every now and then he would dump a big huge cup of shells in the garbage. One morning I woke up to the sound of the trash truck coming up the street and I knew our trash hadn't been put out. I threw on some clothes and ran to the garage, I flung the door open and grabbed the cans. I ran down the driveway and got them there just in time for the trash truck. It was the type of truck that carries the big square bucket in front and the trash man gets out and dumps the cans into the bucket and every couple houses the arms swing up over top and dump the bucket into the top of the hold on the truck. As I stood and waited for him to empty the cans so I could carry them back in, I say that huge rat get dumped from one of our cans into the bucket. I ran into the garage and grabbed a garden hoe(the first thing I saw) to kill that rat just in-case he jumped out of the bucket, he would have been out in the open with no place to run to and hide. I even followed the truck up the street a couple houses just to be sure. Now that I think about it, I wonder what that trash man thought about me following him up the street carrying a hoe?

For his diet tonight I also have a small box trap with some dog food and a piece of banana.  Hasn't touched the bacon yet nor the power bar or peanuts....

I do have 5 poor cuttings in my unprotected old cloner and I noticed some of the foam inserts had been knocked down into the tank so the box trap is sitting right next to that.

Hi,
I'm using that one:
http://www.jardiland.com/mon-jardin/15354-entretien-traitement-et-soin/15472-anti-nuisible-naturel/22731-nasse-a-rat
Rats are smart, but since the beast is not killed by that trap, it seems that they don't see the danger as quick.
Some positive aspects :
1. You can use it endlessly - replacing the bred used as bait is all I need - poison you need to buy for replacing.
2. You get the beast so you don't get bad smells later on.
3. Kids, birds and cats proof - you can release them if one gets trapped .
A 1kg baiting poison box is the same price ( some brands a bit more ) as this trap ...

I just had to make a small adaptation. The trigger is a straight rod and I bent the bottom making it point to the end side of the box.
Before, the beats could take the bait as it would slide down the straight trigger .
if the bait was laid on the floor of the box they would not fire the trigger ...
They really are smart ...
Only thing is the bait can't be too heavy or its own weight would trigger the door closing.
Put your hands in dirt or use old gloves when manipulating the trap as rats have strong smelling capacities and they think that we stink .