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rognvald · 22-12-2012, 10:36

"Glue traps are cruel and ineffective, especially for rats as opposed to mice." Minaret

You are absolutely correct, but if you ever had a rat on your boat or in your house, the element of cruelty becomes secondary to solving your problem. Have you ever seen chickens slaughtered? The world is a cornucopia of cruelty.

sailorboy1 · 22-12-2012, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by minaret

Glue traps are cruel and ineffective,

yeah, I've been really concerned lately about our cruelty towards rats

I will admit that I'm not very touchy feely and when it comes to rodents I just want to get rid of them. I may even take some delight in their suffering (all serial killers start out somewhere so watch your response well

)

**minaret** · 22-12-2012, 10:49

Just the opinion of someone who has been required to use them at work. The first time you see a rat gnaw off its own limbs to try to escape but still fail to do so, you will feel the same way. I can't think of a worse way to die, you can burn me alive but please don't drown me slowly in a big tray of sticky glue. You are torturing an animal to death by this method. I understand the urgency and agree wholeheartedly that the situation must be dealt with by any means necessary. I just don't think that glue traps add any degree of efficacy over traditional traps, quite the opposite. There is no payoff for the added cruelty, so why do it? Unless you're the sort of person who likes to pull the wings off flies to watch them flop around, it just doesn't make sense. The world is indeed a cornucopia of cruelty, but I try not to add to it needlessly.

Just so you guys don't think I'm too touchy feely about rats, I have probably killed more of them than everyone on this forum put together. My father is a renowned neuropsychologist who does most of his research with rats. Of course at the end of each program, the rats must be killed and their brains sectioned on slides. This means killing thousands of rats, these are large research projects at a major government facility. I have helped out around the lab with this and other manpower heavy projects since I was just a kid. It used to be chain mail gloves and a cleaver for the rats, but then my old man invented a sort of industrial guillotine that efficiently and relatively painlessly beheads rats so that their brains can be sectioned for study. This device has now been industry standard for years. Now groups like PETA harass him relentlessly. They call him "Doctor Death". This really angers me, since nothing could be further from the truth. So, I am hardly soft on rats. But I do think unnecessary cruelty is a shameful thing, just like my old man.

**noelex 77** · 22-12-2012, 10:55

I don't believe in being cruel, even to rodents, but I am not sure the glue traps are cruel.

If the spring loaded traps break the rodents neck than that's as good a death as a rodent on sailboat can expect, but I suspect they are more often trapped and injured and in pain until discovered.
In a glue trap at least they are not injured and in pain.

Most cruisers kill them by throwing them overboard. Drowning is not very humane, but perhaps ironically, smashing over the head with a hammer seems cruel.

Many cruisers, seeing the chewed wiring, think a slow death is appropriate, but at least try and make their demise humane.

rognvald · 22-12-2012, 12:03

O.K. Rebelheart, to be successful in hunting your prey, here's another video depicting the character and wile of Brother Rat. If this doesn't throw you into a depressive mood of paranoia in your search for Rodentia Mexicanus, I hope it will provide some humor. Good luck and good hunting! Giant Russian Rat Attacks Cats [HQ] - YouTube

Vasco · 22-12-2012, 12:17

Russian cats are wimps.

IdoraKeeper · 22-12-2012, 13:47

I don't see why the rat zapper would not work if properly baited. A friend of mine used one on a large infestation in his neighbourhood. In the space of a few days he filled an entire 50 gallon garbage can with dead rats. He then carted the can around to his neighbors to advocate for proper controlled of garbage. One lady was so upset she nearly had a breakdown...afraid to come out of the house. Kill kill kill.

Todd

**minaret** · 22-12-2012, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

I don't see why the rat zapper would not work if properly baited. A friend of mine used one on a large infestation in his neighbourhood. In the space of a few days he filled an entire 50 gallon garbage can with dead rats. He then carted the can around to his neighbors to advocate for proper controlled of garbage. One lady was so upset she nearly had a breakdown...afraid to come out of the house. Kill kill kill.

Todd

Oh, it works. And it's probably the most humane option. I just don't think it's quite as effective as a traditional trap. Rats are wary about entering, and the model I had had little slots at the far end that allowed them to sometimes get the bait without entering.

I like the idea of an electric deterrent at the dock. You would have shore power whenever you needed it, so that wouldn't be a problem. If they work at all it would seem like a good thing to consider.

Therapy · 22-12-2012, 16:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by rognvald

O.K. Rebelheart, to be successful in hunting your prey, here's another video depicting the character and wile of Brother Rat. If this doesn't throw you into a depressive mood of paranoia in your search for Rodentia Mexicanus, I hope it will provide some humor. Good luck and good hunting! Giant Russian Rat Attacks Cats [HQ] - YouTube

Hah!

I don't think those cats were very hungry.

markpierce · 22-12-2012, 17:30

Had a rat living in the space between the first and second floors in my townhouse. Had a "rat man" come. He found and sealed the likely entry (air-conditioning line at ground level). He set out a couple of traps baited with peanut butter in the utility closet where the line entered the structure.

A day or two later heard rustling noises in the closet. The rat was "freaking" because his exit had been blocked. He wasn't baited by the traps, so I dispatched him with 22-caliber "shotgun" rounds.

Impious1 · 22-12-2012, 17:41

Currently working at a yacht club where the problem is ... Mink. Yep, the club and the members lockers are infested with very well-dressed weasels...

delmarrey · 22-12-2012, 17:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Therapy

Hah!

I don't think those cats were very hungry.

Dotto! They were too well fed. I had a cat on the our farm in Oregon that would take down small dogs and rabbits.

People use to bring the pets they didn't want anymore out to the country side and let'm go. Because of some drive by tourists, I was almost arrested (in 1965) for shooting a dog that had been chasing live stock. But the Sheriff was on my side. He was a rancher too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minaret

Just the opinion of someone who has been required to use them at work. The first time you see a rat gnaw off its own limbs to try to escape but still fail to do so, you will feel the same way. I can't think of a worse way to die, you can burn me alive but please don't drown me slowly in a big tray of sticky glue. You are torturing an animal to death by this method. I understand the urgency and agree wholeheartedly that the situation must be dealt with by any means necessary. I just don't think that glue traps add any degree of efficacy over traditional traps, quite the opposite. There is no payoff for the added cruelty, so why do it? Unless you're the sort of person who likes to pull the wings off flies to watch them flop around, it just doesn't make sense. The world is indeed a cornucopia of cruelty, but I try not to add to it needlessly.

Remember this story........ Times have changed! Now rats have rights. Oh BTW, it's illegal to even trap moles here in Washington.

Uncle Remus And The Tar Baby - YouTube

seahag · 22-12-2012, 18:09

My only experience with the sticky pad is seeing one permanently stuck to the floor upside down in a friends camper. He never got a rat or mouse, and the pad cannot be removed. Looks pretty funny but hes not laughing.

rebel heart · 22-12-2012, 18:14

Well for some of you guys that are saying "buy this and buy that", remember that I'm in friggin Mexico. You can't exactly get an amazon.com order into here and there's no Target nearby. Plus, tomorrow is Sunday and next weed is Christmas. If there's one things Mexicans can do, and I love this country and it's people, it's skip work.

Anyway, there are now two baited mechanical traps: one with cheese and one with peanut butter. Both are super hair-trigger and I had to set them down with care. The sticky traps are out as well.

Didn't hear a peep from the guy last night, so it's possible he's gone. But I would so love to hear the snap from one of those traps. In January I'm heading back to the states and I'll get a couple of all weather electric models that I'll put under the dock steps.