How humane are the traps you supply?
All the traps we recommend are humane and meet the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee standards.
Is there a risk of my cat or dog getting into the rat traps or possum traps?
Our Rat Traps are enclosed in a wooden box with a small entrance. This design is safe for both cats and dogs.
Possum Traps
We recommend you use appropriate bait: Avoid meat or fish baits that cats are likely to find attractive. Instead, use fruit, peanut butter, sugar, or cinnamon, which possums prefer and cats tend to avoid.
Trap placement is also very important. Mount the trap vertically and well off the ground (at least 1 meter). Do not put a ramp up to the trap – possums are good climbers.
If I use bait in a bait station is it safe?
Yes, the bait stations are fully locked and tamper proof. Pets and children can not get into them.
Where do I get the bait from? Can TUS supply it?
Yes we supply approved bait, this is available via your neighbourhood coordinator. Your coordinator will also give you handling instructions and tips on the use of the bait.
What happens if a rat is killed by bait and then dies on my property. Is the dead rat a risk to other animals?
Not with the Ditrac bait we use. It’s a bait that breaks down quickly inside the animal. Council toxicologists tell us that a cat would have to eat at least 10 dead poisoned rats to die. And dogs even more.
Note: The rat bait sold in hardware stores is usually much more toxic. The usual ingredient is Brodifacoum. Residents have been known to buy this bait and spread it around their properties. This is quite poisonous to cats and dogs. If you suspect that your animal has been poisoned, take them to a vet. Pets being affected will not be as the result of TUS operations. We have been doing this for 8 years now and have not had a single case of a pet being poisoned by us.
How often should I replace my trap lure ( peanut butter etc)
This depends a little on how much rodent activity you have. At first, check it twice a week. Then once a week, and then fortnightly from there on. But also refresh it every time you make a catch too.
How should I dispose of a dead rat or a possum caught in a trap?
Dead rats etc can be either buried or binned and put out with the rubbish.
Does TUS need to know that I have caught an animal or had some bait taken?
YES we really do! It helps us tremendously to know where the pest animals are so that we know how we’re doing. It also helps us a lot with funding. We can show funding providers how much time we are spending checking devices and how many animals we have caught or killed.
For this we use trap.nz. Please download the app and register your traps and bait stations on it. Every time you check a trap or refill a bait station, please add a record into trap.nz. Even if you’ve caught nothing or had zero bait taken! Because this all adds to the effort that the Titirangi community can show to our funding providers. We can also produce reports showing how many trap checks have been done, or where bait has been taken for instance.
For information on how to use trap.nz, please see this LINK.
Where should I place a possum trap?
Good places for a possum trap are:
· On trees with scratch marks.
· Supplejack, taraire, hinau, tawa fruiting in May and August
· Other native trees like kohekohe, puriri, totara, karaka when they produce flowers and berries.
Where should I place a rat trap?
What should I do if I’m not catching anything in my traps or the bait in my bait stations is not being eaten?
This is a very common situation. The invasive mammalian pests we have are really clever and will often be nervous of new things in their environment. It’s often the case that when we first put out a trap or bait station we don’t see any activity. Leave them where they are for 2-4 weeks. In that time the rats and possums will get used to them and want to investigate them. If after 4 weeks you haven’t caught anything, simply shift the trap or bait station to another location. Rats are especially finicky about which traps or bait stations they will go into. Shifting a device even as little as 5 or 10 metres away can have a big effect.
If I catch a rat or a possum will that put off other pests from taking the bait?
Luckily the invasive pests don’t seem to learn and will continue to enter traps and/or take bait.
What season are Possums most active in Titirangi?
Juvenile possums disperse from the nest in March – May. This can be a good time to catch younger less aware possums. The adults also mate at this time. And again in August to October – so those can be good times to catch them.
What season are rats most active in Titirangi?
Rats are active at all times of the year. However just before winter, winter itself and spring are probably the most important times of the year to be controlling them. In winter there is less food around, they will more readily take bait and enter traps. And we like to get them during winter or early spring because the birds nest in spring and that’s when they are susceptible to being predated.
For more details on the best times of year to control pest animals, see the Predator Free NZ Trust predator control calendar: LINK
How many rat traps or bait stations should I have on my property?
This depends on the size of your property. For normal sized properties (around 800 sqm) 1 device might be all you need.
Larger properties (1600sqm+) will need at least 2.
But oftentimes more devices will be more effective. Rats can be quite fussy about which traps or bait stations they go into and so having a few around will work better.
You may well find that trap consistently catches, whilst the others don’t. And the same with bait stations, 1 might get emptied whilst the others don’t.
How many possum traps should I have on my property?
Again, it depends on the size of the property, but possums have a larger range. 1 trap will usually suffice, but with larger properties, say over 3000sqm, 2 or more would be a good idea.