They can be dang smart! You can't take credit for that back foot catch one....just not cricket

That back foot one only hung for 2 hours and it was cold dead.
The trap was on a rope and fell half way down a wall.

What about hanging head down kills a rat?

IDK....maybe it was the snap when the trap hit the end of the rope.... I trap mice in the henhouse with those plastic tilt traps. They are made for bunny-huggers cause you can release the mouse out one end, but they work VERY well. They have an open door and once the mouses weight takes it over the fulcrum point the door closes behind them. Now it's just a closed off tetter-totter.

I think the mice run themselves to death going back and forth, because they are dead most of the time and wet, like they've been sweating heavily...weird. The chickens love them though! You ought to see them pull the guts out and chow down.

Couple things I've found trapping rats.........

1. a trap that has caught one and it leaves blood on the trap out traps other traps without blood on them.

2. the absolute best bait I ever had success with was lasagna. Two at once....and multiples in a couple hours. Like they didn't care if they got caught.

3. put trap under a half box like a carton used for can goods, pop, etc. Cut out doorway on one side. make sure tall enough for trap to work, although the plastic teethed push opens work well under a box. The box creates a dark space and they feel more comfortable eating. Perhaps the darkness tends to suppress the looks of the trap...who knows.

For what it's worth..........

Holy Sheep Schitt Man! The first one looks like a hybrid capybara!!! I hope you have a loaded shotgun at bedside and a 1911 .45acp or large caliber revolver within arms reach also! Might want to invest in a large leather neck collar for yourself in case one attacks. At least they won't get a jugular before you get them!

Good Luck, God Bless, & Stay Safe!

I've had a heck of a time trapping the bastids around my place. A neighbor feeds birds and they camp out under my deck & shed, feeding at his place.

Although I caught a few last winter, more times than not I'd get nothing. Hell they don't even eat poison!

I put the trail cam out and caught video of them wiggling out of a sprung trap and JUMPING over a loaded trap!

I've had a running battle with rats for 20 years. First experienced them living in an old farm house rental when we were first married. They were runnin thru the duct work and sounded like a herd of deer. Chased those down and shot em in the basement. Also had em in the garage at that house. Never paid em no mind till I took the cover off my 1000R Ninja in the spring and they had eaten all the rubber off the foot pegs and handle bars. Meant war I tell you. Found out that 3 #2 coilsprings fit very well in the bottom of a galvanized watering pan. Spread some grain around the bottom and killed em off within a week.

Now I got em at my house. One winter they decided that all the vacuum lines on my wife's mini van made a good snack. They also think that the flexible insulated ducts that run thru my crawl space are for chewin on. SOB's, kill em all!.

OH HELL NO!! Never gonna be able to eat chiken again...

I had one that took me weeks to catch...course I didn't know about the magic bait then ( lasagna, lol)

Wired a scotch pad to a trap and smeared a plethora of substances on it...