Kia Ora All, I’ve been trapping a section of a line on a rural farm beside a stream for 4 months now, And have got Victors, Flipping Timmy’s, a Trapinator and a DOC250. 1 of the Victors is regularly sprung almost weekly and is almost always dragged to the front of the box, unlike other traps on the line when this is done there is no mouse remains visible, in some of the other traps I have found only tails and legs. This trap has managed 2 Weasels both in the past couple of months and is still regularly sprung I have moved the DOC250 to nearby to try to possibly curb whatever is taking the presumed catches or is setting off the trap, I’m assuming the weasels are relatively responsible for this but would like some more opinions no rats have been caught at this trap since installed.
If you watch the trap with a game camera you can usually figure out what is going on - can save a lot of guessing and you can sometimes learn a lot!
Possibly something caught in the Victors is food for the next visitor. We have weka where we are - weka learn to run toward the sound of springing traps like a dinner bell, if the trap type allows them to grab the pest.
Last weekend I was staying at a campsite in the Kaimais. I didn’t have any bait with me, but the rats were running around me (one even jumped on my chair and wanted to nip my pinky. I felt the cold snout and brushed it away). There was a DOC 250 without bait, so I shook hands with it. We did come up with a solution. I had a part bag of dried apple rings and some Cadbury chocolate. That worked like a charm. Caught two shippies in a row, but after that the apple rings disappeared without the trap being set off. Had a bright moment (doesn’t happen often anymore) and I tied the apple rings down with a piece of paracord attached to the mesh at the rear of the trap. Bingo. Caught what looks like a relatively young ship rat, probably just shy of the trigger weight. Pulling on the apple rings was enough extra weight on the strike plate to set it off. (See photos).
Don’t forget both weka and pukeko are happy to chow down on mice. Add them to your possible trap burglers if they are in your area. Like others I would suggest a few trail cameras, and then let us know who you found was the mouse muncher.