Ultimate rat bait!!!!

[RangerPete]

After exhaustive research, Bacon Bits and a nice blue cheese go quite well together on a multi-grain cracker. View attachment 479069

Hell yeah! I could eat my own weight of those!!!!

 

[RangerPete]

And, just like that, an update.

My wife had just given her birds their evening feeding. She was putting it away in her storage box, when she saw the Rat enter onto the base board that leads to the wire grid and bacon; entering from the right. It got to the wire grid, and stopped, and jumped to the dirt floor, and started eating seed right where it lies.
By the time I got out to stalk it, (yes, stalked, with a standing shot while leaned into the house), it was already on the dirt. It was facing away from me, but at a 3/4 profile from the rear.
It flopped its tail a couple of times, then went still.

Wait just a minute there Moke!!!! You mean it ignored the bacon and went straight for the bird seed...???
That rat was not worthy of being a rat. Good thing you shot it!

 

[BlackICE]

My experience is rats like bird seed more than many other foods. They don't hesitate to eat it. Whereas other foods they my sniff by not eat.

 

[Moke]

Wait just a minute there Moke!!!! You mean it ignored the bacon and went straight for the bird seed...???
That rat was not worthy of being a rat. Good thing you shot it!

Well, as I understand it,... Rats do not like new things, or, change. So what Sarge (swmbo) described last night sounded like a new/change moment when it got to the grid wire, and it turned towards the seed. That, ultimately, is what they are after in this scenario, the seed.
I watched a special on cable TV about Rats in NYC. I learned a lot. There is a group of dog owners, Rat Terrier owners, there that are into Ratting for fun, and community service.
So with this bacon thing, I'm hoping to draw in a few from a bit deeper in the yard,... like the ones in the firewood pile.

 

[Preston shoreline]

They

Well, as I understand it,... Rats do not like new things, or, change. So what Sarge (swmbo) described last night sounded like a new/change moment when it got to the grid wire, and it turned towards the seed. That, ultimately, is what they are after in this scenario, the seed.
I watched a special on cable TV about Rats in NYC. I learned a lot. There is a group of dog owners, Rat Terrier owners, there that are into Ratting for fun, and community service.
So with this bacon thing, I'm hoping to draw in a few from a bit deeper in the yard,... like the ones in the firewood pile.

exactly! They’re not stupid .. I utilize the bacon as not only a bait but a lure… get them into the “zone” and curious with the bacon smell like an open invitation .. they’ll already be conditioned /acclimated to the seed .. a two pronged approach is brilliant!

 

[Moke]

OK,.... after some time in trying this,....

As I mentioned, there is a program on cable tv that is called NYC Revealed.
In one episode they focus on the Rat problem, and work it for the entire program. In it, they interview City authorities, scientists, pro Rat exterminators, and a group of enthusiast dog owners (terrier mixes - smaller breeds) that go around and have their dogs route out and kill rats.

One of the scientists started talking about Rat genetics, their environments, and, food. He suggested that Rats develop a taste for food based on what food tastes were present in their rearing, such as through the taste of moms milk. And, that they preferred those tastes in their life.

OK,.... the results of the bacon experiment has produced nothing over this week.
So, I began experimenting myself. I started adding dry Cat kibble of different flavors next to the Bacon.
In trying those two flavors, still nothing.

So, last night I added the Bacon, Cat kibble, and, a small pile of bird seed.
I placed the bird seed between the piles of kibble and bacon, so that the Rat had to crawl over the more smelly food. It just pushed them aside, and went in and cleaned up the bird seed pile.
These Rats have lived on bird seed for many generations, and, a definite preference was shown to the bird seed.

This is at least a portion of the program:

This seems to be the whole episode. I'm not sure of the server source:

NYC Revealed S01:E01 - Rats

New York has close to 2 million rodents; here is how New York City rats out its rodents.

tubitv.com

 

[BlackICE]

I find a slice of fresh apple works well. 1 day old doesn't work.