SETUP GUIDE
Baited and set
in thirty seconds.
The bait cup twists out, takes a small amount and twists back. Your hands never go near the jaw, at either end of the job.
STEP BY STEP
Six steps, start to finish.
Choose a flat, solid surface
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that breaks traps. A trap set on an uneven base can be damaged when it springs. Concrete, floorboards, a paving slab or a length of timber all work.
Twist out the bait cup
The cup releases from the underside of the trap. Removing it means you bait away from the jaw entirely rather than reaching across a set trap.
Add a pea-sized amount
Less bait works better than more. A small, sticky amount makes the rodent work at the cup and hold position over the trigger. A heaped cup lets it feed from the edge and walk away.
Twist the cup back in and set the jaw
Press the trap down on the flat surface with one hand and open the jaw until it locks. Keep fingers behind the hinge, never across the opening.
Place it bait end to the wall
Set the trap at right angles to the wall so the rodent meets the trigger as it travels the edge rather than approaching from open floor.
Check daily and release over a bin
Hold the trap above a bin and open the jaw. The catch drops straight in and nothing needs handling. Wash your hands afterwards regardless.
COMMON MISTAKES
Four things that cost you a catch.
Most reports of a trap not working trace back to one of these rather than the trap itself.
Too much bait
An overloaded cup can be licked clean from the side without the trigger ever loading. Small and sticky beats generous.
An unstable base
Carpet, gravel, loose boxes or sloping ground absorb the movement the mechanism needs and can damage the trap when it fires.
Moving traps too soon
Rats need a few nights to accept a new object on a familiar route. Relocating on night two resets that clock.
Scrubbing a used trap
A trap that has already caught something is often the most productive one you own. Rinse it if you want to, but there is no need to sterilise it before resetting.
Important use guidance
Keep set traps away from children, pets and livestock. Set only on a flat, stable surface, and follow the instructions supplied with the product. Wash your hands after handling traps or a catch.
MORE GUIDES
Keep reading before you set the next one.
Short, practical pages written for the first night of a rodent problem, not for pest-control professionals.