The Big Cheese® Ultra Power® Live Animal Trap – Humane Catch-Alive Cage for Squirrels & Small Animals | Heavy-Duty Steel Construction | Ready-to-Use Trap with Spring-Loaded Door

Bought as I unwittingly attracted (at least) a pair of rats to the garden by feeding the birds. The trap seems fiddly to set but is “easy when you know how”, I recommend playing around with it a bit first. Left out with the door closed for a few days so the rat(s) got used to it, also covered the sides so it was dark in there. I used peanut butter for bait. The first time it was a big dry blob which was snatched without triggering the mechanism. Next time I made it more runny with extra veg oil and smeared it on. It’s difficult to add the bait as you’d have to stick your hand right inside, so I used a wooden skewer like a paint brush. Worked a treat, caught a big fat male. The trap is sturdy, he panicked when he saw me and did his best to get out but didn’t succeed. He was kindly moved on with a stash of food so he’s less motivated to come back. On my next attempt I found the door closed and the bait gone. I realised the holes in the cage are not small enough to exclude mice so they could come and go as they please! I’ll try again tonight to catch Mrs Rat. This trap has its flaws, but I’m giving it 5 stars as I was very pleased to catch one unharmed.

I've had these a couple of weeks now and the results have been very hit and miss. They are strong and robust traps and will withstand any weather. I have had issues with them though. After following various suggestions on what type of bait to use, we finally got the rat interested in a bit of sausage roll. The trap was set and placed near the rat run and before long we had a big rat sniffing around the cage. We watched nervously as the rat finally made its way into the trap. BUT... to our amazement, the rat walked straight up the triggering tread plate to the far side where the sausage roll was. The rat was firmly on the tread plate with all 4 feet at this point and still it didn't trigger the cage to shut. Then the rat picked up the sausage roll, calmy turned around and walked out of the cage without it triggering. To say we were annoyed is an understatement. So I did a bit more research and someone suggested using peanut butter as bait - which could be stuck to the tread plate and therefore more difficult for the rodent to pick up and walk off with. This also encourages the rat to walk about on the tread plate giving it more chance to trigger the door. First lot of peanut butter we used and 10 minutes later the rat reappeared. This time it did exactly the same but as it stood trying to eat and move the peanut butter, the treadplate triggered the door and it was game over for the rat. We have since caught a further 5 (this is thanks to our nuisance neighbour who persistently throws bread onto their lawn to feed birds but is a bigger draw for rats!). This morning though, after re baiting the trap last night, we opened the curtains to see yet another rat in the trap. I quickly got dressed to go out and remove the rat but was amazed to find that it had escaped. It had somehow managed to dig at the soil beneath the trap and then escaped throught the mesh. This is the only way it could have escaped as the door was still firmly shut tight and it's escape path underneath was obvious. So to summarise - these traps can be effective if you use the right bait, and I fully recommend peanut butter. However, the mesh could do with having smaller gaps to avoid smaller rats escaping.

After several visits from the local council and an expensive £1100.00 bill from Rentokil, none of them resolved the problem I had with rats in the loft. The rats were described as ‘visitors’ by one pest controller, they would disappear for months, only to reappear, usually just when we thought they had gone for good. We live in a 1970’s semi-detached house and apparently had a rat problem for years, something that the previous owner failed to mention, I don’t know why!!!! We could hear them in the cavity wall, defiantly coming from the direction of my neighbour who were in constant denial of any problem. New neighbours brought the situation out into the open, within a few days of the return of our ‘visitors’ we had a knock on the door, “ we can hear something in the wall and loft, have you heard it?” Investigations found a break in the drains, and after a repair, it all went quiet….for a couple of years, then the problem reappeared. Another drain repair, it all went quiet for around 5 years…then, last November (2015), the scratching and sound of tiny feet came back. I had read views on the various methods and ways of removing the Roland Rat problem and after reading reviews of the Big Cheese humane trap; I decided to give one a try. I first tried peanut butter for a couple of days without any success; I could hear it running around, but not taking the bait. I then tried a very small piece of ‘Blue Ribbon’ biscuit, instant success, caught one in the hour. This rat was not what I expected, instead of the dirty brown creature, it was a very light brown, almost off white, . I released it into the wild, well away from civilisation. A couple of weeks later, just after Christmas, we were woken by that horrible sound again, we had another one. This one was more tricky, it would disappear for a couple of days but on it’s return, it would spring the trap without taking the bait, it must have been trying to get to it though the bars, it did this several times no matter what the bait, even Blue Ribbon failed on this occasion. I was going to try putting some of those sticky pads around the trap to see if that would help, however, yesterday (08/01/2016), the Roland could not resist the small piece of Belgium chocolate placed in the trap…result. This was not the cute rat caught previously, this was a HUGE brown rat which was doing it’s best to destroy the cage. Before moving the cage from the loft, I put in it a black bin liner, it seems to quiet them down a bit, but keep your fingers well away from the cage, make sure you carry it by the handle. No happy end for this example, it has been despatched to Rat Heaven as will any others that are caught, I can’t see how moving the problem to some other area can help, it will trouble no one else. This trap works, and I can highly recommend it, now bring on the next!!!!

15 Jan 2013 review - trap purchased March 2012 First thoughts - a nice trap and fast delivery. Thank you CostMad-UK. But I cannot catch any rats ! Have tried many different types of bait and only catch birds (which I quickly release). There are rats around, as we live next to farm land and wheat fields, but they seem to avoid this trap. Often the bait (meat, peanut butter, fat, salami, ham etc) is gone and I assume it has been eaten by mice (or very very clever rats using "sky hooks"). The trap is well made and very lightly set, and will slam shut from the lightest of pressure on the pedal. I bought this trap in March 2012, and have although it appears generally well made it may have a flaw in the design of the door assembly. In cold weather a short while ago the black plastic vertical slider/retaining piece failed. Initially the door would not close as both plastic vertical sliders changed shape (curved inwards) in the cold weather. I tried to ease the left hand plastic vertical slider a little and it snapped off. I first advised the importer at Thetford (STV International Ltd) who very quickly replied that I could have a replacement by return if I returned the trap to them with my Amazon proof of purchase. Thank you to STV Thetford for your symathetic email. However, the cost of p/p to STV (unrefundable) is some £7.00, which is a little too high. I then contacted the seller of this £13.35 rat trap two days ago - - CostMad-UK - - asking if they would replace the trap and cover my p/p - - but no reply so far. Perhaps I am being too optimistic here.... So - - I decided to repair the trap myself with a small piece of plastic 90° angle strip and a few self-tapping screws. It took only 30 minutes to fix, and the trap works fine now. But if anyone has any advice about other reliable rat bait for the trap I would be grateful.

The trap works ok mechanically but my rats just sniff at the entrance and won't go in! You may need to do a bit of bending of the mechanism to get the trap to work as intended. Make sure the bait-plate rotates easily - you might have to move the axle supports outwards, or you might have to remove the bait-plate to close the metal eyelets to raise the plate if it is catching on the supports. You might also need to remove any rough ends on the two metal bars that slide past each other when the bait-plate is rotated by the rat. Also make sure the long metal rod rotates easily - you may need to open the metal clips that hold it in place. Setting the trap is a bit tricky - just use finger and thumb to slide the ends of the two metal rods past each other until they just stay together (test the setting-up by tapping the bait-plate with a pencil). Perhaps it is the cold metal that puts my rats off, but I've seen them on camera and they just stick their heads in the doorway and sniff but won't go in, so I've wasted my time and money - I bought 3 of these traps! Of course, other rats might go in, in which case the trap will probably work, but in the end I had to resort to poison which did work, though it took several days. Now I have another pair of rats under the floor, so I have turned my shower room into a trap, by removing a short length of floorboard to allow the rats to get in, then hingeing this so I can drop it shut when I see them on camera. Now all I have to do is find some way of disposing of them humanely via carbon dioxide or some painless poison! Of course, the best way of getting rid of rats is to find out how they are getting into the house, and block this entry, but this can be difficult.

I don't usually feel compelled to write reviews, but this trap worked so well, I felt I had to!! I'd noticed an apparent lone rat in the back garden, tucking into the bird food, but I was loath to kill him and would rather move him on. So I tried deterrants like peppermint balls and liquids, but with no luck. Hence I decided to try this trap to catch him. Delivered on Friday, baited and put the trap out early Saturday morning. Had the rat sniffing around the trap all day Saturday, but clearly too nervous to enter. Sunday morning and he had clearly gained confidence/interest. Over the space of an hour he gradually went further and further into the trap, until finally, he stepped on the pressure plate and the door slammed firmly behind. "In a rat trap, you've been caught"!! This is where it gets tricky, as he was incredibly lively in the trap, knawing at the metal frame, pulling on the door and especially agitated when I got near. But with a sturdy pair of gloves and the solid roof of the trap, it was comfortable to pick up. The rat will calm down if placed into the dark; so cover with a sheet, or put in a recycle bin with lid the lid on as I did. Then you need to find a responsible release site, be careful not to release too close to the capture site or near other houses; do not pass the problem on!! I used a wire coat hook to fashion a tool to pull the door open and keep my hands away from the trap and rat. That made for a comfortable release, do aim the trap into clear/open ground, the rat will likely bolt straight for cover. Superb though, the trap worked an absolute treat!! It was of a really sturdy and solid construction, no chance of the rat escaping when trapped. Honestly could not fault it!! I would recommend leaving the trap in the "rat area" for 24/48 hours, they'll need to get used to it. Worth taking some time to practice setting the trap and releasing before putting out as well, but this is easy. The only negative was our garden robin, who subsequently triggered the trap twice and locked himself in, so do keep an eye on the trap for unwanted captures and release them quickly!! But with no sign of another rat, I'll be retiring the trap. Brilliant product!!

So after a big rat was spotted going into the hole it chewed in the shed door it was time for action. As a child I remember my dad using sprung traps for mice and how this often ended up with mice losing limbs but escaping or traps disappearing altogether. I decided to use the humane approach and bought this trap. 3 days later we have a very angry rat securely trapped... this is where the problems begin. First, you have to release the rat at least 3 miles away or it will return. If you put the trap in your car the rat will try eating your mats and probably pee and poop too. If you can get over that you have to manually open the trap door meaning you are very close to an angry rat. Also you have to release in a suitable place and not pass the problem onto someone else. In the end despite our original intentions we had to put the creature out of his misery which kind of defeated the object. The trap itself is easy to set up and works well. It appears well made. If after reading this you still want to catch a rat in a humane manner, I highly recommend this item.

Irritated that i had to buy 2 of these at once - so note to seller - one at £9 is ok - having to buy 2 when you just want one - not very happy., but anyway. These are robust, sturdy, well made - however setting them is a bit faffy, and them unsetting themselves whilst you're trying to position them is the biggest issue. The 'clip' is too easily released and i just ended up spilling any bait through the floor (the bait plate is just flat - and our rats like bird seed so we've been using that - the two here are not compatible) due to each time it tried to position the trap it released the very loud very tightly sprung door. We did catch one rat the first day we put it out though once i'd tiptoed away from the uber sensitive trap, however, all the other rats are now steering well clear ofit partially i think because it made such a loud noise when it was sprung. The spring and clipping mechanism could be better designed. Also we have one of the other styles with a small elevated hole and a 'none return' flap which i feel happier about leaving out all night. We get squirrels and the occasional cat in our garden in the early morning (clearly not often enough to disturb the rats!) but if a squirrel got in there i fear his tail could be badly damaged by the strength of the door snapping shut as he is longer than the trap of course with tail .... and a cat could end up with an injured back for the same reason. Sooo i think if you're using indoors or in an outbuilding where cats and squirrels - long tail larger species can't access - these will work - but i'm still wary of using outside unless i can confine the area - and thats hindered by the sensitivity of the door closer/release. Anywhere niche i've tried to snickle it into - it just snaps shut and i'm back to delicately trying to place it down on the ground and gently nudge it ... and then BANG door closes and i'm back to square one.

En estos años he cazado más de 100 ratas con ella. Normalmente, solo la pongo cuando veo que hay muchas ratas por la zona y actualmente coloco una cámara wifi cerca para poder ver si he cazado algo o no. La técnica principal es, después de bloquear la puerta, desplazar el activador hasta casi el límite, de esta manera la trampa es super sensible y saltará a la mínima que toquen la placa. He cazado ratas de todos los tamaños con ella, incluso algunas grandes que casi que no cabía dentro. Es para ratas, los ratones y musarañas por lo general pasarán entre los barrotes sin problemas, pero no hay rata que pueda escapar de ella. Hay que revisarla a diario (aconsejo poner una cámara wifi cerca) ya que puedes cazar sin querer otros animales (pájaros generalmente). Después de tantos años a la intemperie el galvanizado empieza a oxidarse un poco, pero sigue funcionando como el primer día. Se engrasa de vez en cuando con un poco de WD-40, pero nunca la limpies, ya que el olor a rata hará de reclamo. Límpiate las manos después de tocarla, eso si. PD: Tienes que estar dispuesto a ir al monte, a soltar las ratas (a más de 1 Km de donde las has cazado o volverán), si lo que quieres es matarlas, compra directamente una trampa que las mate sin sufrimiento.

Super qualité-prix .

Da wir einen kleinen "Gast" im Haus hatten, war es nötig eine Falle zu kaufen. Mir war es wichtig, dass es eine Lebendfalle war. Wir haben zuerst eine Falle von Havahart gekauft aber die war eher ein kleines Büffett für die Ratte, weil die Tür nicht richtig schließt. Zurück an Amazon. Nächste Versuch. Ich war skeptisch gegenüber der BigCheese Ratten-Käfigfalle wegen des Mangels an Rezensionen aber dann war ich auf der Amazon UK Webseite und da sind die Rezensionen überwiegend positiv. Falle bestellt. Schnelle Lieferung und diese Falle macht einen soliden Eindruck. Qualität ist wesentlich besser als die Erste. Köder rein (Schokolade ist ein sehr guter Köder und schadet die Gesundheit des Tieres nicht) und ich habe die Falle in eine Ecke hingestellt und mit einen Geschirrtuch gedeckt (damit es gemütlicher und dunkler war). Am nächsten Morgen war unser Gast "einquartiert" und nach eine kurze Autofahrt ist sie jetzt wieder in der Natur weit weg von uns. Praktisch ist der Tragegriff und die leicht zu öffnende Tür. Klare Kaufempfehlung.

El producto tiene calidad y cumple su función y particulaqrmente me parece adecuado al precio.lLa llegada ha sido en 24 horas, más rápido imposible. No le asigno el máximo ya que, como dice otro comprador y he podido comprobar en mi pedido, la medida no es de 40 cms sino de 34 cms. Quien necesite una trampa de 40cms deberá saberlo y el vendedor deberá corregir las medidas para no tener problemas de devoluciones. No entiendo con lo tecnificado que está todo, se hayan mantenido en el error. No quiero pensar que es intencionado.

La cage piège à rats The Big Cheese a très bien fonctionné pour capturer le rat qui s'était installé dans ma maison. Elle est facile à utiliser et la qualité du produit est au rendez-vous. J'apprécie particulièrement le fait que ce piège soit sans cruauté, permettant de capturer les animaux sans les blesser, ce qui est un vrai plus pour moi. Points forts : ✅ Efficacité prouvée : La cage a rapidement capturé le rat avec un appât simple, sans échappatoire possible grâce à la porte à ressort. ✅ Robuste et durable : Fabriquée en métal galvanisé, la cage est résistante à la rouille et aux intempéries, ce qui la rend idéale pour une utilisation en extérieur toute l'année. ✅ Utilisation simple : Prête à l'emploi dès la sortie de la boîte, il suffit de placer un appât et de la positionner à l'endroit souhaité. ✅ Sans cruauté : Capture les rats sans les blesser, avec une structure qui ne comporte pas de bords tranchants ou dangereux pour les animaux. ✅ Sécurité pour l’utilisateur : La plaque protectrice sous la poignée de transport est un excellent ajout pour manipuler la cage en toute sécurité, sans risque de morsures. Points faibles : ❌ Instructions en anglais : Les instructions sur l'emballage ne sont pas toujours disponibles en français, ce qui peut compliquer l'utilisation pour certains. ❌ Prix un peu élevé : Le prix peut paraître un peu élevé par rapport à d'autres options, mais la qualité justifie l'investissement. En résumé, ce piège à rats est une solution efficace et respectueuse des animaux pour gérer les nuisibles dans et autour de la maison. Sa construction robuste et son utilisation facile en font un choix idéal pour ceux qui cherchent une méthode sans cruauté pour capturer et relâcher les rats en toute sécurité.