Best Outdoor Rat Traps for Your Yard and Garden

Trapping rats outdoors can be challenging.  You want to use a device that effectively catches rodents but is safe around cats, dogs, and kids.

Let me show you some of the best outdoor rat trap options that are available so we can find the right solution for your infestation.

Top 3 Best Outdoor Rat Traps

Live Traps

Live traps are highly effective at trapping rats, and there are several models to choose from.  The only real differences between the different brands of live traps are the door’s position and the mechanics of the trigger.  The design is pretty basic, and they all work well.

Here is a look at a live trap in action.  The video shows the trigger and door closure in slow motion so you can see the workings better.

Live traps are easy to use, highly effective at catching rats, and are perfectly safe to use outdoors. If you do happen to catch a squirrel or your neighbor’s cat, it will be pissed off but unharmed.

The downside to live traps is that they will only catch one rat per night, and once you catch it, you will have to kill it yourself.    FYI…I use a pellet pistol to dispatch the rodent.

Of the different live traps available, I prefer the Havahart Dual Door model.  The second door simply makes it easier for a rat to enter.

Walk the Plank and Spinning Rod Bucket Traps

The bucket traps are simple but highly effective, completely safe to use in your yard.  These traps work by tricking a rat into falling into a five-gallon bucket.  Some people put some water in the bucket, so the rats drown while other people leave the bucket empty and use these as live traps.

Here is a look at the “Walk the Plank” bucket trap in action.  You can see that the plank resets after it trips, allowing you to literally catch a bucketful of rats in a single evening.

And here is a look at the spinning rod bucket trap.  Again, since this trap just spins, there is no limit to how many rats can be caught in an evening.

The bucket traps are inexpensive, so there is no reason not to put out several every night.  The combination of affordability and the ability to catch multiple rodents per evening makes these a great solution for dealing with large rat infestations in your yard.

Tunnel Trap

The Tunnel Trap is a clever design that places a traditional snap trap inside a plastic enclosure.  The plastic enclosure has an opening for a rat to enter where it will be killed if it activates the snap trap.

Here is a look at the trap in its “open” position.

While I like the concept of an enclosed snap trap, this one does have two issues to be aware of.

The first is that the openings are large enough for a squirrel to enter and get harmed.  If you are worried about your squirrels, this is something to consider.

The second issue is that a lot of folks on Amazon are saying that are you catch a few rats that the plastic components start to fail.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the longevity of the trap…it’s pretty cheap to start with.

Here is the link to see this trap on Amazon.

I hope this article gave you a few ideas on how to tackle your outdoor rodent problem!

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