Anne: 52 - Cheeky Auckland backyard rats: 0

Anne’s Auckland, New Zealand backyard was bursting with birdlife, fruit trees and flowers - and a steady stream of rats. 52 dead rats later, she’s an expert when it comes to using our Smart Trap Kit to manage pests - while keeping everything else in the backyard safe.

How did you know you had a rat or mouse problem that needed dealing with?

We are based on the outskirts of Auckland on a 1 acre block, with a fair few houses on one side of the property and an ex-market gardening field on the other side. We have always had a steady stream of rats, we think it's because we have always fed the birds that visit the property. We have a lot of birdlife here - tuis, wood pigeons, wax eyes and sparrows.

“The rats have always been a bit cheeky and come out in plain sight during the day.”

Tell us a bit about your Goodnature trap:

We have had the trap for about three years, and since I last reset the counter on the trap we've had 52 strikes. I've only reset it once since having it, so the 52 strikes would be in the last two years I'd say. I only recently upgraded to the Smart Cap after purchasing the upgrade at Field Days.

“It has been fantastic getting all the information to my phone, makes it that bit more interesting!”

What’s your go-to trapping spot?

Our go to place is generally under the lemon tree as they are always drawn in to that whenever there is fruit on it.

“We move the trap around depending on where we see the latest rat.”

We always seem to get it within a few days of seeing it which is always rewarding. It's also interesting getting the random rats that we hadn't yet even seen.

What made you decide to deal with it using a Goodnature trap?

I got our trap after my new partner was showing me how much success he'd also had with the trap he has had since the inception of the Goodnature traps.

“His trap is at least 7 or 8 years old and still going strong too on his farm in Pukekawa - but that's a whole other story.”

What’s your Goodnature experience been like so far?

We absolutely love the Goodnature trap and are always telling friends about them so I'm sure we've contributed to a few sales!

What other pest control solutions are you using alongside Goodnature?

We also run a bait station just in case, but the dead rats we find are in or very near the Goodnature trap, rather than poisoned.

What tips would you have for other Goodnature trappers?

When we do handle the trap we always use rubber gloves, just to keep our scent off the trap. I've always heard that rats are very sensitive to the smell of humans, thus why we use gloves.