Good news from Turitea Valley to end 2025. November 2025 is the first month since May 2022 (when I began using trunk-mounted snap-traps) that I recorded a glorious zero. No rats! As of Christmas day there have been no rats this month either, but I’m not counting my chickens.
In October I not only killed four rats in snap-traps but also saw signs of rat damage (broken thrush egg). In the Green Corridors by Turitea Stream there has been steady numbers of rodents killed in stoat traps (DOC200) through spring and early summer. So I know that rodents are nearby and will arrive on my property, but for now I’m celebrating a new record and (hopeful) that there is a lower rat density at my place as tui, grey warbles and pīwakawaka feed their fledglings.
To read about why I kill invasive rodents see earlier pages (with photos): Reasons to kill rats One two three; four, five, six
