Are your Victor traps looking a bit worse for wear?
“There is no better trap for killing rats than the old standard Victor Professional trap in a wooden tunnel. They are cheap, simple, efficient, humane, and better at catching wary rats than other more expensive traps. However they were not designed for outdoor use and in damp situations they quickly degrade. Here are some simple things you can do to keep your Victor running properly for longer.” - Forest & Bird (2019)
This pamphlet by Forest & Bird provides a step-by-step guide with illustrations.
Here are a few tips from some of our expert trappers!
Predator Free Ōtari, Predator Free Wadestown and RAMBO:
- Give them a quick wash with the hose, then a scrub with a scrubbing brush
- Follow this with a scrub with the wire brush to remove all the dirt, mud and rust
- Using sand paper you can sand the trigger tip and remove the yellow bait paddle
- Sand and lubricate the staple it attaches to - you can use candle wax or vegetable oil to lubricate the staple before re-attaching the bait paddle
- Soak the wooden bases in boiled linseed oil - it keeps the wood in better condition!
- When the metal parts of the victor start to rust, you can clean these with a green fibrous pot cleaner - it’s important that the bait treadle hinge is cleaned so that the bait paddle can move freely.
- Another idea is to bend up the end of the setting pin with pliers. The pin then engages more positively in the bait paddle and is set to the ‘S’ side. Make sure the setting pin is straight and not bowed like a banana. Maintained this way, the trap can be set with the paddle low which offers the best chance of getting mice or rats.
- Using a small wire brush or attaching a brush to the drill makes short work of the rust or dirt.
A wee piece of sandpaper will make sure the trap is sensitive enough to catch something- Gently pop off the bait treadle with your thumbs and buff the staple with the sandpaper. When you replace the treadle it should swing freely ready to catch rats! You can clean the rust off the end of the trigger arm too.
- Soak the traps in a mix of peanut oil and sunflower oil - it can’t hurt if the entire trap smells attractive to a rat.
Do you have a modified Victor (which has the white plastic shroud)? The exact same cleaning process can be followed, just remove the shroud and the bait cup can then be removed to clean the staple.
