The sight of a rat or even its droppings in or around your home is enough to set your heart racing. Rats bring up more angst and disgust than any other pest and have been the object of disgust for centuries.

• Even though no one wants them around, rats gravitate to human dwellings, potentially transmitting deadly diseases.
• Considering the toll these creatures take on people, you must keep them out of your home.

How do you do that? By investing in an outdoor rat trap. We’ll help select the right outdoor rat trap by listing some of the best models available in the market. 

In a Hurry? View Our top Outdoor Rat Traps

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1. Our #1 Pick: Kat Sense Mouse & Rat Control Reusable Trap

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2. #2 Pick: BARLAS Dual-Entry Humane Tunneled Trap

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3. #3 Pick: Guarden’s Large Out- & In-doors Reusable Mouse Traps

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4. Ratinator Multiple Catch Live Rat Trap

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Made by Rugged Ranch, the Ratinator Multiple Catch Live Rat Trap can catch up to 21 rats in one setting. It does not use any rat poison, and the rats are caught alive. 

This means that you can transport the rats someplace else after catching them. If you are okay with killing rats, you could do that too after they are captured.

Single rat traps must be emptied after every rat gets caught while this trap stays in place, catching multiple rats.

This is a major convenience, especially if you have a huge rat problem in your barn or yard.

The rugged metal construction of this trap is tough enough to keep all the rats locked in the cage until you are ready to transport them.

The interesting part about the Ratinator is that the presence of rats inside the trap won’t discourage other rats.

They will only see a small area with other rats and, thus, would fall victim to the intelligent trap.

The only downside to this trap is that you must cover it with something – like a cloth – while transporting it; otherwise, the trapped rats would go in a frenzy and may even escape.

The Good:

• Can catch up to 21 rats at a time
• No poison
• Easy to set and bait
• Humane method of catching rats
• Rugged construction

The Bad:

• Must be covered during transportation

Related: Best Squirrel Repellent

5. Made2catch Pack of 4 Classic Metal Rat Traps

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This pack of four classic metal rat traps from made2catch is another great option that can potentially help you tackle a rat problem.

Place them in areas around your home, and you’ll soon find a number of rats fall victim to them. 

These traps are built on the classic rat trap design but, instead of wood, a metal base plate is used to make them reusable and more durable.

Tom used similar traps to catch Jerry, but he was too smart for them. Fortunately, real rats aren’t clever like Jerry Mouse, and they would surely fall for them.

These heavy-duty metal traps boast a powerful swing for humane killing action, ensuring that the rats breathe their last quickly and don’t suffer too much. Each trap is 6.6 x 3.5 inches.

Galvanized metal construction prevents the trap from rusting when used outside, while the metal base doesn’t warp like wood in humid conditions.

You should be able to use and re-use them for years, trapping and killing rats that come near your house.

Wipe the trap down with an old rag before each use to get rid of lingering odors that could keep the rats from coming near the trap.

It is worth noting that the spring of this rat trap is quite strong, so be very cautious when setting it. You could seriously hurt your fingers and hands if proper care isn’t taken during the setup.

The Good:

• Solid construction
• Reusable
• Large size to trap rats
• Metal doesn’t warp or rust

The Bad:

• Can lead to injury if used improperly

6. Victor Metal Pedal Rat Trap (Pack of 12)

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Victor is a recognized name in the pest control industry, and, as such, you can expect top-quality products from them.

This original snap trap from Victor comes with a wooden base and can be used both outdoors and indoors. 

It makes quick work of rats that infiltrate your home. All twelve traps included in the pack use environment-friendly wood for the base and galvanized metal for the hammer, spring, and metal.

The Victor Metal Pedal Rat Trap is very easy to use. All you have to do is bait the trip pedal with a delicious piece of cheese, pull the hammer back, and set the bar.

Be careful when doing this because you would end up screaming from pain if your hand gets caught in the trap instead of a rodent pest.

The powerful spring is strong enough to kill both small and large-sized rats quickly and humanely.

Make sure to remove the rat and wipe the trap off with an old rag after each kill to remove lingering odors.

Also, remove the bait and reset the trap to hunt more rats. Since there are 12 rat traps in the package, you can set them around your home and also inside the house to kill as many rats as possible.

The Good:

• Cost-efficient
• Easy to use
• No poison
• Environment-friendly

The Bad:

• Can seriously injure hands and fingers if you used it carelessly

Related: Best Poison for Squirrels

7. AB Traps Pro-Quality Live Animal Humane Trap

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This is another very effective rat trap that you could use for tackling a rat infestation.

The instructions that come with the product are in Chinese, but fortunately, include a diagram showing how to set the trap up and use it. 

Once you have set the trap, wait for the sound to alert you that a mouse has been caught. 

Since the trigger is quite far back in the cage, the trapped rat won’t be injured when the door closes.

You can transport it somewhere far away from your home or just kill it after capture.

The trap itself doesn’t include any poisons or chemicals to kill the rat – this is why it is called a live animal humane trap.

It is worth noting that the metal of the AB Trap Live Animal Humane Trap is a bit thin, so be very careful when transporting a strong rat as it could get out.

The all-metal construction of the trap ensures that it doesn’t twist or warp due to humidity when placed outdoors while the galvanization prevents it from rusting.

Make sure to wipe the trap off after each use to remove the human or rat smell coming from it, as these odors could keep other rats from entering the trap.

The Good:

• Durable construction
• Reusable
• Galvanization prevents rusting
• Doesn’t injure or kill the rat

The Bad:

• Instructions come in Chinese language only
• The metal is very thin, so tough rats may be able to escape during transportation

8. Pestrax Electronic Rodent Zapper

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If you want to kill rats wandering around your home via electrocution, the Pestrax Electronic Rodent Zapper is worth considering.

This effective trap electrocutes rats, killing them humanely and quickly. 

As soon as a rat enters the trap, the Pestrax Electronic Rodent Zapper administers a lethal 7000V electric current to stop them in their tracks.

When the rat is trapped, a green LED lights up on top of the trap with a beeping noise.

Thus, you can then empty the trap and reconfigure it. The Pestrax Electronic Rodent Zapper can operate in both wired and wireless modes.

If you want to operate it wirelessly outdoors, install 4 D-Type batteries for power. They will give the trap enough power to kill up to 30 rats.

It is worth noting that this trip shouldn’t be placed too much in the open, as pets and other innocent targets might become a victim to it.

Consider covering it up with a firewood log on all sides. This creates a tunnel for rats to go through, which they would like more than being out in the open.

The Good:

• Both wired and wireless operation
• Easy to empty
• Easy to configure and set up
• No traps to injure your hands and fingers

The Bad:

• The battery doesn’t last too long

Considerations When Buying an Outdoor Rat Trap

1. Type of Trap

There are different types of rat traps available in the market. You can choose between snap rat traps, electronic rat traps, multiple capture traps, and live catch rat traps.

All of these work great. If you don’t want to kill the rats and just catch them, you should go with live catch rat traps as they don’t harm the captured creatures.

Electronic rat traps and snap rat traps work quickly and kill the rat humanely, so you should consider them if you are okay with killing rats.

• If you have a major rat problem and want to catch several rats in a single setting, go with multiple capture rat traps.

Some traps also come with poison, but we advise against going for them because poison can be damaging to your health as well as other harmless creatures that may wander around your home.

2. Ease-of-Use

Make sure that the rat trap you buy is easy to use. If the trap takes too much time to set up and is complicated to use, you would get tired of setting it up again and again.

• You could also end up hurting yourself in the process of setting up these kinds of complicated rat traps.

The trap should also be small enough and maneuverable so that you can easily reposition it.

3. Construction

Another important thing to consider when buying an outdoor rat trap is construction.

• The trap should be strong enough to last a long time and operate flawlessly.
• When placed outdoors, a rat trap will be exposed to foreign elements like moisture and humidity.

The material of the trap shouldn’t rust or warp in these conditions. Ideally, you should look for traps made with metal; they last longer and don’t easily get damaged from outdoor elements.

Conclusion

Now that you know about all these effective rat traps, you need to pick one from the list and start hunting those annoying rodents.

Catch them or kill them outside your premises to ensure that they never get a chance to infiltrate your home and cause harm to you and your family.