Electronic Rodent Traps

The rodent walks into an enclosed chamber to reach the bait and completes a circuit across two metal plates, which delivers a high-voltage shock for a fast kill. There is no active substance involved, so there is no secondary risk to a pet or bird that might scavenge the carcass. An indicator light tells you there has been a catch without your having to look inside.

It depends on what you mind most. A snap trap does the same job for a fraction of the price; an electronic trap costs more but you never see or touch the rodent - you tip it straight into the bin. If handling a caught rodent is the part putting you off dealing with the problem, that is what you are paying for. If you need several traps running at once, snap traps go much further.

No. These traps run on batteries, so you can place them in a loft, under floorboards, in a shed or anywhere else without power. Battery life varies by model - the product page states what to expect.

Use the right size. A mouse is often too light to complete the circuit reliably in a rat trap, and a rat won't fit properly into a mouse trap. If you aren't sure which you have, read our guide to telling mice and rats apart before choosing - droppings are the quickest tell.

A pea-sized smear of attractant gel on the bait point at the back of the chamber. Overbaiting lets the rodent feed from the entrance without stepping fully onto the plates. Our gels stay put and hold their scent, which matters with rats in particular - they are wary of new objects and often take several days to enter a trap at all.

The plates sit inside an enclosed chamber with an entrance sized for a rodent, and most models won't trigger unless the animal is fully inside. Use as directed and place traps out of reach of children and pets. Read the instructions for the model you buy, as trigger designs vary.

Flat against a wall, in corners and along the runs where you have found droppings - rodents travel with one side of their body against a surface and rarely cross open floor. Position the entrance in line with the run rather than facing out into the room. Leave it a few days before moving it; a trap that has been shifted around is one a rat will keep avoiding. Our guides to setting up a mouse trap and a rat trap cover the placement principles in full.