Mongoose zapper?

[mangobingo]

Hey, has anyone had any luck catching mongooses in those traps that electrocute the animal on contact? If so, what kind/brand did you use? We bought a rat zapper trap from the Home Depot but it never caught anything (rats, mice, mongooses, whatever) even though the bait kept disappearing. Wondering if anyone else has had more success?

[ElysianWort]

There was a short while there when I was between cats. My sweet kitty made it 19 years but hadn't gotten another.
The rats know this and smell no cat anymore.

Bought some traps and a eventually an electric one.
This one. For basically the same price at the Home Depot.
http://www.victorpest.com/rat-zapper-ult...gIdmvD_BwE

If you put appealing bait in it, which is a dab of peanut butter on something, it is bound to work. Or at least mine did. I would get one a night. (could get more if I took out each rat as they died)

So anyway mine is/was very effective. Since then got two kittens and don't need the trap anymore.

Too bad you have a mongoose problem. What's happening?

[mangobingo]

Thanks for the recommendation - did you get mongooses in the trap or just rats? The little *******s had been stealing eggs for a while but not actually harming the birds, then recently they suddenly started slaughtering them. Got the remaining chickens living on the lanai for now but they can't stay there forever. We're catching mongooses using live traps and my partner drowns them, but I'd much rather have them instantly electrocuted.

[ElysianWort]

Yeah no mongoose here, just rats. You may need a different bait entirely for the mongoose. I have dogs that will keep them away, maybe you should get a new young dog?

Also, do you have a rooster? A mongoose is famous for attacking a hen-house that doesn't have the guardian rooster for support. They are carnivores through and through obviously so peanut-butter probably isn't the secret for them.
Too bad though, maybe there is a different way of keeping them out besides trap and kill? Dog, rooster, solar electric wire, scent repellent?
I kinda like the Rikitikitavi little buggers even though they are a pest to some.

[mangobingo]

I had a huge, beautiful rooster but they got him as well. I don't enjoy dogs and I'm skeptical about scent repellent, but we've ordered some electric netting that could work. I'm going to put a trap with some catfood in it before testing it with hens though. I know the mongooses are only doing what comes naturally but I'm not feeling well disposed towards them at all right now...

[ElysianWort]

Wish you the best of luck. Sorry about your chickens.

Last suggestion: cats are very territorial too. Maybe if you don't already have one, a cat may do the job and keep the mongoose away?

[mangobingo]

The cats are great with rats but they and the mongooses seem to steer clear of each other. Mahalo for all the suggestions!

[Pilgrim]

Mongooses are carnivores. I have a bold and pesky one that comes in to steal the cat's dry food sometimes. Try dry cat food or a hunk of meat. Sorry about your chickens and good luck!

[terracore]

It is rare that they get past the dogs but when they do we trap and kill them. Eggs make good bait, though oddly enough golf balls seem to work just as well, so I think they are baited visually and not just by smell. That might be a problem trying to use an electronic zapper since they can't see what's inside. The type of mongoose we have here live in colonies or family groups, you have to keep trapping them until they are all gone. You can put some peanut butter under the egg and catch the rats at night. Rats will attack and kill small animals too. We've had them kill baby rabbits and chicks.

I'm not a huge fan of drowning critters, though I have done it. I prefer to euthanize them with a .22 pellet gun. It's nearly silent and 100% instantly lethal on an animal that size. You can also try to shoot them if you see them out in the yard, though most pellet guns aren't known to be extremely accurate and the break barrels don't reload quickly.

[mangobingo]

Yeah, I was so puzzled when the golf balls in the nest boxes started disappearing until I realized the mongooses were taking them.

I hate drowning creatures too. With the pellet gun, how do you hit a moving target in a trap without just maiming it? I'd give it a try but I want a quick death and all I can picture is shooting its little leg off or something.