Victor Electronic Rat Trap – Suitability for Squirrels
Something or some critter has been chewing on the painted cedar paneling on my house, up under the eaves for quite a while now. The paint is gone, and the wood and surrounding area is stained, with a dirty grease. The wood is slowly being eaten away. Are they trying to get in, or are the critters using the hard surface to work their teeth and to prevent them growing too long?
I figured it must have been rodents, and most likely rats. And so I baited up the Victor Electronic Rat Trap with crackers smeared with peanut butter. Placed the Victor trap in one of the areas most heavily gnawed on, and went to bed.
Woke up to a lot of chaos this morning. The dog was barking her brains out as usual, the chickens were squawking, and I’d completely forgotten about setting the Victor the night before.
Well, my wife did not let me forget as she came in and woke me up the rest of the way, and wanted to know if I’d heard the commotion on the roof. In my groggy state, I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she said there was a squirrel writhing about in the driveway, and I immediately understood.
My rodent chewing on the walls was in fact a squirrel. And this particular squirrel took the bait and electrocuted itself. Only it did not die, but lay there in a twitching heap, probably in a state of having a heart attack, over and over again. I feel terrible. I have no desire to make any creature suffer. My wife is not letting me forget this, and in addition, the kids are not letting me forget this.
Without the family present, I quickly gathered the twitching and suffering squirrel with a shovel, and took him to a remote part of the yard, and quickly dispatched him, and buried him. I am sad that this creature suffered.
Do Not Use the Victor Electronic Rodent Trap for killing Squirrels. It will not work and only causes needless pain and suffering to a critter. Large rats have suffered the same way. I don’t think this Victor Trap is up to the task of humanely dispatching rodents larger than a mouse. And this Victor had a fresh set of batteries.
I am not pleased with myself today. On one hand I have confirmed squirrels as being the animal causing damage to my house, and I have removed one of the fuzzy tailed rodents from a group of critters bent on getting in my house, but I have caused needless suffering. And now my conscious will be guilt ridden for a while.