FAQs

Automatic Rat Trap
General

 

Can I return my trap if I don’t catch anything?

Proper placement of the trap, pre-baiting, using the Lure Taster Cards, eliminating food competition and other factors are necessary for successful trapping. We can’t guarantee the trap will work in your specific setting. However, if you want to return your trap, contact us to arrange a return within 30 days of the shipping date. An RMA (return merchandise authorization) number must be obtained from support@goodnatureusa.com beforehand, and product must be received within 2 weeks. You are responsible for return shipping costs. Your account will be credited when the trap is received. Please note: We do not accept returns on consumables such as lure and CO2 canisters.

Why are there no dead pests underneath my Goodnature® trap?

Scavenging is a frequent occurrence so it is unlikely you will see everything that is killed. Rats, stoats, cats, birds including weka, pigs and dogs scavenge dead critters from below Goodnature® traps. You can monitor rat levels with Lure Taster Cards or purchase a Digital Strike Counter to get a clearer picture of trap activity.

What is a Goodnature® Digital Strike Counter?

Just in case you were wondering how many times the trap had been triggered, Goodnature® has made a digital strike counter. Packed into a tiny enclosure, the strike counter slides onto the CO2 canister and spends most of its day asleep. It is sparked into action only when the trap is set off. Because it sleeps so much, you should get five years between battery changes, even if you check it weekly.

Will the trap operate in cold temperatures?

The trap has been tested and operates from 5°F – 113°F.

How do I know how much CO2 is left in the canister?

You can test-fire the trap to see if there is CO2remaining. To ensure your traps remain charged change the CO2 canister every 6 months. See the Success Guides for more detail.

Why should you use only Goodnature® Co2?

We ask customers to only use Goodnature® Co2 16-gram canisters in their traps. This is for several reasons:

  • Our CO2 canisters are capped with dry silicone which lubricates the regulator and seals to ensure long life of the trap.
  • We source our canisters from Taiwan as they are guaranteed to have no petrochemical residues from the factory machinery which can cause the rubber seals of the trap to perish.
  • The canisters have a gold passivate coating which prevents corrosion out in the field.
  • We also quality check all of the threads when the canisters arrive to ensure they are fit for purpose.
  • The warranty is void in non Goodnature® Co2 canisters are used.

Can I shift the trap when it is live?

No. You should not shift a live trap. You must de-gas and then de-pressurise the trap before shifting. See the Success Guides for more detail.

Can I purchase extra tree mount brackets?

Yes but best practice is to instead purchase extra traps and increase your area of control allowing your existing traps to manage reinvasion.

How do I refresh the lure?

While our lures are long life, they will eventually tire and diminish in their scent when exposed to air. At least once a month, remove the shroud cap and take the long life lure bottle out, tap it against the tree trunk so the tired lure is dabbed out as a pre-feed to attract pests. Wipe all excess lure away from the bite block, or mouth of the lure bottle, and return to the trap. See the Success Guides for more information.

What is the shelf life of unopened lure?

All unopened lures have a shelf life of 18 months.

I suspect my trap is faulty

Test fire your trap as outlined in the Success Guides – your trap may need a new CO2 canister. If you have any concerns get in touch with us!

I caught a pest! What should I do?

In the field: You don’t need to do anything. The dead animal will either be taken by another animal or slowly decay into the environment.

Around the home: A dead animal will get smelly after a few days of warm weather. To avoid any unpleasant odors bury the carcass under a few centimeters of soil or compost.

When can I stop trapping?

To maintain the conservation gains you have achieved through initial trapping, your traps should be left in place for the long term to catch any re-invading pests. Remember to refresh the lure monthly, and replace the CO2 and lure every 6 months.

Do you ship to the United States or Canada?

We ship to everyone in the United States. Sign up for the newsletter to find out when we will start shipping to Canada.

A24 Related

 

I already know I have rats. Why should I use the detector cards?

Rodent Detector Cards will show you the best place to put your A24 trap, i.e. places where rats feel safe to eat. Watch our great Rodent Detector Video online about how to use these cards to maximise the effectiveness of your trap.

I set my A24 by a compost bin or food source but I’m still seeing rats.

Food-rich areas are complex rat trapping sites and may require extra effort to achieve success. Locations where you see rats or signs of rats are not necessarily spots where they will trigger the trap. Use Rodent Detectors to determine the best place to set a trap. You may have to disrupt the rats’ routine by moving or reducing access to the food-rich source, if possible, forcing them to look elsewhere for food.

What happens if a child puts their hand into the trap ?

In 10 years and tens of thousands of deployed traps it has never been reported; it would be very difficult to do. When installed, the A24 is only 5 inches above the ground. This would be a feat of contortion to get a hand into a trap. That said, if it did happen the hand would receive a blow greater than a mouse snap trap and less then a rat snap trap.

Is the A24 a danger to native birds?

When installed at the recommended 12cm off the ground the A24 is difficult for a bird to enter. The exception is where weka are present. In this case, install the trap 75cm off the ground or attach a Goodnature Weka Excluder to the A24 trap.

Is the A24 trap a danger to pet cats?

Goodnature’s long life rodent lure is not attractive to cats. The shroud entrance is also too narrow for a cat to fit its head into, and the trap is installed 12cm off the ground to further prevent a cat interrogating the trap. It is extremely unlikely that a cat will trigger an A24 rat trap. Neighbourhood cats, however, are likely to remove dead rats and mice from below the trap.

How many A24 rat traps should I get for my land area?

The general rule of thumb is two per hectare (spaced 50m apart). If you have a large area for conservation or a complex site such as an orchard, then call us.

Are squirrels attracted to the A24 Automatic Rat and Mouse trap?

The lure is designed for Rats and Mice, and the proper placement is not ideal for squirrels. If you want to trap squirrels with the trap you would have to formulate your own lure, which would probably require refreshing often. You would also want to place the trap higher up.

Note: We are currently researching squirrel control. Hopefully, we will have something available for this market soon.

Digital Strike Counter

 

My Counter shows a number, but I haven’t seen anything dead.

We get this question a lot. Scavenging is really common – even if you don’t expect it. Pigs, dogs and cats commonly scavenge dead possums.

How long does the battery last?

The battery should last for up to 5 years. The device spends most of its time sleeping as it only uses power when the trap strikes or when you check the tally.

What to do when the battery dies?

When your Counter’s battery dies, send it into Goodnature to be refurbished. NOTE: opening the Counter casing voids the Goodnature warranty.

My Counter still shows ’00’, why is that?

There could be a number of reasons for this. You could be accidentally zeroing the Counter when you check the tally because you”re holding the button down too long (see ‘CHECKING THE COUNTER’ in the Success Guide).

Other reasons could be that you haven’t followed our tree selection and setup instructions (see Pages 5 and 7) or if you have done, perhaps you haven’t observed our maintenance instructions for keeping the lure refreshed and/or replacing the gas every 6 months (see ‘SHIFTING YOUR TRAPS’ in the Success Guide).

Can a rat or possum set the Counter off any other way?

This is unlikely, as the Counter is calibrated to tick over when there’s a strong jolt such as the trap firing.

How do I put the Counter onto the trap?

See Step 5 of’SETTING YOUR TRAPS’ in the Success Guide.

What happens when the Counter gets to 99?

Firstly, you celebrate the success of constant control with your family and friends and then you zero the Counter because it stops counting once it gets to 99.

How many pests can I expect to kill?

Every location will be different. Possum movements and populations vary throughout the year. Provided the trap is properly maintained (see your Success Guide) and located, it will always be ready and waiting as a constant control. You can relocate the trap periodically (see your Success Guide) or grow your trap network to control a greater area.

Why is my Counter showing kills on it when I’ve got it out of the box?

The Counter is set off by jolts and jolts are something that happen while your Goodnature Counter is making its way from us to you. See your Success Guide on how to zero your Counter.

Will the target pests interact with the Counter?

Yes, sometimes they might. Rats on occasion can gnaw the plastic of the Counter (and the trap) and sometimes possums might work the Counter off the canister while climbing over the trap trying to find how to get to the delicious lure.

How do I get the Counter off the canister?

See the ‘DE-COUPLING’ section on ‘SHIFTING YOUR TRAP’ in your Success Guide.

Order & Delivery

 

Shipping

  • Shipping is available within the US and Canada. We offer FREE shipping on orders over $100, or flat rate shipping on any order. (Different shipping rates apply to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico)
  • Please note: Hawaii residents may expect a 4-6 week shipping delay due to the method of shipping. (Hazmat products such as CO2 canisters will only ship by boat.)
  • Orders received by 12:00 pm EST will be shipped out the same day, excluding weekends and statutory holidays.
  • Orders received after 12:00 pm EST, or on weekends and statutory holidays will ship out the next business day.
  • The majority of our orders are delivered within 5 business days.
  • You will receive a tracking number
  • Shipping costs are calculated based on the size and weight of your order

For orders more than 10 traps, or orders to remote locations, please contact shipping@goodnatureusa.com for a delivery estimate.

Payment Methods

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Paypal as payment methods.

Billing Terms & Conditions

Your order is charged to your credit card or Paypal account at time of order. If your billing address is in California, state taxes will be charged.

Return Merchandise Policies

All returned merchandise must be accompanied by a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. Please call us to request a RMA number. RMA numbers must be obtained within 30 days from the date of delivery.

Defective Merchandise

May be returned while under warranty for credit or exchange after obtaining a RMA number.
If you received incorrect or damaged merchandise, we will provide you with a label for return shipping.

Non-Defective Merchandise

May be returned within 30 days of the delivery date after obtaining an RMA number. Product returns must be received within 2 weeks in new and resalable condition in the original packaging. Items damaged or showing signs of use are not returnable. Items missing will be subject to additional charges.
Freight charges incurred due to returned merchandise are the responsibility of the customer. We recommend that you use FedEx or UPS with insurance for returns.

Returns Procedure:

Call us at 1-877-992-8868 and request a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. We will need the following information:
Reason for return. If defective, describe specifically what is wrong.
Merchandise should be packaged in such a way as to protect the product and its packaging.
Clearly mark the RMA number on the outside of the shipping box.