We suspected that we might have a few rats around when the alley cats left us dead rats on our doorstep as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift multiple days in a row. We suspected that we might have a rat problem when a big one came in a drain pipe through the wall around our house, looked at our kids who were behind the house, and then ran away. Of course, since rats are really common in the Philippines, we suspected that we might have a rat problem even before we moved into our new house. The house isn't the problem - rats are just all over.
So, we bought a live trap for the rats. We did not want a trap that would hurt our new puppy. So far in three nights we have caught two rats. I really think that we could have had one the first night if we had used the right bait. We tried a 1/4 ham sandwich that we had left over - they somehow ate the meat but left the bread. Since then we have found that they have a weakness for small strips of cooked beef that is put on the trap trigger like a worm on a hook. That way they have to work to get it off and are more apt to trip the trigger.
After we catch then, we take them for a swim in a bucket of water. That is the most humane way that we can think to kill them that does not risk us getting hurt in the process. If anyone knows of a better way let us know.
Oh, by the way, we did not think that you wanted to see pictures of all this, did you? We didn't think so.