Jim I put a few 1 1/2 out side to air out because of your suggestions. They will probably be part of a back up plan if necessary.
Thanks

I picked up one more small rat in the attic. + I set a foot trap as Jim suggested. Slow going so far.

Not for nothing, but if you feel they were feasting on the dog food, I'd make a paste out of a little and smear it on snap traps. I've never used anything else besides snap traps for rodents, incorporated weasel boxes into the equation at times, but not many. I'd also poke around outdoors as well, lace up the perimeter of the house with traps. If you have any exposed pipes that sweat, I'd also set there as well. Believe it or not, I've trapped more rats on the way to a structure than I have inside of one. Don't get me wrong you need to address indoor activity, rats can be tricky, but you have to remember they're just rats.

I picked up another small rat from the attic today 3 rats out of 4 from the same trap. I experimented with the dog food as Jim and TDHP suggested . Slow going.
THDPs pictures....... make it look easy!

How often are they leaving sign in the house? Does sign suggest they're spending a whole lot of time in the house, or are they coming and going?

Aix lots of poop in one portion of the attic as well as lower kitchen cabinets, one very short trail leading from the home to a large wooden bin. two rat holes with swing marks in kitchen.
In the past when I have found a population of rats there quite often are very visible ground burrows. Not a single burrow to be found. I can't trap the trail because of the dogs.

Thats when weasel boxes are nice to have or you could construct your own setup to place rat traps in to avoid that situation.

Pulled another rat out of the attic today 4 out of 5 rats from the same trap. Jim's leg hold trapping suggestion was going to work . The dog food on and under the leg hold was gone. ( I could not control the pan tension well enough ) I was too slow to go with the winners and discard the non producing baits. I also suspect the lady of the house fibbed a lot about eliminating competing food sources.
Traps went out poison went in . The dog and pony show is over.
I would like to think I learned a little, but I am afraid that I remain in the rat trapping also ran category.

thanks for the help

Bob; Why did ye never consider cage traps?

Pest's Dad - I have caught a rat in a cage before....... I thought that there is nothing I can do with a cage that I can't do better with a snap trap.
Jim's leg hold method was going to work had I implemented them sooner and smartened up on pan tension.
For the most part tough lessons and very little learning curve.

Bob; One thing ye can do with a cage, that ye can't ~ usually ~ do with any form of snapping trap, is multiple catches.

Now, I've caught single, full adult rats in rectangular, shutting door, cage traps. Those rats were as good as any others I'd caught. But, yes; A little pricey on the outlay, all things considered.

However, there's trap out there to this day (I'm afraid I've no idea what it might be called, in US. Even if they offer them there?) It's the tunnel shaped one. Ramp up to an entrance hole. First compartment has a weighted trap door leading to the second. That make any sense?

Anyway; That trap I've seen so packed with young rats, it was like students in a phone box.

And don't ignore small body grips either. Slip a piece of dried vegetation stem over the wires. Place them over holes or against walls.

Snares ....? Where rats are concerned? Variety is the spice of ending their lives. Throw everything ye can at them. That's always been my policy.

Pest's Dad - Most of the work we do is show up solve the problem and leave.Poison works. But trapping rats won't work to our time frames. I tend to look for silver bullets or super baits that aren't there. I find a nugget of wisdom once and a while usually the follow up to a lot of head scratching and empty traps.
I like to find old English ratter web sites. These people take their ratting seriously .
Thanks for the info. I will keep plugging away.

Bob; If ye haven't already? Get yeself a copy of the (Now in modern paperback) Mark Hovell book; " Rats And How To Destroy Them ". My original, old hard back copy is the book I'd grab in case of fire! He was a Real Rat Catcher