I wacked a couple on peanut butter, but action has gone dead. Don't want to poison them, rather just wack em and toss em. Cheese has done nothing. Any suggestions?

Mini marshmallows

those 110 stands with pans wolfie was making for trial sets for barn rats looked good

maybe spread a little lime and see where good trails are

Bacon grease

Rats are trail animals. They lay down trails marked by urine to find their way in the dark. These trails are often linear following structural features like walls, joists, pipes, etc. Rats also have excellent memory and are neophobic so they know those trails and react badly to changes to those trails.

Use that to up your odds. Do not disturb active trails, locate the blind corners/pinch points, set to position the pan so that the rat is on the pan before it is aware of the trap.

packrats like raisons

Bacon or peanut butter has always worked well for me... When I use to use nothing but steel traps for barn rats, Id smear peanut butter on the UNDERSIDE of the pan tat way they have to work at it and not just stand there licking it

soak twine in bacon grease and tie around the pan or the red plastic strings off of bologna work well

Want to eradicate them in their tunnels ,buy a pack of gas bombs from your farm store .Toss one down the hole and use a leaf blower to force the smoke through the tunnels , Kills all ,smell is minimal ' Did this two years ago and no rats since.

X2

Rats learn just like other animals
For baits in cage traps we used to use peanutbutter & birdseed stuck to pan

The rats I've caught in my chicken coop escape the wood traps (they're BIG). I've gone to conibears and footholds with pinch pans. They don't escape those. The old #55 conibears are perfect for certain situations.

You probably got Norway rats. They do run bigger and tougher than roof rats.

A few differences, norways prefer the ground level and dig burrows, roof rats tend to live like a squirrel coming in from above. Norways are blocky and the tail is not longer than the body, roof rats are leaner and the tail is longer than the body.

I won't use snap traps on norways for the reason you cite. Cages, conis and small footholds.

check out this rat.. I caught this in my blacksmith shop and I swear I thought I caught a young rabbit at first.. Its head just barely fit in the trap.. It was over 19" long...

Pelt that sucker!!! nice looking fur???

Chocolate syrup is a good bait for rats

And add some patience, and check from a distance if possible.