A convenient, economical, nontoxic and effective method for the control of rats and the like by administration of one or more snap traps. In the preferred embodiment, rats are exposed to an attractant by means of a disarmed snap trap. In so doing, the rats frequent the disarmed snap trap thereby allowing the rats to feed from the snap trap without being harmed. After a predetermined period of time, preferably several days, the rats will no longer be suspicious of the snap trap because the rats can access the attractant with impunity. The method further requires baiting and arming a snap trap with an attractant after the rats have been allowed to feed from the one or more disarmed snap traps. The rats, unsuspectingly, approach the armed snap trap, which had previously been disarmed, and the spring-loaded trap arm will efficiently trap the rat.
