Mice Traps - Suggestions?
#21
(07-05-2021, 08:35 AM)varkpilot Wrote: "Minor" infestation!  Got one via old-fashion spring trap.

AMAZON has a countless list.

What has worked for you??  Should I plan for outside & inside?

Thanks in advance!

"Walk the plank" style is the best I have ever used. Buy on Ebay.
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#22
(07-06-2021, 03:35 AM)frule Wrote: "Walk the plank" style is the best I have ever used. Buy on Ebay.

They do work well, as long as you have sufficient space for a five gallon bucket in the target area.  Pretty tough to place in a lower cabinet or under a piece of furniture.

On the other hand, their capacity can't be beat.  One gets trapped, and it immediately resets itself for the next one.  I've seen vids of farmers dumping 20 or more mice out of the bucket for that style trap.
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#23
(07-05-2021, 05:48 PM)WxMan Wrote: Jawz.  Been using them for years.  Link

The traditional snap traps did not work well for me.  They were easily "robbed" by the mice.

The best way to outsmart them is to run some string around the bait holder or thru the hole. Then if they take the peanut butter the oil and smell are still there working for the next fellow.
Regards,
Bill B
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#24
(07-07-2021, 05:29 AM)Bill Bob Wrote: The best way to outsmart them is to run some string around the bait holder or thru the hole. Then if they take the peanut butter the oil and smell are still there working for the next fellow.
Regards,
Bill B

Been there, done that.  No change in catch efficiency.  Bait still gone, and no mouse caught.

I tweaked the sensitivity by bending the little catch thingy.  No change in catch efficiency.

I tweaked how I put the peanut butter on the trigger pad to make it more inaccessible, and, in theory, made it harder to get at .  No change in catch efficiency.

I used several different brands of traditional snap traps, including the Victor brand with both metal trigger pad and the plastic trigger pad.

Once I happened on the Jawz traps, they rapidly became my go-to.  During the early mouse wars, I had a dozen set at any given time.  

When using the Jawz, I place a small bit of peanut butter in the cup, and also some on the pad.  I'll get the occasional empty trap, but not very often (estimated less than 5%).

I tried the 5 gal bucket thing out in the shop, but only caught two.  Jawz caught many, many more.  I haven't had a mouse issue in the shop in years.  Haven't seen any evidence (droppings) they're out there, though it stands to reason they're around.
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#25
Bait traps with a tootsie roll softened in the microwave and pressed in really good on the bait holder Works much better than peanut butter.
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#26
I buy mouse traps 300 or so at a time.  Its hard to beat the traditional wood with metal bale.  But most of the traditional styled traps will work just fine. 

As was said earlier, location of the trap is important.  Set along the outside edges of the rooms, don't forget the attic and basement.    They are the most important spots.   In the basement,  your sill plate will be the most active.

Its a little different of a situation for us as we want to clear a house fast, we'll typically load 40 traps in a house with 95% of them in the attic and basement.   Most people don't want to see a mouse caught in their living room.
Matt

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy

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#27
Unless somebody is allergic, we use peanut butter.
Matt

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy

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#28
Mice can fatten out their bodies to go under an 1/8 inch slot. Two common ways of mice getting in a house are where the electrical wires enter and openings around pipes. Some exterminators used a copper crushable wire like pad that was pushed into the opening around the pipe.  The texture of the copper pad was like those used in cleaning dishes.
Paul from the beautiful mid-coast of Maine (USA)
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#29
(07-05-2021, 03:04 PM)Wild Turkey Wrote: Our exterminator --   Rocky, a Main Coon 
Big Grin

I had a Maine Coon before they became popular.  I had to drive 150 miles to find one.  A remarkable athlete, but a sadistic person with mice.  He would catch them and hold them gently in his mouth.  Let them run nearly across the room and  catch them again.  Then go back to the starting point and repeat.  He would repeat this until the mouse did not want to "play" anymore.  Amazingly he lived over 24 years, though the last year was not good for him.  He had several strokes and walked funny at the end.

A key piece of advice:  Only handle the mouse trap while wearing rubber gloves.  Mice find human odors offensive and will avoid mouse traps that have been handled.  They will still work, but will work better if you wear gloves when handling the traps.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#30
As somebody who traps for a living, I've found the animals that are living in and around our houses are used to human scent.   They aren't wary of it the same way an animal out in the woods is.    That said, handling a mouse trap that's caught a few mice already is a bit gross and nitrile palm gloves are about 60 cents a pair.  They can be used a few times and disposed of without bad feelings.
Matt

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy

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