[NA] Humane mice traps

flyingron said:
If you don't move them far enough, they'll just come back. If you move them sufficiently far away, you're likely illegally dumping your pest on an area that doesn't have them.
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Raccoons or opossums are the usual thing, I drive them several miles down the road and release them in a wooded area. Though we once had an infestation of flying squirrels in our cabin, that was a struggle.

'coons and possums are trouble when they get into the garbage. Small critters inside the house are a different matter.
 
If I understanding correctly, in Massachusetts it's illegal to transport wild animals to different areas. There are people that try to trap squirrels and other rodents and release them far away from the people's homes. But it's illegal to do so. But I could be wrong.

Don't know if it applies to mice.


"Moving wildlife is illegal, ineffective, and often harmful to the animal..."
 
rwellner98 said:
The ones I link above have been far more reliable than snap traps or glue traps, our previous "go to" approaches.
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That's good, but I don't have anywhere I want to release them, either, at this point. Back at the ranch there were places I could do so. Not gonna drive far in Dallas to release them to become someone else's problem.

I guess another thing I'd add - bait is pretty important. Stinky sharp cheddar cheese was working pretty well a few months ago. Caught 18 of them within a month.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
All the traps are in relatively high traffic areas, no chance of forgetting to check them multiple times per day. For now at least.
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If they are in high traffic areas, please make sure you don’t accidentally trap small kids or your pets.

-Skip
 
Another concern is that rodents generally run on a trail and others will find the trail and follow. Snakes are very good at using these trails to find the mice. I understand wanting to have compassion on critters but if they were cockroaches you wouldn't be relocating them ... would you?

I had to deal with armadillos in the yard. They are very destructive and can carry some serious stuff I don't want around family or other animals. Tried relocating a few but found it's just easier to snuff 'em out ...
 
Skip Miller said:
If they are in high traffic areas, please make sure you don’t accidentally trap small kids or your pets.

-Skip
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Or if you use glue traps.... leprechauns
 
Racerx said:
Or if you use glue traps.... leprechauns
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well, if you've ever step on or touched a glue trap, you'll realize how difficult it is to get it off.
 
Daleandee said:
Another concern is that rodents generally run on a trail and others will find the trail and follow. Snakes are very good at using these trails to find the mice. I understand wanting to have compassion on critters but if they were cockroaches you wouldn't be relocating them ... would you?

I had to deal with armadillos in the yard. They are very destructive and can carry some serious stuff I don't want around family or other animals. Tried relocating a few but found it's just easier to snuff 'em out ...
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Now there’s a thought. A friendly black snake loose on the property would keep the rodent population down, and require no care. We had one living in our shrubs at our last house for quite a while. We just left him alone and he did his thing. Unfortunately he was slithering across the road one day and a car got him.
 
Daleandee said:
...cockroaches ...
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Since you brought it up, when my kids were young they captured "Grassy" the grasshopper, held a birthday party for him, then released him. Last year, a cockroach ran into a sink overflow hole before I could get him. I could see his antenna moving but he was otherwise out of reach. I plugged the hole and would check in on him every couple of weeks wondering how long a cockroach can live on just water. After three months, my wife reached her limit of me talking about "Cocky" and dispatched him :-)
 
Mahneuvers said:
Since you brought it up, when my kids were young they captured "Grassy" the grasshopper, held a birthday party for him, then released him. Last year, a cockroach ran into a sink overflow hole before I could get him. I could see his antenna moving but he was otherwise out of reach. I plugged the hole and would check in on him every couple of weeks wondering how long a cockroach can live on just water. After three months, my wife reached her limit of me talking about "Cocky" and dispatched him :-)
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Your wife is a saint.
 
Long ago when I owned a 6' Bullsnake (constrictor) I'd caught in Eastern Washington, I built a live trap for mice using a snap trap and a coffee can.

Small square piece of plywood big to cover can opening is affixed to the snap hoop. Trap is bolted inside the can such that when the trap is triggered the hoop shield blocks the open can. Bait trap as usual. Mouse crawls in and either triggers the trap as the mouse walks over the hoop shield (launching it into the can) or as the mouse goes for the bait (and is trapped.)

Western Washington has no large snakes, so the local mice have no fear of snakes. Dropped into the snake's enclosure, the mice immediately approached the snake. The snake ate well.
 
Day 1: mouse caught
It's now day 2 and no traps triggered...

Which means:
1) They're lying low for now, suspicious of Uncle Ralphie's disappearance...

2) There's no more mice...

Or... Ominously
3) They've adapted and are now resistant to my traps.
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ArrowFlyer86 said:
Day 1: mouse caught
It's now day 2 and no traps triggered...

Which means:
1) They're lying low for now, suspicious of Uncle Ralphie's disappearance...

2) There's no more mice...

Or... Ominously
3) They've adapted and are now resistant to my traps.
View attachment 148769
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Most likely... 4) you caught the dumb one...
 
I've used the multi live traps before. Doesn't matter what bait I used. Days went by with no success. One day one got trapped but I didn't dispose of him. Next day there was 4 more. And they became canibalistic. Turns out the best bait to trap mice is...mice.
 
It’s interesting. They seem to come in waves. Sometimes days will go by and nothing, then bam, 2-3 trapped. Maybe weather, moon phase, or ? Kind of like fishing and hunting.
 
After 4 or 5 more mice, and finding what they've chewed up, you'll be dispatching them with as much indifference to swatting a fly.
 
Mice are actually pretty stupid and easy to catch. Years ago a family member was at a friends house and found a mouse in the couch cushion thinking it was a cats toy. After using a multiple catch trap there were 8 caught in one night. It seems that when one is caught and starts squeaking that the other curious ones come to see what all the excitement is about.

Rats are extremely smart and mama rat can teach the young about traps and how to avoid them. That was the reason I asked earlier whether these were mice or baby rats as when they are small it can be difficult to tell them apart. Ears and length of tail are a couple of hints to use ...
 
WDD said:
After 4 or 5 more mice, and finding what they've chewed up, you'll be dispatching them with as much indifference to swatting a fly.
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My neighbor down the road had a one year old pickup declared a total loss by his insurance company because of mice. He parked it in his machine shed by his grain bins while he went fishing in Canada for two weeks incase it hailed while he was gone. They ate all the insulation off of all the wiring harnesses and it would cost more to repair than it’s value. I have heard rumors that it is becoming a fairly common problem with certain manufacturers.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Day 1: mouse caught
It's now day 2 and no traps triggered...

Which means:
1) They're lying low for now, suspicious of Uncle Ralphie's disappearance...

2) There's no more mice...

Or... Ominously
3) They've adapted and are now resistant to my traps.
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They are laying low, plotting revenge by chewing through your house wiring to burn you out.
 
WDD said:
After 4 or 5 more mice, and finding what they've chewed up, you'll be dispatching them with as much indifference to swatting a fly.
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Let me add a bit more if I can. I'm not an animal hating, love to see things suffer, etc. whatnot. Adulting is sometimes hard. Being humane to animals is a virtue, but we can "over humanize" animals a bit. When people dress up their dogs, they are over humanizing them to the point my humane reaction is to feel sorry for the dog LOL.

But mice are destructive. They are not an endangered species. They are a part of the eco, bio system that needs to be controlled. Thus my suggestion is to dispatch the mice infestation as quickly and thoroughly as possible with snap traps. Glue traps are also very effective, just check them each day and if you find a trapped mice, wrap in a garbage bag, put on floor, and give a quick stomp, and then throw away. Sounds barbaric? How much more than a snap trap? And you don't want the thing to die of thirst.

Being an adult means sometimes doing things that are unpleasant.
 
WDD said:
But mice are destructive. They are not an endangered species. They are a part of the eco, bio system that needs to be controlled. Thus my suggestion is to dispatch the mice infestation as quickly and thoroughly as possible with snap traps. Glue traps are also very effective, just check them each day and if you find a trapped mice, wrap in a garbage bag, put on floor, and give a quick stomp, and then throw away. Sounds barbaric? How much more than a snap trap? And you don't want the thing to die of thirst.
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I'm just glad that the most reliable traps we've ever found have been live traps, rather than snap traps or glue traps. It's nice when the humane method is also the most reliable method.


455 Bravo Uniform said:
It’s interesting. They seem to come in waves. Sometimes days will go by and nothing, then bam, 2-3 trapped. Maybe weather, moon phase, or ? Kind of like fishing and hunting.
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Yeah, don't ever be fooled into thinking you've won. :-)

We've owned our rural house for 27 years now. Sometimes it can be months between mice, but they always come back eventually.
 
Not sure what happened here, but while we had the Mooney tied down on the ramp at JWN after the tornado of 2020 destroyed most of the hangars, came out to find a headless mouse. Either an aileron hinge got it, or it was possibly decapitated by a bird.

So, maybe a Mooney is good bait for mice?

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mark.staggs said:
Not sure what happened here, but while we had the Mooney tied down on the ramp at JWN after the tornado of 2020 destroyed most of the hangars, came out to find a headless mouse. Either an aileron hinge got it, or it was possibly decapitated by a bird.

So, maybe a Mooney is good bait for mice?

View attachment 148785
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Mooney = world’s most complex and expensive mousetrap?
 
Do you have an airport cat? Headless mice and headless bunnies were a common sight on my front porch when I had an outdoor cat.
 
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Matthew said:
Do you have an airport cat? Headless mice and headless bunnies were a common site on my front porch when I had an outdoor cat.
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There very well could've been, especially then with lots of displaced pets and wildlife after the tornados in the summer of '20.
 
Dana said:
Raccoons or opossums are the usual thing, I drive them several miles down the road and release them in a wooded area. Though we once had an infestation of flying squirrels in our cabin, that was a struggle.

'coons and possums are trouble when they get into the garbage. Small critters inside the house are a different matter.
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Had a CFI that got a trap to catch a raccoon. Told me his first student tomorrow morning would help him release it. I asked what altitude?
 
Opossum?

I have a local critter that gets on my deck and helps himself to the drip pan under my grill.

The self-cleaning mode was activated a few nights ago.

IMG_9723.jpeg
 
Dana said:
Raccoons or opossums are the usual thing, I drive them several miles down the road and release them in a wooded area. Though we once had an infestation of flying squirrels in our cabin, that was a struggle.

'coons and possums are trouble when they get into the garbage. Small critters inside the house are a different matter.
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Racoons are pretty easy to control with good trash cans or ammonia poured in the trash. Same for Opossums, both are good scavengers to have around, although Racoons are big disease vectors, and get rabies.



Daleandee said:
Another concern is that rodents generally run on a trail and others will find the trail and follow. Snakes are very good at using these trails to find the mice. I understand wanting to have compassion on critters but if they were cockroaches you wouldn't be relocating them ... would you?

I had to deal with armadillos in the yard. They are very destructive and can carry some serious stuff I don't want around family or other animals. Tried relocating a few but found it's just easier to snuff 'em out ...
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And what is that trail made of....? Hint, mice are "continual" urinators. People also need to remember mice in your house are running over everything, through silverware draws, over dishes, into cabinets. In the house? They get the snap trap.

One more tip, those trails that Daleandee is talking about leave grease type stains at the mouse entry points, look for those in your house and seal up the holes.
 
I too believe in being "adultly humane."
My personal rule is this. Outside, live and let live--which includes live traps. Inside, critters are subject to my whim. Mostly this means, if possible, I humanely kill indoor pests. Insects get a quick squish. Rodents get a snap trap.

In defense of my wife's substantial vegetable garden, including fig trees, I live trapped and relocated 25 squirrels before I gave up. When trapped Eastern Gray's are vicious and vocal. Also a handful of raccoons and plethora of bunnies. It was hopeless. When a territory is cleared/depleted other simply move in.

The vegetable garden is now ringed with chicken/rabbit wire.
 
Domenick said:
In defense of my wife's substantial vegetable garden, including fig trees, I live trapped and relocated 25 squirrels before I gave up. When trapped Eastern Gray's are vicious and vocal. Also a handful of raccoons and plethora of bunnies. It was hopeless. When a territory is cleared/depleted other simply move in.

The vegetable garden is now ringed with chicken/rabbit wire.
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Apparently I don't understand the problem. Garden draws in squirrels and bunnies, you pop them with a .22, and now you have squirrels and bunnies to eat along with the vegetables. Sounds like a win all around.
 
Half Fast said:
Apparently I don't understand the problem. Garden draws in squirrels and bunnies, you pop them with a .22, and now you have squirrels and bunnies to eat along with the vegetables. Sounds like a win all around.
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Squirrels look too much like a rat with a bushy tail and don't make it to my plate. On the other hand ... I completely understand why Mr. Fudd was hunting wabbits! :yesnod:
 
Half Fast said:
Apparently I don't understand the problem. Garden draws in squirrels and bunnies, you pop them with a .22, and now you have squirrels and bunnies to eat along with the vegetables. Sounds like a win all around.
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When I was a teenager we had about two weeks where we had Mom convinced that rabbits and squirrels that we shot should/could make it to the table.

I had a coworker at my college job who borrowed my BB gun because it was illegal to shoot a rifle in town. He was in his 70s at the time, and he died before I got my BB gun back.
 
Daleandee said:
Squirrels look too much like a rat with a bushy tail and don't make it to my plate. On the other hand ... I completely understand why Mr. Fudd was hunting wabbits! :yesnod:
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Try cooking the squirrels in a slow cooker with a can of undiluted condensed onion soup, and add in some onions and celery, then serve over rice.
 
Half Fast said:
Apparently I don't understand the problem. Garden draws in squirrels and bunnies, you pop them with a .22, and now you have squirrels and bunnies to eat along with the vegetables. Sounds like a win all around.
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What time is dinner?
 
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