# I have to murder a wee mouse **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410 "2015-06-25T00:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/41 "2015-06-25T20:45:37Z")
It got him squarely across the neck and I’m sure it snapped his spine. I think he probably died in about 3 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Sinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@Sinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinder)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/42 "2015-06-25T21:25:26Z")
Through some trial and error, I have learned a very effective way of catching/killing mice with a mousetrap. The first method is using the old style “Metal Pedal” mousetrap. > **[Victor® Metal Pedal Mouse Trap - 24 Traps](https://www.victorpest.com/victor-metal-pedal-mouse-trap-bm154-24)** > > Victor® Metal Pedal Mouse Trap - 24 Traps > The original wooden snap trap—the Victor® Metal Pedal Mouse Trap—is also the world’s #1 selling mouse trap. Its superior quality and effectiveness are the reason we’ve sold more than 1 billion snap traps... Take an almond and wedge it lengthways into the teeth of the “Pedal”. Make sure the almond is really stuck on there(otherwise the mouse could just take off with it), and put a small coating of peanut butter on the almond. Then set and place the trap. For the newer style “Easy Set” mousetrap. > **[Victor® Wide Pedal Mouse Trap - 24-Pack](https://www.victorpest.com/victor-easy-set-mouse-trap-bm032-24)** > > Victor® Wide Pedal Mouse Trap - 24 Pack > The Made with wood from Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified forests takes our original #1 selling wooden wire snap trap and adds a large, pre-baited plastic cheese pedal for even more effective mouse... This one isn’t quite as simple because of the “Plastic Cheese Pedal”. With this trap, I tape an almond to the “pedal”, because there’s no place to wedge it on. I’ve included an example picture below. The oval is the almond, and the lines represent the outlines of the piece of tape. The oval on the right with pieces missing is what the almond should look like from the side. Wrap the tape all the way around the bottom of the “pedal”, or the tape won’t stick all that well. [![](https://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/sinder_83/Mousetrap.jpg) ](https://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/sinder_83/Mousetrap.jpg) There will be a small ledge underneath the almond, I find it works best to cut/shave small pieces off of the almond to make it fit perfectly flat on the ledge/pedal. Just like with the other mousetrap, make sure the almond doesn’t move whatsoever, you’re going to want to make it as snug as possible. It might take a couple tries. Then apply a coating of peanut butter, set and place the trap. The mouse will lick off the peanut butter, then try to take the almond and that’s what sets off the trap. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/43 "2015-06-25T21:30:25Z")
At least he got to enjoy the chocolate chip! I had one get in the tailpipe of my car. It’s a little sportscar and I guess the exhaust got hot really fast. All I knew is there was stinking smoke pouring from the tailpipe, so I took it to my mechanic’s shop. Boy, did they get a good laugh! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/44 "2015-06-25T21:35:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > With all that I’ve been hearing lately about how terrible that stuff is, you shouldn’t even need a trap. Just put down a jar of Nutella and let the wee beastie do himself in with poor nutritional choices. Doesn’t work. Mouse in my basement found a stick of Crisco in a bag, burrowed into the wrapper and ate the whole thing. Now I have a lot of fat glossy mice. And my cats are worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/45 "2015-06-25T21:41:12Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I lived with my Uncle for a while and he used sticky traps in the basement, these seemed effective but a pretty torturous death. I came across one once that was stuck and I tried to unstick it but it just wouldn’t come out so I just pressed on it lightly with something so it couldn’t breathe and suffocated it to death. Seemed like the suffocation was a much merciful death than starvation. My experience with glue traps was about as bad. I was horrified by the results, and tried to pry the poor little bugger free. Just ended up killing him. Mice are very, very fragile. As you say, that’s probably the less horrible of the likely outcomes, but it bummed me terribly. I promptly added my signature to a petition requesting the banning of that kind of trap, and bought a “Tin Cat.” Which works just fine! (Oh, raisins are a good form of bait. Mice lurve them raisins.) ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/46 "2015-06-25T22:09:19Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Well, I got him. He managed to get the treat from the trap under the sink without setting the trap off. I have no idea how, since all I had to do was touch it with a piece of paper and it snapped. > > The trap in the hallway, along the wall, did him in, although it would appear that he managed to eat the chocolate chip somehow first. > > I’ll set them up again tonight in case there was more than one and see what happens. > > His eyes were wide open, poor little guy, but he probably died very instantly. Glad to hear your trap worked!! 😃 I agree with **Shodan,** there is probably more than one. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/47 "2015-06-25T22:13:15Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The mouse is in my damned bedroom now. I have been hearing something scurrying around and I just caught a glimpse of him. > > Trap number two is now moved in front of my cracked open bedroom door. > Antcip…ation. > ETA: Why do I have this feeling that I’m going to be outsmarted by a mouse? Since I moved the trap in here I don’t hear him anymore. I tried to catch an extra-smart mouse one time. It took several days to get that one, and I was about to break by the end of it. I tried every trick in the book, but I finally triumphed over an animal with a brain the size of a hazelnut. :smack: I have [this](http://www.amazon.com/Kness-Tip-Trap-109-0-001-Live-Capture-Mouse/dp/B00004RA4G/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1435207359&sr=8-33&keywords=mouse+trap) live trap. I’ve used a couple of others, but I do like this one. It’s easy to use. With some of the other kinds, the mice gnaw on them and try to get out, and it’s very noisy, so you catch the mouse at about 11 pm and it keeps you up all night. They don’t really have any good place to chew on this one, so it’s much quieter. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/48 "2015-06-25T23:51:09Z")
mice tend to follow the wall line. Put traps in empty cereal boxes and set them against the wall. makes cleanup easier. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/49 "2015-06-26T01:01:35Z")
Peanut butter and/or peanuts are superb for trapping varmints. Last night I was shopping in the garden center of a big box store and got the feeling of being watched. I looked down and there was a mouse head peeking out from the base of a shelf, beady little black eyes fixed on me. If only I’d had peanut butter and a trap. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/50 "2015-06-26T01:36:50Z")
Well, I just got another one under the sink where my garbage is. A single chocolate chip pressed into the classic Victor trap. Damned. How many are in here? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/51 "2015-06-26T03:46:43Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I think he probably died in about 3 seconds. That’s like 2 days in mouse seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/52 "2015-06-26T03:57:07Z")
You might want to get drunk with **MeanOldLady**. It’s a proven method. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/53 "2015-06-26T16:43:18Z")
Well, I murdered mouse number three last night. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/54 "2015-06-26T17:59:45Z")
Keep going for awhile. Sounds like you have a bigger problem than you realized. How do you feel about cats, or a terrier? Another thought - my mom swears by those electronic rodent repellers. [Like This](http://www.amazon.com/Rid-Tech-Ultrasonic-Pest-Repeller-Repells/dp/B00O97CPIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435341351&sr=8-1&keywords=electronic+rodent+repeller) She says it completely stopped the mice that were coming up through her cabinets and nesting in the drawers where she keeps her potholders. There’s a fun surprise. Try and grab something for a hot pot and find holes chewed through them and some turds for bonus points.:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/55 "2015-06-26T19:42:07Z")
Get that Tin Cat! You must never try to re-use mousetraps, as they can smell Dead Mouse on them. Since you need new ones, go Tin Cast. They are re-usable, if you drown the mice in soapy water, or release them elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/56 "2015-06-28T04:32:39Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > My experience with glue traps was about as bad. I was horrified by the results, and tried to pry the poor little bugger free. > > Just ended up killing him. Mice are very, very fragile. I believe you’re supposed to pour vegetable oil on them if you want to release them from the glue. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/57 "2015-06-28T04:49:17Z")
If I’d been participating in the SDMB back then, I’d have asked, and someone would surely have known that. Dang! (The collective knowledge here is beyond astonishing!) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/58 "2015-06-28T04:51:28Z")
My animal-loving 17 year old daughter is with me for the weekend, as usual. She would be appalled if she knew I was killing mice; I’m not kidding. So, I have to take a moratorium on trap-setting for now, although I saw a few turds under the sink this morning and know I’ve got more work to do. Tomorrow night, the slaughter continues. I’m amazed that I’ve gotten three and there’s at least one more to go. This is a 25 year old bungalow, not a 100 year old farm house. (Although I am out in the country.) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/59 "2015-06-29T22:28:35Z")
But it’s not really murder, is it? The offending mice have been duly sentenced to execution under the “Little Mousies In My Home Go To Heaven NOW!” bill passed by the Legislature of You, signed by President You and vetted by the Supreme Court of You. I feel, as a longtime _Law & Order_ fan, like you’re on some pretty solid legal ground here. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410/60 "2015-06-29T23:13:37Z")
Well, number 4 was last night. Overnight the traps didn’t get touched. Maybe I got them all now. The traps are still set for tonight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-murder-a-wee-mouse/723410.md?page=4)