Are there places to put snap traps where you can catch the mice, but are out of reach of the cat?
I love the sense of revelation when you find out where a cliche comes from. I’d seen the cartoon dozens of times before reading Of Mice and Men.
I’d say yes… Behind the refrigerator, for instance: the space is too narrow (in my apartment) for a cat, but just right for mice. Also, up in cupboards, near the dried foods. When mice chew their way into a box of cereal, it’s a good sign that a trap, right there, would be a good idea.
It also might be a good idea to leave a post-it note warning people of the traps. I got a nasty snap to my finger once when reaching under a co-worker’s desk. (Legitimately! I was “The Cable Guy” installing data and phone lines. OUCH!)
Ever seen a mouse that was caught in a snap trap? Sometimes they basically explode.
So we had a mouse problem at an apartment I shared with another lady. She wanted glue traps, I said absolutely not and set out snap ones. I go away for the weekend to find she had replaced the snap traps with glue ones. And lo and behold, a mouse was caught. The poor thing was still alive, one leg chewed off but too stuck in the glue to free itself. The instructions say ‘use vegetable oil to release mouse’. It’s a bunch of bullshit. Didn’t work. And so I had a live, terrified, suffering mouse. I wasn’t about to just throw it in the trash and I was pissed at my roomie. So I took her favorite cast iron skillet, brought the mouse outside to the grass and…well it was instant. Handed her her skillet, let her know what I did and removed all the other glue traps.
Long story short. No glue traps, please. They’re awful.
Yes I have. It’s a quick snap to the neck and that’s the end. Much more humane than a slow painful death from starvation.
I’ve been known to squeal like a little girl when a mouse bursts out of somewhere and startles me, but mostly I think they’re pretty cute. I’m not sure what there is to be afraid of from a mouse (aside from the whole disease vector thing) and mostly they would like to get away from you as quickly as possible.
I will add to the plea to avoid glue traps. They are an unnecessarily cruel way to trap and kill mice. Check your local stores - there are traps that will catch and kill the mouse inside a chamber and then you just throw the whole thing away without having to touch or see anything. Or electronic traps, that electrocute the mice -again, quickly and humanely.
I use snap traps. I don’t like them, but they are quick and efficient. I will empty them if it’s a clean kill, but they are cheap enough to just throw away mouse and all once you have caught something.
I’ve been known to squeal like a little girl when a mouse bursts out of somewhere and startles me, but mostly I think they’re pretty cute. I’m not sure what there is to be afraid of from a mouse (aside from the whole disease vector thing) and mostly they would like to get away from you as quickly as possible.
I will add to the plea to avoid glue traps. They are an unnecessarily cruel way to trap and kill mice. Check your local stores - there are traps that will catch and kill the mouse inside a chamber and then you just throw the whole thing away without having to touch or see anything. Or electronic traps, that electrocute the mice -again, quickly and humanely.
I use snap traps. I don’t like them, but they are quick and efficient. I will empty them if it’s a clean kill, but they are cheap enough to just throw away mouse and all once you have caught something.
Did these mice carry dynamite or something?
The mechanism action is to crush the neck, which usually happens. Compare to an animal dislocating or pulling and biting body parts off while it constantly shits and piss because it’s extremely frightened, exposing more disease. It does this all on a little tray of industrial strength super glue. It’s heinous and it’s evil.
Glue traps shouldn’t be used, period.
I think this is rather cruel. You trap the little guy, and then send him off to die a long slow horrible death by fear and thirst.
Snap trap- boom, dead. usually.
There are lots of places to put a snap trap where the cat cant get at it.
Right about poison.
I’ve seen some messy results, but that’s kind of rare. Usually they just get a broken neck or spine, good and quick. But, well, yeah, sometimes you can get exposed entrails. Also, their bowels and bladders sometimes empty.
Glue traps are still a brazilian times worse.
Live-traps, or the death-chamber traps brainstall mentions, are probably the best options.
I’ve been battling mice since I moved into my house 18 months ago. I get rid of the little assholes and then they chew a new way in.
It is a bit unnerving when one crawls across your foot. My adult son screamed like a little girl when he found out the wiggling in the toe of his shoe was a mouse. You might want to shake out your shoes before putting them on.
Also, get everything you can up off the floor. It makes it easier to clean and to find the little buggers hiding places.
Poison is cruel, and not an option since I got a cat - who has proven himself to be worthless in the battle with the mice.
Pepper mint oil didn’t work, nor have any of the spray repellents.
I’ve had some luck with cloves, except too many cloves are going to drive you out of the house too.
You can put them around your food cabinets to keep the mice out of there.
I got some of these, but they can’t be used in living areas. Even unopened they were making me feel sick. I put some in the basement but it hasn’t been long enough to tell yet.
http://how-to-get-rid-of-mice.com/fresh-cab-rodent-repellent-review/
The plug in electronic thingie work for a bit.
Snap traps are a pain, and for the most part didn’t work so well. I’d get the covered ones, they are easier to set and not likely to snap your fingers while setting them. Another plus is not having to see the dead mouse.
This is the best trap I’ve used. The problem is they are a bit expensive. They combine glue with a snap trap.
http://www.d-conproducts.com/products/family-high-traffic-rooms/quick-kill-glue-trap/