Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

These work well:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000LPA2KC

blob of peanut butter in the hole with a little something extra (as they can eat without setting of the trap). We use a kibble of dog food wedged in the peanut butter so they have to work harder to get their food thus setting off the trap.

Make sure the paddle isn't stuck down by the peanut butter and pop a bit of wire through one of the holes in the end of the trap tied to a small screw in the wall to stop the trap being dragged away.

elsien

Where have you put the traps? At 90 degrees to the skirting board where one of their runs is, is your best bet. Look for the droppings to work out where that is. Mine were loitering behind the fridge. Bait of peanut butter or chocolate spread seems to work.
I also gave up on humane traps when I realised they were multiplying faster than I could catch them.

50Twuncle

elsien wrote: »

Where have you put the traps? At 90 degrees to the skirting board where one of their runs is, is your best bet. Look for the droppings to work out where that is. Mine were loitering behind the fridge. Bait of peanut butter or chocolate spread seems to work.
I also gave up on humane traps when I realised they were multiplying faster than I could catch them.

No sign of any droppings and both traps are in the hallway - parallel to the wall (why 90 degrees to the skirting board ?)
The cats were scratching around the understairs cupboard - but the door is a tight fit, so don't think that the mouse could have got in there !
bait is the yummy stuff in a tube supplied with the traps

david1951

50Twuncle wrote: »

why 90 degrees to the skirting board ?)

In my experience mice usually get caught just by running over the trap, rather than trying to eat the food. It's not pretty, but this is probably why the old style traps are more effective.

50Twuncle wrote: »

the door is a tight fit, so don't think that the mouse could have got in there !

They can pretty much get anywhere. If a pencil can fit through, so can a mouse.

Gloomendoom

I average about one mouse caught every other day in my house at this time of year.

I use traditional spring traps with half a hazelnut as bait. I have found that this results in a 100% instant kill with no suffering. They grab the nut in their teeth and really have to pull it to get it off the spike. This puts their head in exactly the right position to be hit by the spring.

I tried other baits... peanut butter, nuttela etc. They love it but they seem to try and lick it first so there is a risk the they just get their nose or a front paw caught. Not nice.

50Twuncle

david1951 wrote: »

In my experience mice usually get caught just by running over the trap, rather than trying to eat the food. It's not pretty, but this is probably why the old style traps are more effective.



They can pretty much get anywhere. If a pencil can fit through, so can a mouse.

Our traps are gravity ones (similar to http://www.havahart.com/live-mouse-trap) - so have an entrance - which we have put parallel to the skirting board

Strider590

I was under the impression that mice usually die from heart attack once caught by a cat, also even the slightest cut turns septic once infected with cat saliva and they quickly die from that too, so it may have darted off and died in a shoe somewhere.

Grenage

I've used this humane trap with success:

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Cleaning+%26+Pest+Control/d260/Pest+Control/sd3217/Pest-Stop+Trip-Trap+Mouse+Trap/p60863

For kills I agree with Gloomendoom; the traditional traps are more effective and kindest. Peanut butter is a winner.

50Twuncle

Strider590 wrote: »

I was under the impression that mice usually die from heart attack once caught by a cat, also even the slightest cut turns septic once infected with cat saliva and they quickly die from that too, so it may have darted off and died in a shoe somewhere.

Lets hope so - because there's no sign of one !!

50Twuncle

Spotted some droppings by the gas fire in the front room - have moved traps to there !!