A mousetrap is a device designed to aid in catching mice and help homeowners eliminate them as pests. These can look somewhat brutal, but in truth, they are humane and will quickly solve the problem. Solutions that are kinder to the animal often just don’t work, which is when the majority of homeowners will turn to mousetraps. This article helps you by outlining common mousetrap mistakes.
Common Mousetrap Mistakes
For a mousetrap to be effective, it’s important that you use the right type of mousetrap, and use it in the correct way. In this post, we’ll explore what that means, and the common mousetrap mistakes people make!
Not Setting Them
As mentioned, mousetraps have the potential to look a little on the violent side. While they are usually lethal though, they will act swiftly and humanely. Not only that, but they will often provide the only real choice if you need to get rid of a disease-carrying mouse or rat! The longer you put this off, the more they will multiply and the harder it will be. Don’t delay!
Ruining Bait
When you handle mouse bait with bare hands, you transfer your scent onto it. This can then make it seem much less appealing to the mouse or rat, thereby preventing them from going near the trap! That’s pretty much the opposite of what you want to achieve… so wear gloves!
Not Removing the Bodies
It’s a grim thought, but after your traps have been successful, you need to remove the rats or mice from them. If you don’t do this, then their bodies will rot, and this will cause a lot of bad odor. Not only is this unpleasant in its own right, but it can also attract flies. Those flies will lay their eggs in the bodies, and this, in turn, will lead to maggots that can end up falling through the ceiling!
Use a Tiny Amount
You might think that using a larger amount of bait would be more effective. In fact though, if there is a large amount of food, the mouse will be able to bite a piece off and not get caught. Make it small enough that you force the mouse or rat to get up close and personal.
Poor Placement
If you put the mousetrap in the middle of the room, it probably won’t be effective. Mice like to stick to the walls, so put it down there in the corner and it will definitely get seen. Now give it a couple of days for them to acclimatize to the new object!
Using the Wrong Food
Forget the old cartoon image of mice eating cheese. The rodents are primarily nut and seed eaters. Therefore, the best bait for mouse traps is peanut butter or hazelnut spread. Their hunger for calories also entices them to try chocolate. When temperatures drop outside, mice come inside, slow down, and focus on building nests, so you can lure them to mouse traps with nesting materials. If using snap traps, tie or wrap the fibers around the mouse trap’s trigger to force mice to pull or gnaw on the bait, springing the trap.
Best Bait for Mouse Traps
Although mice are natural seed-eaters, inside homes, mice are more attracted to fatty and sweet foods. Industry experts recommend the following foods and nesting materials to catch a mouse:
- Peanut Butter
- Hazelnut spread
- Marshmallows
- Gum Drops
- Beef Jerky
- Cotton Balls
- Nesting Materials
- Dental Floss
- Yarn
- Twine
Using Too Few Mouse Traps
Mice reproduce fast and furiously—they can produce six to seven babies in a litter as quickly as every 21 days or so. So you may not realize (or want to think about!) how many of them are in your house. However, you can be almost certain there is more than one. To stop a mouse infestation, you need more than a few mouse traps to get rid of mice quickly. The most common mouse trapping strategy is to place one mouse trap every 2 to 3 feet along the wall where you’ve seen signs of activity. In the highest-trafficked areas, set mouse traps in pairs as close as an inch apart. Setting traps in the wrong places is sure to keep mice in your home. Using the effective strategy of placing multiple mouse traps won’t work if you are placing them in the wrong open areas.
Patience is Key
Patience, we could all use a little more patience in our lives. And when it comes to setting mouse traps, patience, and a little time, are super important for success. As mentioned above mice are highly intelligent creatures, they adapt, they learn, they noticed when something has been changed in their environment, and they’re even able to smell your presence in the newly placed bait.
Practicing good hygiene and limiting the food supplies found in your home, will slowly push them to risk it all for a taste of your bait. And all it takes is a little patience.
Additional Reading: How to Set a Mousetrap
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