Mouse traps

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Well, we have a few mice, I've seen them. No telling where they came from but there they are. I put out D-Con poison under the sinks and in places where the dogs cant get to and I've put out several mouse traps baited with Slim Jim. My Cooks man came today to check the outside termite things and I told him we have mice and asked if he had any special spray or something. He brought me four sticky boards for them. They are about the size oof a Kindle and they are very very sticky. The idea is the mouse runs over it and gets stuck and you throw it away.

Now, I obviously have no problem with killing the mice, hence the traps and poison, and I hate mice in the house because they are so gross. However, I don't like the idea of a live mouse being stuck to that pad and thrown in the garbage to die in the middle of all that stuff in the can, and i don't like the idea of something like stepping on it or something. I'd much rather get them with a quick trap death.

Part of me feels like I'm being ridiculous because it's mice for heaven's sake, but it's just the idea of one getting stuck on it and living for a day or two like that just seems wrong.

Anybody else dislike the sticky boards?

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I've never come across these boards that you describe.
To me it seems overly cruel to trap an animal like that and then leave it to panic helplessly until it starved to death.

And, if u stood on it, wouldn't u find u have a big rectangle and mouse attached to your shoe?!

You can get cage traps for mice. The mice go in but they can't get back out. They're about the size of a shoebox. Hardware stores sell them around here ("humane traps" tends to be what they're called). They're cheapish.

We use them.

Put some food in them, and check the next day to see if you've got anything.

We release said rodents far away, as sometimes it's hard to tell if they're native or feral here.

Yeah, I agree that a quick and painless death is the best way to go when you want to get critters out of your house.

Well, I'd rather not just let them go somewhere else so they can get into somebody else's house or stuff. Also, I don't want to just release them so they can breed and there be more mice that can eventually get back into my house. Also I imagine the cage traps would be more than the regular ones we use, and wouldn't fit in as many small places. The mousetraps I get are four for a dollar, so for $5 I can put them out in every trouble spot. Many of them are small places like between the fridge and cabinets, under the sink in the kitchen and bathrooms, under furniture, etc. I even put them out at night before bed on the stovetop because I once saw a mouse coming up through there a few years ago.

I'd look into getting some of the cage traps and feeding them to my snake instead of buying two mice a week but I'd be afraid they would give him diseases or something.

It's wierd though, as much as I want to kill them because I consider them pests and vermin, I can't stand the thought of one being stuck to a board and dying a slow death. I know poison isn't as fast as a trap but at least it's quicker than the boards. I actually used them once before, years ago and caught a lizard on it and felt so bad about it when I just threw it in the garbage can with the lizard still alive. It just seems like torture to me.

Unfortunately our outside cat doesn't seem too interested in catching mice. We have brought him inside before and he just lays there when a mouse runs across the floor.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

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In my experience:
poison isn't a very good method as, once the mouse is poisoned, it inevitably goes to die behind a skirtingboard, under the floor, or under a built-in cupboard where it rots and stinks up the place for ages

I remember being told, when I was very young, that you should wear gloves when setting traps or the mice will smell you and avoid the trap. Anyone know if this is fact? One would think that if your smell scared them off they wouldn't come into the house(?!)

What you do with them after they're in the cage is up to you. Just saying that the cage is a pretty good way to catch them "cleanly" and with no worry about the animal slowly dying. You just put the cage where you know they go, and it'll have one in such if they're around. I think we paid $15 for it (you can use it over and over again).

If I desired to kill them, I'd just put a .22LR through their brain (I don't have an air rifle). A hammer to the head will do the same thing though, just more messy. Poison is there too, of course, but I always prefer the instant "lights out" approach to putting stuff down.

I'm a bit of a softy though with releasing stuff (contrary to lots of opinions); the feral cats have to eat too.

I've never come across these boards that you describe.
To me it seems overly cruel to trap an animal like that and then leave it to panic helplessly until it starved to death.

And, if u stood on it, wouldn't u find u have a big rectangle and mouse attached to your shoe?!

When I had mice in my house I got live traps and caught them and let them go somewhere else, mostly in a wooded area somewhat near the river. The traps were small and cheap.

I even kept a few as pets when I caught a few in the winter and didn't want to release them into the cold and snow. They are too scared to handle but other than that have adjusted well to captivity and like running in their wheels.

The sticky glue traps are fairly cruel as the mice are not killed by the trap. It would be essential to kill the mouse soon after it gets stuck to the trap.

I have heard of mice eating their own legs off to try to get free from these traps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_trap#Glue_traps

You can buy devices that emit a noise audible to mice that repels them.

http://www.victorpest.com/advice/all-ab ... repellents

A lot of us have an irrational fear of mice and don't like the idea of sharing a house with them (me included)
but the sticky trap sound's like a barbaric way to get rid of them.
If you have to kill them I think you have to make it quick and not let them suffer, or catch them in a humane trap and release them
a long way from your house (easier said than done)
I've got 2 cats and they're not interested in mice either and around 6 months ago I spotted a rat in my kitchen!
I bought a rat trap but i've not seen it since thankfully. (I didn't sleep well for a while)

Good luck