Killing Mice

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McCheese

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Any tips/tricks on killing mice? A couple weeks ago I saw a tiny one scurrying along the baseboards out of the corner of my eye. I haven't seen him in a while and I thought he might have died or left, but just this morning I saw one that appeared to be a bit bigger scurry around the corner into my laundry room. I've dealt with mice in the past, and I've always had almost immediate success with traditional wooden snap traps. However, this time I can't seem to kill the little fuckers. Here's what I've tried:

- 4 traditional wood snap traps with cheese. The mouse managed to remove the cheese from all 4 without setting them off.

- 2 of these enclosed snap traps: Amazon.com : D-Con No View, No Touch Mouse Trap (6 pack) : Home Pest Control Traps : Patio, Lawn & Garden. No luck, and the bait is still in both. I suspect the mouse (at least the one I saw most recently) might be too big to go inside.

- 4 of these poison traps: Amazon.com : Tomcat Mouse Killer II, 4-Pack (Kid Resistant Disposable Mouse Bait Station) : Bird House Accessories : Patio, Lawn & Garden. Again, no dice. It doesn't look like any of the poison has even been nibbled. I suspect the most recent mouse might be too big to squeeze inside and get the poison.

- 4 of these glue traps: Amazon.com : Tomcat Mouse Size Glue Traps, 4-Pack (Eugenol Formula) : Rodent Traps : Patio, Lawn & Garden. I had these out for about a week but they seemed to be ignored. I had peanut butter bait in the middle of each one, so the mouse either ignored them completely or managed to nibble some peanut butter without getting stuck.

Just this morning I put out the 4 traditional wooden snap traps again with more cheese, since at least I know the mouse/mice went after that. I tried to stick the bait onto the trap a little more firmly so they'll have to really yank it to get it and hopefully get snapped.

Any suggestions for things I might not be thinking of? Any good trap recommendations?
 
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Deathwing

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Mouse traps with peanut butter have worked for me. Killed a whole family of them in my attic, just had to reload.

You could always try the bucket filled with anti-freeze and water with a skewered peanut butter covered coke can over it. Kinda hard to describe in one sentence:

cc7655c9aa9ad8238b26a09fd4210f2c.jpg
 
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Enob

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If you have one there are probably a lot more. I had a pretty big group of them in one of those mansion style houses that have been split into 4 or 5 apartments. Basic mouse traps worked great but after about 10-15 kills and them still around I had to switch to poison and it destroyed all of them. Should always be a last ditch effort as body removal is important for keeping the smell away, though. I ended up finding a couple bodies around the next few days but luckily was able to avoid smells of death coming through the walls somehow. I'd say keep working traps for now but it might come to the nuclear option.
 
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Funkor

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For really small mice glue traps or the bucket method work better. Any sort of weight based trigger can be hit or miss so it might take longer to catch them. A mouse might be able to chew their leg off and get out of a glue trap so if you really want the asshole dead, and to keep the corpse from rotting in your wall, get a bucket.
 
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BrutulTM

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Yeah, peanut butter is better than cheese because the mice like it more and they have to lick it off. The other thing I would say is to put the trap exactly where you saw the mouse because the make little trails and run in the same place next time. The poison traps have never worked for me but the glue traps have sometimes.
 
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Noodleface

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I out down the small traps with peanut butter and bagged any that we're caught. A lot wouldn't die so I'd bag them and smash them over rocks
 
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Lanx

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did you try the tomcat attractant?

i put gobs of peanut butter on the white trap with jaws of death and i didn't get a bite, then i added that attractant and practically the next hour i heard a snap.
switch to poison and it destroyed all of them. Should always be a last ditch effort as body removal is important for keeping the smell away, though. I ended up finding a couple bodies around the next few days but luckily was able to avoid smells of death coming through the walls somehow. I'd say keep working traps for now but it might come to the nuclear option.
that's some good advice about poison.
 
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Sludig

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The green poison blocks are hit or miss. I had some eat a block and seemingly survive but the second got them.

Others beat me to it but peanut butter is your friend. Use a spoon to get it dabbed into the scoop on the trap not just smeared on top.



Call me a nature fag pussy, but I really detest glue traps and the buckets to a lesser extent. Glue takes a very very long time to kill and even worse when they chew themselves up. Having almost drowned once I also hate doing that to an animal.

Dont get me wrong the mother fuckers must die but I prefer something quick. And side benefit is with snappers is the whole counting kills and dispose lest they die behind your oven etc.
 
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McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Thanks for all the suggestions.

I've heard people say what you guys are saying about the effectiveness of peanut butter. However, I've tried it on two types of traps without any luck. After the mice took the cheese off my original snap traps, I tried using them with peanut butter. Either the mice ignored them or they nibbled off the peanut butter without triggering the traps. Same with the glue traps and peanut butter.

I think my mice might not like peanut butter for some reason. I went back to cheese because at least they clearly like it, since they already ate 4 bits of it.
 
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Sludig

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It might be as silly as what kind. Maybe they hate cheaper additive laden vs natural? Mine went heavy for the Kroger Brand that has the honey in it.
 
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Lanx

Oye Ve
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Thanks for all the suggestions.

I've heard people say what you guys are saying about the effectiveness of peanut butter. However, I've tried it on two types of traps without any luck. After the mice took the cheese off my original snap traps, I tried using them with peanut butter. Either the mice ignored them or they nibbled off the peanut butter without triggering the traps. Same with the glue traps and peanut butter.

I think my mice might not like peanut butter for some reason. I went back to cheese because at least they clearly like it, since they already ate 4 bits of it.
dude try that attractant i linked, i had the same issue. at first i thought like sludig and maybe cuz i was using natural shit, they didn't like it so i went out and bought jif, didn't work until i put on that attractant.
 
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McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Well, I guess my mouse just has a thing for cheese over peanut butter. Came home to my jarlsberg-laden traps to this after work today:

fucker.jpg

I'm going to keep the other traps out for a while and see if I can find and plug whatever hole he was using to get in. I'm hoping it was only him, but I know that's a small chance.
 
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Rime

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Living off in the woods, a bucket of anti-freeze with a lubed up soda can, as the spoiler above, works miracles in the basement/out buildings. Just have to make sure cats/opossums/etc can't get to it or you have a big mess to clean up.

Foam crack sealant and a wire mesh screen over entry in the pipe hole/wherever they are getting in keeps them from coming back. Tend to only get them in the house proper when the winter is really hard.
 
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Borzak

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Glue traps with a mix of peanut butter and rolled oats will get them all. Used the shit out of them in college collecting specimens.
 
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Sludig

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Well, I guess my mouse just has a thing for cheese over peanut butter. Came home to my jarlsberg-laden traps to this after work today:


I'm going to keep the other traps out for a while and see if I can find and plug whatever hole he was using to get in. I'm hoping it was only him, but I know that's a small chance.


Fwiw, those big paddle ones i had issues, it caught nice but higher rate of them not triggering and getting the bait. Prefer the older style with metal little doohickey trigger.
 
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McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Fwiw, those big paddle ones i had issues, it caught nice but higher rate of them not triggering and getting the bait. Prefer the older style with metal little doohickey trigger.

Yeah, I've actually had the same experience. In the past I've always used the super traditional ones with the metal triggers. I bought these at the only store that was open at the time (a small grocery store) so this was all they had. I imagine that's why the mouse was able to snag the first bits of cheese off of them; they aren't as sensitive as the metal trigger ones.

There's a tiny blood stain on my carpet where he died. It cracked right through his head and caused more bleeding than I'd expect from a mouse. Normally it gets them in their backs and there is no bleeding. Oh well.
 
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Sludig

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Get some oxy/peroxide. Set them on rags if being placed on carpet. Trap enough you'll see all sorts of bizarre placement on kills.
 
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