# what's wrong with my Bucket 'o Death design.?



## pjstock (Jul 23, 2012)

we have a mouse problem in the country.
so I have put out, in addition of snap traps, two Buckets ' Death.
but while I have had success with the snap traps for the last 2 weeks I had nothing in my Buckets.

generally I use the can on a wire design. but it's not working.

any pointers on what I have wrong or could improve?

A neighbour suggested an alternate design of an inverted bottle cap filled with peanut butter, hanging from a string from the horizontal wire. but the morning after Night 1 of this design the bottle cap was licked absolutely clean. How could a mouse get down 10 inches on a fine string, clean out the PB and sitll not fall into the bucket?


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## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

to much time on your hands


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## pjstock (Jul 23, 2012)

SW Dweller said:


> to much time on your hands


on the contrary.
if everytime you came home you had to:

empty every kitchen drawer,
vacuum them out,
scrub them with bleach,
wash all your cutlery,
launder all your table linens,
wipe, vacuum and scrub all your countertops,
you probably wouldn't feel like you had too much time on your hands.

you would probably be looking for a solution.


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## wallmaxx (Dec 12, 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=diy+bucket+mouse+trap


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Where is the bait?

Typically you put peanut butter on the soda cans, then as they eat, balance is lost and end up in the water drowning.

Don't us crinkled cans they might be able to grip an edge.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I've heard of the bucket approach but never investigated it. I'm a snap trap guy and since it works well I have no need to change. You say you are having success with the snaps so I would buy a dozen or more.
I checked out Wallmaxx's link and sure looks like lots of options.

Bud


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Along with your snap traps try a bucket trap outdoors so they never enter the house .

Regardless of which style , put the peanut butter on the bottom .


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

The walk-the-plank bucket traps work well. Even better is the "flip and slide," which is a similar idea. I haven't had good luck with the rollers, they seem to work about the same as just a bucket with nothing at the top. They'll fall in going after the bait (peanut butter, of course.)


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## notnew2diy (Sep 1, 2017)

I use a plastic mayo jar on the rod. Make sure it can roll on the rod.
A blob of peanut butter on 1 side of the jar.
If using outside, use auto antifreeze vs. water for year round use.

HTH...Don.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Cats.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

While I've never used that method my sons have. They just take a stick with peanut butter on the underside end of the stick. Mouse goes up the stick and falls in trying to access the peanut butter. Not complicated.


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## sdowney717 (8 mo ago)

notnew2diy said:


> I use a plastic mayo jar on the rod. Make sure it can roll on the rod.
> A blob of peanut butter on 1 side of the jar.
> If using outside, use auto antifreeze vs. water for year round use.
> 
> HTH...Don.


Other animals might drink the antifreeze and it will kill them if it is ethylene glycol.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

A better mouse trap


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> Cats.


 I second this idea.

My neighbor has semi-feral cats.

I benefit because they prowl my property, cleaning all rodents away.

ED


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## sdowney717 (8 mo ago)

What do you do with a big bucket of mice?
Drive them downtown into the city and let them go late at night.
Take them to the city park.
Give them to a zoo to feed the animals?


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

notnew2diy said:


> I use a plastic mayo jar on the rod. Make sure it can roll on the rod.
> A blob of peanut butter on 1 side of the jar.
> If using outside, use auto antifreeze vs. water for year round use.
> 
> HTH...Don.


You'll kill cats with antifreeze & they were made to kill rodents.


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## notnew2diy (Sep 1, 2017)

Nik333 said:


> You'll kill cats with antifreeze & they were made to kill rodents.


I understand the risk and reward of what I do w/my bucket trap.

Respectfully....Don.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I would replace those cans with a short P V C pipe the same diameter, or close.

I was thinking why the cap was clean, then thought ants. Maybe you have Ants as well.

ED


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

notnew2diy said:


> I understand the risk and reward of what I do w/my bucket trap.
> 
> Respectfully....Don.


Isn't poisoning other animals becoming more & more illegal?


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## Heathersdad (Jan 13, 2020)

First how are they getting in ? FIX THAT FIRST. Then get a bunch of feral cats and don't feed them, you be free of mice in no time at all.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

You can feed them. They will still hunt.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> You can feed them. They will still hunt.


They sure will.

My neighbor feeds and waters his daily, and they hunt and kill anyway.

It's an innate trait in cats, they love to "play" act as a wild beast.

ED


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Kitty Mouser had warm milk each A M and when the saucer was empty she wanted out of that house . No mice on the property then and i didn't even own a trap . A cat also knows when the kittens are old enough to be introduced to real food because that's where this big fat Gopher is going .
The negative is they can be a little tuff on the Bob White quail population .


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

SeniorSitizen said:


> View attachment 721999
> 
> Kitty Mouser had warm milk each A M ane when the saucer was empty she wanted out of that house . No mice on the property then and i didn't even own a trap . A cat also knows when the kittens are old enough to be introduced to real food because that's where this big fat Gopher is going .
> The negative is they can be a little tuff on the Bob White quail population .



OOH, Bob White, MMM, I ain't had any since I came North in 67. 

Tasty birds they are.

ED


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

If you're going to use the can on a wire, the hole through the can must be exactly in the center, and the wire must be straight and smooth.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

SeniorSitizen said:


> A better mouse trap


Pretty ingenious. But allow me a few observations...

If you have _that_ many mice, you have a bigger problem than one bucket trap will solve. Those don't look like the mice we have around here. Almost like small rats. I guess there's a lot of variety around the world.

But in the end, I don't think all that ingenuity is necessary. In that video, if he'd just put the grain in the bottom of the bucket, with no cover, the mice would have still gone for it. In fact, it would have been easier for them to get in. And they still couldn't have jumped out. Obviously at some point they'd climb out on the pile of dozens of their buddies, but again, that's not likely to be a problem for most of us.

So, yeah, put whatever you want on the top of the bucket. Or not. It's the fact that they can't jump _out_ which gets 'em.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Need help designing a better mouse trap ? 😁 
Two plugs with a pencil line drawn from corners to locate the center drill holes to fit the rod / wire . A length of pvc that nearly equals the inside diameter of the 5 gal. bucket when plugs are assembled . No glue necessary . On the outside of the bucket choose your own method of preventing the rod moving laterally . Two clothes pins would work if anyone still has those . Spin the pipe to determine which side is heavy and place a dab of peanut butter on the bottom side of the pipe about center of the length . Check trap daily .


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