# Best traps for a mice problem



## jaketrades (Mar 2, 2017)

My tenant found some mice droppings on top of his stove. He pulled off the lid and found lots of mice droppings. Whats the best traps to set around the apartment and basement to control the problem?

Long term i’ll need to seal up the building (3 family). It will be undergoing a renovation soon. But for now I want to mitigate the mice problem.

Thanks




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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Mice will always be a concern despite your best sealing efforts.
Snap traps work well but require attention to empty dead critters.
Poison has issues with rotting dead mice and potential secondary poisoning for pets.

Flood the areas you have access to with your choice of snap traps and check them at least every other day. If checking them is not possible delegate the task to a pro company who will do so, at a cost.

There are also traps for outside which are important because that is where the problem starts. Keep that population down and fewer will get inside. I use a weed killer directly against the foundation so nothing grows for the first 6". Makes that area less attractive to critters.

Bud


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## jaketrades (Mar 2, 2017)

Bud, yeah there are is a lot of weed growth in the backyard. Almost like a jungle in nyc.


I’ll go with the snap traps because they are reusable. 

Thanks 



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## ZZZZZ (Oct 1, 2014)

I like glue traps such as these, because they also catch all kinds of insects and other creepy things that you don't even know are there.









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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

If your tenants will help out the snap traps can be disposable. Although I had purchased many traps years ago it wasn't until my grown daughter confessed that I realized where they were going. When she found one with a dead mouse she tossed mouse and trap at the same time, squeamish. But traps inside are necessary, just difficult to monitor.

As for your jungle (my lawn is surrounded by jungle) I will be adding buried pit traps. Nothing fancy just an improvised tall thin tube sealed at the bottom and buried vertical to ground level. Ever lift a piece of plywood and discover mouse trails and nests? Add some antifreeze which they like and will kill them and cover with some plywood spaced off of the ground to give the critters room to enter.

The bucket can be bigger and should be removable to occasionally clean out. I'm considering two 5 gallon buckets with one inside the other so the one can be easily removed.

Once installed and secured they could go for months.

Bud


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

An electrician could build _- A Better Mouse Trap_.
It would have a bulb burning as an indicator and when the mouse comes to the peanut butter and the lights go out, both the bulb and his, it's time to run the trap line and re-set.


Code? what code?


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

Bull snakes. As a kid,we had a mouse problem in our house. We also had bull snakes outside around the house. We would catch a couple of snakes and let them loose in the house. No more mouse problems. The best part, the fear of snakes kept the little kids out of the basement, which is where my brother & I had our room.


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## jaketrades (Mar 2, 2017)

Not sure my tenant wants to reset the snap traps.... so I got a box of glue traps for him.

Once I move into one of the units I’ll buy some snap traps and lay them out.













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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

I prefer snap but I modified all of mine so they are easier for my Ole Fingers to handle. It's real simple. A piece of 1x2, a couple of little squares of craft paper and a couple drops of Elmer's glue. Now I have something to hold.


I built a - _walk the plank trap_ - but gave it away. The recipient reported it worked well.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

The mice I'm not good enuff to catch Missy Starbright Goldylox Butterbutt gets. Sure there's a story here at the ranch bout that cat's name.:biggrin2:


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## jaketrades (Mar 2, 2017)

SeniorSitizen; said:


> I prefer snap but I modified all of mine so they easier for my Ole Fingers to handle. It's real simple. A piece of 1x2, a couple of little squares of craft paper and a couple drops of Elmer's glue. Now I have something to hold.
> 
> 
> I built a - _walk the plank trap_ - but gave it away. The recipient reported it worked well.



Very cool walk the plank trap. Where do you place the bucket?

Nice mod on the snap trap.


I saw some plastic snap traps that were really easy to handle and easy to reuse... one click and the mouse drops out... but guys were complaining the trap becomes less sensitive over time. Mice ended up feasting on the bait and walking away.











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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I've had a few that were extremely successful at stealing my bait. My alternative to cheese is bacon tied to the trap. It worked. But they are fast. 

Bud


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## jimfarwell (Nov 25, 2014)

SeniorSitizen said:


> I prefer snap but I modified all of mine so they are easier for my Ole Fingers to handle. It's real simple. A piece of 1x2, a couple of little squares of craft paper and a couple drops of Elmer's glue. Now I have something to hold.
> 
> I built a - _walk the plank trap_ - but gave it away. The recipient reported it worked well.


Like you, my 'ol fingers also have trouble with the little snap-traps...I'll use your idea to glue them to wood scraps. One question: "...couple of little squares of craft paper"? I didn't see them -- where are they, and what are they for?

As to the walk-the-plank trap, I love it, and will definitely create a couple. We are having mouse-galas on our kitchen-deck at the ranch, when we're gone. ...And sometimes even when we are there. Poison worked for a while, but we stopped using it when one of our dogs almost ate it.

I once made a similar bucket trap (not my idea, I stole it) -- drill holes near dead center in both ends of an aluniminimum...alumuninium....alu...screw it, a beer can. Straighten out a stiff wire coat hanger, cut off a piece long enough to span a 5-gal bucket-top plus a couple inches, run the wire throught the can, and put judiciously spaced small bends in the wire to keep the can positioned about two inches away from the bucket-lip. Drill holes on opposite sides of the bucket's rim, half an inch down, and bend the wire-ends to go over the rim, down and back through the holes. The can's center of gravity will naturally settle the can at the same attitude every time...but it's a delicate balance. Put six inches of water in the bucket. Stick a dab of peanut butter on the can's center-top (even better, use the peanut butter to "glue" a tiny chunk of hot dog -- not too big, or it'll spin the can). Place the bucket near a shelf-end or coffee-table or whatever, to give your mouse-friends access to the bucket.

Mickey smells the bait...sees the bait...just beyond his reach. He stretches one foot out and puts weight on the can... :vs_no_no_no: Sayonara, Mickey.

I'll make one of my spinning-can traps and one of your walk-the-plank traps, and see which works better.

Thank you for the ideas.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

jimfarwell said:


> Like you, my 'ol fingers also have trouble with the little snap-traps...I'll use your idea to glue them to wood scraps. One question: "...couple of little squares of craft paper"? I didn't see them -- where are they, and what are they for?


 ***********************************************
The two pieces of paper, size doesn't matter much for a mouse trap, maybe 3/4" square ( brown paper bag paper ) are between the two with a dab of Elmer's on each side of the paper. I call it a paper glue joint and use it frequently when I may want 2 pieces taken apart later. Using a knife blade at the joint and whack the blade with a hammer the paper splits in half.


A couple of examples: 1) a particle board trestle table top paper glued to the cleats. Came from curb side shopping near may daughter's house because she just knew dad could fix what ever was causing the screws to not stay. 2) These small pieces of mahogany needed a cross lap joint cut on the table saw. Paper glue them and cut in one pass then take them apart with a knife. Learned that as a 7th grader mounting a wood lathe face plate to turn a bowl. Plywood paper glued to the bowl stock leaves screw holes in the plywood and not the bowl for the turning tool to catch on.


Now back to mouse trapping.


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## PestGuy (Jan 15, 2018)

Can't beat Victor wooden snap traps for mice control. Adult mice will walk right around glueboards, some even manage to get themselves off. Never liked the plastic snap traps, I don't feel they're strong enough or will trigger properly.


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