How do I make sure the mice set off the mousetrap?

Question

First I caught 3 and then they seem to have worked out how to take the bait (peanut butter) without setting it off. On one occasion they even moved the trap and hid it away! Are mice itelligent?

When it did catch them death seems to have been instant

Poison is no good as they will smell when they decay. Humane trap no good as well as I live a long way from open land. Hey I could always let them go in the kichen of the resturant that upset me when the health inspector is due!

Answer 1

mice can lick peanut butter off very gently (they have all night) I use the carmel from candy. They didn't hide your trap they were lightly caught and pulled the trap away before they pulled loose.

Answer 2

There are several different types of mouse traps now. Go to your local Home Depot or hardware store and check them out. One of them looks like an oversized clothespin, or some sort of a clamp.

Also backing them up to the wall so that the mouse has to approach them either from the side or front might improve trapping rate. I put a trap inside of a very small box for this reason. If they approach from the rear the trap can spring over the top of them.

I might also mention that I caught a thing this year that was only about 1/4 the size of a typical mouse. Had a long snoot that was unlike the typical vol. I have no idea what it was, but I just barely got it's leg. Somehow the shock must have killed him because he was dead even though all that was trapped was his foot.

I'm sure that thing just barely tripped the trap.

Answer 3

i find that if you set the trap in a bottle neck(thats a space that gets narrower as you move along) then you have a better chance of the mouse being in the correct position for capture. then use a piece of pasta. i find the tubes are great and fill with chocolate and wire it on then they cant pull it off. i dont think mice are intelligent but as with all animals they learn through trial and error. they would only work out the trap was dangerous if it missed them a few times. you should also check the trap is set as sensitive as possible. some of the old ones take a bit of work to get them to snap. and a mouse is a delicate little thing so it may not set it off. hope this helps. by the way i think the rodent that coach caught could be a shrew.

Answer 4

I have used Pam spray on the trap and it helps it also hides the scent of your hands.
They learn quickly and you may have to try several ways and baits.
Try baking peanut butter cookies with lots of baking powder it wont poison your pets or children and the mice will go away because they cannot fart and it upsets their stomachs

Answer 5

seeing as they are taking the bait you'd probably have more success using a poison. Mice are intelligent and will learn not to do something quite quickly. Poison, however, can be quite slow acting but effective, so they won't, necessarily, make the link between the food and death.

Answer 6

Try slicing a Mars bar and pin it down in the centre of the trap, the toffe makes it quite sticky

Answer 7

Glue traps are the best method to trap rats and mice.

I found detailed information at http://www.pests.in

Answer 8

tie the bait, cheese or bread with peanut butter on the trap, that way the can't get it quickly

Answer 9

put milk chocolate digestive biscuits on or near the trap
i had mice for months and this soon worked
good luck

Answer 10

use a humane trap and release them A LONG WAY AWAY. or use chocolate-they love it. and yes, mice learn really quickly. failing all this, you could just pretend they are your pets