Better mousetrap

[Snoop_Dogg]

Ok, we have a bit of a field mouse issue, and have gottne mouse traps, but was wondering what is the best bait. I know that mice are very opportunistic, but certain things dont work too well. Cheerio's seem to attract them, and if you can keep them from crumbling (seems to be a bad issue, they always crumble apart), work well, and I have tried bread, but they can sometimes eat the bread without setting off the trap.

So what is the best bait, that doesnt crumble, but stout enough to where it wont fall apart and allow the damn things to eat it our from around the trap without it going off?

I am about to go rat snake hunting and toss em in the attic to kill this problem.

 

[Boozehound]

We're having good luck with peanut butter for the rats that inhabit our patio. I'll spare you my venomous diatribe about our complex and our rat problem, but peanut butter has worked really well. We also used poison blocks, but that hasn't worked either. 8 big f-ing poison blocks didn't kill them...

In the useless facts department, the active ingredient in rat poison is basically the same as the drug coumadin (sp?). That **** is an evil drug, but the way it offs the rats is to lower their BP, they slip into unconsciousness and die. Same stuff they sell for mice too.

 

[Mrmyke709]

Have you tried the sticky traps?
It's gross as all get out, but works.

 

[MilkmanDan]

My parents have also had good luck with peanut butter. I think other times they have done pecans as the main bait with a little peanut butter added.

A while back, someone here mentioned baiting the traps without setting them to lull the mice into a false sense of security, then going back a week later and setting them. Snap!

 

[K-Man]

Baby Ruth Bars work really well

 

[MrPhlegm]

coumadin is a blood thinner, what causes the low BP is the fact that the coumadin causes them to bleed to death.

 

[Jellydonuts]

"A while back, someone here mentioned baiting the traps without setting them to lull the mice into a false sense of security, then going back a week later and setting them. Snap! "

I never understood this philosophy. If the damn mouse goes into the trap, why not just have it set the first time? It is not like the mouse is going back to his buddies and telling them that the humans are no longer setting the traps in orde to lure more of them.

Peanut butter or mollasses works the best for bait, but there is no substitute for a good cat.

 

[Snoop_Dogg]

dammit, now I have to go buy peanut butter.

Whats gross as hell is the little ****** that got cut in half this morning. That was nasty to clean up...and made worse because it was the trap in the garage and my wife found the damn thing...came in yelling at me.

 

[Boozehound]

Coumadin doesn't make them bleed to death, just lowers their BP until they pass out and die. Now if they get cut or bruised, then they'll bleed out, but bottom line is - they die.

I haven't had any of our rats get chopped in half, but we had to pull one out that got the bar right across the neck. He was bleeding all over the trap, with huge bugged out solid black eyes (isn't that an 8 ball hemmorage?). Fun stuff. The way I understand the pre-setting bait theory is that the rats/mice become trap-shy if you kill one or two straight away. From most exterminator web sites, they recommend the 1 week baited traps without setting them, and using a significant number of traps (enough to kill a large percentage of the infestation population so they can't reproduce quick enough). As such, the ol' one at a time method won't stop your problems if you dont go for the "shock and awe" trap-setting from the get-go.

 

[MilkmanDan]

Jellydonuts,

I think the reasoning is that if the mouse is suspicious of the trap, it will dart at the bait and possibly get the food without being caught in the trap. If that's an ongoing problem, supposedly "training" them that they can relax and dine will make it easier to catch them later. I have no idea how well it works, though.