Because the trap is made of durable plastic, it can either be reused or thrown away. If you do reuse the trap, be sure to clean it thoroughly and use gloves while handling it. Peanut butter is often used as bait for mouse traps, which can be tempting for your canine companions. However, this mouse trap has a bait cover to help stop any theft from your dog—or other pests. The bait trap may be slightly more difficult to add bait to since it is covered.

Deny mice a food supply. Mice search for a warm and comfortable source of food (especially in colder temperatures). Make sure to keep your kitchen area extra clean. Wiping the table and counters and sweeping the floor after meals to ensure there’s no tempting crumbs or spills left behind is a good practice. It's also smart to store all unsealed food — including pet food — in airtight plastic, glass or metal containers. Certified wildlife biologist Dr. Paul Curtis says that mice seek the shelter of our homes for a few different reasons. “Mice are attracted to homes because they provide food sources and safe habitat to avoid bad weather and predators,” he says. He also explains that mice frequently use insulation as nesting material, and they can chew through cardboard boxes in pantries or cabinets to steal food. Have you discovered small little mouse droppings under the sink or in your cupboards? Is the thought of having a little mouse scurrying around while you sleep and contaminating your home keeping you up at night?Hidden kill snap traps are designed with a chamber that has a baited switch at the end. Once a mouse enters the chamber and tries to move the bait, the hidden snap trap will kill the mouse in much the same way as a bar or clam trap would, but you don't have to deal with seeing a dead rodent. While a very severe or persistent infestation will probably require the expertise of a professional pest control specialist, you can often handle a smaller problem yourself with a good mouse trap, whether it's a snap trap, electric mouse trap, bait station, or humane catch-and-release trap. To figure out which one is best for your mouse problem, we break it all down in the What to Look for Sectionbelow.

Mice are tiny, and therefore don’t need a slab of cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter. Less is more; use a tiny bit of peanut butter about the size of a pea. Also, sprinkle a little bit of oatmeal on top. 2. Leaving a human scent As for how mice get into your home, they look for entry points or small holes around the perimeter of your house, and even chew through insulation or wood. While it's ideal to prevent them from getting inside in the first place, you'll want to take care of the issue as soon as possible. All of the traps on our list are made out of plastic or wood, with metal components. The Victor M156-20 Metal Pedal Sustainably Sourced FSC Wood Snap Mouse Trap is made from wood, while the other traps on our list are made with durable plastic.We’ve been in your shoes, which is why we’ve created this step by step guide on how to lay a mouse trap for 100% accuracy, and the mistakes to avoid. Bait stations tend to be the weapon of choice with pest elimination professionals as they’re secure, discreet and very effective. Okay, we’re in the realms of rodenticide here, but if you must use poison bait, then a bait station is the best way to deploy it.

We tested the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap at one of our homes and found it to be one of the easiest traps to set compared with spring-loaded traps we’ve used in the past; no fears of accidentally snapping our fingers in a tension bar, as can easily happen with snap traps. For best results, place the set trap against a wall in an area where you've noted rodent activity. Because the trigger plate and bait cup are entirely enclosed within the trap chamber, your pets or kids won't be able to touch them, making this a much safer option than snap traps if you have curious little ones in your home.When most people think of a mouse trap, the snap mouse trap is what they’ll imagine. Snap traps have been around for decades. They are simple, cost-effective, and work straight away with little setup. A straight forward method to get rid of rodents without using chemicals or poison. Snap mouse traps include a spring loaded platform combined with an arm bar which is set off once a mouse puts his weight on the bait. Catch and Release Mouse Trap (Humane method) Since mice enjoy eating, nuts, peanut butter is an effective bait because of its aroma. Bird seed also works well. When setting bait, consider using something that occupies the mouse's attention, so they linger, and give the trap more time to work.

Since the bait trap is in the middle of the mouse trap and it’s covered, it may be a little more difficult to add bait to than other options. Humane or catch-and-release traps like the Iiwey Humane 12-Inch Mouse Trap are typically small cages or canisters with a door that drops shut behind the mouse after it enters the trap in search of the bait. These traps don’t kill or injure the rodent, but allow you to take it away and release it far from your home. Additionally, placing the trap in an ideal location will increase your success rate. “Mice run the wall edges, so traps should always be placed against the wall with the pan facing the wall,” Dr. Curtis says.Experts recommend a strategy based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which posits that there's no single cure-all solution to pest control. "Multiple things must be done to prevent pests from entering the home and to make the home a less desirable habitat if they do enter," noted the Building Performance Institute. Here are the key best practices. Mice love to run alongside walls. Due to this fact, it’s important to set your mouse trap perpendicular to your wall. This way, it doesn’t matter which direction the mouse is moving – it’ll trigger the trap. Numbers game There’s nothing quite like the panic of seeing a small, gray blur scurry along your baseboards when you’re making dinner or getting ready for bed in the evening. Unfortunately, mice can cause major problems for homeowners, and it’s important to trap them as soon as possible.