Ovation: For Those That Prefer A Better Mouse Trap.
Ever since our neighbors’ dogs killed our outside cat (we miss him), the number of mice around our hen house has rapidly increased. We never use any poisons near the chicken coop and we don’t want to use any other traps that might harm the birds so we began a search for a “no kill” mouse trap.
I was surprised to find that there were quite a few from which to choose. But, after investigating several options I determined that we would prefer a “better mouse trap” … one that would capture more than one live mouse at a time. After all, if I’m going to drive a mouse to the woods to release it, I might as well bring several more, right?
Eventually, my online research led us to a “Multiple Catch No-Kill Humane Mousetrap” (pictured). You’re supposed to place it near a wall, in corners or anywhere that mice have been seen. The advertisement said that a mouse’s own curiosity works as bait and a spring-loaded wheel moves the mouse into a separate compartment. Then the smell of one trapped mouse is supposed to lure others. The trap was designed to hold up to 15 live mice!
Yeah … right.
I bought one anyway. It was reasonably priced and I thought it might be worth a try. When it arrived, I unpacked it and put a cracker with peanut butter inside as bait. I set it in the chicken coop at dusk and checked it the following morning to find that it had caught four mice! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it would work as advertised. I really worksed!
Unfortunately, when one purchases a Multiple Catch No-Kill Humane Mousetrap that works as well as this one, the result is a bunch of captured live mice! The little critters that we caught in our chicken coop were released about halfway between my home and my office. Hopefully, I’ll be dropping of some of their little friends really soon.
Have you ever used a no-kill mouse trap?
Better hope you arent catching a Better Mouse with your Better Mousetrap, as in a Mouse with GPS!
ROFL!
Im just picturing your getting out on Briley Parkway in rush hour traffic to release mice into the wild.
I tried to play a flute and lure mice away from the city….it didn’t work, perhaps I wasn’t playing their tune.
I think I read about you! Was there a pie?! I love pie!
i believe pests trapped and released elsewhere will beat you home
. have you considered another cat? or i hear terriers are good at keeping down mice/rat populations.
A friend/reader offered me a “tomcat” just this morning … but I’m hesitant to get another cat before our neighbor learns to keep his killer dogs under control.
I caught a dozen or so two years ago and released them into Shaker Lakes. This, after discovering that the smell in the kitchen wasn’t the garbage. A mouse had crawled into my fryer and never made it out. Thank God for husbands because there was NO WAY I was cleaning that thing out. It was like the bloated body that washed up in the East River from the beginning of Sleepy Hollow.
And with that visual, I wish you all a happy Monday!
Wow. I’d be shopping for a new fryer right away!
Nope, scrubbed it to death, even took off some of the metal. It’s fine now!
….watch a stray cat jump in there now.
Lucky little mice! So sorry about your kitty.
You are a better man than I. When we had a mouse issue in our old townhouse in Boston’s South End, we had great success with a (excuse the term) “mouse zapper”. Yes, it worked wonders, but no, there were no survivors. You are very kind to these rodents!
Good luck! My neighbor is freaking out because she still has one squirrel loose in her house somewhere between her kitchen ceiling and second floor and so far only its friend has fallen for the peanut butter bait!
Think she’ll take it half-way to work when she finally catches it?!
I’m glad to hear you’ve had success with catching mice. When I read about your story, I have to say I was inspired. I run a blog that provides tips and tricks for getting rid of mice, and when I heard about your successes with this trap, I decided to write a post sharing your story with readers that happen across my site.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Jim
Thanks for your kind words! I hope that your readers can benefit from my experience.