How to Set a Mousetrap

A mouse in your house can make for damaged furniture, stolen food, and the possibility of disease through rodent urine and droppings. Worst still, rodents reproduce quickly, and a small mouse problem can easily turn into an infestation. Household cats (and sometimes dogs) can make effective mousers, but sometimes you’ll need to take matters into your own hands.

If you, like many homeowners, find yourself living with a new (unwanted) roommate, you may turn to DIY pest control. Learn how to most effectively use mousetraps, how different kinds of traps work, what kind of bait to use in a mousetrap, and where to place your traps, read on.

Types of mousetraps

There are several different trap types used to deal with a mice infestation. Some mousetraps kill (with varying degrees of humaneness), while others capture mice live so you can release them outside.

Snap traps

A snap trap consists of a platform with a spring-loaded bar. The mouse steps onto the trap to get the bait, springing the kill bar. When set correctly, a snap trap brings the metal bar onto the mouse’s neck and kills it instantly.

Electric traps

Electric traps are powered by batteries. The mouse sees the bait and steps onto a metal plate, triggering an electric shock that kills it.

These traps are sold as a humane way to kill. For these traps to be effective, the batteries in electric traps need to be fully charged to deliver a strong enough shock to kill the mouse quickly.

Glue traps

A glue trap is a tray coated in adhesive. When a mouse steps on it to get the bait, the mouse gets stuck and dies. While glue traps are easy to set up and don’t require you to touch the mouse to dispose of it, other traps work better for a faster, humane death.

Live catch traps

If you're interested in a humane trap, consider live catch traps. When a mouse sets foot in a live catch trap, the trap’s doors close around it, leaving it stuck in the main chamber. This enables you to carry the trap outside your home and release the mouse alive and unharmed.

If you use live catch traps, check them regularly—at least every six hours. Otherwise, a mouse stuck in a trap may die of dehydration, exposure or stress.

Rodenticides

Rodenticides are poisons designed to kill rodents like rats and mice. Though effective at getting rid of infestations, they’re toxic to mammals, including humans and pets, and can cause organ failure. If you choose to use rodenticides, consider childproofed bait stations.

Bait to use in mousetraps

Ridding yourself of household pests isn’t as straightforward as just setting out a trap. A key factor is choosing your bait. The types of bait you use can entice, or repel, a mouse.

Placing bait for mice

Mice will avoid a trap if they don’t like the taste, smell or placement of the bait. When placing bait, wear gloves and keep the bait away from pets. Otherwise, mice will smell your scent and avoid the trap.

Use only a small amount of bait; an eighth of a teaspoon is sufficient. Too much can throw off a trap’s weight sensors, making it possible for a mouse to grab the bait without triggering the trap.

Types of bait

There are two main types of bait: food and nesting material.

Mice are attracted to grains and soft, sugary foods, like peanut butter, marshmallows, or wet pet food. Peanut butter makes a particularly good choice for bait because it’s sticky, making it more difficult for the mouse to grab the bait and get away without triggering the trap. Contrary to what we learned in shows, cheese is a much less effective bait than sweet, fatty foods.

For nesting material, mice like soft materials like string, dental floss, cotton or bits of carpet.

Where to place mousetraps

Mice are intelligent pests, and a poorly placed trap can make them wary. Here are some tips for setting out your traps.

Determining location

Place mousetraps in areas where there are signs of mice. These include areas where mouse droppings appear, where you find damage such as chewed walling or rub marks, and areas where you’ve seen mice.

Mice are skittish and have poor vision, so they often travel along walls, fences, and corners. In addition, look for dark areas that provide cover, like under cabinets or in drawers.

Grouping mousetraps together

The first night you set out traps will likely yield the most mice, since they won’t expect the traps. Be aggressive with how many traps you put out and group several traps together. This increases the likelihood of catching multiple mice. In areas with a lot of mouse activity, place traps in pairs as close as several inches apart. In other areas with signs of mice, place a trap every two or three feet along the wall.

Supplementing mousetraps

Mousetraps help you get rid of mice, but they don’t prevent mice from entering your home or farm.

Look for and seal cracks, holes and other points of entry that mice use to get into your home. Seal gaps in windows and ceilings, and make sure pipes and gas lines are properly sealed. Store food in sealed containers, and keep your trash covered. Doing so helps not only with mice but with pest control of all kinds, from raccoons to fly control.

Electronic mouse repellents and mouse repellent sprays can also help prevent mice from coming near your property.

For infestations, consider bringing working cats to help keep your pest population under control.

Common mousetrap mistakes

Here’s some things to avoid when setting traps:

• Putting out too much bait. Only a small amount of bait is necessary, and too much can disturb the effectiveness of a trap. Aim for bait the size of a pea.
• Not prebaiting the trap. For the first few nights, put your traps out, but don’t set them. (That is, a mouse should be able to walk on them without getting caught.) This will help the mouse get used to the trap.
• Overusing traps. Over time, trap mechanisms weaken, making them less likely to capture or kill a mouse. If you notice a weakening mechanism, replace the trap. And if you have an electric trap, keep it fully charged.
• Setting and forgetting the trap. Check your traps regularly, especially if you have live catch traps. Even humane traps designed to keep the mouse alive can be inhumane if the mouse is left inside for hours.
• Touching mice with your bare hands. Because rodents carry diseases and parasites, it’s important to always wear gloves when disposing of a dead mouse or setting a live one free.
• Using the wrong kind of trap. Mousetraps and rat traps come in different sizes. A trap that will kill a rat may be too big to kill a mouse, for example.

Properly set traps

It may take several days before a mouse sets off a trap. Once you start catching mice, continue setting out and maintaining traps until you go several days without catching anything.

If you struggle to catch mice despite continued evidence of infestation, switch out the bait you’re using, the amount of bait or the location of the traps. Handle traps and bait with gloves as well—if a mouse smells you, it’s more likely to avoid the trap.

Keeping your home mouse-free

In need of a mousetrap? Look no further. Tractor Supply offers a variety of traps to help keep your pest population under control.