How Does
How an Electric Mouse Trap Works
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By eHow Contributing Writer
Electric Mouse Trap Basics
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An electric mouse trap is a device that lures in mice and either kills them with an electric shock, or uses electric shocks as part of a scheme to ensure the death of the mouse. Electric traps require no trigger mechanism and are simple to set up. Usually, the operator puts in bait and closes the top of the trap, automatically activating the electric circuit. High voltage electricity flows to two contacts. When the mouse bumps into both contacts, it completes the circuit, sending a jolt strong enough to kill or injure it through its body.
Single Kill Traps
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Most home use electric traps are simple affairs designed to only catch a single mouse. The bait is put at one end of a narrow box slightly larger than the body of a mouse. The other side of the box is open and there are small holes in the side to allow the aroma to waft out, attracting nearby rodents. When the mouse enters the open side, it bumps into two electrical contacts in the walls of the trap, which kill it.
Commercial Traps
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Commercial traps have more complicated layouts designed to kill many mice and to only need to be opened occasionally. In one design, the mouse is lured down a tunnel by the smell of bait. At the end of the tunnel are two contacts that shock it. The mouse is usually only stunned by the shock, but is unable to go back the way it came, owing to the electrical contacts. Instead, while looking for a way out, it takes a second tunnel through a one-way door into a holding cell, where it starves to death. Although not humane, this type of trap is very efficient, since many mice can be trapped in the holding cell before the operator has to empty the contraption.
eHow Article: How an Electric Mouse Trap Works
