How to Catch a Mouse With a Rat Trap
Use a rat trap to catch those hard-to-trap mice. Rat traps have a larger snap spring, which is more powerful and covers more surface area. This larger surface area ensures that there is more of a chance to catch the mouse. The bait pan of a rat trap is bigger, but minimal weight sets it off just like a mouse trap. Peanut butter is the preferred choice used to bait a rat trap, because it spreads easily, sticks well and mice love it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Peanut butter or whatever the mice seem to be eating
- Plastic butter knife
- Garbage can
- Rubber gloves
Instructions
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Spread a thick layer of peanut butter onto the bait pan of the trap. If you know what the mice have been feeding on, then use that as bait. Don't set the trap.
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Lay the trap perpendicular to a wall where the mice are known to be traveling. Ensure the baited side of the trap is against the wall. This approach will ensure that the mice can be caught from two directions instead of one, because the mouse will have to go over the bait pan traveling in either direction.
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Check the trap the next day to see if the peanut butter has been eaten. If it has, then it's time to set the trap. If it hasn't, then move the trap to a new location. Keep moving it until the bait is being noticeably eaten. Once the mice know where a seemingly safe food source is, they will return for more.
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Hold the rat trap flat on the ground and pull the locking bar back out of the way. Pull the bow or hammer spring bar back. Lift the locking bar back over the bow to the bait pan. Stick the locking bar beneath the latch on the bait pan. Allow the bar to catch the latch by allowing the spring tension to slightly engage the tip of the locking bar. The trap should be set at this point. Move your fingers quickly away from the trap. Set it in the same place where the mice were eating from it. Check it every 12 to 24 hours.
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Tips & Warnings
Lift the hammer bar or bow to release a trapped mouse into a garbage can. Bait the trap and reset it.
Rat traps can really hurt your fingers, so keep your fingers away from the bait side of the trap while setting the trap as much as possible.
Wear rubber gloves when handling the trap after a mouse has been caught to avoid contact with the mouse.
Keep pets and children away from the trap, or injury may result.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Michael Blann/Digital Vision/Getty Images
