Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mousetrap

AskMeFi's the thing wherein I'll catch the information I require regarding mousetraps.

HeroZero — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:13:29 -0800

How much damage would a mousetrap do to a person's finger? (This is for a play I'm writing.) I'm writing a play in which a 5-year-old accidentally sticks his hand in a mousetrap. Some googling brought me to youtube videos of wannabe-jackasses sticking their fingers in traps and then howling in pain and laughter. Would a mousetrap do more damage to a child's smaller fingers? Would it require stitches? Would bones possibly be broken? I know this is a grim question, but worry not: the kid ends up okay. Thanks much.

Recommendations for "nokill" mousetraps please.

damn dirty ape — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:12:46 -0800

Recommendations for "nokill" mousetraps please. Can someone recommend a nokill mousetrap that they've had first-hand results with or some other kind of proof of effectiveness. I really dont want to use traditional traps but a lot of these nokill alternatives seem like gimmicks. Thanks.

I need a humane mouse trap, that works on smart mice.

brinkzilla — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:29:15 -0800

I was attacked by a house mouse. I heard a mouse shuffling around in my pantry a couple of nights ago when I moved a box over to see if I could find it it jumped straight at me and landed on my chest, fell to the ground and ran under the fridge.

I think they are getting smarter. So far I have caught 5 mice using a creative, humane trap. I used a Tupperware tub and a paper towel tube with peanut butter on the end. The tube is used as a ramp and hangs over the tub. When they walk down the tube to get the peanut butter the mouse and the tube falls in the tub. Ta daa. Then I bring them to the woods. This worked on 5 but now they are on to me. My fear is that these buggers know I am a pacifist and will not kill them so now they are on the offensive and I am under attack.

The tub trap is too cumbersome to leave out all the time and I still do not want to use any poisons, snap traps, or glue traps. Can anyone recommend the best, humane low profile way to catch smart mice? And bonus points for explaining why a mouse would be so bold as to jump on a potential predator.

Keep those mice OUT.

echo0720 — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:25:01 -0800

There are lots of old mouse-trapping threads, and I'd be happy to get more advice on how to trap mice, but what I really want to know is how to keep them from coming in in the first place -- any suggestions? I know that they come in through holes, and I live in an old building where there are probably tons of holes that I can't even see, so as much as I would like to, I don't think I'd be able to patch those up. I take out the trash pretty much every day, and try to keep the kitchen spotless. There's no food lying around - everything that is out is either in boxes or plastic bags. I live on the top floor of a building that I'm sure is full of other tasty apartments (and I'm in a corner, so my place isn't even on the way to other places), so I just can't figure out why they keep coming back. Any suggestions on how else I can try to keep them away?

How to catch mice better?

judybxxx — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 06:42:13 -0800

My basic mouse traps (snap) aren't working, what am I doing wrong? Help! In the fall (sometimes) mice come into our old coop-apartment building, and seem to come through my Living Room! Last year I caught 13, this year 3 over 3 weeks, and now they eat the peanut butter but don't snap the trap. I've cleaned the traps, but they still get it. I've tried other traps before, but these were the best. It seems that my pantry is accessible somehow from the attic. and actually, it is good to know where to trap. Last year, my next-door neighbors saw and caught several mice and then when I started trapping, they saw no more.

So, do I need new traps? I tried glue traps before, that was awful. and I don't want to keep driving a few miles to empty live traps. and I tried a little one, and it would snap and I couldn't tell if there was a mouse inside. So , once I released one, and once I drove miles for an empty trap. My mammologist friend says they come back from a long way off, not just a mile.

I want to catch them NOW, before they get established. Last time I bought traps it was hard to find the 'classic' snap trap - they had some with plastic pieces that were supposed to smell like cheese - seems unlikely to me.

I've got a million other things to do, so I'm hoping to limit the number of experiments. I thought there was dried peanutbutter buildup, that's why I washed them. But this morning all three traps had no peanut butter! I hate to feed them!

There's a mouse in the house...

dead_ — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 08:42:55 -0800

Best way to get rid of a mouse without killing it? I'm a vegetarian--for many reasons, including ethical--and I'm pretty much opposed to killing animals. But boy, is the mouse living in my kitchen a pain. I've isolated his hole, and I am wondering if there are any good ways to get him out of there, and my house, without murder!