If you were living between 1346 and 1353, you would probably view encounters with rodents as a life-threatening situation. In the 14th century, a plague called The Black Death claimed at least 70 million lives.

Despite fleas being the primary cause of the Black Death, the flea-infested mice and rats were the ones that helped spread the disease.

Nowadays, we have a better healthcare system but rodents are still excellent carriers of dangerous microorganisms such as hantavirus and salmonella.

While mice might look innocent and somewhat cute, they are a pest to human societies. Since rodents display such levels of problem-solving and intelligence, are they smart enough to avoid traps?

The answer is not as straightforward as you think.

Let’s take a look.

How smart is a mouse?

Mice are very intelligent in the sense of survival. Their sense of smell and hearing ability allows them to analyze their surroundings quickly. Furthermore, they are quick to flee if they feel threatened.

Unlike rats who are aggressive enough to bite, mice will mostly choose to run away from encounters. They are smart enough to value their own lives and know when they are in danger.

Scientists have found mice to have an extraordinary memory that allows them to quickly memorize and remember any path they have once taken. This allows them to solve mazes and puzzles quickly. Mice do not have great eyesight but they are quick to adapt and learn.

The mice are not smart enough to recognize a trap on their first encounter.

However, should a trap fail to kill or injure them, the mice will adapt to avoid the traps. Unfortunately, the common glue and spring-loaded mousetraps are not very efficient at instantly killing or catching a mouse. Therefore, because of bad traps and catching methods, the mice learn to avoid the traps in your house.

Why are the mice not getting caught in traps?

Mouse traps, with bait, successfully attract their targets.

However, often you will find the bait stolen and the trap empty.

The success rate of the mouse trap depends on many factors. A trap cannot be set in a random place in the house and expected to work.

The common spring-loaded mouse traps are particularly tricky to use.

A mouse exterminator needs to understand the behavior of the mouse before it can successfully use the mouse trap.

Mice are small and nimble creatures. They are timid and like to hide in small damp places.

Often you will find a triggered mouse trap without anything caught.

It is a common occurrence for a spring-loaded trap to be empty in the morning.

There are many reasons for this but let us talk about the main ones.

1) Mouse escapes

The majority of times the mouse will not approach the trap from the front. Because of their variable angle of attack, the mouse trap may trigger but only catch their leg or tail. In such cases, the mouse often escapes from the mouse trap with injuries. To avoid the possibility of such escapees, it is best to understand the trap type and set it at an appropriate location.

2) Repulsive smell

Mice identify fellows and predators from their scents.

An overly used mouse trap may smell like other mice or rats. Mice are timid creatures and are afraid of rats. A mouse will try to avoid coming into a rat’s territory, as rats are aggressive and will kill mice on-site in their territory.

Rat scents can repel mice from approaching a household as well. However, they can attract other pests.

3) Bad trap placement

Mice love traveling next to a wall. They do not like to be in an open space without shelter. Therefore, if you place the trap in the middle of the room, no mouse will approach it. Only famished mice dare to venture into such territory out of desperation.

4) Unattractive bait

Sometimes the bait used is unattractive to mice.

Despite the cartoon portrayal of mice loving cheese, they are nut and seed-eating species. When given the choice, they will always move in search of seeds and grains over other food sources.

Rats on the other hand are more versatile and can be attracted even with meat. If your house has a more attractive food source than the bait, the mice will ignore the trap completely.

Where is the best  place to best place the trap

There are many kinds of traps available in the market.

All traps are capable of capturing a mouse, granted they are of good quality.

However, positioning your traps correctly will make the difference between catching and losing the mice.

For Snap traps

For spring-loaded kill-traps (also know as snap traps), it is best to set them up in the corner of the room. Mice like to move near the walls and are more likely to approach the trap. Take care not to touch the bait with bare hands when setting the snap traps.

Touching the bait might contaminate it with your scent and make the mouse hesitant to approach. If you don’t mind having to deal with a dead mouse, a snap trap can be very effective.

For glue traps

Similar to spring-loaded traps, a glue trap works the best when placed near the walls and are a great method of pest control.

Place the glue traps along the path a mouse is likely to take. Mice stick close to the walls because of their poor eyesight. This helps them navigate and feel safe.

Keep in mind that glue traps may have lingering scents of previously caught mice. Mice find the smell of other dead mice apprehensive and avoid live traps with such smells. Therefore, you should clean your glue traps before you re-employ them for maximum effect.

For live-capture traps

Live capture mouse traps work almost anywhere. They work the best when set near the walls. However, these traps require quick emptying to make room for new mice. While peanut butter is the most common type of bait, it can kill the mouse as well.

Peanut butter is very sticky and can clog up the mouse’s nasal cavity, effectively suffocating it to death. Therefore, if you want to catch live mice, the right bait should be seeds, nuts, and twine.

What to do if the traps do not work?

Using mouse traps is not a long-term solution if you live in a mouse-infested area. Mice reproduce very rapidly and it might not be possible to catch them all with simple mouse traps. For a long-term solution, you can try other indirect methods to get rid of the mice.

Remember that mice will only come into your house if

1. They can find an entrance into the house.

2. They can find something to eat or scavenge for their nests.

Firstly, blocking all possible entrances for a mouse allows you to exterminate the remaining mice without fear of more mice. Inspect your walls, cabinets, and pipelines for an opening for the mouse. Secondly, always cover the food and keep the house area clean. If there is nothing for the mouse to eat, it will leave by itself.

Using mouse repellents can help drive mice out of your home. However, keep in mind that prolonged repellent use will make mice resistant to it. Peppermint oil is a good mouse repellent.

Mice also have their natural predators. You can consider getting a cat or dog to help catch mice. However, domesticated cats are not inclined to hunt for food. Hence, it might not resolve your issue.

Your cat might get sick from playing with a dead mouse. If the mouse fights back, it can injure your cat. Nevertheless, certain breeds of dogs such as terriers are excellent diggers and adept at rodent hunting.

Pets are a natural solution against rats and mice but keeping a pet is a big responsibility. Therefore, keeping a pet solely to hunt mice is excessive.

FAQs

Can mice eat the bait without tripping the trap?

Yes, a mouse is very light and agile. Most mouse traps rely on weight to trigger the trap mechanism. If the trigger requires a lot of weight to activate, the mouse can eat the bait and run away.

When do mice start avoiding traps?

Mice avoid live traps during the first few days of being set. Mice also start avoiding mouse traps after they escape after triggering them. They will also ignore any bait in an open space. Open spaces make mice feel vulnerable.

How do I catch a mouse too smart for traps?

You can try using new traps and let them get used to them first.

Leave some bait on the mousetrap without setting it first. Let the mouse become comfortable eating bait from an un-set trap for a few days. The mouse will become habitual of approaching the mousetrap. Setting the mousetrap afterward will ensure the catch.

Conclusion

Mice do not possess the intelligence to avoid traps on their first encounters. However, mice are adaptive and learn to steer clear of mouse traps after falling for them once. Having mice around the house is a health and safety hazard.

Therefore, the removal of mice using traps, repellents, and pets is necessary. Catching a mouse with a mousetrap requires understanding its behavior and habits. Make sure you use this advice to catch those mice on the first attempt.