Humane mice traps are quite effective when you use them the right way.

The main reason why people think that these mice traps do not work is that they are not used correctly. You must follow all the laid down guidelines both in this article and the box it came in.

If you do not follow these guidelines, then you might not get the best results from your humane traps. Just that in this case, you have to be more vigilant.

For example, if you set a live trap and do not check on it at least twice a day, you might end up defeating the purpose of the humane trap. Any mice caught and left in the mouse trap for a long time can slowly die off due to dehydration and frustration.

How do humane traps work?

Humane traps work by catching mice and NOT killing them.

So essentially, the mouse will still be nice when you get to it, under the right conditions. With humane traps, you will still need baits to attract mice but unlike inhumane ones, the rat does not get killed or injured after eating the bait.

Humane traps keep the mice confined until you come to release them, hence, we can say they are catch and release mouse traps. You have to be the one to release the mouse into any area you deem fit.

Now that you know how these traps work, let us take a look at how you can set them up.

What is a live catch trap?

A live catch trap is a kind of trap that deals with live mice: the mice are not killed but rather trapped in an enclosed area.

These kinds of catch and release traps are better than both glue traps and snap traps in the sense that with live catch traps, you do not have to deal with dead rodents.

It is the best mouse trap for people who do not want to be cruel to animals.

Glue traps or sticky traps make the mouse go through hours of agnizing pain as it tries to free itself from the glue. In the end, the mouse dies a painful death. It is much better to move live mice to a remote location than to let them go through that torture.

*How do you use a humane mouse trap?

Using a humane trap is pretty easy.

You can get these traps from your nearest store or online, and there are a lot of varieties you can choose from, depending on your taste.

Some live traps even prevent you from seeing the caught mouse at all, if you do not want to look at it.

Here is how to set up and use a live humane mouse trap.

Add bait:

Once you are done unboxing your trap, it is time to add some bait. You do not expect them to just wander around your trap till they get caught, do you? You can use a lot of things as bait apart from peanut butter.

For example, you can use cotton wool to attract female rats.

Female rats would likely reach for these soft materials to make a place for newborn rats. You can also use chocolate or a piece of candy.

Remember, you don’t want to go for something that can easily spoil like cooked eggs so that the mice still find the trap effective.

Put the trap in a suitable location:

It’s not enough to put the trap just anywhere, you have to look for a great location and place the trap properly so it actually works.

Bait and location are two important things for any humane trap.

Although we elaborated more further down in this article, you should know that certain places are not good for your traps e.g setting your trap in the middle of a countertop or your bedroom will not really do much, even if you have a mouse problem in these areas.

Warm areas are also attractive to mice, so you might want to consider setting a trap here.

Check if you caught a mouse:

This is one important step you should not miss.

Unlike inhumane traps, you need to check your live trap from time to time. If you stay for days without checking it, you might just discover a rotting rat, killed by hunger.

Once a day isn’t even enough to check on humane traps. You need to monitor them closely and check at least thrice a day so you can immediately clear any rats that enter into them.

*Is it cruel to use a mouse trap?

The answer to this question depends on what mouse trap is being used.

If you are using any of the humane traps then they are less cruel than the other kind of traps. But if you are using one of the traps called inhumane traps, then those traps are cruel and should not be used on mice.

Some of the traps that could be labeled inhumane are:

• Glue traps
• Toxic bait
• Snap traps

All these traps kill mice in the most gruesome way and should not be used to eliminate rats and mice from your property. If you want your home to be rodent free, then you should definitely go for a humane trap.

Humane Mouse Trap

Humane traps vs inhumane traps:

Humane traps are more preferred to inhumane traps for a number of good reasons:

Humane traps inflict little or no pain to the mouse.

While glue boards might be quick in catching a mouse, the mouse would die a slow and painful death while trying to free itself. In humane traps, the rats do not go through all these painful experiences.

Safer for kids and pets:

We all know curious pets and children can be. A humane trap is much better especially when you have kids around your home as there’s no risk of them snapping their fingers in snap traps or touching dead animals.

Easier and cleaner:

With kill traps, you have to look for how to dispose of the dead rat, or even kill it if it’s not completely dead. You might have bloodstains on areas surrounding the trap.

Live traps, on the other hand, save you from all the stress of killing and cleaning, making them a more hygienic choice.

*Where should humane mouse traps be placed?

For your traps to be effective, you have to place them where you see a lot of mice activity otherwise, it might be hard to get any results.

There are ideal areas where you should place your mouse trap so that mice can actually see these traps and fall right into them.

Target areas near walls:

Mice love to move and live near walls so it is very likely that they would pass your trap and even get caught because it is near a wall. Set your humane trap parallel to the wall so that as the mouse scurries to and fro along the wall, it can get caught.

Also, make sure the trap touches the wall and cannot be easily moved when the mice move past it else they will dislodge it and it won’t be that effective.

Do not overbait:

It’s easy to fall into the temptation of ‘over-baiting’. More bait should attract the mouse more, right? But over baiting can backfire, making your trap not work.

Consider these two scenarios: a live trap baited with half a slice of cake and another live trap baited with a little quantity of peanut butter. Which trap do you think will be able to catch rodents better? The one with peanut butter of course!

In the trap with cake, the mouse might just eat the edges and leave the trap. But well-placed peanut butter at the center of the trap will draw the mouse in it and make a catch.

Change your strategy:

If you discover that your traps are not catching any nice, it’s time to change strategy and do something different. You can start by changing the type of bait you are using. If peanut butter doesn’t work, you can try candy or a bit of pastry.

Sometimes, you might notice that although mice pass a particular path and they are not caught, try replacing the kind of trap you are using. Also, make sure it is parallel to the wall like we said earlier so your chances of catching a mouse are much higher.

How long before mouse trap works?

Homemade humane DIY mouse traps

You can also make your own humane mouse traps at home using simple, everyday tools. These traps do not require much effort to set up and are probably safer than commercially made mouse traps.

Bucket trap

A simple live trap that you can make anywhere in your home involves only tap things: a bucket and a spoon. For this kind of trap, you will still need something to bait the rat. You can choose to use a small piece of really nice smelling food.

Place the spoon at the edge of the countertop. Use a spoon that can balance at this edge, as disposable spoons might not get the work done. After balancing the spoon, set the bucket right underneath the spoon.

It is advisable to use a tall bucket to decrease the mouse’s chance of getting out. As the rat tries to get the bait, it will fall into the bucket and will be unable to get out. However, some rats can be clever so dispose of the rat as soon as you sight it to avoid it escaping.

Glass trap

Another DIY trap you can use to catch a mouse is a glass trap, which involves just 3 things again: a glass cup, a coin and a bait. How does this work? Rub some peanut butter on the inside of the glass.

Peanut butter is way better as bait in this case because it smells well and will be able to stay suspended inside. Use the coin to prop up the cup on one side and wait. When the mouse wants to get into the glass and eat up the peanut butter, it will trigger the coin and the mouse will remain inside.

Usually, you might hear movements for the first few minutes as the rat tries to get out. But even if you do not hear movements, take the cup to the edge of a table or the surface it’s on and shift it to a book or flat surface immediately. You can then overturn the glass when you get inside.

Can mice go away without traps?

Mice can go away without traps after a period of time if they find your home unwelcoming.

But this requires a lot of effort like constantly keeping your home clean, making sure there are no entry and exit points for mice around your home and always making sure your trash is well covered with a tight-fitting lid.

But even if you do all these, there is no guarantee that the mice would go away completely. It’s best you apply these measures AND set humane traps so that your home can be mice free in the shortest possible time.

Do mice know to avoid traps?

Yes, mice can get used to traps and begin to avoid them.

To make sure they do not, you need to understand a bit about how mice see traps and how you can always tweak your traps so they do not get comfortable around them.

The first thing you need to understand is that mice have a keen sense of smell and know how a human smells. So if they get close to a trap, they might not know it’s a trap but can suspect it’s not safe if they catch a whiff of a human’s scent around it.

If you want to set a trap, you should do so with gloves on so that the scent from your hands does not get to the trap.

Alternatively, you can go for traps that require as little touching as possible or use objects like a stick to prod traps or check for them without using your hands. Hopefully, the mice won’t catch your scent and fall for your trap.

One thing you should note is: it is very hard for one mouse to be ravaging your home. There is every chance that it has 2 or 3 more companions causing havoc with it. In this case, you need multiple catch and release traps.

Are Mice Smart Enough To Avoid Traps?

Conclusion:

Use gloves when you are handling anything that has to do with house mice, including mouse droppings, a live catch trap, glue traps or glue boards. All the mice in your home would not go away in one day.

You have to be consistent with rodent control methods for them to work well. If you have field mice disturbing your property, you can use a humane catch and release mouse trap to hunt them down too.

We would love to know if you now know how humane mouse traps work in the comment section below.