Many households around the world experience problems with house mice at some point or another. I recently moved out of my parents’ home and into an apartment where I first came in contact with a mouse infestation issue. Getting rid of mice can be a daunting task and may take months to completely get rid of the rodents. I have tried many different mice trap methods, both lethal and human, and found that some work much better than others.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Snap Traps
Among the most familiar of mice traps on the market are snap traps. Snap traps are fairly cheap, running about $1 a trap, and are sold at most local markets. Mice snap traps are one of the best types of mouse traps for many reasons. First of all, they usually kill instantly, unlike other methods that make the mouse suffer for a period of hours or even days. They are also easy to set up and can be easily tossed in the trash after catching a mouse.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Sticky Paper
I have never been in a situation where I had to take care of a mouse problem by myself so when first choosing a mouse trap at the store, I choose the sticky paper. These stick boards are basically cardboard with a very sticky glue base that will stick to anything that walks on it. When putting the sticky boards across the baseboard of my home, I caught many insects, as well as an adult mouse and baby mouse. The adult mouse ended up getting off the sticky board after hours of squirming.
I regret using the sticky boards for reasons that I did not think through before purchasing them. When a mouse, or any animal or insect, steps on the board, they stick and do not die. They actually may suffer for days before actually dying from starvation or from stress. I recommend saving the sticky board option as a last resort due to it’s torturous nature.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Mouse Poison
Along with the sticky paper, I used mice poison in the places that had become high mouse traffic areas. Mouse poison should not be used if you have young children or other pets that can potentially eat the poison and can get very sick and even die. Poison does have some benefits, but it also has its downfalls. It does work to kill the mouse but it can take days before the mouse actually dies. Also, when the mice do go to die they will usually be inside the walls, in a hiding place, and will pass away there. This can cause your house to begin smelling terrible because of the dead mice in the walls that you usually can’t find or remove.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Humane Mouse Box
One of the more humane ways of catching mice is by using a mouse box. These boxes work by attracting the mouse into the box to get the food that’s inside. Once inside, the door closes and can not be opened on the inside. The drawback of the mouse box is that when you go to let the mouse outside, you have to make sure you take them miles away from your home. If you let them go anywhere close to your home, they may come back into your house. If you choose this type of trap, be sure to check on the mouse trap frequently because leaving the mouse in the trap longer than a day or two could kill it.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Homemade Trap
Before going out to purchase traps, I decided to try and build my own to save myself some money. You can build a mouse trap by using a smooth sided garbage can that is at least 4 feet tall. Place the garbage can where the mice usually go, like next the counter top. Next, place a long stick or knife on the counter with half of it off the counter and into the garbage can. At the end of the knife or stick, place the mouse bait. When the mouse steps on the knife or stick to get the bait, they will fall into the bucket. Be sure that the garbage can or bucket is metal so that the mice can climb back up. Mice can also jump extremely high so use the largest bucket that you can find. Some people put water in the bottom of the bucket so that the mice will drown and can’t jump back out. This is a personal choice.
How to Get Rid of Mice – Conclusion
Mice can be an annoyance when you are trying to sleep, and can be harmful if they get into your food. It is important to start attempting to remove mice from your home as soon as you are aware of the problem. Mice multiple extremely fast and begin having babies when they are only 6 weeks old. Getting rid of mice can be accomplished if you start early and use the right means of removal.
Source: http://apartments.about.com/od/pestcontrol/tp/mousetraptypes.htm
