Trapping mice by launching them

[hawkeye08]

I have several of buckets with the peanut butter bait, works well most of the time for the outbuildings. Cats are part of our solution too.

 

[bullbreaker]

Don't have any experience with other types of traps, but around here a Victor (TSC) spring trap and peanut butter has never failed me. We used at work for a spell cheap spring traps like from $ store and nothing worked as good as Victor brand.

Boone

 

[newbury]

Just had to respond to this thread based on the title.

A beloved aunt (RIP) basically made all her pocket money thru high school and part of college using spring traps affixed to wire mesh on the spring and the trap nailed to a coffee can opening such that when the mouse tripped the spring it was thrown into the coffee can. She then sold the mice to a local hospital lab for testing. This was back in the late '1940's. Ah what memories.

For my warehouses I use the Farnam Just One Bite II Bait Chunks

The previous owner had used the warehouses for party sheds and junk storage, so I went thru quite a few bait chunks at first. But for the last six months I haven't had to replace one.

 

[sdkubota]

For those that are not a cat person like myself, get a rat terrier. We don't have any mice or rats but she loves to bring me the crazy ones that come across our yard to go to our neighbors.

Her record to date is
6 rats
3 squirrels
2 birds
And she has her eyes set on a big @$$ possum.

You must have a better rat terrier than I do.

Mine is certifiably crazy and although very affectionate to me, has to out alpha any dog within 5 miles regardless of their size. I asked my vet about this trait...his response...he is a terrorist (aka terrier).

 

[dave1949]

Second-generation rodent poisons are being found to cause mortality among pets and livestock, and raptors such as owls that are natural rodent predators:
Merck Veterinary Manual

"Potentially dangerous to all mammals and birds, anticoagulant rodenticides are the most frequent cause of poisoning in pets. Pets and wildlife may be poisoned directly from baits or indirectly by consumption of poisoned rodents. Intoxications in domestic animals have resulted from contamination of feed with anticoagulant concentrate, malicious use of these chemicals, and feed mixed in equipment used to prepare rodent bait.

All anticoagulants have the basic coumarin or indanedione nucleus. The “first-generation” anticoagulants (warfarin, pindone, coumafuryl, coumachlor, isovaleryl indanedione, and others less frequently used) require multiple feedings to result in toxicity. The “intermediate” anticoagulants (chlorophacinone and in particular diphacinone) require fewer feedings than “first-generation” chemicals, and thus are more toxic to nontarget species. The “second-generation” anticoagulants (brodifacoum and bromadiolone) are highly toxic to nontarget species (dogs, cats, and potentially livestock) after a single feeding."

Something to be aware of.

 

[newbury]

Second-generation rodent poisons are being found to cause mortality among pets and livestock, and raptors such as owls that are natural rodent predators:
Merck Veterinary Manual

<snip>

Something to be aware of.

Yes, there are warnings all over the labels. I put my baits up on the shelves in containers where mice/rats can get to them but any stray dogs couldn't.

 

[DAD1220]

I trap all kinds of critters around my place. Kill mice and rats, live trap bigger more interesting animals.

One of the best parts of live trapping is live releasing, or getting creative about where you release them.

I'm always taken back when I literally have to through a possum or raccoon out of the trap.

I also have friends that will take possums and raccoons. I just don't eat at their house anymore.

 

[Dutch445]

What I caught by far the most mice with was using a 5 gal. bucket with water about 3/4 full. I set about 2 or 3 of them by the woodpile and near the garden and in the garage. I take a 1x4 and make a ramp to the top of the bucket. I take a couple handfuls of cheapo sunflower seeds and throw them in the bucket and sprinkle them on the board and on the ground near the board to coax them up. They jump right in the bucket. Every few days I have to throw another handful of seeds in the bucket and every few weeks dump them out.

interesting using the seeds . i wonder about the water, during winter, and have heard about using some 50/50 instead
i wonder if just some peanut butter around the inside edge of the bucket, and a ramp will make it happen without the rolling
can. maybe some seeds on the ramp to get them up there to smell the PB

can we reinvent the mousetrap?

 

[KestrelMerlin]

Great help, everyone! I haven't had to deal with mice in the past years, but now that we are having the problem, I knew that members here would have tested, practical advice.

 

[murphy1244]

Does the bucket trick work with Chipmunk?

 

[Deere Dude]

interesting using the seeds . i wonder about the water, during winter, and have heard about using some 50/50 instead
i wonder if just some peanut butter around the inside edge of the bucket, and a ramp will make it happen without the rolling
can. maybe some seeds on the ramp to get them up there to smell the PB

can we reinvent the mousetrap?

Water doesn't work in Wisconsin past November and only tried antifreeze with the spinning can of death over one winter. It worked a little bit. I found that after doing the sunflower seed thing faithfully for half the summer up until the fall I didn't have any mice or chipmunks, or at least not enough to worry about. Next summer I will put a couple buckets out and walk past every 3 days and throw more sunflower seeds in and dump the bucket after awhile because it will start to stink.

After a few days the seeds start to sink. I was thinking about gluing some on a Styrofoam plate so they don't sink, but that is next year.

 

[Deere Dude]

Does the bucket trick work with Chipmunk?

I know the sunflower seeds thrown in water and on a ramp like I explained in my other post works quite well for chipmunks. I put a bucket out on a sidewalk going from my house to the pole shed and walked back to the pole shed to get something, and on the way back to the house I glanced in and saw a chippy gasping for air already. Of course I don't really like to drown anything, but what do you do?

 

[murphy1244]

I know the sunflower seeds thrown in water and on a ramp like I explained in my other post works quite well for chipmunks. I put a bucket out on a sidewalk going from my house to the pole shed and walked back to the pole shed to get something, and on the way back to the house I glanced in and saw a chippy gasping for air already. Of course I don't really like to drown anything, but what do you do?

There driving me crazy and even started making a nest on top of my Truck engine with down from my firewall. They gots to go.

 

[jmc]

We also, had a cat for this. The cat advised us to concentrate on inside mice since the outside mice pose no threat and that mice prefer warm, cozy space. Anyway, the deal we negotiated with that cat was that he would hunt for mice 24/7 if we fed him well (he didn't like the taste of mice), let him sleep at the foot of our bed (when he wasn't hunting mice) and rub his ears (when he was on break from hunting mice). One day, he actually caught a mouse. We figured he fell asleep with his mouth open and a mouse wandered into his mouth, just as he woke up.

 

[94BULLITT]

Does the bucket trick work with Chipmunk?

A air rifle does.

 

[murphy1244]

A air rifle does.

But they won't stay still long enough!

 

[94BULLITT]

But they won't stay still long enough!

Throw some corn or something out for them to eat to get them to stay still.

 

[turnkey4099]

For those that are not a cat person like myself, get a rat terrier. We don't have any mice or rats but she loves to bring me the crazy ones that come across our yard to go to our neighbors.

Her record to date is
6 rats
3 squirrels
2 birds
And she has her eyes set on a big @$$ possum.

Dachshunds are also great mousers/ratters. I had one that was crazy for the game, once h had one trapped he would _not_ give up. I tore down and old garage with a wood floor, He smelled the rat nest as quick as I started and I had to keep pushing him out of the way to make progress. When I pulled the last board he dove right into the mess of rates and got several at the cost of a bloody nose. He did refuse an opportunity once. Garden right on the edge of a creek, out with him one day and saw a muskrat busy with breakfast in the middle of it. He did a great imitation of being unable to see anything even when I pointed it out.

Harry K

 

[JulesV]

I do not like the glue traps at all.

Typically, you find an animal that has pulled some of its skin off and broken its legs trying to escape. Or attempting to gnaw a limb off. I do not like mice as much as the next person but that isn't a pest control solution, that is torture, and I think glue traps should be outlawed. The extreme suffering isn't necessary when you have things like snap traps that usually kill them instantly.

Heard some people just throw them out alive, into the bin. I mean, what the ****? That's pretty sick. It should be a quick, relatively humane kill, not hours of torture adhered to a sheet of plastic.

 

[Deere Dude]

A air rifle does.

We have a couple big rocks about 50-60 feet from our kitchen patio door. For some reason chippies like to sun themselves on the top of the rock. I have a 22 with scope leaning next to the door and whenever I go past the door I take a peek and if I see one I slowly open the door and take a shot. I don't hit them all, but maybe 1 or 2 a day. I enjoy that, but since I started the bucket and sunflower seeds, that really thinned the herd down and I don't see many anymore.