As exterminators, we see everyone’s mouse-trapping mistakes. We are happy to help in any way getting rid of mice inside your home. You might be thinking to yourself that anyone can set a mouse trap. While that is true, there are plenty of ways to increase the effectiveness of your mouse control efforts:

The type of trap matters.
Along with what you bait your traps with.
And where you place the traps.

Focus on these three things, and you will start catching mice quickly.

Anyone can set a mouse trap. While that is true, there are plenty of to increase the effectiveness of your mouse control efforts. So, here are the most common things I see people doing with their mouse traps.

Mouse Trapping Mistake #1: Using the Wrong Type of Trap

There are many types of traps on the market:

Wooden break-back traps.
Glue traps.
No-see traps.
Tin cats.
Bucket traps.
and other live traps.

Wooden break-back traps are the most humane and effective mouse traps on the market. You cannot build a better mouse trap.

No Touch, Covered Mouse Traps

Try to avoid getting fancy with your mouse traps. They sell those self-contained traps where you don’t have to see or touch a dead mouse. Unless you are genuinely phobic of mice, do not use these traps.

My Personal Experience Using No-See Traps

Once, I had a great idea. I would leave these no-see-mouse traps in my customers’ kitchens. That way, they wouldn’t have to handle caught mice. Catching the mice in these fully-contained traps is also much more sanitary. Sounds like a brilliant plan, right?

The problem that occurred was that customers didn’t catch many mice. I had no favorable feedback from using these types of traps. Most of the feedback was that they didn’t catch any mice. It was a big mistake on my part. So my advice is not to use the no-touch, covered mouse traps. You might catch a couple, but there are much more effective mouse traps.

Common Homeowner Problems Using Glue Traps

Most people use a combination of no-see traps and glue traps. Glue traps are considered inhumane. A wooden snap trap should break the mouse’s back, quickly dispatching them. Cervical dislocation is a government-approved euthanization method. We all know what happens with glue boards… On top of that, glue traps are approximately 30% effective. This is due to the tensile hairs that adult mice have. These sensory hairs warn them not to put their weight on certain surfaces. As a result, glue traps mostly catch juvenile mice. Which should be done. Those tiny ones likely won’t survive after you catch the adults. You should combine a couple of glue traps with many snap traps. Do not use mostly glue traps with some no-touch covered traps. Most people start off with this mouse-trapping mistake.

Pro-Tip

If you do not want to handle or see caught mice, place a mouse trap inside a paper lunch bag or a trap-rite box.

The Second Best Kind Of Mouse Trap

Reusable plastic traps with teeth kill mice by suffocation. They are the next best thing to wooden break-back traps. Sometimes, the mice are not heavy enough to set these traps off. The mice can eat the bait and get off scot-free. The benefit is that you can quickly dispose of the mice and reset the trap by pressing the back. A common name for these traps is the “press and set mouse traps”.

Bucket traps are highly effective in barns and similar areas. Use these for more outdoor mouse infestations.

Mouse Trapping Mistake #2: Baiting Errors

Placing food on the trap will attract mice, increasing the results of your trapping efforts. Here are some things you should know before baiting your mouse traps.

Peanut butter is the most popular bait for mice. One thing is for sure: do not use it on glue traps. The oil seeps into the glue, reducing its effectiveness.
Cheese is not an ideal bait. Lactose in dairy can cause digestive problems. Mice that previously had issues digesting dairy will avoid eating it. Cheese doesn’t remain edible for long outside of the fridge. You are better off with longer-lasting fruit/ nut pastes and oils.
You also want to avoid feeding mice their last supper. Remember, mice smell in parts per million. You only need a small amount of bait. Mice will pick up the odor easily. Most people unnecessarily gob bait on the trigger. Most people do not realize a small tray exists to place the bait in expanded trigger traps.

Pro-Tip: What Bait Should You Use On Your Mouse Traps?

The best bait is whatever the mice are feeding on. Otherwise, use a professional bait. We use J. F. Oakes Pro Pest Lures. The best part of these baits is that you can pop old dry bait out of the bait trays if you need to freshen the bait on the traps. This helps when using reusable plastic traps. Peanut butter never seems to dry out. It is hard to clean off if you want to save your traps.

If mice eat the bait and are not caught, hook a raisin on the trigger. They will have to pull it instead of licking it like peanut butter.

We also use gloves when placing traps. Most mouse-trapping articles say that the scent of your hands can ruin traps. The truth is that mice are used to human scents when living with them. So, wearing gloves to set mouse traps shouldn’t be necessary unless you smoke.

Mice are more comfortable around things that smell mousey. This makes reusing traps beneficial. The downside of reusing traps is that you expose yourself to more contamination. It can be safer to toss a trap than to fondle dead mice. There are also times when females will avoid traps that smell like males. Do not let this persuade you into not reusing your traps. There are benefits.

Mouse Trapping Mistake #3: Trap Placement

Where you place your traps is the most critical aspect of mouse control. For example, mice run on top of the foundation walls. Mice rarely venture to the basement floor. Place mouse traps where mice run. One of the best places is on top of the basement walls. Mice leave greasy sebum markings on their paths. Inspect for sebum markings and feces. This will tell you where to place your traps.

Rodents run with a wall or object on one side of them for protection. Once established, they can begin to run diagonally across the room. But they like to dart along the walls.

Place traps on:

Identified trails
On top of the foundation wall (rim joist)
In drop ceilings
Next to plumbing lines
Adjacent to potential nests
Close to the entry points into the home.
The goal should be to track them back as far as possible to the nest/ outside and set a group of traps in that location.

The mouse trapping mistake is not identifying mouse trails before placing traps. Inspecting for areas of activity is best left to an exterminator. We suggest that homeowners space traps out throughout the unfinished areas of your home. Once you begin catching mice in one spot, you can funnel more traps into that area.

Conclusion

Have the right kind of trap, baited, in areas of activity. Take the time to inspect your home. Bust out the flashlight. Or hire a professional to check for you. It can take a trained eye to do this correctly. Remember that anyone can set a mouse trap. Only some people can do everything to eliminate mice inside their homes. It takes training and expertise to inspect for mice. Locating and repairing entry points outside is the number one reason that you should still hire an exterminator. Are you still set on doing it yourself? Check out our article on how to mouse-proof your home. Or check out our rodent-proofing services.