The problem is the type of trap one uses and how they bait it. Here are two different types of traps:
The kind you want is the kind at the top. If you put bait on the flat trigger kind, they can usually nibble just a bit, or if you use cheese, they just pull it off. If you use the flat trigger kind pictured above, only the "V" portion of the trap should have peanut butter in it. The rest of the flat part should actually be clean. The kind with the small metal trigger that is curved, what you do is take a plastic knife, or glove hand, and place one finger over one side of the opening where the metal curls around. Then you push the peanut butter through the other opening just until it starts pushing out the small hole cut in the middle of the curled part of the middle. The below photo is way, way too much PB. In order to set the trap off, there needs to be some weight applied to the trigger, and using too much bait will allow the mouse to just eat the surrounding parts, and they might get full or move on prior to having to dig into the trigger to set it off. Think minimal bait and placed in areas where they will try to dig at. This forces the mouse to put their weight on the trigger than just lowering their heads to eat the bait.
In your case, I would be putting out poison. There are some new poisons that actually dehydrate the bodies. This reduces any odor issues. I had a mouse in our wall. It sounded like it might have gotten stuck somehow. I put up some traps in the attack, along with some D-Con wedges. Last time I went up there, the traps were still set (I should have removed them, oh well) but the poison had definitely been eating. I really need to put some more poison out in the attic and garage. Found a dead mouse near our lawnmower just prior to our first snow in Nov. or Dec.
We used to have a bunch of feral cats, and we have never seen a mouse in any part of the living area of the home. Last year, we had three foxes living in the tree line, and they also would sit out looking for mice to eat. The foxes scared off the cats though (or ate them), and now the foxes are gone. I'm hoping a few cats come back, as they keep the mice, squirrels, and chipmunks in check. I do have a chipmunk that has burrowed under our concrete patio, and I'm gonna have to dispose of him or her once the weather breaks.
The kind you want is the kind at the top. If you put bait on the flat trigger kind, they can usually nibble just a bit, or if you use cheese, they just pull it off. If you use the flat trigger kind pictured above, only the "V" portion of the trap should have peanut butter in it. The rest of the flat part should actually be clean. The kind with the small metal trigger that is curved, what you do is take a plastic knife, or glove hand, and place one finger over one side of the opening where the metal curls around. Then you push the peanut butter through the other opening just until it starts pushing out the small hole cut in the middle of the curled part of the middle. The below photo is way, way too much PB. In order to set the trap off, there needs to be some weight applied to the trigger, and using too much bait will allow the mouse to just eat the surrounding parts, and they might get full or move on prior to having to dig into the trigger to set it off. Think minimal bait and placed in areas where they will try to dig at. This forces the mouse to put their weight on the trigger than just lowering their heads to eat the bait.
In your case, I would be putting out poison. There are some new poisons that actually dehydrate the bodies. This reduces any odor issues. I had a mouse in our wall. It sounded like it might have gotten stuck somehow. I put up some traps in the attack, along with some D-Con wedges. Last time I went up there, the traps were still set (I should have removed them, oh well) but the poison had definitely been eating. I really need to put some more poison out in the attic and garage. Found a dead mouse near our lawnmower just prior to our first snow in Nov. or Dec.
We used to have a bunch of feral cats, and we have never seen a mouse in any part of the living area of the home. Last year, we had three foxes living in the tree line, and they also would sit out looking for mice to eat. The foxes scared off the cats though (or ate them), and now the foxes are gone. I'm hoping a few cats come back, as they keep the mice, squirrels, and chipmunks in check. I do have a chipmunk that has burrowed under our concrete patio, and I'm gonna have to dispose of him or her once the weather breaks.
, I'll go out and buy 300 of these things if they work.
