Mousetrap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mousetrap is a device used for trapping or killing small rodents, especially mice.
Contents |
[edit] Mouse trap designs
[edit] Springloaded-bar mousetrap
The traditional type (illustrated) was invented by Hiram Maxim (who also invented the Maxim gun). It is a simple device with a heavily springloaded bar and a trip to release it. Stereotypically, cheese is placed on the trip as bait, but this does not work well as, in reality, most mice do not like cheese; they will however take other food such as oats, chocolate, bread or meat. Butter or Peanut butter is also quite effective. Some people set out traps unset but baited for a few days so the mice lose their caution around them. This also helps you see which bait your mice like. The spring-loaded bar swings down rapidly and with great force when anything, usually a mouse or a rat, touches the trip. The design is such that the mouse's neck or spinal cord will be broken, or its ribs or skull crushed, by the force of the bar. Rats can easily escape from a mousetrap, so a larger version is used for them.
[edit] Live-catching mousetraps
Other trap designs catch mice alive so that they can be released into the wild. It is important to release the mouse promptly - as mice can die from stress or dehydration - and at some distance, as mice have a strong homing instinct. Survival after release is not guaranteed, since house mice will tend to seek out human buildings, where they might encounter lethal mousetraps. In the wild, house mice are very poor competitiors, and cannot survive way from human settlements in areas where other small mammals, such as wood mice, are present (Tattersall, Smith and Nowell 1997).
[edit] Glue traps
Glue strip or glue tray devices trap the mouse in a sticky glue; users can free the mice from the glue by applying vegetable oil if they choose to. These types of trap are effective and non-toxic to humans. However, death is much slower than with the traditional type trap[1], which has prompted animal activists such as PETA to oppose the use of glue traps. Many mice eventually die from exposure, dehydration, starvation, suffocation, or predation, or they are killed by people when the trap is checked. Others die from injuries or blood loss as they try to chew through their own limbs in an attempt to escape. In the UK, glue traps are used only by professional pest controllers. In some jurisdictions there have been proposals to ban glue traps, or to legally restrict their use.[2].
[edit] Bucket trap
The bucket trap is also an economical and effective means of eradicating mice. A ramp leads to the rim of a container holding some water or other liquid such as antifreeze. The mouse is attracted to the top of the container and, by various means and baits, it enters the water. Being unable to get out, it drowns. The variations are many with some being single catch and some multi-catch. Some can also be used for live catch.
[edit] Upside-down glass
A simple method that has been proven to work time and again is this: Bait is placed in the bottom of a transparent glass. The glass is turned upside down, balanced with the rim on a coin standing on edge as illustrated. When a mouse enters the glass and attempts to get to the bait, the coin falls down and the glass traps the mouse. The setup is normally placed on a piece of cardboard or plastic to allow the user to pick up the glass with its contents, then release the mouse at will.
[edit] Alternatives
Strychnine-soaked grain pellets were a common substitute for mousetraps for some time; however, they are rarely used nowadays because of the toxicity of the chemical.
[edit] Trivia
Ralph Waldo Emerson made the oft-quoted remark in favor of innovation: "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door". This statement has inspired many more cynical derivatives, such as "If you build a better mousetrap, someone will build a better mouse".
Mousetraps are a staple of slapstick comedy and animated cartoons, in which people commonly sit on the trap or have their fingers caught in the device.
On 7 March 2007, it was announced in a that the German Government intended to ban all domestic use of mousetraps effective from 2008, on humane grounds. There are currently no plans within the EU for a European ban.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Article in About Home & Garden about glue traps
- ^ Regulatory Impact Statement (Victoria (Australia), 2005); Submission in response to the RIS
- Tattersall F. H., Smith, R. H. & Nowell, F. (1997). Experimental colonization of contrasting habitats by house mice. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 62: 350-358.
[edit] External links
- PETA factsheet on why it opposes glue traps
- PETA recognizes inventor of non-lethal mousetrap as Man of the Year.
- Guide to catch a mouse give you tips on catching a house mouse.
