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We have a mouse in our house that we just can't seem to get rid of. I have tried everything. I have 4 different types of snap traps - maybe 30 in total, with all different baits, placed in every single spot I have ever seen droppings. I have used peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallow, commercial attractant, seeds, and other things, and the mouse avoids all of them.
I have always avoided glue traps because they are cruel, but decided I need to try. Placed a few, some with bait, some without, it avoided all of them.
Bought a few live mouse traps, it doesn't go near them.
I bought a camera so I can monitor it now. Last night I took about 20 glue traps and made a border around the whole area I know it travels. In some places they were two-wide, and that's the bigger size glue boards. The camera picked up the mouse overnight - it somehow got past the glue traps, and you can see it wandering all around, trying to get around them, but it knows to not step on them. I guess it somehow jumped over? I now have around 50 traps of various types all over my house.
I really don't know what to try next. This mouse seems to avoid anything unnatural looking. I need something inconspicuous that covers a large area. Was thinking of trying to build an electric-shocking one, but that seems out of my expertise.
Any other ideas? I bought some poison, but have been waiting to use that as a last resort. I don't even know if it will go for it, if it's not going for any of the other bait.
I would move the camera around until you can find where it's hiding place is. Do you have a friend with a cat that you can borrow? Remove all traps and put the cat food where you've seen the mouse.
Are the traps visible? If so, try using a box. Cut holes on either end of a shoe box so the mouse can run through one end and out the other, place mousetrap, cover the mousetrap with the box. Make sure the box is along a wall. Mice like to get into things and like dark.
I would move the camera around until you can find where it's hiding place is. Do you have a friend with a cat that you can borrow? Remove all traps and put the cat food where you've seen the mouse.
Are the traps visible? If so, try using a box. Cut holes on either end of a shoe box so the mouse can run through one end and out the other, place mousetrap, cover the mousetrap with the box. Make sure the box is along a wall. Mice like to get into things and like dark.
Ah, good idea with the box. I will definitely try that tonight. The cat isn't really an option. My wife is very allergic. This mouse just seems to be extraordinarily cautious. I watched a bunch of videos with various "walk the plank" type traps on buckets. Was thinking of trying to build something like that, but i don't think that this mouse would even venture up that high.
Your story is a little humorous LOL. I had a pack rat problem last summer and "rat sized" live traps are what ended up working. The rats were triggering the snap traps (even the larger rat size) but the traps never caught anything. Live traps worked great.. I put a little peanut butter on the trigger and then a peanut in the peanut butter.
LOL! You have a clever mouse, and you have been trying clever solutions.
Step back, take a deep breath and BE the mouse! Ommmmm
It is focused on avoiding things on the floor. Mice don't have great vision. They do have good sniffers and ears.
"Sniff sniff - Something NEW! No mouse pee smell. Human smell! Avoid!"
You have a few options. I might try:
Go outside and get some dirt, preferably from an area where mice are. Bring it in, put it in the bottom of a bucket and add some water and a little dish soap. Mix and mop the floor area with it. Don't toss the mop water yet.
Get a LARGE glass mixing bowl
and something for a ramp that can lead from the floor to the rim. Don gloves and wash both in the same solution. Do not wipe dry. Place it near a wall in the mopped area.
Still gloved, dab bits of Reese peanut butter cup on the floor near the bowl and on the bowl rim. Pour a tiny of the soapy dirty mopping solution in the bottom of the bowl - about 1/4" inch depth. Add a cup of PEANUT oil to the bowl.
In the morning you may find the mouse in the bowl, trying desperately to get out, or totally exhausted from the attempts.
Another option is a deadfall trap. Invert an empty glass mixing bowl, prop one edge with a bait trigger - look up deadfall traps for trigger ideas. When th emouse is trapped under the bowl, slide a bit of aluminum flashing or a non-sided cookie tray under it to remove it to a disposal area.
FWIW, the average lifespan of a mouse in the wild is VERY short. Don't be overly concerned about dispatching it, although try to do so as humanely as possible. A true deadfall is almost instantaneous, but messy.
I would put the glue traps under the door. Is that where it is going? Is that the basement?
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