Humane pest control

[urbpan]

This is as humane a mousetrap as you can devise simply with pre-made components. These devices are called "tin cats" or "multi-catch" or just "live traps." The trap is placed agains the wall in a place where mice are known to be traveling. The mice enter one of either entrance at the back sides of the trap; a little spring loaded ramp allows them to enter but blocks them from exiting.

I have added a cup (for water), some almonds for food (and to provide an enticing scent), and some cottonballs so the trapped mice can build a nest. These items are all hot-glued into place for neatness sake--this will make it easier to determine if any mice have been caught.

Any mice that are caught will be humanely euthanized. This can be used in a place where squeamish or sensitive people refuse to allow lethal traps.

Comments

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

All the lethal traps do is snap my fingers! If they do not and I manage to set them the mice can have a dance party on them and they will not snap. I actually think that mice are an alien species that commissioned a mega computer to answer the question of life the universe and everything and earth is just a part of it. hmmmm

The mice are major share holders in the wooden mouse trap manufacturing industry and so are just messing with us.

Last nights party favour was a sesame snap ! Yum! trap still unsprung.

[temeres.livejournal.com]

I made a mouse trap out of a coke bottle balanced on the edge of a step, with some paperbacks resting under the sawn-off neck to give the mouse easy access to the tasty cheesy goodness within, and a box on the step to catch the bottle when it tipped over.

It worked. Once.

[ssorca19.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to see that you use these, and put food and water in them! And that any mice caught are humanely euthanized. I once worked with someone who got several of these traps, and we all presumed the idea was to release the mice elsewhere once caught. They are, essentially, a have-a-heart trap for small critters, right?

no.

The traps soon took on the nickname "the titanic". This person would check them every few days, and if it was found to have anything inside, she would put it in a sink full of water. Effective? yes. humane? I think not. :(

I like your method a lot better. And even if euthanasia wasnt the final outcome, the idea to put food, water, and bedding in there is awesome... never occurred to me!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

To be frank, I VASTLY prefer snap traps, but they weren't an option in this case. Surprisingly, the actual instructions on these traps tell you to drown the mice--or to put a glueboard in the trap. Most people don't have access to a euthanasia chamber.

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

Great stuff here!

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

We have these deployed in my office and I thought they were for letting the mice out afterwards. o.o


I am definitely sensitive.

[deathling.livejournal.com]

Nice work.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

I prefer that to a lot of other options. (Since I've read that releasing them elswhere just makes getting them out of their house Someone Else's problem, and that Someone Else might just use glue traps, etc.)

What's the "humanely euthanized" method? (I'm not squeamish. Soft-hearted, yes. Icky-pooed, no.)

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I use a carbon dioxide chamber. If used properly, the gas makes the animal fall unconscious before dying.

[swifticus.livejournal.com]

These are affordable too (even on amazon). How might one humanely euthanize a trapped mouse though w/o access to a special chamber? I feel like releasing mice could potentially have a negative impact for the existing creatures in the area. What are options?

[swifticus.livejournal.com]

Quick research suggests generating carbon dioxide w/ vinegar and baking soda in a closed container is more humane than drowning (seems reasonable). Is this how the professional chambers work?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I've never tried that method. I use a tank with a regulator attached, which fills a chamber slowly--the animal falls unconscious unaware that the air is disappearing. Used too quickly the animal will fight and gasp. Not sure what the mix of vinegar and baking soda would be to produce the right amount of gas at the right rate.

Releasing mice is definitely inhumane and detrimental to wildlife. There are three approved (by veterinarian organizations) methods of killing mice: carbon dioxide, euthanasia solution, and cervical dislocation. The last is used in a lot of labs, but is not for the squeamish, and takes some practice to get right.

Legally, of course, you can do whatever you want to house mice--they are not protected in any way, thus they often die horribly on glueboards or from anti-coagulants.