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Bucket mouse traps & why some don't work!!

Hello Readers,

I am getting a lot of comments from users of home made bucket mouse traps about their traps not catching mice.  I will make a few observations and suggestions to those making their own.

First off,  All most all of the videos I have watched and directions I have read have the roller mechanism too high.  It needs to be down in the bucket a ways so mice cannot jump off it and get back to the bucket rim.  Mice can walk the coat hanger wire so many would be victims live to warn their buddies and family members and teach them how to get a good meal.  Whatever you use for a roller, be sure to bait just the middle area.  Be sure to have the ramp perpendicular to the roller and the end within an inch or so past the bucket rim.  The mouse has to jump to the roller to have this principle work.  If the mouse won't jump or decides instead to walk the wire, this type of trap will not catch that mouse.

It is important to have the roller move easily and the holes should be very close to the center of whatever you are using for a roller so that the roller is balanced. I would suggest some sort of a stop on each side of the roller to keep it in the middle of the bucket; a couple of wire sized washers on each side of the roller (an 1/8" to 1/4" from the roller) and a little tape or glue on the outermost washer to keep it in place on the wire.  If the wire is not level, the roller will works its way to the low side and without a stop will get up against the bucket and quit being a roller.

Any trap with moving parts is going to spook some mice and you will not eliminate them all. You will probably catch the first one, and maybe the second one, but from then on many will be wary.  The tipping platform traps fail to catch a lot of mice because as the trap starts to move, a wary mouse will back up.

Now for the sales pitch:  The ISS (It's So Simple) mouse bucket trap is designed to catch them all and does catch them all.  There are no moving parts and nothing about it will scare the mice or make they wary.  By changing the bait and what you use for bait, they never become ineffective.  Once the mouse goes for the bait, it is caught and there are no escapees or close calls,  no reports back to friends and family.  I have caught up to six per night and know of people who have caught up to ten.  http://www.issmousetraps.com

Good luck in eliminating your mouse population. 

Past time to say more about the ISS mouse trap & how to get rid of a mouse population

I hate to be redundant and repeat myself post after post, but Google thinks more said is better so I will say more.  The ISS (It's So Simple) mouse trap is about as good as you can get for eliminating a mouse or rat population.  There are no moving parts, the bait lasts for quite a while as nothing usually gets to the bait, and you get good bang for your bucks.

Use a high aroma bait (your choices are almost endless because just about anything can be put in the ISS mouse trap's bait holder) and the ISS mouse trap most any where.  For lethal use, checking weekly or even monthly (or more) is adequate because all the urine, feces, carcass, etc. are contained in the bucket and submerged in the liquid (use more liquid if trap will be untended for long periods).  RV antifreeze which is potable, salt water, maybe even beer can be used in freezing environments.  I have never tried it, but I bet beer would be a good bait.  Can you think of a better thing to drown in (I've heard that lots of people drown their sorrows with a bucket of beer)?

Only the bucket traps using a liquid (and the ISS (It's So Simple) mouse trap is the best bucket trap) really contain and prevent the spread of Hantavirus.  Hantivirus spreads when things dry out and become airborne which they cannot do if submerged in a liquid.

Economy, effectiveness and ease of use make the ISS (It's So Simple) mouse trap the best choice when you have rodents to get rid of.  http://www.issmousetraps.com or http://www.4dotranch.com/MT/index.html

Spring time is mouse trap time

Actually any time can be mouse trap time, but mice start moving around this time of year. If you see a few droppings, and one mouse, it means you have several at least. The ISS (It's So Simple) mouse trap set up over a 5 gallon or larger bucket in "an out of your way" area and baited with Jif crunchy or extra crunchy peanut butter will (most likely) eliminate your problem. Really stubborn mice find the above peanut butter mixed with bacon bits (either real or artificial flavor) irresistible. http://www.issmousetraps.com

Keep an ISS mouse trap set up all the time; check the bucket trap monthly and it will keep your environment basically mouse free.

Best baits for mouse traps

There are a lot of things that work well as bait for catching mice and rats. The secret is having good aroma because rodents sense of smell is very acute. With the ISS (It's So Simple) mouse bucket traps, your choices are almost endless because the bait holder will accept almost anything and being as how nothing usually gets to the bait, it lasts and lasts. The problem is remembering to change it occasionally as some things get rancid, dry out or deteriorate badly giving no aroma; bait has to have a strong aroma to be effective. Bait also has to be more tempting (at least a different smell) to the animals than other food stuffs that is also available to them.

Many snap trap and other commonly used trap users report have problems with the bait being gone and no animal caught. This is not an issue with the ISS mouse traps; once an animal goes for the bait, it is caught.

Brand name peanut butter works well (some generic and natural brands use a lot of fillers that turn waxy or rancid). Mice and rats are attracted to fats and sweets as well as grains. Bird seed and pet food are great bait. That is why homes with dogs and cats very often have mice and people who feed the birds often have mice. Horse people and other livestock operations generally have mice.

If you try a bait (in any mouse trap) and do not catch something in a couple of days, try something else. Bedding with a drop of vanilla, maple or chocolate syrup is good bait so try a tissue or a little cotton ball (use a rubber band to anchor it to a snap trap bait holder). Caramels , jelly beans and tootsie rolls are successful as well as snickers bars and Slim Jim meat sticks. Again, any high aroma food is a good choice for bait for a mouse trap.

ISS mouse traps are humane.

Some have questioned the humanity of this type of trap.

When using a liquid, victims only survive a matter of minutes. Of the over 200 mice I have caught during my use of the ISS (It's So Simple) traps in lethal mode (since I came up with the idea June 25, 2005), I have never found a live mouse. Early on, I was checking every half hour or so (you know how a kid is with a new toy). I watched one mouse actually experience the trap (he climbed the ramp, went for the bait, and fell) and must have died from the shock or humiliation as it was dead almost immediately; by the time I got from my vantage point to the trap, the mouse was dead. They are not instantaneous death, but not inhumane by any means. Don't forget the story of Noah and the Ark!

A container at least 15 inches deep needs to be used when doing live catch. When used without water (some bedding and some food in the bottom) it is probably the most humane of any mouse trap. It is large enough to be able move around however most animals caught will just grab a bite to eat (that is why they came in the first place) and curl up and go to sleep until someone comes to take them on a trip.

I have not used an empty bucket trap very often (mostly because I don't like mice, but also don't want to give my mice to someone else) but I did want to test the concept to make sure it worked and have only caught two mice in that mode. I gave the first one to my cat and decided I did not want to be part of that cycle any more. If you have never watched a cat kill a mouse, don't, it is an awful experience. She played with it for a while, throwing it up in the air, letting it run a little and then pouncing on it. When she was done entertaining herself, she crushed it and then ate it, head and all, leaving a small part of an intestine for me to dispose of. The other one, I drowned. I poured water into the bucket to see how long it would take to die. I timed it and it took one minute and 58 seconds.

If one is absolutely against drowning mice but still wants them dead, there are a couple of alternative options. Once the mice are caught in the dry container:

(1) Use car exhaust to euthanize; takes about the same amount of time as drowning. With the engine on your vehicle running, hold the open end of the container up close to the outlet end of the exhaust pipe. Exhaust gases are heavier than the surrounding air and will drop into the container.

(2) Crush the skull with a blunt object (a brick should work well). With the victims in the bucket still, any mess you might have would be contained and cleanup can easily be done with a garden hose.

Personally I prefer drowning. Disposal is as easy as flushing down the toilet or pouring the contents of the bucket out on an open field to feed whatever happens to find them first. I use tongs and retrieve them form the liquid. From my outside traps, I give them a fling; the Magpies love me. From my inside traps, I usually flush them, but have put them in plastic sacks and then in the garbage.

Mouse trap / Mouse traps / mousetrap

Mouse traps are not something that most people think about often. I spent a lot of years (about 35) raising horses dealing with mice and never had my eureka moment. I covered grain bins, I hung my blankets from wires hanging down from the ceiling. When they got unbearable, I put out poison and was sorry for it every time as the stench was terrible and lasted for months. We had many barn cats, but they just never seemed able to get them all. If I had known about a better mouse trap, I would have used it.

To get to the point, we sold our horse arena and moved, but still were out where mice are abundant. We only have one cat now and my wife says, "we have mice." I said "What makes you think so? Patches (our cat) is a great hunter." She leaves us guts and vole heads on the welcome mat just about every morning. "Well", says my wife, "I watched a mouse come up on the deck to her bowl and take some cat food. We have mice". So I found a snap trap and set it along the wall, baited with peanut butter. The first night, no mouse, but the bait was gone. I re-baited it and put it and another trap out. Next morning one mouse and one trap no bait and not snapped. I reset both. To make a long story shorter, over a period of about ten days I had caught three mice and the cat food bowl started to have mice turds in it.

The morning of June 25, 2005, I woke up with an idea. I went out to my shop (even before coffee) and made my first trap (the ISS (it's So Simple) mouse trap was born). I didn't say a word to my wife because I knew she would laugh and try to talk me out of it. The name was almost automatic, but I had no idea if it would really work (since I have been marketing my trap, I have found that many variations of my idea have been used over the years). When I came back to the house with my invention, she did laugh. At any rate, I set the trap out and caught two mice the first night. For the next week, I caught from three to five mice a night and captured about thirty five mice. I made several more traps and put them at various places around our property and set up the neighbors with my mouse traps.

These traps are simple and most anyone could have come up with the idea. Most anyone can make them, but getting the stuff together and doing it, just doesn't get done for most people. I think the price is reasonable and most people will buy one or two. Several people have bought one trap and made others (for their own use only please as the patent is applied for) copying my idea and that is okay with me. I've tried several different foods as bait, and even the most stubborn mice have "fallen for the bait" in about three days. Peanut butter mixed with bacon bits appears to be irresistible.

With this mouse trap being so simple, I was afraid some would think they had been hood winked regardless how effective it is. That's the reason for my guarantee; If the buyer of one of my mouse traps is unhappy for any reason, just tell me why and send it back. All of your money (including return postage) will be refunded.

This is a better mouse trap.