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.