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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.

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.