More background on this later when I have more time, but – um – does anyone have a good suggestion as to what to do with a mouse after his little feet get stuck in those glue traps?
I know. Use snap-traps and get it over quick. Unfortunately, the location did not afford the space necessary for the snapping action…
Meanwhile… I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men, but the noise steadily increased. O God! what COULD I do? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly , and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no? They heard! — they suspected! — they KNEW! — they were making a mockery of my horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! — and now — again — hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER! —
*squeak*
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! move aside this table — here, here! — it is the beating SQUEAK of his hideous heart plea!”
[Poe courtesy of Literature.org]
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It’s very difficult to safely remove little mousie feet from glue traps without seriously hurting them. My colleage can do it (gloves are good) and if you take your time, and gradually remove them foot by foot, you can probably release the mouse back into your yard or other suitable habitat. If killing it dead is your ultimate aim, then you probably want to buy the snap traps. Check this link for a no-kill trap that is a good option: http://www.cooperseeds.com/traps.php3?cat=mice. You can also order an optional “Drowning Attachment,” if you are so inclined (please don’t).
Put some vegetable oil on the glue pad and let it wash over the mouse’s feet and/or the fur that is stuck. Take a little wooden plank, or a chopstick, or whatever, and gently pry the mouse away.
You might have to do this a few times, since the mouse is likely to be angry and flailing. There’s also a good chance that the critter will be covered in oil from head to toe.
Remember to release at least a mile or so away from your house. 🙂
Ah… oil. Of course.
That’s a good one, Jason.
When we had a mouse problem last year, in the middle of the night we found a mouse in the pantry. I taped up some clear plastic trash bags along his escape route, then rigged up a barrier so that he couldn’t go anywhere but towards his preferred escape route. Worked like a charm — he leapt down the stairs, his little tail gyrating, and landed right in a trash bag.
We have a mouse problem in our house. We call him Louie, though Louie is probably legion. We’re lucky if the glue traps ever work. Louie is good at avoiding them. We may need to go with the snap traps, though we are ostensibly a non-violent, vegetarian household.
At least Louie also seems to be a vegetarian…