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(Redirected from Mouse trap)
A 'mousetrap' is a device used for trapping or killing small rodents, especially mice. A ''rat trap'' is a similar contraption used to remove rats and is thusly larger.
The first mouse trap was invented by James Henry Atkinson, a British inventor, who in 1897 invented a prototype called the "Little Nipper", similar to the traditional design. The traditional type (illustrated) was invented by Hiram Maxim (who also invented the Maxim gun). It is a simple device with a heavily springloaded bar and a trip to release it. Stereotypically, cheese is placed on the trip as bait, but this does not work well as, in reality, most mice do not like cheese; they will however take other food such as oats, chocolate, bread or meat. Butter and peanut butter are also quite effective. Some people set out traps unset but baited for a few days so the mice lose their caution around them. This also helps you see which bait your mice like. The spring-loaded bar swings down rapidly and with great force when anything, usually a mouse or a rat, touches the trip. The design is such that the mouse's neck or spinal cord will be broken, or its ribs or skull crushed, by the force of the bar. The force may be great enough to decapitate the rodent. Rats can easily escape from a mousetrap, so a larger version is used for them.
John Mast of Lititz, Pennsylvania obtained an American patent for a similar snap-action device in 1899. [1]
This more recent type of mousetrap delivers a lethal dose of electricity when the rodent completes the circuit by contacting two electrodes located either at the entrance or between the entrance and the bait. The electrodes are housed in an insulated or plastic box to prevent accidental injury to humans and pets. They can be designed for single-catch domestic use or large multiple-catch commercial use. See and
Other trap designs catch mice alive so that they can be released into the wild. It is important to release the mouse promptly – as mice can die from stress or dehydration – and at some distance, as mice have a strong homing instinct. Survival after release is not guaranteed, since house mice will tend to seek out human buildings, where they might encounter lethal mousetraps. In the wild, house mice are very poor competitors, and cannot survive away from human settlements in areas where other small mammals, such as wood mice, are present.[2]
Glue strip or glue tray devices trap the mouse in a sticky glue; users can free the mice from the glue by applying vegetable oil if they choose to. These types of trap are effective and non-toxic to humans. However, death is much slower than with the traditional type trap[3], which has prompted animal activists such as PETA to oppose the use of glue traps. Many mice eventually die from exposure, dehydration, starvation, suffocation, or predation, or they are killed by people when the trap is checked. Others die from injuries or blood loss as they try to chew through their own limbs in
an attempt to escape. In some jurisdictions there have been proposals to ban glue traps, or to legally restrict their use.[4].
The bucket trap is also an economical and effective, though inhumane, means of eradicating mice. A ramp leads to the rim of a container holding some water or other liquid such as antifreeze.
The mouse is attracted to the top of the container and, by various means and baits, it enters the water. Being unable to get out, it drowns. The suffering of the mouse can be shortened to a small extent by adding a surfactant, such as washing detergent, to the water. Though if suffering of the mouse is a main concern one should mainly consider other types of traps.
The variations are many with some being single catch and some multi-catch. Some can also be used for live catch.
A simple method that has been proven to work time and again is this: Bait is placed in the bottom of a transparent glass. The glass is turned upside down, balanced with the rim on a coin standing on edge. When a mouse enters the glass and attempts to get to the bait, the coin falls down and the glass traps the mouse. The setup is normally placed on a piece of cardboard or plastic to allow the user to pick up the glass with its contents, then release the mouse at will.
The RADAR mousetrap, invented by Dr. Nigel Binns, kills trapped mice or other rodents with carbon dioxide, then notifies the user by e-mail so that the trap can be quickly emptied and reset. Dr. Binns claims that the trap is painless and also reduces future mouse deaths by pinpointing the exact location of the trap and how many animals are caught so that their access can be controlled by sealing access holes. PETA has recognized this product as an "animal friendly achievement" [5].
Strychnine-soaked grain pellets were a common substitute for mousetraps for some time; however, they are rarely used nowadays because of the toxicity of the chemical.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the oft-quoted remark in favor of innovation: "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door", although investigations have failed to confirm this in Emerson's writings.[6]
This statement has inspired many more cynical derivatives, such as "If you build a better mousetrap, someone will build a better mouse".
Mousetraps are a staple of slapstick comedy and animated cartoons, in which people commonly sit on the trap or have their fingers caught in the device.
★ Rodenticide
★ Animal trap
★ Pest control
1. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/mousetrap.htm Web reference retrieved Aug 30, 2007
2.
Experimental colonization of contrasting habitats by house mice, Tattersall F. H., Smith, R. H. & Nowell, F, , , Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde,
3. Article in ''About Home & Garden'' about glue traps
4. Regulatory Impact Statement (Victoria (Australia), 2005); Submission in response to the RIS
5. http://www.peta.org/campaigns/2005poty.asp
6. "A better mousetrap" John H. Lienhard
★ Tattersall F. H., Smith, R. H. & Nowell, F. (1997). Experimental colonization of contrasting habitats by house mice. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 62: 350-358.
★ Guide to catch a mouse give you tips on catching a house mouse.
★ Humane Mouse Trap Project Comprehensive guide on building a humane mouse trap from a two-liter cola bottle.
A baited and primed mousetrap.
Mousetrap, mouse, bait (chocolate).
A mouse was stuck in this glue trap but managed to tear itself loose.
Two mice trapped at the same time (Salami).
Another type of humane live mouse trap.
An upside down glass mousetrap.
A 'mousetrap' is a device used for trapping or killing small rodents, especially mice. A ''rat trap'' is a similar contraption used to remove rats and is thusly larger.
Mouse trap designs
Springloaded-bar mousetrap
The first mouse trap was invented by James Henry Atkinson, a British inventor, who in 1897 invented a prototype called the "Little Nipper", similar to the traditional design. The traditional type (illustrated) was invented by Hiram Maxim (who also invented the Maxim gun). It is a simple device with a heavily springloaded bar and a trip to release it. Stereotypically, cheese is placed on the trip as bait, but this does not work well as, in reality, most mice do not like cheese; they will however take other food such as oats, chocolate, bread or meat. Butter and peanut butter are also quite effective. Some people set out traps unset but baited for a few days so the mice lose their caution around them. This also helps you see which bait your mice like. The spring-loaded bar swings down rapidly and with great force when anything, usually a mouse or a rat, touches the trip. The design is such that the mouse's neck or spinal cord will be broken, or its ribs or skull crushed, by the force of the bar. The force may be great enough to decapitate the rodent. Rats can easily escape from a mousetrap, so a larger version is used for them.
John Mast of Lititz, Pennsylvania obtained an American patent for a similar snap-action device in 1899. [1]
Electric mousetrap
This more recent type of mousetrap delivers a lethal dose of electricity when the rodent completes the circuit by contacting two electrodes located either at the entrance or between the entrance and the bait. The electrodes are housed in an insulated or plastic box to prevent accidental injury to humans and pets. They can be designed for single-catch domestic use or large multiple-catch commercial use. See and
Live-catching mousetraps
Other trap designs catch mice alive so that they can be released into the wild. It is important to release the mouse promptly – as mice can die from stress or dehydration – and at some distance, as mice have a strong homing instinct. Survival after release is not guaranteed, since house mice will tend to seek out human buildings, where they might encounter lethal mousetraps. In the wild, house mice are very poor competitors, and cannot survive away from human settlements in areas where other small mammals, such as wood mice, are present.[2]
Glue traps
Glue strip or glue tray devices trap the mouse in a sticky glue; users can free the mice from the glue by applying vegetable oil if they choose to. These types of trap are effective and non-toxic to humans. However, death is much slower than with the traditional type trap[3], which has prompted animal activists such as PETA to oppose the use of glue traps. Many mice eventually die from exposure, dehydration, starvation, suffocation, or predation, or they are killed by people when the trap is checked. Others die from injuries or blood loss as they try to chew through their own limbs in
an attempt to escape. In some jurisdictions there have been proposals to ban glue traps, or to legally restrict their use.[4].
Bucket trap
The bucket trap is also an economical and effective, though inhumane, means of eradicating mice. A ramp leads to the rim of a container holding some water or other liquid such as antifreeze.
The mouse is attracted to the top of the container and, by various means and baits, it enters the water. Being unable to get out, it drowns. The suffering of the mouse can be shortened to a small extent by adding a surfactant, such as washing detergent, to the water. Though if suffering of the mouse is a main concern one should mainly consider other types of traps.
The variations are many with some being single catch and some multi-catch. Some can also be used for live catch.
Upside-down glass
A simple method that has been proven to work time and again is this: Bait is placed in the bottom of a transparent glass. The glass is turned upside down, balanced with the rim on a coin standing on edge. When a mouse enters the glass and attempts to get to the bait, the coin falls down and the glass traps the mouse. The setup is normally placed on a piece of cardboard or plastic to allow the user to pick up the glass with its contents, then release the mouse at will.
Inert gas mousetrap
The RADAR mousetrap, invented by Dr. Nigel Binns, kills trapped mice or other rodents with carbon dioxide, then notifies the user by e-mail so that the trap can be quickly emptied and reset. Dr. Binns claims that the trap is painless and also reduces future mouse deaths by pinpointing the exact location of the trap and how many animals are caught so that their access can be controlled by sealing access holes. PETA has recognized this product as an "animal friendly achievement" [5].
Alternatives
Strychnine-soaked grain pellets were a common substitute for mousetraps for some time; however, they are rarely used nowadays because of the toxicity of the chemical.
Trivia
Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the oft-quoted remark in favor of innovation: "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door", although investigations have failed to confirm this in Emerson's writings.[6]
This statement has inspired many more cynical derivatives, such as "If you build a better mousetrap, someone will build a better mouse".
Mousetraps are a staple of slapstick comedy and animated cartoons, in which people commonly sit on the trap or have their fingers caught in the device.
See also
★ Rodenticide
★ Animal trap
★ Pest control
References
1. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/mousetrap.htm Web reference retrieved Aug 30, 2007
2.
Experimental colonization of contrasting habitats by house mice, Tattersall F. H., Smith, R. H. & Nowell, F, , , Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde,
3. Article in ''About Home & Garden'' about glue traps
4. Regulatory Impact Statement (Victoria (Australia), 2005); Submission in response to the RIS
5. http://www.peta.org/campaigns/2005poty.asp
6. "A better mousetrap" John H. Lienhard
★ Tattersall F. H., Smith, R. H. & Nowell, F. (1997). Experimental colonization of contrasting habitats by house mice. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 62: 350-358.
External links
★ Guide to catch a mouse give you tips on catching a house mouse.
★ Humane Mouse Trap Project Comprehensive guide on building a humane mouse trap from a two-liter cola bottle.
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