mouse hotel

The mousetrap leashes have kept us from losing any more traps (there's still one MIA). But the traps have proved poor mouse catchers. I first tried three leashed traps baited with peanut butter. After a day, the traps were sprung and peanut butter free. I decided to switch bait.

Rex Dart suggested hot dogs instead of peanut butter. We don't have any hot dogs in the house, and I absolutely will not let these mice trick me into buying them groceries. So I used some bacon, delicious thick-cut dry-cured bacon from our CSA. (When killing rodents, I choose to use only ethically and sustainably produced meats.) I also went in for a temporary trap surge, up to seven. Result: I think perhaps our mice don't like bacon. Foolish, foolish mice. Only two of seven traps were sprung, no mice caught, and none of the bacon looked eaten.

Here's the new plan, the Mouse Hotel:

mouse hotel
Originally uploaded by Jake Bridge.

(In theory) the mouse walks up the gangplank and across the tightrope to get some delicious peanut butter. But the peanut butter is in the middle of a section of plastic water bottle that spins freely on the tightrope. The plastic spins and the mouse falls into the bucket. Then we'll find the mouse a new home at a nice golf course a few miles from our house. I'm pretty sure mice like golf.

I believe I got the idea for the mouse hotel long ago from Paul Kalil. As you may guess, the internet also has many bright ideas for catching mice. Here are some favorites:

Humane Mouse Traps . They have mouse test-subjects and videos!

Out of my league.

Clever trap. Cute drawing.