Mice and mouse-traps

[Barquentine]

Can a mouse learn how to avoid a traditional mouse-trap? We have a smart mouse that seems to have learnt that, by standing on the safe end of the trap and leaning out over the raised trigger platform, it can nibble away at the lump of cheese without triggering the snapper. I have tried putting two traps adjacent to each other, and facing but the clever little thing has now had seven lumps of cheese and peanut-butter! The only reason I know how it does it is because I saw it do this on the trap behind the tv late one evening. How can a mouse have enough brain-power to work this out?!

[kevo2k7]

Can i please recommend you use a humane mousetrap as they are not cruel like the deathtrap you are currently using,plus you will have more chance of catching the mouse with it as the mouse can sense danger with the murder device you are using,just as we can sense danger when crossing a busy road full of cars, there are a number of humane traps out there and once the mouse is caught you can simply take him to a field by your house and free him without having blood on your hands!! couple of links here http://www.pestfree.co.uk/livemouse.htm http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__humane-trap_W0Q QFor114a9ZMiceMolesRodents8172d935QQ_dmptZUKQ5 fHomeQ5fGardenQ5fGardenQ5fPlantsQ5fWeedQ5fPest Q5fControlQ5fCVQQ_flnZ1QQ_nkwuscZhumaneQQ_nkwu scZmousetrapQQ_rusckZ1QQ_ssovZ1QQ_trksidZp3286 Q2ec0Q2em282

[Barquentine]

Kevo, we have tried eight different makes of humane traps - we spent �15 on a perspex container with a little door which you can let the mouse out of; we spent �25 on an ultrasonic emitter; we bought various designs of traps intended to save the mouse's life. We sat and watched one walk right past the emitter, ignore the perspex trap and evade capture in the other humane traps. Next we put down poison which we filmed the same mouse eating for over a week. It was supposed to die in two days but thrived on eating the stuff. I hated putting down the �1 per trap 'snappers'; I told my girlfriend I felt like a mouse-murderer. She is more bloodthirsty than me even. We got the mouse the same night. It would have been dead instantly and would never have felt a thing. If you know of a humane trap that you know actually works I am prepared to give it a go, but I doubt any of them will work. The mice prefer the killer-traps, except for this one which seems much smarter.

[andy-hughes]

This is natural selection at work.

A mouse that has figured out how to eat the bait without triggering the trap is the mouse that lives to an old age, and probably demonstrates the trick to other mice.

Obviously the mouse that doesn't manage the trick first time doesn;t get a second go, so it's lack of finesse perishes, along with the mouse in question.

[Schutzengel]

Have you thought about getting a cat. It would be a clever mouse that can outwit a cat.