By Rex Peters
Humane mouse traps have appeared on the scene in the last decade and a half. They answered a need - namely how to get rid of mice in a safe and sanitary way while still being an effective solution. This article will explore why other ways of ridding your house of mice are less than satisfactory, and why you should consider this more humane approach.
Traditional ways to get rid of mice
For thousands of years, cats and certain types of dogs have been used to control mice and rat populations. In more modern times the traditional ways to rid a house of mice were the spring loaded trap, glue pads and poison.
Spring loaded traps
These have been used extensively, and they are what comes to mind almost automatically when you think of controlling a mouse problem. They are small, you bait them with cheese, or more effectively peanut butter and grains, you put them along the path you thing the mice will take, and hope for the best.
Drawbacks to these are that in the act of capturing the mouse and killing it (by bludgeoning it with a tightly coiled spring), several things can happen that are not very desirable. If the mouse is only partially killed, blood can spill onto the floor. And if the mouse ultimately dies, it will release urine and feces. All of these can spread disease. Also, since mice are quick and intelligent, mice can grab the food and go hide, foiling the trap.
Glue Pads
Glue pads lay flat on the floor, and the idea is that when a mouse travels over it, the glue will prevent the mouse from escaping. The mouse then dies from starvation or thirst. More often the home owner will find the squealing mouse which is scared and angry and will have to dispose of it. How do you pick it up without getting bitten? Do you kill the mouse (and how?). Where do you dispose of it. Not good questions to have to deal with.
Poisons
Poisons will certainly kill mice, but they will also kill pets and infant children. And if a mouse eats the poison the effect is not immediate, so it can scurry off to a place that is inaccessible to die a horrible death. And afterwards decompose and emit a powerful stench that can last weeks. Obviously this is not an ideal solution.
Humane Mouse Traps
These traps are made of plastic or metal and their purpose is to trap the mouse without killing it. They have proven themselves to be quite effective in doing so. Customers have said that colonies of mice have been trapped and gotten rid of within a matter of weeks. And gotten rid for good.
You bait them with peanut butter and grains, like oatmeal, put them where you suspect mice are traveling along walls and furniture, and often overnight you will find one or two mice trapped in the container. You take the container to a place away from your home, release the mice and you're done. No spread of disease, no poisons to deal with, no snarling, squealing mice. Plus they are quite affordable.
Rex Peters specializes in helping homeowners get rid of pests in their homes, especially mice and rats. For more information on humane mouse traps and where to buy them inexpensively, visit his website at http://humane-mousetraps.blogspot.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rex_Peters
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