A Better Mousetrap for Your Farmhouse

By Oscar H. Will Iii
Published on August 10, 2009
1 / 5

The domestic cat is the highest maintenance mousetrap, but they might have a way of making up for it.
The domestic cat is the highest maintenance mousetrap, but they might have a way of making up for it.
2 / 5

The latest Rat Zapper falls into the general snap category of traps.
The latest Rat Zapper falls into the general snap category of traps.
3 / 5

The d-Con No View is designed for a single use before disposal.
The d-Con No View is designed for a single use before disposal.
4 / 5

TOMCAT's Glue Traps didn't work, maybe because of the fine limestone clay dust covers the house's crawlspace.
TOMCAT's Glue Traps didn't work, maybe because of the fine limestone clay dust covers the house's crawlspace.
5 / 5

A traditional snap trap, the Victor Quick Set requires no batteries and can be used over and over.
A traditional snap trap, the Victor Quick Set requires no batteries and can be used over and over.

Over the past year, I have experimented with a few old and new mouse-control devices. Some work better and are more convenient than others, but none of them gets all the critters all the time. I am pleased to report that the mouse population in my 102-year-old farmhouse has dropped so significantly that I neither see mice nor their calling cards for up to a month at a time. Considering I experienced daily sightings back in December, I’d say I’m doing pretty well.

RatZapper

AgriZap Inc.’s RatZapper line of electrocuting rodent traps are the best traps on the market as far as I’m concerned (www.RatZapper.com). I put two models, the RatZapper Classic and the RatZapper Ultra, to work in the house and garage last December after limited luck with more conventional traps and, wow, did these devices do their jobs well.

These “better” mousetraps appeal to the rodent’s curiosity and eagerness to explore small cave-like areas. You can entice the little creatures with a bit of dog kibble, and when they explore deeply enough they get zapped with sufficient high voltage to stun them instantly and kill them within seconds. The RatZappers even have a light that blinks to let you know to dump the dead critter into the trash – no more getting up close and personal with the carcass and no more blood or other gore to contend with. The humane RatZapper is battery-powered, will kill many mice before running out of juice and is the best tool I have ever used in the seasonal battle against invading rodents.

Victor Quick Set

Before I experienced the RatZapper line of traps, I was pretty well sold on Victor’s Quick Set line of plastic mousetraps (www.VictorPest.com). These fall into the general snap category of traps that lure the mouse into the jaws of a clamp or spring-loaded wire. The Quick Set is a jaw-style snap trap that’s easy to use and reusable. Setting the Quick Set trap is as easy as baiting the trigger and squeezing the back side of the jaws together (much like you might squeeze a hinged clothespin) until you feel/hear a click. The trap is now set and relatively easy to place without springing. In any case, if you spring it, there’s little chance of getting bitten because you hold the Quick Set opposite the jaws.

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