The Best Rat and Mouse Traps
The CDC recommends traditional snap traps and advises against glue and live traps. Size matters, placement matters more, and you need more traps than you think.
Call a local technician (254) 276-0111The trap aisle at any Killeen hardware store has a dozen options. The short answer, based on CDC guidance, is the plain snap trap, in the right size, set in the right spots, in enough numbers. Here is how the main trap types compare and how to use them.
Snap traps
The CDC recommends traditional snap traps for reducing rodents around the home. They are cheap, they kill quickly, and you can see right away whether they worked. Wooden snap traps are the classic; plastic snap traps with a wide trigger are easier to set and clean.
Use the right size. Mouse traps are too small for rats, and a rat in a mouse trap can drag it away injured. Rat traps work on mice but are less sensitive.
- Bait with a small amount of chunky peanut butter, as the CDC suggests
- Place on the floor against the wall with the baited end toward the wall, so the trap forms a T with the wall
- Put traps in closed areas: behind the stove and refrigerator, back of cabinets and drawers
- Use several traps a few feet apart along the same wall
Covered trap stations
A covered station is a plastic box that holds a snap trap inside, with small openings rodents can enter. They keep pets and children away from the trap. Use them in garages, laundry rooms and anywhere a dog can reach.
Electronic traps
Battery-powered traps that kill with a shock are enclosed, so you do not see or touch the rodent. They cost more and need batteries, and results vary by model. They can be a reasonable choice for people who do not want to handle snap traps.
Glue traps and live traps
The CDC says not to use glue traps or live traps. Both scare rodents, which can cause them to urinate and increase your chance of getting sick. Glue traps also leave you with a live, stuck animal to deal with. Live-caught rodents released nearby often come back or move into a neighbor's house.
Bait stations
Bait stations hold poison, not traps. The CDC says poison or bait stations should be used only for infestations that persist, following label instructions. EPA rules require consumer rodenticide to come in a bait station and keep the strongest anticoagulants out of consumer products. Indoors, poisoned rodents can die in walls and smell. If bait is needed, it is usually better placed outdoors in locked stations by a licensed technician.
Common mistakes
- Too few traps. One trap per room rarely keeps up with mice.
- Too much bait. A big glob lets a mouse eat without setting off the trap.
- Traps in the open. Rodents travel along walls; a trap in the middle of the floor gets ignored.
- Moving traps too soon. Rats may avoid a new trap for a few nights.
- Handling dead rodents bare-handed. Wear gloves and follow the CDC disposal steps.
- Stopping at the first catch. Keep trapping until a week passes with no catches and no new droppings.
Where traps go in a typical Killeen house
- Behind the refrigerator and stove, against the wall
- Under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, near where the pipes enter
- In the water heater and HVAC closets
- Along the garage walls, especially near the door into the house
- In the attic, on top of the walls near the eaves, for roof rats
Use covered stations anywhere a pet or child can reach. Set two or three traps a few feet apart along each wall where you found droppings, and check them every morning for the first week.
How many traps and for how long
More than you think. A handful of traps in a kitchen with mice is a start; a dozen spread across the kitchen, laundry and garage works faster. The CDC says to keep trapping until no rodents are caught for a week and there are no new signs, and to check and refresh bait regularly for at least 15 days.
If traps catch a few and then stop while you still find droppings, the rodents may be avoiding them, or new ones are coming in through gaps. That is when sealing matters. See rodent trapping and removal.
Common questions
- What is the best bait for mouse traps?
- The CDC suggests chunky peanut butter. Use a small amount pressed into the bait pan.
- Are glue traps humane?
- The CDC advises against glue traps for health reasons: trapped rodents urinate in fear, which can spread germs.
- Should I wear gloves when setting traps?
- Wear gloves when handling used traps and dead rodents. Many people also wear them when setting traps.
- How do I dispose of a trapped rodent?
- The CDC says to spray the rodent and trap with disinfectant, place them in a plastic bag, seal it, double-bag it and throw it in a covered trash can.