Covering a mouse trap might seem like a counterproductive idea - won't that mean that fewer mice will fall for it? However, you need to remember that while mouse traps aren't designed to be fatal to humans, they can still cause serious harm to people, and especially to children and household pets. This is why getting covered mouse traps can help you save a lot of time and potential injuries even as you're trying to remove the odd mouse in your house.
So what exactly is a cover for a mouse trap? In most cases, this means using mousetraps that have built-in covers with them - these are usually electric or catch-and-release type traps. But if you want to make sure that you don't need to cover your mousetrap at all, you should be careful where you place them, and call a professional if you're dealing with a particularly stubborn mice infestation.
Read More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
What Are Mouse Traps With Covers?
There are several reasons why you'd want to get mouse traps with covers: you want your trapped area to remain sanitary, there are pets and/or children in the vicinity who might make contact with traps you've set, or you just don't like seeing a trap in your home. Whatever your reason is, there are plenty of products out there that can help you get the trap that you want without having to expose itself.
There are two particular types of traps that you can use for this purpose:
Electric trap
By its very design, this type of trap isn't open to the elements or exposed at all. This makes it an excellent product for anyone who's looking for mouse traps with covers. The cover isn't just for protecting their electrical components or making it child-resistant - it also helps with disposal.
Electric traps are almost always lethal to mice, so you need a way to keep the corpse inside the trap without it attracting scavengers. The cover of these traps helps mask the scent of dead mice, which can allow the trap to be used again after being cleaned out. Some models are even packaged as a Wi-Fi electronic mouse trap, allowing you to customize everything from bait options to opening the bait tray or bait slot remotely.
However, one significant drawback of this trap is that it can be somewhat expensive compared to bait traps and glue traps. But while they're far from the cheapest traps that you can get, they're excellent alternatives to the classic wood-and-wire snap traps that can get you a lot of dead rodents and mice.
Catch-and-release trap
Catch-and-release traps (or live-catch traps) are also designed to catch mice and not let them go: but the goal of the trap is to capture them with the intent of releasing them later. This is particularly useful to people who feel like regular traps are too inhumane for mice. Since they're supposed to hold mice in place until they're released, these mouse traps will always have a covering that keeps out unwanted animals - or prying fingers.
Catch-and-release traps are easy to deploy, with some premium models even allowing contactless release. Some allow storing more captive mice at a time, since it's a no-kill trap that can be reused instead of buying multiple mice traps. But If you want to play it safe, you can use two traps per mouse to ensure their capture.
One thing to remember when using catch-and-release traps is that you need to be quick to release any captured mice in the trap. This prevents other mice from picking up on the nature of your trap and makes it easier to reuse in the same area if you're dealing with more than one mouse.
While these two traps are not the only effective trap that you can use against mice, they're the type of traps that you should be looking for if you want your mouse trap to be covered. They're affordable trap options that can fit in almost any trap space, and are great alternatives for spreading a bunch of traps around an area.
Learn More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
How About Buying A Cover For A Mouse Trap?
But what if you don't have a mouse trap with a cover? You might be tempted to DIY your own mouse trap cover, but there are several reasons why this is a bad idea:
- Your cover might be incompatible with the design of your trap
- Mice may use your cover to avoid the trap entirely
- Your cover might affect how your trap works, reducing its efficacy
- Other people, children, or pets may not recognize that you're covering a mouse trap
- Modifying your mouse trap can void your recourse against the manufacturer because the product has been tampered with
However, this doesn't mean that you can't get a cover for your mouse trap. If you really want to get a mouse trap cover, your first search for answers in product info pages or on the actual product packaging of your mouse trap. Some brands like Snap-E mouse traps have compatible covers with their open-air traps, and they even include useful features like inspection holes to make the checking of traps easier.
Ideal Mouse Trap Placement
If you can't use covers at all, then the best option would be to place your traps where they're more likely to catch mice and less likely to attract attention from anything else. Here are some things you can keep in mind to make sure that your trap areas are a success.
- Understand the behavior of your mice: a mouse hole isn't always the place to put your traps. Mice always look for three things - food, shelter, and warmth. Check for signs of mice activity, then put your traps there.
- Avoid leaving traps in the open: mice are naturally afraid of wide-open spaces and will often stick to the nooks and crannies of your home when traveling. Putting traps near walls or under cabinets works well to catch them.
- Use gloves when setting traps: mice have a keen sense of smell and can sniff out human contact with a possible trap. If you don't want to spook away mice from your trap, wearing gloves can keep away your scent.
- Change placements every so often: mice can change their habits if you tamper with their routine in any way, especially if trapping is involved. If you don't want them catching on to your traps, move them regularly.
- Ensure that your traps are maintained and cleared regularly: if your traps are designed to stay long-term or catch more than one mouse, clearing and cleaning them can help catch more mice unawares.
Proper placement will depend on where exactly the mice have been feeding, and where you suspect they're making their dens. Good places to check would be your kitchen, along the walls, upstairs in an attic, or downstairs in a basement.
Learn More: What Are Some Examples Of Premium Mouse Traps?
When Traps Aren't Enough
While you can have the best possible bait station or electronic mouse trap to use when dealing with mice, there's only so much that quality products can get you if you're dealing with a sizable mouse infestation. Because they're prolific breeders, it's extremely easy for a small mouse problem to spiral out of control if you don't deal with it early enough.
If you're seeing signs of frequent mouse activity - or actually seeing them in the daylight - it could be a sign that your mouse problem is a bit bigger than you'd think. Mice usually keep out of human sight as much as possible, so if they're starting to venture out in the daylight, it usually means there's a sizable colony nearby.
For these occasions, hiring a professional pest removal service is your best option. Not only will they have more effective products and strategies to take care of your mouse problems, but they'll also help you with long-term pest removal and prevention. Even if your mouse problem only involves one mouse, it's always a good idea to get a professional to come by and check out the situation, since they can pinpoint how the mouse got in and prevent any more from finding their way inside your property.
Positive Pest Management: A Trusted Name In Rodent Control And Pest Removal
Positive Pest Management specializes in providing commercial and residential pest removal services to New York and Long Island residents. We make sure that our rodent control solutions are long-term and child-safe, while using the best product and bait possible for the best results. Contact us at 1-800-294-3130 today to get your quote.
