You may have heard that peanut butter is one of the most effective ways to lure mice into traps. So, it’s going to be extremely frustrating when your peanut butter mouse trap isn’t working.
In this article, not only are you going to find out all the reasons your mouse trap isn’t working, you’ll learn what you can do to fix it, and other alternatives as well!
Why Is Your Peanut Butter Mouse Trap Not Working?
If the mouse trap with peanut butter you set isn’t working, then there are a number of reasons behind why this may be!
You’re Touching The Peanut Butter With Your Bare Hands
One reason that mice may not be taking the bait is that you’ve been touching the peanut butter with your bare hands. Mice have very sensitive noses, and if they detect the scent of a human on their food, they may not eat it.
You’re Putting Too Much Bait
Another reason that the traps might not be catching mice is that you’re putting too much peanut butter on them. If you’re putting too much on the trap, mice will be able to eat it without setting the trap off.
So when setting the traps remember more is less, and don’t put on more than a pea-sized amount of peanut butter.
You’re Not Changing The Peanut Butter Often Enough
It’s not good enough to just put the peanut butter on the mouse trap. You’ll also need to change it every few weeks to make sure it’s as fresh as possible and still enticing to any mice in your home!
You’re Leaving Traps Out In The Open
Another reason that you might not be catching any mice with your peanut butter traps is that you’re leaving traps in areas where mice are going to be too exposed. Mice don’t like to go out in the open, so if you’re placing traps in areas mice think is a threat, they won’t go and get the food.
The Mice Are Still Investigating
If you’ve just put the traps down, then there’s a good chance the mice won’t go for them straight away. Oftentimes, mice will wait a few days before investigating the trap, and if it goes off and doesn’t trap them, then it’s unlikely they’ll return to it again.
What Can You Do To Get Your Peanut Butter Traps Working Again?
If your peanut butter traps aren’t working, there are a few things you can try to get them working again! And there’s also a few other effective methods you can try later as well!
Don’t Use Food
First of all, it’s not even neccessary to use peanut butter, or any food for that matter. If you want to trap mice, you can also use material they need for their nest too! Twine, yarn, cotton, and other fabrics can all be great choices to entice mice.
Try Different Bait
You can also different try different types of food as bait as well. Other nut butters as well as seeds, can make great bait for mice. As well as these you can soft cheese, wet cat food, fruits, and berries
Try Using Less
Mice have a good sense of smell, so you don’t have to smother traps in peanut butter to get their attention. Doing this will just make it easier for them to get some without getting caught. Instead, try putting a peasized amount of peanut butter on the trap and see if your result improve.
Place Traps Against The Wall
You should also try placing traps up against the wall instead of leaving them out in the open. Because mice travel along the wall, placing traps there with the bait end up against the wall, you’re giving the mice so much incentive to explore the food.
As well as placing them along walls, you should place them in concealed areas such as behind cabinets, fridges and furniture.
Handle The Bait With Gloves
You should also make sure you’re handling any bait with gloves and not you’re bare hands. If you’re using your bare hands, then your scent will deter mice from going for the peanut butter.
Set More Traps (And Set Them Close Together)
Another great way to make sure you’re catching enough mice with your peanut butter traps is by setting more of them. And setting them closer together. Rates can give birth at an exponential rate, so setting a lot of traps is one of the best ways to increase your chances of catching them.
So wherever you notice mouse activity place traps 2-3 feet along every part, and in areas where you know they go more often, place them a few inches apart.
Place Them By Entry Points
You should also place traps at any entry points you know mice come in as well. These are also high trafficked areas, so by placing traps there, you’re going to increase the chance of catching mice in that area.
Give Them Time To Get Comfortable
Sometimes you just need to give mice a chance to get comfortable with the traps before they work. Especially if you’ve just put the traps down. Remember, mice will be very wary of your peanut butter traps in the beginning, so give them time before giving up.
Try A Different Kind Of Trap
If one trap isn’t working, then try a different kind of trap. Bucket traps are a great way of catching mice, and they’re also a lot more humane. As well as bucket trap, you may also have a lot of luck making your own DIY traps as well.
Humane Ways To Get Rid Of Mice
You may think that killing mice is the best way to get rid of them. However, there are plenty of equally efficient ways you can get rid of mice without having to kill them. Some great alternatives include the following:
Bucket Traps
Bucket traps are another great choice because of how easy they are to set up and their effectiveness. You can purchase them online, and all you have to do is lure mice onto a spinning platform smothered in peanut butter.
Once they reach the platform it will spin and drop them into the bucket. The in the morning, you just need to take the bucket a mile or further from your home and let the mice out.
Block The Entrances To Your Home
While traps are going to get rid of any of the mice in your home already, if you don’t find permanent solutions to get rid of them, they’re only going to come back again.And remember, mice can fit through spaces the size of a dime, so be thorough with your search.
And when you find any of these holes, you can just plug them with aluminium foil or steel wool, as they’ll be unable to chew through these.
Give Your House A Thorough Clean
Mice see out warm areas that are cluttered to build nests where they can keep themselves and their babies safe. As well as this, they can live off just 3-5 grams of food per day. So to keep mice out of your home permanently, make sure you’re keeping it clean.
A few crumbs on the floor or an unused attic, garage or room, or eve drawer in your house is all it takes for a mice to settle and build a nest. So by keeping your house clean, you’re going to prevent mice from coming back to your home in the future.
Seal All Your Trash
You should also make sure you’re sealing all the trash in your home as well. If you leave the trash unsealed, at night it’s going to be an all you can eat buffet for them. So purchase bins have are sealed when not in use to get rid of one of a mouses main food sources in your home.
Don’t Leave Pet Food out
As well as sealing your trash, make sure you’re not leaving pet food out either. If food is nice enough for your pet, then it’s definitely going to be nice enough for mice as well! Wet cat food in particular is one of the foods that mice love the most.
Try Live Traps
As well as bucket traps, you can also use live traps to catch mice as well. Live traps work enticing mice in, and then sealing them once they’re inside. However, make sure you’re checking these traps often to make sure that you don’t leave the mice in there for too long.
Remove Their Access To Food
Also make sure you’re storing food in strong enough containers that mice can’t get to it. Airtight containers are the best bet, because not only will mice not be able to get to it, but the smell won’t come out either.
Try Natural Smells
Lastly, there are a lot of natural smells that can repel mice as well. Clove and peppermint are great ways to get rid of mice, and you can also try hot pepper as well!
Recap
As you can see, there are so many reasons that mice may be avoiding your peanut butter traps, but if you follow the advice above, you’ll get them working in no time! On top of this, you can also use more humane and effective methods to get rid of mice for good as well!
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
