▶▶▶ Victor M310 TIN CAT Live Mouse Trap

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Victor M310 TIN CAT Live Mouse Trap

Victor M310 TIN CAT Live Mouse Trap Review

Bought this trap when we saw mouse droppings in the plastic containers we keep in the pot drawer under our kitchen stove. Put some bird seed and a small smear of peanut butter in the trap. At about 3 in the morning I came downstairs into the kitchen for some reason, and I heard a scratching. Sure enough, in the morning when I moved the stove and checked the trap, there he was: small and motionless, huddled in a corner of the trap.

Took him to a nearby open area with forest and released him. Nice end to the story. Previously, I'd tried other live-catch traps (the small plastic rectangular ones), but they never worked, and I thought I was destined to have to kill the poor creatures to get rid of them.

I have read in other reviews here, that these traps work at first, then fail to do so after a time. Perhaps...and that's why I gave 4 stars, not 5; I've only used it once. Another reviewer mentioned that one of the mice she'd caught figured out how to get back out of the trap by jimmying the teeter-totter. Maybe that explains another reviewer's complaint that the trap worked at first, but not after.

Anyway, I'm happy that my former boarder is now alive somewhere--but no longer in my house. I will try to post another review once I've had a chance to test whether or not the trap will continue to work.

...Update: Aug. 1:

Unfortunately, I've still caught only the one mouse. And, encouraged by catching a mouse the first night, I bought two more traps, baited them the same as the first one, and placed them where the droppings were: in a cupboard, right along the wall. Next day, mouse droppings around and on top of the traps, but no mice inside. Over the next few days the same thing happened: mouse droppings, but no mouse in the trap. I remembered that other reviewers had said the same thing: that the trap worked at first, but eventually stopped working. I also noticed that some of the bait I used (bird seed) was outside the trap, which suggests that they've figured out how to get in and out with some of the bait. However, there was plenty still inside the trap, along with all the peanut butter. Puzzling.

After more research online, I ordered three "Smart Mouse Traps", the ones that look like little green plastic houses, because they got 4 of 5 stars from over 200 reviewers, and because they are officially endorsed by PITA. I'm going to keep trying with the Tin Cat traps, but hope that the Smart Mouse traps arrive soon. Will update in a few days.

Oh...one more thing: I read a humane mouse trap review by a PHD student, who reported that a friend of his, another PHD student (in ecology) told him that house mice were very unlikely to survive in a forest or field, and that, therefore, the most humane way to get of house mice was to kill them quickly--like with a trap that breaks their neck! If what the ecology student said is true, then catch and release may not be so humane after all! Nonetheless, I'm still going to try to catch the mice and release them--but I think I will consult an expert re: whether or not house mice can survive in the field, as well.