About electric mouse traps
What is an electronic mouse trap?
An electronic mouse trap is a device that kills mice with a powerful electric shock. These enclosed traps can be baited to attract mice inside, where a metal plate zaps and kills them in a matter of seconds.
Electronic mouse traps are usually highly effective, rapidly and humanely killing any rodent that wanders inside. They can also be emptied and reset quickly, so they can be used to clear large numbers of mice from your home.
The main benefit of using an electronic mouse killer over traditional methods of rodent extermination, however, is safety. Poisons and mechanical traps (such as snap traps) may have great success in eradicating mice from your property, but both are hazardous to have around your home. Poisons are toxic to pets and humans if accidentally swallowed, and snap traps can easily be triggered by mistake, causing injury.
Electronic mouse traps, on the other hand, are designed to contain the kill in a way that presents no threat to kids and non-target animals. Many are inactive when open and the entrances are designed to keep paws and fingers out. Clean-up is also much easier than with traditional methods of extermination, requiring no handling of the dead rodent at all. The mouse is killed and kept inside the trap, so can simply be tipped into the trash afterward.
An electronic mouse trap can be a highly effective, humane and hassle-free way of ridding your home of rodents.
Who uses electronic mouse traps?
Electronic mouse traps are favored by two types of people; those with pets and children in their home and those who wish to make rodent extermination as easy and mess-free as possible.
By removing any need for poisons or (potentially dangerous) mechanical traps, a mouse zapper can safely rid your home of pests. Clean-up is also very simple and eliminates any need to touch (or, in some models, even see) the dead mouse. If you’re squeamish about handling dead rodents, this is the ideal purchase!
Domestic use
- Families with small children: Many electronic mouse traps have a safety switch that renders them inactive when open. They are also designed in such a way that prevents fingers from being inserted inside, making them completely child-proof!
- People with pets: Electronic mouse killers usually only have one access point at the front of the trap. This entry hole is only big enough to admit rodents and will often be fitted with flaps to prevent paws from being stuck inside. If you have a cat or dog in your home, this can prevent them from injuring themselves, which is often a risk with mechanical traps.
- People with indoor infestations of mice: Electrocution mouse traps are highly effective for indoor use and can quickly dispatch any mice that have taken up residence in your home. They also contain the rodent inside, making clean-up incredibly easy. This is preferable to poisoning, which gives you no control over where the mouse dies. In many cases, they may wander off and perish in an inaccessible location, leaving a terrible odor in your home!
- People who don’t want to deal with dead mice: If you’d rather not handle dead rodents, an electronic mouse trap is an elegant solution. These devices are very simple to empty and require no ‘hands-on’ action whatsoever – just slide the mouse into the trash.
Commercial use
- If you need a mouse trap for a commercial space, electronic rodent control could be the answer! An electronic mouse trap is the safest way to deal with mice and necessitates no use of toxic substances or potentially hazardous mechanical traps.
- If you have mice in an area that receives a lot of traffic from the general public, this is the best way to ensure their safety and comfort.
- Electronic mouse traps are also a more discreet way of dealing with the problem. By containing the kill inside a sealed chamber, these traps can keep dead rodents out of sight and out of the way.
How do electronic mouse traps work?
Electronic mouse traps can be a highly effective method of removing rodents from your home. These enclosed devices work by delivering a powerful electric shock to any mouse that wanders inside, quickly and humanely killing the critter.
The shock is quick and strong enough to instantly end the mouse, ensuring no escapes and a 100% kill rate. Many models are also equipped with LED lights, which blink to indicate a capture.
This method of pest control removes any need for poison or mechanical traps, which are less humane and can be potentially hazardous to kids and pets. Electronic mouse traps are, nevertheless, a highly effective way of clearing infestations from your home, and can eradicate mice in a matter of days!
Use electronic mouse traps instead of
Electronic mouse traps can be an attractive alternative to…
Poison
Poisoned bait can be a highly effective way of removing an infestation of mice from your property, especially if you’re dealing with large numbers of rodents. However, there are many reasons why you may choose to avoid this method of extermination.
Firstly, rodenticides can present a significant risk to children and pets in your household. They can be highly toxic if accidentally swallowed, and great care must be taken to ensure they are kept safely out of harm’s way.
Another reason to choose a zapper mouse trap over poison is that it makes cleanup much, much easier. Rodenticide gives you little control over where the mice die in your house and they may well go back to their nests to do so. These are often in inaccessible locations (such as in wall cavities, or behind skirting boards) and the dead mice will cause a horrible smell. Electronic mouse traps, on the other hand, contain the mouse inside an easy-to-clean chamber, so you can quickly remove them.
Mechanical traps
Mechanical traps, such as snap traps, are also a good way to dispatch rodents on your property. They are an effective way of humanely killing mice and can be cleaned and re-baited quickly.
However, they can also cause injury if accidentally triggered. This is easily done during re-baiting, and can lead to snapped fingers! Snap traps must be handled with great care and, of course, kept well out of reach of children and pets.
Electronic mouse traps are much safer to have around the house and are carefully designed to make accidental injury virtually impossible. They also remove any need to handle the mouse once it’s dead, unlike snap traps.
Humane traps
Humane traps don’t use poison, snaps or electricity – they are, in fact, perfectly harmless to mice. These enclosed chambers have a mechanism that, once triggered by a mouse, closes a door behind it, trapping the mouse inside. The mouse can then be physically removed from your property, to be released at a site away from the nest.
This process, while kinder, is time-consuming and requires a greater input of effort than any other method of rodent removal. It may be a good way to remove just one or two mice from your home but is unlikely to be effective if you’re dealing with an infestation.
Electronic mouse trap buying guide
- Are you dealing with mice, or something bigger?
- Do you have children or pets in your home?
- How big is your infestation?
Rats, or mice?
The first thing to consider when buying an electronic mouse trap is what type of rodents you’re dealing with. Traps designed to dispatch mice will often be far too small to admit rats, or will deliver a shock that isn’t sufficient to finish them off. If you have larger rodents invading your property, buy a trap with a larger entrance that delivers a jolt of 8000 V or more.
Safety
One of the main benefits of using an electronic mouse trap in your home is that they are, comparatively, much safer to have around than poisons or mechanical traps. The risk of accidental injury is minimal, as most traps are cleverly designed to prevent fingers or paws from coming into contact with the metal plates inside. Most are also designed to be inactive when open, further reducing the risk of mishaps. If you have children or pets in your home, look for an electronic mouse trap with the following safety features:
- Tunnel design
- Safety switch
Kill capacity
How many rodents do you have to exterminate? If you think you only have a couple of mice, a battery-operated mouse trap should be sufficient for your needs. However, if you have been invaded by a large infestation of rodents, it’s a good idea to look for a trap that includes a plug-in adaptor. Using your electronic mouse trap with mains electricity will not only improve the reliability of your device, but it will also eliminate any need to change the batteries. If you want to use your trap over a long period of time, this is far more cost-effective!
Space out your electronic mouse traps
If you’re using more than one electronic mouse trap, make sure you space them out properly. If you’re trying to catch mice, place the traps no more than 12 feet apart. Rats typically venture further away from their nests, so you can place traps intended for rats between 15 and 50 feet apart.
Main features
- Safety switch: A well-designed electronic mouse trap will be equipped with a safety switch that renders the device inactive when open. This is an important safety feature, especially if you have children or pets in your household, and can prevent injury from accidental electrocution.
- Zap plates: Every electric mouse trap has a means of delivering an electric shock. The zap is delivered by metal plates on the floor of the contraption, which is triggered to release a jolt when a mouse sits on top of them. In most models, these plates are not reachable from the entrance, preventing injury to any paws or fingers that might be stuck inside.
- Tunnel design: A tunnel design is a feature of most electronic mouse traps and ensures they are safe to have around pets and children. This design has the electrified metal plates at the very back of the chamber, so mice and rats have to walk down a tunnel to reach them (and the bait). This keeps all electrified elements well out of reach of paws and fingers!
Additional features
- Internal structures: Some models (such as the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap) are fitted with internal structures. The main purpose of these is to hold the rodent securely in place during electrocution, guaranteeing a clean kill. This can significantly reduce the escape-rate, making your trap more effective and more humane.
- Bait cup: A bait cup can be a handy feature, providing a convenient place to leave bait. This can direct the rodent exactly where you want him to go, unlike models where bait is simply left along the back wall of the trap. This can ensure a more direct hit from the metal plates, effectively zapping your mouse and killing it quickly.
- Plug-in adaptor: Many electronic mice traps are powered by batteries. This can be inconvenient if you are trying to exterminate large numbers of mice, or if you’re facing larger rodents (such as rats). Batteries can run out quickly, or may even deliver an insufficient zap, leaving critters stunned but able to recover and escape. Finding an electric mouse trap with a plug-in adaptor can be the best way to ensure the continued effectiveness of the trap. This way, you can rest assured that your trap will deliver a reliably powerful zap each and every time. A plug-in adaptor also removes any need to replace the batteries in your trap, which can save you money in the long run – especially if you plan to use your trap for an extended period of time!
Top brands you can trust
- Victor: Victor is a market favorite when it comes to electronic mouse traps. This company has a strong reputation for producing reliable, high-quality traps, and their clever design ensures a 100% kill rate. This makes Victor electronic mouse traps both effective and humane, while their built-in safety switch makes them suitable for use even in houses with small children.
- PestZilla: If you’re up against something bigger than your average mouse, you’ll need a heavy-duty trap to deal with it! Electric traps designed for mice are often not large (or powerful) enough to eliminate rats and usually simply stun the creatures, allowing them to escape. PestZilla is one company that builds traps to accommodate larger rodents. The bigger entry holes are large enough to admit rats, squirrels, and chipmunks, and the device can be used with mains electricity for a reliably powerful zap every time.
Did you know…?
The first electronic mouse trap was invented in 2000 by Bob Noe. Subsequent models have taken many different shapes, the most memorable of which was actually shaped as a cat. Nowadays, most electronic rat traps have a simple box design and are very easy (and effective) to use!
So, how can you get the most from your electronic rat trap?
Electric mouse trap usage tips
- Keep bait fresh and appealing – Keep an eye on your bait! If it gets dusty, musty or moldy it will begin to lose its appeal to mice. If they aren’t tempted inside, you won’t catch any. Change your bait every few days to ensure the effectiveness of your electronic mouse trap.
- Choose your bait carefully – To tempt mice inside the trap, choose a bait that appeals to them. This can be anything with a high protein content – try cheese, peanuts or peanut butter for the best results!
- Place the trap along main rodent trails – Placement is everything when it comes to using mouse traps on your property and can seriously impact their effectiveness.
Mice don’t stray far from their nests so, if you don’t set the trap near areas with high levels of activity, you’re unlikely to catch anything! Place your electronic mouse trap along main rodent trails in your house (such as along skirting boards, behind furniture or near holes).
- Tempt shy mice – If you have smart mice, they may be reluctant to enter the electric mouse trap when you first place it in your home. To encourage them inside, you can try leaving the trap baited (but turned off) for a few days. This will teach them to enter the trap without fear. Once you have them tricked, simply turn on the power and wait for your first capture!
- Keep your electronic mouse trap dry – Many electronic mouse traps are not waterproof and must be kept dry. This makes most of them unsuitable for outdoor use, as getting them wet can cause them to stop working. Keep your electronic mouse trap in a dry, sheltered place to ensure its continued effectiveness!
- Keep your electronic mouse trap clean – Dust and dirt can cause problems with your electronic mouse trap. This is because debris can interfere with the electric circuit, preventing the trap from triggering when there is a rodent inside. If you find that mice are more often escaping than being zapped, it may be time to give your trap a thorough clean.
- Replace batteries as needed – If you buy a trap that runs off battery power, it is important to keep an eye on the juice. Most models will have a red, blinking light to indicate when batteries are running low and need to be changed. It is vital that batteries are changed as soon as necessary, or you may find that your mice are more often stunned than killed!
- Use a Q-tip or toothpick to bait traps – Use a Q-tip or toothpick to bait your traps to avoid leaving your own scent in there. This can deter mice and rats from going inside, meaning you’re less likely to catch anything if you bait traps using your bare hand!
To conclude
An electronic mouse trap can be an elegant solution to an infestation, quickly and humanely killing rodents with no mess or fuss. Electric traps are often far safer to have around the house than traditional methods of extermination and are incredibly easy to set up and maintain. Best of all, there’s no need to touch the rodent once it’s dead, making this the best method of removing mice from around your home!