Disabling Mousetraps Safely

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I have seen mousetraps in my house before, I know there is one under my kitchen cabinets which I cannot reach (So Luna is never allowed in the kitchen!), my landlady has obviously set a few before we moved in.

Today I've spotted one in the hall cupboard, and it appears to be "set" to go off. I know mice are a common problem in buildings like ours, but we've been here over two years, surely if there's been none in the trap I can get rid of it?

Luna runs in the ball in the hallways and has even escaped her older smaller ball in the hallway before... I am going to be super paranoid after finding this now.

What is a safe way for me to get rid of this trap?

[Pebbles82]

I would get rid of them and bin them. If you do end up with a mouse problem you can get some different type ones. I should have a good check round and make sure there is no rat or mouse poison around or under things as well. It often looks like loose blue granules in some kind of receptacle.

It does sound like it would be an idea to have your hammy in an enclosed playpen for out of cage time.

If you want to disable a set mousetrap (which is a good idea before you pick it up to bin it!) use a pencil or something and poke it in near the "bait" which should set the trap off and it'll trap just the pencil. Once they've gone off they're safe to pick up.

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Would you say this trap is safe right now? The big bar appears to be down, but maybe its the wee one that does the snapping? At home we always used those wee boxes with the poison, so I have no idea how these things work. I have not found any granules in my time living here, just the few traps. And a bunch of moths, but no mice.



I would love to have her in a pen but I am at loss for what would be suitable. She is such a climber and is obsessed with the idea of escape. I think the closest we ever do to a playpen is putting her in the bath when she is being cleaned out. She has a rat sized ball now that she hasn't managed to get out of and has a run at night to try and tone down her energy, and she is handled regularly but will not sit still for a second!

I never get paid on time �� but I should probably invest in some kind of escape proof play pen... I don't want to waste the money if she can get out of it.

[Drago]

I agree with serendipity, if you can dispose of the traps safely, I would. I've seen people put sticks into the trigger of the trap so it's already down and thus won't capture your ham (or fingers!) There's a thread here in the DIY section, on a cheap and secure pen if you want to go check that out Most storebought play pens will be escaped unfortunately. A tub set up with lots of enrichment can actually make an excellent playpen so that's always an idea for getting out excess energy! Best wishes