How To Set A Mouse Trap

Setting a mouse trap properly is quite a simple task. That said, a steady hand and a semi-strong stomach are required.

Spring-loaded mouse traps, the classic wooden and metal traps we all know can be a bit scary to set. The fear of snapping your fingers in the trap is always lurking in the back of your mind. And so it should be.

In this piece, we give you the rundown on how to set a mouse trap quick, fast, and properly.

4 Steps To Set A Mouse Trap

To set a mouse trap safely and properly, there are a few simple steps that must be followed. 

Here they are:

1. Inspect And Prepare The Mouse Trap

Before you get ahead of yourself, inspecting and preparing your mouse traps for setting and placing them is the first step. Typically, a staple or some other sort of packaging holds the snap wire (or trap mechanism) in place. Removing this packaging allows you to then pull the snap wire back and arm the trap.

2. Add Bait To The Mouse Trap

Bait must be added to the mouse trap before setting it and placing it in your home. To do so, simply place a piece of bait onto the trigger area. Be sure to use something that is sticky such as peanut butter or honey. The reason being so that the bait does not fall off or get stolen by pests.

Or you can check out these commercial mouse baits.

That said, also make sure that you place your bait as far from the trap’s spring as possible. Failing to do so can result in the trap prematurely triggering (perhaps even on your fingers) as well as allowing rodents to escape with the bait (instead of being trapped).

3. Set The Mouse Trap’s Trigger

Though most mouse traps are designed in a similar fashion, new traps come out each year. For the sake of this article, we are referring to traditional spring and trigger snap traps. 

Here are the simple steps to arming the mouse traps’ trigger:

  • Pull the snap wire back until it is laying on top of the lock bar.
  • Take the lock bar and lodge it under the trigger hook.
  • Release the pressure on the snap wire and allow the snap wire to press up onto the lock back
  • Now your trigger is armed and ready.

The end of the trap with the trigger and the bait should be slightly lifted by now. Practice caution while removing the pressure from the snap wire and keep your fingers away from the snapping end of the trap.

You may require several attempts before you get the mouse trap set the first time. But, have no fear, once you master this simple little process, it will be smooth sailing from then on out.

4. Properly Place the Mouse Trap

Last but not least, once your mousetrap is baited and set properly, it is time to place the trap in the right place. The best areas to set mouse traps are obviously the routes most frequently traveled by the pests. Additionally, setting traps near food sources and water will go a long way as well.

Here are a few of the best places to set your mouse traps:

  • Holes and entryways into your home’s foundation
  • Attics
  • Basements and crawlspaces
  • Garages
  • Storage rooms
  • Outbuildings
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Underneath and behind appliances (washer, drier, dishwasher, and fridge)
  • Sheds, barns, and other outbuildings
  • Yards

Furthermore, make sure that you place the mouse traps in areas that are safe from your pets, children, and family members or visitors to your home. Also, keep in mind that the more confined the space that you place your trap is, the more it restricts the movement of mice. That means they are more likely to get caught in your traps.

Setting The Trap

Setting a mouse trap is a pretty easy thing to do. However, the first few times you attempt baiting, setting, and placing one, it may be a bit challenging if you are scared to snap your fingers shut in it (which you should be).

After you get the hang of it, though, setting mouse traps in the future will be easy as one, two, three.