Thanks for the suggestion that were posted after my inquiry.

Well I've tried the string with the peanut butter trick. The foot plate
comes with a hole at the end so it was easy to thread a short length of
cotton kite string through the hole, tie a square knot in it, and cut
the string leaving about 3/8" tails beyond the knot. I really worked
the peanut butter into the threads of the string and put a healthy dab
on the area around the hole and toothed part of the foot plate. I've
had 2 failures. Both times the string and foot plate look as though
they were put through a dish washer! That's one agile tongue on that
critter!

I know that the trap can snap, because very gentle pressure with the end
of a screw driver, or even a firm nudge of the entire trap causes it to
snap.

I know that I've got something bigger than insects because just
yesterday I clearly heard loud fast scratching sounds coming from behind
the wallboard on the common wall between the garage (where I've set the
trap) and my dining room. They stopped immediately after I pounded the
wall once with my fist.

On to the piece of chicken as bait. If that doesn't work, I think that
I'm going to have to try a different type of trap. Unfortunately, when
I read the on-line user comments about the other common types, there are
many complaints for all of them about failing to catch anything but
droppings.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:58:31 -0500, Peter wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion that were posted after my inquiry.

Well I've tried the string with the peanut butter trick. The foot plate
comes with a hole at the end so it was easy to thread a short length of
cotton kite string through the hole, tie a square knot in it, and cut
the string leaving about 3/8" tails beyond the knot. I really worked
the peanut butter into the threads of the string and put a healthy dab
on the area around the hole and toothed part of the foot plate. I've
had 2 failures. Both times the string and foot plate look as though
they were put through a dish washer! That's one agile tongue on that
critter!

I know that the trap can snap, because very gentle pressure with the end
of a screw driver, or even a firm nudge of the entire trap causes it to
snap.

I know that I've got something bigger than insects because just
yesterday I clearly heard loud fast scratching sounds coming from behind
the wallboard on the common wall between the garage (where I've set the
trap) and my dining room. They stopped immediately after I pounded the
wall once with my fist.

On to the piece of chicken as bait. If that doesn't work, I think that
I'm going to have to try a different type of trap. Unfortunately, when
I read the on-line user comments about the other common types, there are
many complaints for all of them about failing to catch anything but
droppings.

I used the cheap Victor traps when I had a mouse infestation and had
no problem killing mice. Maybe 1 of 20 tripped traps empty.
Peanut butter or cheese.
The real solution was thorough cleaning and strict rules about food.
Sealed all holes too, but if there's food they'll make new ones.
They'll pull steel wool out strand by strand, so forget that unless
you add an adhesive to the wool.
Came home from work one day, and saw what I thought was broken crayon
pieces on the floor inside the entrance door.
Thought one of the kids did it.
A bit later I was horsing around with the wife and the recent baby and
ran into the hallway with the baby.
Caught sight of the last mouse running from the door to hide behind
the step carpeting.
Got a broom and killed him.
Wasn't crayon on the floor, but the bottom door seal.
It was about 10 degrees outside, but that mouse was trying to get
outside of my house by chewing through the door seal.
He knew it was no place to be, even if it was warm.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:

I used the cheap Victor traps when I had a mouse infestation and had
no problem killing mice. Maybe 1 of 20 tripped traps empty.
Peanut butter or cheese.

I would frequently have the peanut butter eaten off of the trap, with the
baitholder left clean as a whistle.

Then I did two things: I increased the sensitivity of the traps by adjusting
the lever arm catch, and I thickened up the peanut butter with a little bit
of flour.

I never had a mouse get away with the bait again.

Jon

Jon Danniken wrote:
Vic Smith wrote:

I used the cheap Victor traps when I had a mouse infestation and had
no problem killing mice. Maybe 1 of 20 tripped traps empty.
Peanut butter or cheese.

I would frequently have the peanut butter eaten off of the trap, with
the baitholder left clean as a whistle.

Then I did two things: I increased the sensitivity of the traps by
adjusting the lever arm catch, and I thickened up the peanut butter
with a little bit of flour.

I never had a mouse get away with the bait again.


I had good luck with raisens well stuck on the trap.

On 11/30/2010 1:46 AM, Larry Fishel wrote:
On Nov 29, 1:58 pm, wrote:
I know that I've got something bigger than insects because just
yesterday I clearly heard loud fast scratching sounds coming from behind
the wallboard on the common wall between the garage (where I've set the
trap) and my dining room. They stopped immediately after I pounded the
wall once with my fist.

I have discovered that cockroaches can make surprisingly load
scratching sounds that sound very much like a rat scratching or
chewing on something.
I doubt that the problem is roaches. First of all, I've never seen one
live or dead in this house or in the garage; and this house, built in
1970, is not so tight that they would be kept out of the living spaces
if they were in the walls.

I saw some Tomcat spin traps on sale today (2 for $3.25) and figured
I'll try them. Not a big investment. I've baited one with peanut
butter as recommended on the box and set it where the snap-trap had been
keeping some critter well fed for a week or 2 (on the floor of the
garage, up against the inside front wall of the garage, about 1 foot
from the garage door rail. We'll see what happens next.

On Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:27:31 -0500, Peter wrote:

On 11/30/2010 1:46 AM, Larry Fishel wrote:
On Nov 29, 1:58 pm, wrote:
I know that I've got something bigger than insects because just
yesterday I clearly heard loud fast scratching sounds coming from behind
the wallboard on the common wall between the garage (where I've set the
trap) and my dining room. They stopped immediately after I pounded the
wall once with my fist.

I have discovered that cockroaches can make surprisingly load
scratching sounds that sound very much like a rat scratching or
chewing on something.
I doubt that the problem is roaches. First of all, I've never seen one
live or dead in this house or in the garage; and this house, built in
1970, is not so tight that they would be kept out of the living spaces
if they were in the walls.

I saw some Tomcat spin traps on sale today (2 for $3.25) and figured
I'll try them. Not a big investment. I've baited one with peanut
butter as recommended on the box and set it where the snap-trap had been
keeping some critter well fed for a week or 2 (on the floor of the
garage, up against the inside front wall of the garage, about 1 foot
from the garage door rail. We'll see what happens next.

Never found mice hard to trap.
One night in my ma's house caught about a dozen in a cigar box trap I
made.
Just cut a door in one side and screwed a bent piece of tin to cover
the cutout when the box was closed.
Used an almost straightened bobby pin to prop it open at the end away
from the cutout, the bottom of the bobby pin stuck through a little
piece of cheese.
I could either hear the box close or I'd check once in a while.
They were pretty bold mice.
I dumped them in a high cardboard box sitting on a chair.
Figured I'd let them loose somewhere, and spare their lives.
Fell asleep on the couch and when I got up there was a hole chewed
through the cardboard box and they were all gone.
*******s.
That's when I said "No mercy" and took to using Victor traps.
Maybe you're not dealing with mice, but some kind of alien species.
Be careful.

--Vic