Put that in your mousetrap: mice don't like cheese

AFP ^ | 09/06/06

[presidio9]

Mice, contrary to popular belief and cartoons like Tom and Jerry, don't actually like cheese, British researchers said after studying their diet and those of other animals.

Instead, the tiny rodents prefer foods with a high sugar content like grains and fruit and would turn their noses up at something as strong in smell and rich in taste as cheese, scientists in Manchester in northwest England said.

Animal behaviourist David Holmes, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "Clearly the supposition of mice liking cheese is a popular premise. Mice have evolved almost entirely without cheese or anything resembling it.

"Mice respond to the smell, texture and taste of food and cheese is something that would not be available to them in their natural environment" and therefore they would not respond to it.

[cripplecreek]

Peanut butter is my bait of choice. It sticks to the pan causing Mr Mouse to dilly dally with it then SNAP!!!

[TommyDale]

Peanut butter ALWAYS works.

[eastsider]

Reese's Pieces for the meeses!

[unspun]

But don't sheeople like cheese?

Moose?

[Tokra]

According to an exterminator friend of mine, the best thing to put in a mousetrap is not cheese or peanut butter or any food product. He says put lint or cotton in the trap.

If you put peanut butter or cheese in the trap you are going to catch a male mouse who is out hunting for food. You can kill males by the dozens, but if you leave one female alive - you are going to continue to have a mouse problem.

If you use cotton or lint you are going to catch a pregnant female who is out looking for nesting material to have her litter in.

By killing the pregnant females - you will stop the infestation at its source. Kill all the females and the mice will die out after a while. Kill the males and you will have mice forever.

Made perfect sense to me.

Better living through science!

[Williams]

Not so fast! I've caught mice with cheese. Now why do people "think" mice like cheese? Because however they evolved, mice often inhabit HOMES and eat what humans leave unprotected. Undoubtedly cheese once was an item commonly left out, which mice would - eat. Also, certain cheeses are very sweet.

The thing they really love is glue traps.

[metmom]

Exactly. We're doing that right now, as a matter of fact. PB is all we've ever used.

[nuke rocketeer]

Absolutely!!!PB always works.

[cripplecreek]

The natural habitat of mice is behind the fridge or in the cupboard.

[Williams]

"Kill the males and you will have mice forever."

The mice have artificial insemination?

[metmom]

Great idea! I'll have to give it a try.

[AnAmericanMother]

A refinement is to take half of a Nutter Butter cookie and stick it to the trap pan with peanut butter.

Now THAT is the mother of all bait!

We have caught 2 1/4 rats so far with it. Big rats. (One got away but left his tail in the trap.)

[proudofthesouth]

Learn something new every day!

[OneWingedShark]

But would it work better if you mixed in some sugar?

[metmom]

BTW, I've had the traps licked clean. A friend suggested tying a string, like dental floss, through the part where you put the bait on and THEN covering it with the PB. That way they snag the string and then SNAP!!!

[evets]

I use cheese in my moosetrap.

[batter]

Peanut butter

Best by far. That's also what we used when I did 'small mammal' trapping for a biology class.

[batter]

I was waiting for the moose reference. Now where are the cheese pics?

[Colorado Mike]

Mice don't like cheese? I wonder how much this gem cost the UK taxpayer?