Are cage traps a good option for mice?

In general, cage traps aren't a good option for mice. They do catch mice, but they are not necessarily humane, because you can't relocate a trapped mouse outside and expect it to live. Furthermore, a mouse in a trap can quickly die due to dehydration or stress/exhaustion, and thus if you do use cage traps for mice, you must check them very frequently, like every 12 hours. If you fail to do this, it is far less humane than a snap trap.

Snap traps are much more practical, as they can be set in the dozens, and in the tight areas where mice roam. As always, the type of trapping matters much less than the real important work - the home inspection, and repairs to any and all mouse entry holes.



Cage traps are an alternative when it comes to rodent control programs. This is a better choice than the snap traps, the glue traps as well as the mouse baits. There are many ways to capture different mice using the cage traps. Every trap has its own unique characteristics and this makes them desirable to the different customers in different places. The use of live mouse traps in a rodent control program is an alternative to using snap traps, glue traps or mouse baits.

There are operators who handle mouse control in warehouses, food handling operations and the restaurants that use the cage traps to trap multiple mice at a time. Such traps can be used at a time to hold a number of mice without the need to empty and reset the device. When to use the cage traps: The cage traps should be used when:
  • Poison baits prove to be a potential hazard to pets, children and other wildlife
  • Rodent baits aren’t allowed because of food contamination risks
  • Where the rodents show shyness to bait
  • Dead rodents can cause odor in places that need to be kept odor free
What to do after the mice have been trapped - After you have caught the mice using a cage trap, you need to empty the cage. The best thing about cages is that more often, they can be reused over and over again making them very cost effective. When you are handling the cages, you need to make sure that you wear some gloves so as to avoid getting any kind of contamination. Protective clothing is a must when you are handling a wild animal of any kind because of the potential risk of coming into contact with pathogens that can cause ailments.

There are some who decide to live trap the mice so as to kill them in a humane way in some other place. This should be determined by the laws that are in the area that you live in. before you trap or kill a mouse, you will need to know the regulations that are in place.

You can also choose to relocate the mice in an area that is further away. However, more often than not, the mice are not able to survive in the wild.

Go back to the How to get rid of mice in the attic home page. You might also want to read about how to kill mice and why the use of snap traps is better than mouse poison. Read an analysis of the different types of traps and how to use them on the how to trap mice page. Learn why bait is not as important as trap type, placement and location. Also read a full analysis of mouse repellent to understand why it never works. If you see droppings and want to identify them, read the mouse poop page. If you need to hire professional help, read about how much does mouse removal cost? or you can read this site to learn how to do it yourself. Feel free to email me about Are cage traps a good option for mice?

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