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It’s what designers and engineers joke about — some dude invented the mousetrap as we know it in 1897, and it’s continued to weather the slings and arrows of new inventions for more than 100 years.
Now, designer Onedown might be giving The Little Nipper a run for its money.
This pretty vase-like object is Onedown’s new proposal for a mousetrap. To set it, the user turns the vase on its side and places a bit of bait in the belly of the trap.
Mousey crawls in and tips the balance of the trap. The bulb moves upwards, and the mouse is trapped until a person comes by to set it free. Brilliant, right?
Found via Core77.
Now we just need to know if it actually works.
Brilliant! And I see so much less potential for accidentally cutting off a mouse’s tail than with other “humane” mouse traps.
Also, I’d like to take a moment to remind everyone that humane mousetraps are only humane if you check them regularly. If you don’t, the mouse will starve to death, or may even have a heart attack.
I love this! We have what we believe are native mice in our kitchen – they never touch our food or anything, but they do make a mess! We’ve tried other human traps which have worked for a while, but then the mice got too clever, so I’ve been looking for some humane alternatives.
Also, you can make a humane trap that follows the same principle by placing a paint stick 60% on a kitchen counter, with a piece of bait at the end hanging off the counter. Below the paint stick, place a empty trash can, bucket, any kind of container, and check back later.
Also, if you do humanely catch mice, you have to release them wellllll away from your house. They are smart little buggers and will find their way back in!
I was wondering about the release. What are you supposed to do with a mouse once you catch it??? It’s a clever idea, but not practical for the city, or suburbs. I would have to drive it out to a rural area, and I don’t think I want to be a mouse chauffer. Any ideas?
Do you have a park nearby? That’s where I’ve always released mice.
Yes, but I live in the city, so parks are still too close to homes. Except maybe some areas near the river… It’s still a car drive. Oh well!
But also remember that legally, at least in the state of California, wild animals (even mice) can not be relocated more than 100 feet from the location where they were found. Not only is it illegal to release them far away, but it can also be detrimental to their health… Relocating animals can cause problems with the new ecosystem and the animals can starve if they don’t know where to find food. Not to mention, removing a mouse or rat or whatever doesn’t solve the problem of mice getting into a house. If one got in, others will come if there is a food source there.
I think this is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing. I hope everyone finds a humane way to catch and release mice.
We’ve used something similar.
You have to make sure to remember to check them daily and take them up when you’re going to be away. Once we came back from vacation and found a dead mouse in the tip trap. Poor thing had starved. I felt really bad. :-/
We have tip traps too but they are ugly compared to these! These are awesome!
that is far more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing than the regular mousetrap
I found it giggly that this article about catching mice was authored by someone named Cat.
I love this idea. I nearly lost it on my mother when she got spring-loaded traps for their mousey problems. I need to recommend this to her!
Also reduces pinched human toes from hidden traps. WIN.
A lot nicer than glue traps. I used to hate coming across a poor mouse struggling on them at work.
Also, one time, they had a fire drill at work (I’m a teacher) and on the way out, one of the Ed Assistants stepped on a glue trap with each foot. She was so mortified that she wouldn’t go out with the traps stuck to her feet, so she had the kindergarten teacher trying to pull them off.
In the UK, it is technically illegal to release ‘vermin’ into the wild, so while these are freat (and you would probably get away with it) I’m not sure that they’re 100% practical.
Where can I buy this?!?
Not yet available for purchase. 🙁 But I hope soon! If I find out, I’ll let everyone know.
I made a trap when I was 9 years old. All I did was use an old aquarium and some yummy smelling food (fruit) and made a ramp to the top of the aquarium on the outside. so when the mouse (or actually in my case my Hamster on the loose) jump in it can’t get out. The reason I made this trap was that the hamster had gotten under the kitchen cabinets and I really couldnt get to it, and my mom wanted to but up a mouse trap to kill it instead. But luckely for the hamster it went in my trap 🙂
I don’t want to be a downer, but mice have territories too. If you release a mouse you caught in your house, it will probably a) be in another mouse’s territory and be forced into an un-fun nomadic existence, b) die because it is in an unsuitable habitat (too cold, not enough food, too much competition), c) return to your house or d) move into someone else’s house. It seems mean, but a quick ‘snap!’ is sometimes the most humane end for the poor little verminlings. Mice can carry nasty stuff, including plague, rabies and hantavirus, so please be careful when you’re transporting mice and don’t release them where they’ll get into someone else’s home!
Wouldn’t the mouse be able to get out if it just went back the way it came and rocked the vase back on its side?
My cat used to bring live mice in and turn them loose. We quickly learned that rodents will skirt the walls, all we needed to do was place a rubber boot along the wall usher the mouse or what ever that direction, to them it looks like a safe cave they will head straight into the boot. Once the rodent is in the boot, take it outside and release the mouse a safe distance from the house.
Give the cat some stink eye stares for the rest of the evening.