Glue Traps vs Snap Traps: The Best Way to Keep Your Home Rodent-Free

If you see a rat or mouse scurrying around your home, your first thought is likely how you can get rid of it. Often, people turn to traps in this situation. Everyone has heard of mouse traps before, so they believe setting one up is as easy as setting cheese on a trap and waiting. But there’s a bit more complexity to mouse and rat traps than that. You’ll have to decide what trap to use and where to place it for the most effective removal. To help you during this process, we’ll go over glue traps vs snap traps, so you can be fully informed in your decision.

The Differences between Glue Traps vs Snap Trap

Glue and snap traps are the most common rodent traps available to the average homeowner. While both can be effective and are chemical-free solutions, you’ll want to know the pros and cons of each before you head to the store.

Snap Traps: Pros & Cons

Snap traps usually quickly kill the rodent if the trap is properly triggered. These traps work by quickly snapping the rodent’s neck or back to provide an instant death. People prefer these traps due to their efficiency, reusability, and affordability.

But there are some cons to this trap. For example, if it’s not properly triggered, it can instead catch its tail or limbs, leaving it alive and in pain. This factor alone may deter some from using these types of traps. Other cons are that you have to monitor the trap constantly and dispose of the body in order to use it again. It’s also possible for these traps to not trigger at all, leaving you with a rodent problem who managed to steal a snack from you.

Glue Traps: Pros & Cons

People who are averse to cleaning up the trap may gravitate towards a glue trap. Not only are these traps cheaper than snap traps, but they also allow you to throw away the entire trap rather than trying to clean up the pest. However, if you have multiple rodents in your home, you’ll have to buy multiple traps since you can’t reuse them.

A big deterrent for glue traps is the fact that they don’t provide a quick death. It can be a slow and noisy process as the mouse or rat struggles to get free. Death is usually caused by suffocation, starvation, stress, or dehydration, but this process can take up to five days.

How to Use Rodent Traps

If you buy a trap, you can’t just place it anywhere and hope for the best. You’ll have to put it (or even more than one) in a strategic location. Here are some of our tips for using rodent traps:

• Ensure you place the traps in areas where you have seen rodent activity, such as along walls, edges, and small, dark areas.
• Place traps where you have seen rodent droppings, nesting materials, or gnawing damage.
• Don’t place glue traps in dusty areas or very hot areas where the glue may melt.
• Check the traps often or you may have to deal with the smell of dead mice.
• Place traps where children or pets won’t come into contact with them.

Risks of DIY Traps

There are risks to using traps yourself. Both types of traps can be a hazard to small children or pets, as they could become stuck on a glue trap or snapped by a snap trap. They are also indiscriminate, so they may kill or hurt other wildlife in the area. If a child, other wildlife, or pet gets stuck in a glue trap, they can be released with cooking oil.

If you’re using a snap trap, take them to a doctor or vet to ensure nothing is broken or stitches aren’t needed. If you have used the snap trap before, you’ll want to have your doctor check for any rodent-borne diseases.

You also want to keep in mind that DIY traps don’t actually treat the problem. While they may be effective if there’s just one stray rodent in the home, traps cannot remove an infestation alone. Rodents produce too quickly and require a professional to remove nests and food sources fully.

How to Humanely Remove Rodents

If you’d rather not hurt the rodent at all, there are ways to humanely remove and prevent rodents. There are DIY catch-and-release traps that avoid killing the rodent, but a service like pest exclusion can keep rodents out for good—without hurting them too! Exclusion works by sealing off any potential entrances for the rodent. Plus, when you’re having it installed by a rodent control professional, they’ll help remove any existing rodents.

F&W Protects Your Family from Rodents & DIY Pest Solutions

The best way to keep rodents out is through professional rodent control. Our team is experienced in removing rodents from homes and keeping families safe from their presence. Skip the hassle of traps and get in touch with an F&W Pest Control professional today for a free inspection and quote.