mouse traps.... :(

[stevie]

so, my dad puts a mouse trap in the grage to kill mice and stop them from chewing wires...and coming in our actual house...i have never liked the idea, in fact i pretty much hate it, because i love animals...
i told him the other day how it is ironic that we have a pet hamster here upstairs that gets pampered and fed everyday...and its almost genetically identical to the mice he tries to kill..

anyway, tonight i stepped into the garage, and opened the fridge, i heard a snap...
i didnt want to look, and i knew what it was, but then i heard some more movement so i looked..
it was a mouse caught in the trap, with its head crushed, and its heart still beating incredibly fast..
i thought, well this might be natural, the heart still beating after the brain is dead..
but after a few seconds it moved and squirmed and SQUEAKED..
damn, i was shocked and felt really bad for the little guy, he looked in so much pain, i had no idea what to do, so i got down and tried to free him, i knew it was a bit dangerous, but i had to do it...
so i let him loose and he got up and lopsidedely walked slowly, limping to behind the place where he probably was hiding originally..
and yes i washed my hands...a small inconveniecne i thought, to save the little guy from some pain.
i know he is probably dead know, and i know you guys probably wont give a crap about it....but it has wierdly affected me emotionally and im almost crying here as i write this.

i had the idea that mousetraps were instant painless deaths, but this was awful and seemed inhumane, im a bit distressed by it and hope other mice dont suffer in the same way...and i hope that mouse didnt suffer as much as he seemed to...

this is really affecting me, am i wierd or what?

 

[thalbergmad]

I feel the same way about animals too. I even got angry when my boss at work killed a bee instead of helping it towards the window.

It gave me some pleasure to read in the news that a swarm of wasps attacked a group of schoolchildren that were kicking the nest.

I remember reading a story about a Tibetan Monk, who claimed never to have killed a living creature in his life. Somebody told him he killed 1000's of microscopic living beings every day just by going to bed and crushing them to death.

I cannot abide cruelty to animals, but can understand cruelty to humans in some cases.

[yamagal]

humane mouse trap:

https://www.veganstore.com/index-store.html?deptid=17068&parentid=7&stocknumber=266&page=1&itemsperpage=12

These really work.  When we had a mouse problem (at our previous home), we used traps similar to the one at link.  Mouse goes in, can't get out till you release it (no need to touch the mouse either).  We would set them free in the woods.  The one at the link is overpriced -- we got similar ones in 3-packs for less.

[pianistimo]

well, i can't say my cat is more humane than the mousetraps.  when she was younger, she would catch one and then watch it try to run away, catch it again, etc. - but always she would leave the remains at the front door as a sort of reminder for any sort of bonus that would come her way for catching mice.

i tend to be a softie, too, so whenever i can, i try to do the same for wild animals.  for instance, i've taken a dog off the road and to a vet after it was run over (and threatened to be run over again), helped a deer get untangled from a fence, and stuff like that.  unfortunately, when you are one of these type of people, your spouse has unexpected bills for an animal he/she doesn't even own.

it's just hard to watch animals suffer.  they have feelings too.  but, with myself having small children, i couldn't let the mouse population take over.  they will bite babies and young children.  so, my solution would be GET A CAT.  cat's, though seemingly inhumane, kill their prey pretty quickly when it comes down to it.

ps  two things i'll never forget.  one was a person that bought several horses, and then neglected them and their bones were sticking out all over.  thankfully, in california, they have animal rescue (these places always need donations).  and, one was a person that went on vacation and left their little puppy out in the heat with no water  and little food.  as thalbergmad says, i think humans should try things that they make their pets go through and see how long they could survive.

[m1469]

humane mouse trap:

https://www.veganstore.com/index-store.html?deptid=17068&parentid=7&stocknumber=266&page=1&itemsperpage=12

These really work.  When we had a mouse problem (at our previous home), we used traps similar to the one at link.  Mouse goes in, can't get out till you release it (no need to touch the mouse either).  We would set them free in the woods.  The one at the link is overpriced -- we got similar ones in 3-packs for less.

Yes, I wanted to mention the same thing that yamagal has.  I used a trap similar to this one and it (eventually) worked like a charm.  Then you can let it go somewhere else.

btw, I don't think it's strange to have been affected by this.


m1469 

[stevie]

hmm, my dad's logic seems to go against this, that if we let them off out on the back field, theyll just keep coming back

anyway, the main distressing thing wasnt the mouses dying, which is bad enough, but the torturous way in which it seems to work...or is this just a faulty trap?

are they supposed to kill it right away or suffocate it or what?

[abell88]

Ideally it snaps their neck and kills instantly...like hanging...but if you had a bad (incompetent) hangman...

[alzado]

Frankly, I agree with you 100%. 

Just leave the poor little things alone -- i.e., the mice.

Put your valuable items that are consumable, such as bird seed or whatever, in secure metal containers so the mice cannot damage them.

But you are not controlling the situation.  Your dad is.

But I DO agree with you.

[leahcim]

anyway, the main distressing thing wasnt the mouses dying, which is bad enough, but the torturous way in which it seems to work...or is this just a faulty trap?

Yeah the traps do that sometimes.

Once upon a time we left our patio doors open over night and a couple of times we've got a mouse inside which would then spend the next few nights scampering away behind cupboards etc when we walked in a room.

First time instant zap, second time a similar thing to what you're saying. I shan't ask what you were getting from the fridge though

Best option for us was to remember to close the patio doors - can't you sort out the garage so they can't get inside in the first place?

Failing that, get a natural trap, like Felis domesticus and you'll probably stop losing sleep and go back to the original trap

[stormcrow]

stevie, would you feel the same way about rats? If you feel bad, just think about how good they are at carrying dieses. 

[dss]

stevie, would you feel the same way about rats? If you feel bad, just think about how good they are at carrying dieses. 

T

That's not the point.   Mouse, Rat, chipmunk, whatever.  There is no need to be cruel.  There are humane animal traps easily purchased at hardware stores.   Take the mouse far enough out and release it back with the rest of the country mice.  Easy enough!

[bernhard]

Cats actually play with the (terrified) mouse before killing them.

I would go for a snake (e.g. Boa constrictor).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[stevie]

haha, bernhard, but does your wife let you use your BOA on anyone other than her?

[leahcim]

Cats actually play with the (terrified) mouse before killing them.

Yep. I wonder if the clever ones have learnt to wait where the vegans drop them off?  

[timothy42b]

Humane approaches are possible. 

But even with them something can go wrong, and you can end up with an injured and suffering animal, like with your snap trap. 

When this happens, I think you have an obligation to end its suffering as quickly and painlessly as possible.  It is true that this will cause you some emotional discomfort, but you must put the animal's need above yours in this case.  Your actions in releasing it may have seemed merciful, but actually you caused it to suffer more than it had to. 

[dorfmouse]

this is really affecting me, am i wierd or what?

Me too.

Dorfmouse 

[silvaone]

you know you can get mouse traps which actually trap the mouse in a little container so you can free it later..... my parents have used them sveeral times

- Silva

[stevie]

Humane approaches are possible. 

But even with them something can go wrong, and you can end up with an injured and suffering animal, like with your snap trap. 

When this happens, I think you have an obligation to end its suffering as quickly and painlessly as possible.  It is true that this will cause you some emotional discomfort, but you must put the animal's need above yours in this case.  Your actions in releasing it may have seemed merciful, but actually you caused it to suffer more than it had to. 

yeah i realised that after i did it....

anyway just this week he caught another one, dead this time, i cant really do anything about it.

[arensky]

this is really affecting me, am i wierd or what?

 

No you are not weird, I cant handle dead little animals  either. Have your dad get one of those high frequency things, it makes a noise we can't hear that drives them away. We have one, it works. 

Saw a harmless snake squashed in the road yesterday, it really bothered me, it wasn't very old...

[stormcrow]

T

That's not the point.   Mouse, Rat, chipmunk, whatever.  There is no need to be cruel.  There are humane animal traps easily purchased at hardware stores.   Take the mouse far enough out and release it back with the rest of the country mice.  Easy enough!

Not really, they just come back sooner or later.

[rc]

I'm not too big on dead animals either. 

But if I had mice running around my house that I couldn't get rid of, I'd do what it takes to get rid of 'em. My old man put out some poison when we had some mice living with us, I have no idea if it was humane.

I like spiders though, they eat other bugs . The kitchen spiders used to fight with the bathroom spiders, now they don't seem to bother each other. Or maybe the weak just got eliminated... I'm not sure about the window spiders, I suspect they get rid of a lot of ants.

[timothy42b]

yeah i realised that after i did it....

anyway just this week he caught another one, dead this time, i cant really do anything about it.

I almost hesitate to tell you this because it sounds kind of gross.  But I realize I basically told you to kill something without suggesting a method.  People will recommend drowning, gasing, etc., without considering the difficulty or how long the animal will suffer while you prepare. 

So here's a method that sounds a bit extreme but is actually instantaneous and very humane.

Drop the critter into a paper bag, hold the top of the bag, and smack it on the wall as hard as you can.  This the fastest and most painless method I know.  The discomfort it causes you is far greater than the animal feels.  I try to avoid having to do this, of course, but you do need some option available. 

[lau]

Did you know that animals aren't real. They are just like robots. They have no soul. So it really is okay to hurt them, unless you are blinded by there squeals and innocent faces.