I am often asked what is the best bait for mice and rats. Here’s a list of what I’ve used and some tips on catching bait-stealing mice and that last clever rat you were chasing.

MICE

1. The cure for “sneaky mice” is dry cat food. Friskies or meow mix, or anything else shaped like an X or O, or something like that.

You tie the cat food to the trigger of the mousetrap, with strong sewing thread or something similar. Then when the mouse appears and you try to grab it, you can’t help but move the trigger.

2. The peanut butter failed, because the mouse could lick it carefully enough to avoid jumping out of the trap.

This works, shred 1/2 slice of bacon with a little bit of peanut butter. They’ll lick the peanut butter but…then they’ll try to Bite into the bacon and SNAP.

As it gets colder, they look for a place to hide. Also make sure to place the traps along a wall where their head will be on the bait without having to walk around it.

Did you taste the peanut butter and lick it off without tripping over the trap?

3. Tie some string or a piece of cotton swab or ball around the trigger and snip the ends closed, then put the peanut butter on the string.

4. Marshmallows, Hubba Bubba gum, cotton ball with a couple drops of vanilla extract

5. Mice love cotton, sprinkle some vanilla extract on the cotton floss tie too.

6. Litter with a drop of vanilla, maple, or chocolate syrup is a good bait, so try a tissue or cotton ball (use a rubber band to anchor it to a quick trap bait holder) ). Candies, gummies and potato rolls (chewed first) are just as successful as Snickers bars and Slim Jim meat sticks.

roof rats

Rat bait suggestions such as nuts, peanut butter, orange slice candy, dried apricots, and tootsie rolls (chewed first). Tie the rat bait to a trigger to prevent that sneaky rodent from stealing the bait without setting off the trap. For baits that cannot be tied (peanut butter, for example), use only small amounts of bait for best results.

norway rats

Do you have a rat trap and need to know the best rat bait options? Victor® Rat Control recommends the following rat baits to attract Norway rats. Thin slice of hot dog, bacon, peanut butter, dried fruit, gummies, chocolate, a cup of Reese’s or Tootsie Rolls (chewed first), and nesting materials such as dental floss or cotton

Tying the rat bait to the trigger will prevent the rodent from licking or nibbling on the bait and stealing it without setting off the trap. For rat baits that cannot be tied (for example, peanut butter), it is best to use small amounts.

Remember, some rats are harder to catch and are neophobic or “very wary” of new objects that suddenly appear in their environment. For these cases, rat traps should be set, but they should be left unset and baited for a couple of days before setting the traps. This will give the rats a chance to get used to it.