We have a mouse problem.

This has become a big distraction for me since I can hear some of the little bastards caught in glue traps squeaking away. While I try to do my homework I keep thinking of "the better mouse trap".

The goal is a homemade mouse trap.

Aside from the glue traps I set up a lever and bucket on the edge of a counter. It caught 1 so far.

The lever is precariously balanced at the edge of a counter top with any slight weight shift tipping it over. When the mouse goes for the bait (peanut butter) the lever tips over the counter and falls into the half filled with water bucket. Mouse gets to relax in its own indoor swimming pool for a while.


I also have a few high voltage capacitors from old power supplies that I'm looking forward to using if this problem continues.

I tried to draw it with ASCII but it didn't work. :(

Ahaha, I like the bucket idea. Simple and effective.

It's probably a bit dangerous to yourself if you forget about it, but why not use mains voltage. Get a flat sheet of metal and ground it, and then put the bait on a spike connected to the live supply.

Mouse walks onto plate, grounds self, nibbles bait, mains goes through mouse and to ground.

Might pop a breaker if it's a particularly low resistance critter, but it would be worth it.

I'm worried about the mouse catching fire with the alternating current and having its revenge on my house. All it would need is for a piece of paper or some oil to be stuck on its fur and for it to ignite.

I would switch the lever with a folder paper towel tube so your mouse couldn't jump off.

Here's a good looking electrical mousetrap
http://www.fuzzster.com/r3/show/se/258161.html

When I get home, I'll scan some diagrams of some of my old trap designs and upload them. Some of them turned out sweet.

Ahaha, I like the bucket idea. Simple and effective.

It's probably a bit dangerous to yourself if you forget about it, but why not use mains voltage. Get a flat sheet of metal and ground it, and then put the bait on a spike connected to the live supply.

Mouse walks onto plate, grounds self, nibbles bait, mains goes through mouse and to ground.

Might pop a breaker if it's a particularly low resistance critter, but it would be worth it.

Only problem with that is houses (in England at least) have to have and RCB. If anything living (or water) comes into contact with electrical current, it trips the power to the whole house. Pain in the bollocks if you have a dodgy washing machine.

OP...Ever built a small land mine out of a shotgun cartridge?...It's really easy and the bang is a lot of fun. Especially on a cat who still looks at my garden and fears it to this day! :D

Only problem with that is houses (in England at least) have to have and RCB. If anything living (or water) comes into contact with electrical current, it trips the power to the whole house. Pain in the bollocks if you have a dodgy washing machine.

Run the mousetrap through a 1:1 isolating transformer. ;) Sorted.

Look up pest control supply stores near your house and look for the following...3" high rectangular steel and lexan trap. It has a one-way door and one mouse walking around in the trap,draws others.

Then just drown them all in a bucket and empty the trap. Make sure to clean out the trap really well, or you won't catch any more mice.

I used this technique at 2 of the breweries I worked at and you will find similar rat-sized traps around places like Anhuser Bush (Bud) plants in both Columbus Ohio, and Busch in Tampa Florida.

ICEMAN1968:)

Run the mousetrap through a 1:1 isolating transformer. ;) Sorted.

Why stay 1:1? Step it up to 15kV with a neon sign transformer.

That 35 volt shit is pussy. I'd use some photoflash caps.

Why stay 1:1? Step it up to 15kV with a neon sign transformer.

When trying to do something like stop a heart, amperage is more important than voltage. That said, get one of these.
http://www.infiniteelectronix.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=590
Even if it doesnt manage to stop his/her heart (it will). The mouse should bounce on the surface until it finally explodes or catches fire.

When trying to do something like stop a heart, amperage is more important than voltage. That said, get one of these.
http://www.infiniteelectronix.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=590
Even if it doesnt manage to stop his/her heart (it will). The mouse should bounce on the surface until it finally explodes or catches fire.
Actually, 16 volts put through your skin will do precisely shit all unless you have wet salty hands.

Actually, 16 volts put through your skin will do precisely shit all unless you have wet salty hands.

I was actually reffering to using said capacitor with a transformer, as stated by Spatula. If you could find one that will tollerate such high amperages at neon-esque frequencies (15-30kHz) You could cook the mouse, without even realizing what was happening. Of course, there would probably be some pretty harmful EMR coming from it, which would mutate the cockroaches under the stove...

For pure novelty I'd set up a mouse trap with an axe so the mouse climbing onto a piece of two by four with cheese on it gets the guillotine. Yes, it would be messy, and it would take a moderately sized rig but you could set up a webcam. Think of the pics!

Although as someone mentioned earlier, you'd have to clean it very well. I don't think very many mice would fall for that with all the blood and etc.

I am still swaying towards the land mine idea...It's a lot fun I swear!

How about going nuts with the idea? Mouse steps on platform which is positively charged, the platform then lowers (think flimsy sheet metal) from the mouse's weight. Then, when the piece of metal lowers a few milimeters, it contacts with another piece of metal, which is grounded, and it kills the mouse. You could also add a little bit of electrical wizardry and add a rod powered by a small motor that scoops said corpse into a trash bag for you.
http://i37.tinypic.com/1o3ko9.jpg

Green would be the food, blue being a solution with high salt content.

Keep it alive as a DIY mascot.