New Traps Officially 'Approved'

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Mad; Is it fair that ye should have a go at me, having not made it clear what ye were talking about in the first place? And, in view of the point that ye knew yeself that I'd already answered ye quesion elsewhere, why ask it again? In fact; Why have you continued to use what ye were warned are, and have since have found to be, unsuitable traps for the job?

 

Also; Had it slipped past ye notice that Lloyd was asking near identical questions?

[Madcowz 0]

Sorry DS

 

wasn't having a go. I really respect your experience and some of your views and read your, often long and detailed posts several times from start to finish to soak up as much of your knowledge as possible and respect the fact that you go out of your way to impart your knowledge on us newbies. Not many people do this and for that I thank you.

 

I have stopped using the nippers as luckily managed to rid the attic of our night time visitors, but my question was a general one in that how can they be so strict with what you can and can't use as a trap but allow off the shelf, amateur home use traps that are not fit for the job?

 

So whether they are used on house mice or wood mice is not the point. They are sold for that purpose and not fit for the job.

 

regards,

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Ok, Mad. Ye two main points there, mate; For one, I don't for a second suppose the Little Nipper was ever produced of sold with WOOD Mice in mind. It's a HOUSE Mouse Trap and serves admirably for that purpose.

 

The more contencious issue of any Tom, Dick or Harry being able to buy ANY form of 'Approved' trap and blythely head off and set it as they imagine best? Bit of a can of worms really, isn't it?

 

I mean, you ~ for example ~ can't get ye hands on FicamD and start lathering that around wasps nests. Quite properly so too. Yet ye can buy, say, a Fenn trap and then trundle off and unwittingly set it under a bush in ye garden? Hells teeth! Obviously, I'm not suggesting You would! But what about that old boy down the road? Brought up in a day when it was the norm to set open Gin traps? He'll have had no experience or training in what's contemporarily acceptable and so may well become a hazard to wildlife the moment he gets his hands on a trap.

 

But what should we do? Make it a legal requirement that anyone applying to obtain such traps should first atend training courses and show, at the end of them, that they now know what they're doing and can be trusted to posess traps at all? Bugger, isn't it?

 

I know that slightly turns ye question. But, wether a trap is deemed by the individual to be up to the proscribed job isn't really here nor there, is it? Not when viewed from that angle. It then becomes more a case of wether the individual himself is up to employing what ever trap in the correct manner.

 

Do we really want to go too far down that particular road?

[Madcowz 0]

Tee hee,

 

I can almost imagine the DEFRA Health & Safety Course for Class 1 Little Nipper setting and Deployment (£599 + VAT). It would be a full days course a well knowing that lot.

 

Joking aside (and I hope it is a joke...) what should I use for Woodmice? They will be back soon considering we are surrounded by woods and as winter fast approaches, our attic looks more and more tempting.

 

Nippers are too small, Fenns are too big. Is there something that is more suitable for the woody?

 

thanks,

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Is there something more suitable for woodies? Actually mate, yes; There is, or was? Unfortunately, it's also one of the most horrible mouse traps I've ever handled. An opinion shared by my own mentor. He being a man with some seventy odd years experience behind him.

 

It's called the " Roguard ". Google for a supplier, if ye wish. Only I was sent some of their, then, new 'MkII' ones to field test. They were bloody horrible! Supposedly self setting? I could set half a dozen Little Nippers in the time it was taking me to mess with these things before throwing them against the wall.

 

I've since sussed out a trick with their setting which the manufacturer doesn't impart to us. Thus I can now set them quick as a flash and get on with other things. But they're simply not a trap I'd reccomend, any more than a Dell PC or a Lightforce lamp. I don't ever reccomend things one has to fix as soon as ye have them. Now, we all know who's likely to pick me up on that point. But I'm not talking about Professional users. I'm talking about Mr Joe Average who wants to buy what he's sees it's called and have it do what it says on the can.

 

But, anyway, yeppers; Get them working and the Roguard mouse trap is, I've found, an absolute b*stard on wood mice. Beefy as they are. And, if a picture paints a thousand words? I'll shut the f*ck up and show ye one or two:

 

 

 

Woodie, Well Whacked

 

 

 

Well Whacked Woodie + Woodie Whacker

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Is there something more suitable for woodies?

 

The 3 I caught up in my attic last night were wood mice, and all dead and stiff in the traps this morning. The all-metal Self Set traps did their job admirably. It seems the wood mice come in from the cold at this time of year and I have the same one or two that make their prescence known and have to be caught.

 

I have not got any experience with the type of trap that Ditch is prescribing myself, but I am very sure that he is sufficiently experienced to be able to comment on most traps you're likely to come across, including that one.

 

OTC

[Guest little_lloyd]

A mouse i had this moring in a little nipper had somehow managed to be caught on his ass facing the opposite way of the wooden plate

 

Bloody thing must have been really quick and turned around.

 

Saying all this on my trap round this afternoon, id set a MK4 fenn on the side of the pen so anything like a stoat or simmarly looking for a way in will choose the trap tunnel!!!.....Anyway i had two unexpected woodmice caught in the one trap

 

Poor buggers

[Hob&Jill 258]

Not that I know anything much about trapping, so dont take this as advice. Would one of the 'beefed up' little nippers (big nippers ) made for rats be ok for wood mice?

[Guest little_lloyd]

Not that I know anything much about trapping, so dont take this as advice. Would one of the 'beefed up' little nippers (big nippers ) made for rats be ok for wood mice?

 

 

Ive had woodmice in Mk4 and mk6 six fenn traps, ive had them caught body caught outright and then ive had them with just a tail hanging from th bars of the trap

 

So yes you CAN trap woodmice in bigger and powefuller traps meant for rats and bigger stuff,,;....But most of my catches of these woodmice have been accedental and i would of much preffered to use a proper mouse trap for the job

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Selfset Mouse Traps do the business with the Wood Mice - here's this morning's catch, as dead as dead can be

 

 

OTC

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

You got shares in that company, Old?

 

Actually, the story behind the " SelfSet " is another one I cracked for The Don, some years back. I can't personally remember the details I was able to feed him now. I Think it centred around a company sell out? But, anyway; I used to rate the OLD Style 'Self Set' way above any other mouse trap.

 

Now, I know mousers aren't exactly your bag either, but did ye ye ever experience the 'original' sort, mate? Rather than that dreadful fork arrangement, they had a chamfered front section and a little rocker bar set underneath them.

 

Probably not much of an explanation. But the reality was that the moment muscus put his weight on the front or frontal side ends of the trap, it simply rocked down, bit like a boat on a wave, and fired. F*cking brilliant! Then, as I say. something went west and they started producing those damn things ye have there.

 

If they'd bring back the rockers, I'd snatch dozens of them up! In fact, I doubt I'd use anything else

[Madcowz 0]

So guys, your advice please.

 

which would you recommend?

 

The Selfset or the Roguard or...?

 

thanks,

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Personally, Madz - and this may surprise ye? - I think, in view of Old's success there ....? I'd have to swing with the SelfSet.

 

Reasons being; They're readily available in the High St. They're f*cking simplicity itself to set. They'll last ages, in use. They Whack Woodies good time.

 

I mean; Why make life harder for yeself by chaseing these Roguard jobbies and then frigging about trying to suss out how to even set one? Nothing to be gained by it. Looking at the springs on them? I also doubt they'd last a third of the working life ye should get out of a SelfSet either

[Madcowz 0]

Thanks D.S.

 

Will have a hunt for some. Woodies are coming back now it is getting cold. Can't blame em, the attic is a damn site warmer and safer than the woods.

 

BTW, read an article about some new high tech traps that would send an SMS to the owner when the mouse had been caught. They also trapped the mouse and killed it with a blast of poison/gas can't remember what though.

 

Thought it all sounded a little crazy and if it's anything like the high tech we have at work, would forever be breaking down.

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Rento's latest money spinner, mate. C02, if I remember corectly?

 

Actually, I have a little gadget here from Austria. Mouse gets in there and it self activates. Drops a tablet into a little reservoir of water and sucks out all the oxigen!

 

How f*ckin scary's that, eh? Austrian predoliction with Gas Chambers showing through again