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59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Questions, Complaints Answered !, November 19, 2008
Okay, I read all these reviews, and expected some problems because of the 1-3 star users. But I really can't deal with the mess and unpredictable results of spring traps, or the unwelcomed surprise of running across a dead mouse somewhere when I least expect it (poison). And I am squeamish! I really wanted this thing to work.
So I called Victor (Woodstream Corp) and talked to someone in their Customer Care department. I asked her my favorite question, "Tell me all the tips that consumers are likely to miss, or misunderstand about how this thing works." And I also asked her tons of questions I had myself. Here is what I learned:
1. First and foremost, people overbait these traps BIGTIME. (See the 2nd photo provided by a customer.) If some of that huge mass of peanut butter falls onto the metal floor-plate, the trap zaps the peanut butter and de-activates! Mice can now come in and dine on the peanut butter. She said to just put a TINY dab of peanut butter on the far wall (opposite the entrance). Use a toothpick. Or spread a very thin smear of it with a knife. Mice have a very acute sense of smell, and that's what draws them in. They don't need any more bait than that.
2. The mouse has to contact BOTH metal plates in order to get zapped. And both plates have to be clean of debris. That means after you catch a mouse, take a Q-tip or whatever, and remove any hair, any little spot of urine, whatever, from the metal plates. This is not a squeamish job at all and they don't come anymore squeamish than I am! (I do shuddering freak-outs at the sight of a mouse, dead OR alive.) There was a teensy smear of liquid (I assume urine) and two hairs that had shed off the mouse.
3. Be aware that "On" means that the LINE icon side of the switch is pressed down. The CIRCLE icon pressed down means "off." People get those confused. Turn it OFF when cleaning or baiting. Turn it ON once the trap is baited, and the top door has been snapped shut.
4. The batteries go in with the flat side of the battery against the springs. And I have had battery connections with other things "not work." I had this problem continuously with a radio. Finally, it dawned on me, give a little pull on the springs. One was coiled into itself just slightly. That fixed it. You need the springs to push against the batteries enough to hold the two tight against each end. And they need to be lined up straight, not crooked.
5. When you bait the trap, close the door FIRMLY, and turn the unit on. You will see a green light BUT!!! it only stays on for 2 seconds! That green light is SUPPOSED to go off. It only goes on for the 2 seconds so that you can confirm that the unit is on, and it's working. Otherwise, if it stayed on all the time, it would eat battery life. So when it goes off, don't think, like I did, that there's an electronic failure.
6. For safety reasons, the unit is designed so that when the door (over the maze and metal plates) is open, the unit will de-activate. I have no idea how the other reviewer shocked himself, but for sure, turn the unit OFF before tinkering around with baiting, cleaning plates, or messing with the batteries. In any event, when you set the trap, bait it, then double check to make sure the door is snapped closed. Then, and only then, turn the unit on. You will see the green light for about 2 seconds, which shows you it's working and ready to go. Then the light goes out. If you open the door again (and she didn't say this but I have a feeling it's the case), turn the unit off and then on again after the door has been shut.
I LOVE these traps! I don't have to even LQQK at the mouse, let alone have my fingers anywhere near where the mouse can brush against them. Also, as much as I detest mice because they are creepy, foul, dirty, slithery little things who dart and crawl around in mucky places, I do not want to torture them! I know for a fact that three mice I caught with a snap trap had to have had pretty horrible deaths. One I heard for a solid hour, banging around, sometimes squeeling. The next morning it was dead, but it had been caught by its little nose, only! Pretty gruesome! This is much more HUMANE. It zaps them and within 5 seconds they are dead. I imagine during the 5 seconds, they are quickly rendered unconscious. This is 8,000 volts that goes into a critter that size. Quick and humane.
Oh, before I close this review? Product Guarantee!!!
If you DO have a trap malfunction after the return period allowed by your retailer, the woman told me that the company itself has a product guarantee of ONE YEAR. Keep your receipt and if anything goes wrong with the trap (obviously excluding your prying up the metal plates or whatever), they will take it back and send you a new one.
So my recommendation is the full 5 stars. I think their box-side instructions are not good enough. It says nothing about bait amount, and it says nothing about keeping the shock plates free of things like hair or droppings. It does explain the green light only stays lit for a short time, but I missed that. I'm sure others could too.
Lastly? My own advice: Get a strong flashlight and plug holes with steel wool inside cabinets, closets, anywhere you find them. Fine grade can be molded easier and tighter than coarse grade. Use silicone caulking in addition, or put it in cracks. Any mouse can crawl through a hole the size of a dime, and smaller mice can flatten out their bodies and get through 1/4" size crack! While they can chew through silicone caulking, one of the things that draws them in is the heat inside your house. (Bingo! Found that on google.) The caulking, or even expandable foam, can at least prevent them from sensing heat. Maybe even reduce their detecting the smell of food. Pay particular attention to holes cut for plumbing pipes. Stuff and caulk those, especially.
For trivia, a mouse can run 6 miles an hour, and sprint faster. It can only see 24" ahead of it, but can detect movement 45 feet away. They breed horrifically fast, I think it's 3 weeks old they can breed.
You now know everything I know about mice. And about these e-traps!
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!, June 17, 2005
Found some mouse evidence in our garage, so I got this mouse trap.
Set the trap after getting home from work in the evening. Checked before bed and the light was flashing. Sure enough, 1 small dead mouse. I dispose of it and reset the trap. Check again in the morning and light was flashing again, and a tail was hanging out the back. This time it was a much larger field mouse. Dead mouse number 2 in about 12 hours!
No mess, no fuss, great product!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Trap, But Heed the Reviewers Caveats, April 17, 2007
WHAT'S GOOD:
Because the trap/bait is enclosed I can put it places I normally can't because of dogs and cats. I never have to touch a mouse, just open the lid and dump. It's safe since when the lid is open the electrodes aren't energized. I have yet to have the bait stolen, without a mouse, and contrary to what other people have said, I was able to catch several mice on one set of batteries (4 months ~10+ mice and still going). Considering the pains of some of the cheaper traps, despite it's cost I think it's worth it.
WHAT TO PAY ATTENTION TO:
Like what one reviewer said, since the LED only blinks the 1st 24 hours after you catch a mouse you need to check the trap, otherwise it rots and sticks to the electrodes and it's just easier to throw away the trap. For some reason it's sensitive to the battery voltage tolerances. For instance putting new batteries in, it won't work, but put another set in it works fine. So if your first set of new batteries don't work, for giggles try another set.
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