RATING: 4.5 out of 5 (HIGHLY recommend)

PROS:
– no messy cleanup
– works every time
– less messy & more “humane” than the snap traps or glue traps
– safe with kids or pets around

CONS:

– the flashing light only stays on for about 24 hours

As much as I love the look of brownstones, what I hate the most about living in 80 year-old attached building is the fact that you have to live with all the noise that your neighbors make & all the rodents/insects that they attract. It’s especially true here in Brooklyn, and especially true for our apartment. There are all these tiny gaps & cracks in the house that mice tend to come in through whenever there is construction or remodeling going on at one of the houses on our block. To fix the gaps, major remodeling is required. But because we are renting the place, that’s just out of the question.

We tried snap traps, glue traps & poison, but its success rate was too low & we hated the clean up process.

Finally, Mel went online & got the Victor Electronic Trap. I’m a musophobic in denial. This thing has saved me from numerous sleepless nights. I have to say that this is the best $20 I’ve ever spent. In fact, we ended up getting another one a few months later.

During the peak of construction last summer, the trap caught 8 mice in less than 2 months. (UPDATE — 2008-11: the traps are still catching that many every summer & winter. Each traps have now caught at least 20 mouse for us since we bought it.)

It’s easy to set up & it’s also easy to “clean.” You start out by putting in a little bit of peanut butter (we bought the oily store brand kind), then pop in some AA batteries, turn it on, then put it along the side of the wall where you think mice tend to travel along. When it catches one, the light will start flashing intermittently. Just put on some gloves, turn the thing off, open the lid, & dump the dead mouse into a bag. That’s it!

It’s not perfect. Sometimes the light flashes for no reason. But every time we just turn the thing off & back on or we replace the batteries and it works again. The light also doesn’t stay flashing for more than a day. We actually didn’t notice the flashing light twice in the past & that led to a foul stench in the house for a few days.

But anyhow, if you have a rodent problem, don’t waste your money on those 99-cent glue traps. Consider investing in an electric trap.