For many people, traditional mouse traps are still the go-to option for dealing with these little pests. But as you can imagine, there is often some concern about the potential for accidents.
This guide will explain if mouse traps can break your finger or cause other injuries, and cover how much they hurt in general.
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Do Mouse Traps Hurt?
Dealing with pest rodents like mice and rats can be a nightmare. These creatures are fully capable of multiplying in numbers, and wreaking havoc on an otherwise peaceful home. Not only that, but they bring with them diseases, parasites, and a host of other nasty problems.
Rodent infestations are not something you want to ignore!
Fortunately, there are many options out there. Humans have had to deal with mice since the dawn of time. While high-tech methods and chemical concoctions exist, there’s one tried and true technique that many homeowners still use today.
We’re talking about the classic mouse trap!
Mouse traps are a piece of old-school engineering that has worked well for many years. While many professional pest controls use more compassionate and effective trapping methods, traditional mouse traps are a great way to address infestations before they become a huge problem.
The concept is simple. The traps feature a spring mechanism, a large metal bar, and a super sensitive plate. We won’t get into the engineering details here, but the trap uses the spring to create tension.
Once set, the metal bar sits and waits with significant stored energy. After delicately placing some bait food on the plate, you sit and wait.
Rodents that pass by and sense the bait will likely try and grab it. But when they do, they trigger the plate and release the spring. Instantly, that stored energy in the metal bar causes it to slap down over the bait plate, snapping the rodent’s neck in the process!
It’s a fast and somewhat jarring event, but that’s by design. These traps are meant to kill the mouse as quickly and humanely as possible. And in most cases, they work well! Upon inspection the next day, you’ll see a dead mouse and a triggered trap.
Because mouse traps are so efficient, affordable, and readily available, they’re the go-to for many homeowners dealing with these pests. But how careful do you need to be with them?
If you grew up around areas where mice are prevalent, you might have heard horror stories about these traps! It seems like everyone has heard about someone who hurt themselves using them. Considering the design of traditional mouse traps hasn’t evolved in the last hundred years, you may wonder if mouse traps can hurt you.
Here’s the truth:
Mouse traps can hurt you, the type of injury you sustain and the severity of the pain you feel depends on many factors.
But regardless of what type of trap you use or how you mess with it, accidentally triggering the trap will hurt. The extent of the pain and injury might not be harmful or long-lasting, but it won’t feel pleasant! In some cases, the traps can actually cause more severe injuries that require medical attention.
It makes sense that mouse traps can hurt you, given the mechanics of these devices. As mentioned earlier, they rely on spring-fed tension and a large bar that snaps onto the bait-filled trap plate. After triggering, the spring causes the bar to snap down with surprisingly strong force. It must be powerful and impactful to do the right amount of damage.
A mouse trap wouldn’t be effective if it didn’t use considerable force. The entire point of the trap is to snap a rodent’s neck swiftly and efficiently. If it didn’t have enough energy, the trap would only injure the rodent or cause a slow, drawn-out death.
That’s why these traps hurt. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t work!
Unfortunately, that does mean that these devices have inherent risks. You must be careful when using them. Being careless could result in a painful injury!
Can A Mouse Trap Break Your Finger?
So, we know that mouse traps will hurt if you’re unlucky enough to feel the snap of its rodent-killing bar. But can a mouse trap break your finger?
That depends on a few things.
The first is the size of the trap you’re utilizing. Walk through a hardware store, and you’ll find many sizes available.
If you’re dealing with simple house mice, you don’t need a larger device. House mice are only a few inches long and don’t weigh much. As you can imagine, they’re relatively delicate and don’t require ultra-strong traps to eradicate.
A smaller trap with moderate spring tension is all you need.
This kind of mouse trap probably wouldn’t break your finger if you set it off inadvertently. It will still hurt, and you’d probably use a few spirited words, but it’s not enough force to cause significant injuries.
But what about a larger trap that can also take care of rats?
Rats are considerably larger than mice. The biggest can grow to more than two feet, resembling a tiny cat! Those are rare beasts, but even the average rats you see in homes and commercial buildings are creepily giant!
A small mouse trap wouldn’t work on those rodents, so you can get one that can kill rats. Put a rat trap and mouse trap side by side for size comparison, and the differences are staggering.
Rat traps have a footprint several times bigger than a mouse trap, and the hardware used to do the killing is more powerful. The springs create more pressure, the bar is thicker, and the impact force is terrifying.
You don’t want to get your finger caught in these larger traps. They are fully capable of breaking your finger! People often experience injuries after accidentally setting off the traps by picking them up or laying bait.
As a result, the fingers are at a precarious angle. The force of the triggered trap leaves no room for escape, snapping the finger and causing tons of pain!
Considerations For Children & Pets
It’s not just the size of the trap that impacts if a mouse trap will break your finger. Unfortunately, mouse and rat traps can cause severe injuries in those who are more vulnerable. This means children and pets.
As an adult, your bones are much more resilient. They can handle the force of a small or medium-sized trap. A larger trap is more dangerous, but some people still don’t end up with broken fingers if an accident occurs.
But children with more fragile bones aren’t so lucky. If a kid goes in to investigate even a small mouse trap, there’s a decent chance it will break a finger or cause other injuries. Those experiences are more common than you think.
The same goes for a dog or cat. They don’t know that mouse traps should be avoided, leading to injury if you’re not careful.
If you have pets or kids in the home, you must be careful when placing any size of rodent trap. Be mindful of where you put them to ensure that no curious hands or paws experience the wrath of a trap.
Is It Possible For Them To Cause Other Injuries?
Having a mouse trap break your finger is often considered to be the worst-case scenario, but it’s not the only injury you can experience when dealing with mouse traps.
It doesn’t matter whether you get on the wrong end of a small mouse trap or a larger rat model. Redness, bruising, and inflammation are common. The sudden injury is enough to cause a few days of pain.
The inflammation and swelling will subside relatively quickly, but you might feel some tenderness that lasts several days.
In some cases, mouse traps cause pinched nerves. Those injuries can cause a burning and aching sensation. Depending on the severity of the problem, it can take up to 12 weeks to heal.
In addition to those injuries, mouse traps can harm tendons, hurt muscles, and damage those delicate ligaments in your hand. These injuries can be just as debilitating as a broken finger, so be mindful when setting these traps!
Conclusion
Depending on the situation, mouse traps can break your finger. But on top of that, there are other potential injuries that can come your way from accidents with these devices.
And at the very least, it just hurts!
That’s why it’s so important to be smart when using mouse traps. Handle them properly, and keep them away from children and pets.
If you do that, you’ll be just fine!
