It’s quite common for homeowners to try putting peanut butter in mouse traps. But even though this trick is recommended quite frequently, there’s a lot of uncertainty about its effectiveness.
This guide will cover if mice like peanut butter, and how you can use it as bait for mouse traps.
Table of Contents
Do Mice Like Peanut Butter?
Mice are opportunistic eaters that will consume a wide range of foods. They take what they can get but prefer nuts, vegetables, grains, sweets, and proteins. There’s a good chance that you have many foods in your home that mice can use to stay full and healthy.
But do mice like peanut butter as much as everything seems to think?
The rumors are true: Mice like to eat peanut butter. In fact, saying that these rodents only “like” the food would be an understatement!
Mice love peanut butter! Many experts believe that it’s a more robust attractor than even cheese. While most believe that a small slice of cheese is irresistible to these rodents, peanut butter might surpass it on the “need to have it” scale!
Why do mice like peanut butter so much? Well, the sticky substances check off a few boxes for what mice look for in their food.
Most notably, its base is peanuts. While technically a legume, peanuts have the nutty flavor mice enjoy. Mice can smell peanut butter from great distances. Pair all that with its higher protein content; peanut butter is the perfect food for a mouse.
The sweet stuff is an irresistible snack you can use to fight against these pests.
How To Use Peanut Butter In Mouse Traps
The best way to use peanut butter is with a trap. Instead of using the classic cheese bait, try this sticky substance. It usually provides better results, helping you stay one step ahead of a potential mouse infestation.
Since mice like peanut butter so much, using it is easy.
Start by putting on a pair of gloves. One of the biggest mistakes people make when putting peanut butter in a mouse trap is using their bare hands. You inadvertently spread your scent onto the trap when you don’t wear gloves.
Mice have a strong sense of smell. Your lingering scent is enough to scare them away, even if some enticing peanut butter is in the mix.
Next, you’ll want to set up your traps and place the peanut butter strategically. How you position the substance depends on the trap you’re using.
For traditional spring-loaded traps, put the peanut butter on the trigger alone. Don’t place it anywhere else that the mouse could venture unscathed.
If you’re using a sticky trap, plop a dollop of peanut butter right in the center. That way, they have no choice but to walk on the sticky surface to access it.
How much peanut butter should you use? Here’s another common mistake people make when using this sticky butter.
The last thing you want to do is put a lot of peanut butter on your mouse trap. The more you use, the easier it is for the mouse to take some and run. It’s wiser to apply only a pea-sized amount of the sticky stuff.
A pea-sized dollop is more than enough to spread the scent and attract the mice. But, it’s a small enough portion for the rodent to smell it, get up close, and try to eat it.
Once you have your first trap set up, do more! The best way to use mouse traps is to prepare many of them.
Having several mouse traps with peanut butter in them increases your chances of success. It also helps you spread the traps around, making it easy to spot potential living areas and hiding spots.
Place your traps strategically in problem areas. Keep the traps close to the wall and any dark nooks and crannies you might find. Press the devices against your baseboards.
Mice hate venturing into open spaces. They’re more inclined to stay close to the wall. Ensure the bait and trap are facing the wall instead of away from it.
Keep note of where you put your traps. Wait it out a few days before checking every spot. When you find a dead mouse, use gloves to dispose of it accordingly.
The Benefits Of Using Peanut Butter
Still not convinced that you should try peanut butter in your mouse traps? It is certainly worth considering.
Not only is it a powerful attractor, but it provides a couple of other benefits.
Safety
The first is one of the most obvious: It’s not poison. Rodent poisons can be highly effective in the right situation. But if you have pets and kids around, it’s not wise to use them.
Poison-based products can cause several health issues. The risks simply aren’t worth it.
You still have to be careful when using sticky traps or spring-loaded devices. But it’s far easier to manage than to teach a pet not to eat poison!
It Increases Trap Effectiveness
Another benefit of using peanut butter in mouse traps is its sticky consistency. The go-to for most people is to use cheese. We’ve all seen the cartoons about how crazy cheese makes mice.
But the problem with cheese is that it’s easy to take without triggering a trap. Spring traps are sensitive, but mice are more cunning than people realize. They can grab and run or strategically remove the food from the pressure plate.
With peanut butter, that’s not an issue at all. It’s too sticky to take quickly. If you’re using the right portion size, mice have no choice but to get close. Ultimately, that increases the chances of the trap working.
If the mice encountering the peanut butter truly want it, they must risk it all. On a pressure plate for a spring trap, pulling any amount up from the surface it sits on will trigger the snapping mechanism. Even on sticky traps, mice can’t try to knock the peanut butter away.
It stays put, giving the rodent no choice.
That sticky consistency also ensures that the trap remains set. How often have you checked on a trap to see that the food fell off? That’s like giving the mice a free meal!
Thanks to the sticky consistency of peanut butter, it’ll stay until a mouse comes by to trigger the trap.
Affordability
Finally, there’s the cost factor.
Mice like peanut butter a lot, and fortunately it’s quite affordable. You can probably walk to the nearest convenience store and get some peanut butter right now!
You don’t have to stick with a particular brand or consistency, either. Pick the cheapest option you can find, and you have a powerful bait product for your traps!
Alternatives To Peanut Butter
Peanut butter can provide impressive results during your fight against these pests. But it’s not foolproof.
Success with peanut butter requires patience and good strategy. However, if you’re still not seeing results, you may benefit from trying some alternative bait substances. Mice are natural foragers, and they’ll consume many other foods.
Of course, you can try the age-old classic: Cheese. Aromatic cheeses tend to provide the best results. That standard slice of American cheese probably won’t cut it!
Instead, try something “stinky.” Limburger cheese is a favorite. Anything aged will do, too.
If that doesn’t work, you can try nuts and fruit. Small nuts of any variety are welcome snacks, and most mice won’t hesitate to investigate them sitting on a trap. The same goes for small berries and slices of fresh fruit.
Conclusion
Because mice like peanut butter so much and it’s an effective source of bait for traps, we recommend giving it a try the next time you’re trying to deal with mice in your home.
If you have any questions or ideas you’d like to run by us, don’t be shy!