155-year-old mousetrap still works

[Graeme]

155-year-old museum mousetrap claims new victim

I can just see some old gentlemen proclaiming "They don't build them like that any more..."

[Merkin]

This is the part I liked best:

"For the moment, however, the mouse remains in the trap while we decide what to do with it," the museum said.

"One option is a dignified burial, another is to desiccate it or have it prepared to remain as a permanent feature of the mouse trap for our new displays."

Needs must.

[Cole Parker]

I couldn't help but think of the poor creature as he gradually starved to death. I think a short sharp shock, to steal a bit of a lyric from Mr. Gilbert, to the back of the neck would be a far preferable way to enter the kingdom of heavenly mouses than being stuck in this insidious device.

C

[Graeme]

I agree, Cole. It appears that the design is such that it kills the mouse by starvation. Not a humane way to go, though to be far, treating animals humanely wasn't a high priority 155 years ago.

[ChrisR]

Don't the modern 'humane' super glue traps work pretty much the same way? Unless you run your trap line a few times a day I'd guess they're just stuck until they're dead? And even if you find one...?

[Rutabaga]

The idea of glue traps is not to be humane, but to be relatively safer to have around than poison or spring traps.

R

[TalonRider]

If they decide to leave the mouse in the trap, it won't be around for long and will stink the place up.

Where I worked, they use to use those flip traps to live catch mice. You could then place the whole trap in a bucket of water and drown the mouse.

We had one Custodian who took the trap outside to release the mouse. The mouse was back in the building before he was.

[Cole Parker]

Has anyone ever had a dead mouse inside a wall or air duct in their house? Man o man! They're small but do generate an odor all their own that is beyond belief, or your ability to abide it.

C

[DesDownunder]

Yes Cole, we had a colony of mice who thought that the cavity in our wall was a bungalow built for their inhabitation.

However, since we gave our latest cat free reign over the house, I am pleased to announce the mice have either emigrated to another housing development or have supplemented the cat's diet. I suspect the latter.