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Mice seem to find a way into your home no matter if it is a brand-new house or an older home, they are notorious for this. Mouse traps aren’t very costly but it is more sufficient to use material around your place to create a DIY mouse trap with a bucket and soda can. The last time I had one of these traps made in a cellar, I woke up to 5 dead mice the next day. I felt like a serial killer of mice!
The only materials you will need for this mouse trap is a bucket or pale, container of some kind that is big enough to hold water (which will drown the mice), not exactly the most humane way to go, but that is why we recommend using sawdust. This way you will be able to trap the mouse and can take it somewhere down the road and drop the little critters off.
The idea here with this type of mouse trap is, when the soda can is placed in the center of the pale, with a straight piece of clothes hanger wire through the can and two holes through the bucket and secured properly, by placing a ramp and putting peanut butter on the can, the mouse will try and go for the can every time, and no matter how hard the mouse tries, he will slip into the water or sawdust.
In this article, we will be discussing the steps to build a DIY mouse trap using a bucket, a clothes hanger, and an empty soda can, a piece of wood or cardboard for the ramp.
Step 1 – Hole in both sides of the pop can
Take your soda can and punch two holes into it. One hole on both ends, it doesn’t have to be pretty, just big enough to stick the wire through the entire can.
Either use a drill, nail, or even a knife if you are careful.
Step 2 – Drill holes in a bucket on both sides in the center.
You drill the holes in the container and put your wire through. Trim off any excess wire, and just bend it until the wire is sideways. Now the can will be able to spin freely.
Step 3 – Make a ramp.
When I created mine I used cardboard and tape. But in the video we have provided for you to follow, you can use a bolt and nut to secure a piece of wood after you drill a hole.
Use an old piece of wood for a ramp, doesn’t have to be too wide, but should be long enough so that it is not too steep for the mouse to climb, even though they are able to climb up walls of certain material.
You can create saw cuts for grip for the mouse on your ramp or just get a longer piece so that it is not steep.
Tip: Move the can closer to the ramp side of the container, so it will seem like an easier challenge for the mouse to attempt.
Step 4 – Add peanut butter to the can, in the middle all around it.
Now to finish this mouse trap just add peanut butter, even butter will work fine, and just place it around the can in the center.
Demonstration Video Of DIY Mouse Trap
One thing about this video. You will see how easy the can is to roll. When I created mine, I did not have it so it would spin so easily.
The mice in the video seemed to be hesitant to try it. I actually had it more secure and used butter to grease the can before the area where I placed peanut butter and the wire would turn with the can enough that having the grease would allow the mouse to slip and fall into the water.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you had no trouble setting up your homemade mouse trap with a bucket and soda can.
Catching mice is not very difficult with this DIY trap. If you are being infested with mice in your home then this is the best mouse trap you can set up and the benefit to this mouse trap are you do not have to kill the mouse. You can use sawdust which will not kill the mouse instead of water to drown it.
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