What Food is Irresistible to Mice?

No one wants mice in their home, however, when your home is cluttered and filled with food crumbles, you are saying the opposite. Mice have a strong sense of smell and will always nest in spaces with enough food to feed them. 

Nevertheless, they have food preferences but will make compromises when necessary.

what food is irresistible to mice

What Foods are Irresistible to Mice?

Foods mice cannot resist include:

1. Nuts and Grains

The word here is “crazy”. Mice are crazy about nuts and their derivatives. Peanut butter remains the best bait for mice. In its absence, walnuts and almonds are great substitutes.

Aside from nuts, mice also do not shy from grains, especially if it is cereal-based. Cereal-based grains containing sugar are easily available in kitchens just like nuts.

2. Fruit jam, Sweets, Honey

Mice love sugary foods like honey, sweets, and fruit jams. Fruit jams contain sugar, fruits, an acid (lemon juice), and pectin. The higher the amount of the ingredients in a fruit jam, the more enticing it is to mice.

Sweets and honey are also very sweet and have their unique smell. If you leave them in open spaces, they may disappear and prove to you that you have mice in your home.

How to Correctly Set Mouse Bait to Catch Mice

Now that you know what mice cannot avoid, how about learning how to catch them with it? To place bait properly on a trap, these are the guidelines you must follow:

Use Protective Gloves

You may need to hold the bait in your hand before placing it on a trap. Do not do this with your bare hand to avoid contaminating the bait with your scent. Instead, use gloves and place the bait in the designated area. If the bait is peanut butter, a pea-sized drop is enough.

One Trap Per Catch

After every kill, you must wash and disinfect the trap used. Failure to do this may result in mice avoiding your trap because they can smell you or their fellow mouse on it. You also risk exposing yourself and your household to diseases. 

Change Baits Regularly

Traps will fail to capture mice if the bait on them is longer fresh. This is why you must change baits regularly and even food types. 

Other Foods Irresistible to Mice

If somehow, you are low on stock or do not have any of the best food options above, make do with any of these quick fixes: 

Meat

Meats smell nice and mice love them too, especially when fried. Fresh or cooked meats can also bring them out of hiding. The only disadvantage with this food choice is that they easily lose their smell at room temperature.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables also attract mice thanks to their natural sweetness. Orange, pineapple, strawberry, apple, raspberry, carrot, and cabbage are great options. Like meats, they tend to lose their freshness very quickly and are best used as short-term replacements.

Soft Cheese

Cheese, whether soft or hard, smells very nice and tasteful. We would have classified them among the “best foods to catch mice” but they have just one flaw. 

They get easily chopped off on traps, especially hard ones. The smell of cheese lasts longer than other food options in this quick-fix category.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Mice Quickly

Repellents – usually contain ammonia or natural ingredients such as peppermint oil and clove. These ingredients produce a smell that mice cannot withstand, hence they are forced to exit your home. Repellents should be hung in enclosed spaces such as attics or sheds.

Live Traps – can be box traps or bucket traps. These traps capture mice alive. It is left to you to release them into the wild or kill them humanely. The former is the best option.

Electronic Traps – kills by sending high volts through a mouse’s body. They are a bit expensive but very effective.

Rodenticides – poisoned baits that kill mice gradually. Rodents find them tasteful and will keep eating them until it kills them. This method is inhumane and is not advisable for pet owners.

You should also be prepared to fish out dead mice quickly to prevent exposing your home to bacteria or viral diseases.  

Conclusion

Mice don’t joke with food. While these foods may lead to their death, you must be sure you picked the right bait. We have provided you with the best and secondary food options that can bring mice out of their nest – to their death.

Beyond knowing the suitable food options, it is also important to know how to place them correctly on traps. Do these two things correctly and we assure you of successful hunting.

References

  1. https://www.pestproducts.com/what-food-is-irresistible-to-mice
  2. https://www.suburbanpest.com/about/our-blog/4-things-attract-mice
  3. https://bestlifeonline.com/news-mice-kitchen-foods/
  4. https://www.commandpestcontrol.com/8-foods-attract-mice/
  5. https://mousetrapguide.com/what-food-do-mice-find-irresistible/