OWLTRA OW-1 Indoor Electric Rat Trap, Instant Kill Rodent Zapper with Pet Safe Trigger, Black, Large

Sept 1 - When I graduated to a super sewing machine, a friend said, "Now THAT's a maCHINE!" Same for this... it's a maCHINE! Puts to shame every other mousetrap I've purchased - and I've bought many and been disappointed plenty. UPDATE - Sept 12 - From the first of Sept to Sept 11, I've caught more mice with 4 of these traps than EVER BEFORE with ALL the traps I've purchased - which have been NUMEROUS (I live near a patch of woods). No squealing, no thrashing about, no guilty feelings about suffering mice... just green blinking lights with deceased mice inside. I've ordered two more for a total of six - two for upstairs, two for downstairs, two for the garage. Pshew! These might be a heftier initial investment but they are sturdy & they WORK... much cheaper than even one visit from a pest-control company. It appears a lot of thought went into making them safe for humans to use; I turn them off when moving, emptying, baiting them, then turn them back on when I've placed them where I want them to be. I love them.

I was over run with mice, and I think I saw a couple rats as well. I couldn't be sure, because I read that rats and mice don't mix. But, I do think that a couple of rats got in there. This caused me to order the rat sized trap, because, what if Mama Rat showed up? It was like a horror show. In the past, I have tried snap traps. These will get you one or two, until the rest learn how to steal bait without getting caught. This time, I didn't start with snaps. I just jumped to glue traps. Glue traps work for the most part, if you buy ones with the strongest glue. But if any part of the mouse can catch a solid edge, then they can pull out of it. In addition to this draw back, they don't die right away, but linger for a couple of days. You have to bash them inside of a bag to avoid this grisly detail. And that is just as bad as having them sitting there suffering for days. I moved on to electric mouse traps. Yes, this is a successful solution. The trap I bought is only meant for indoors. I was very careful with it, not wanting to get zapped myself. The directions are well written and easy to understand, except it is not clear which way to push the slide button to turn it on. Slide the toggle toward the back door to turn it off, and towards the opening to turn it on. The green light signaling it is on only flashes once for about 5 seconds. If you don't see it, just repeat the steps. Turn it off, then back on. The back door is vented. I once saw a mouse attempt to open this door, but he couldn't. Don't waste your time thinking that you add the bait here. I think that's what it's for, because the bait tray is right there. But, I didn't use peanut butter, and my bait wouldn't fit through the opening. It was much easier to add bait through the top. I do not think human scent ever deterred those guys from going for the bait. Let's say you're all set up. This trap takes 4 C batteries. 1. You turn off the trap. 2. You take the battery door off. 3. You take out one or two of the batteries (I always took out two.) 4. You take the trap top off. It comes apart using two hands, but so easy! 5. You put the bait in the bin. 6. You put the top back on. This can be done with one hand. This trap is well made and the plastic parts are thick and sturdy. 7. You put the two batteries back in. Put the battery compartment door back on. 8. Turn on the trap and watch for the green light to flash. Bingo, you're ready to go. You can do all these steps very quickly. I use a green pellet poison bait, the kind you buy in a bag. They love this stuff. I have one pellet in the trap. For some reason, this trap worked better when the pellet was not in the middle but on the left of the bin. I don't know why. Maybe they could smell it better. I always put another pellet right in front of the open entry way. The height of my trap kept me from seeing the alert flashing light, so whenever I saw this green pellet was gone, then I looked for the flashing light, which meant that one of them had entered the trap and tripped the circuit. I caught 12 of them in a row, one by one. The first one I ever caught scared me really bad. The trap set off with a sizzling sound, and the terrible smell of burning fur. It scared me so bad that I brought a fire blanket out to keep near the trap. I didn't need it except for peace of mind. I don't always hear the sizzle, but you can. The mice don't make any noise, because they are dead. When you go to dispose of them, all you have to do is go through the steps above and take the top off. The body can be dumped into a bag without any mess. If you smelled burning fur, you might see that left over, but no body mess at all. I had one incident of the trap being tripped without a mouse in there. Then again I saw this once: A mouse came flying out of the entrance, hit the side of the phone sitting there, and fell off the bookcase all the way to the floor. He disappeared somewhere, not dead. He did learn to fly. So, I think there's something about the mechanism that scared them so bad that they jumped out, avoiding getting fried. That only happened twice. I dunno. I'm not sticking my fingers in there! The bodies are always near the bait bin. The bodies are bloated immediately, like kernals of corn popping. But, they are intact. The difference, I think, between the mouse-sized trap and the rat-sized trap, except for size, is the length of time the circuit remains on. Mice get one-half the amount that rats get. I can't remember how long the rats get zapped for, except I remember that it's twice as long as for mice, which is 90 seconds?. This could account for the burning fur. There were no flames or char marks or anything like that. Nor was the mouse stuck to the floor. So, although it is disconcerting, I think it is safe. It also could be that the batteries were new, and now they are worn down a bit, although still working well. Less sizzling, but effective. I was surprised this trap worked so well. I think I got them all, but I'm keeping the trap ready to work just in case. Always wash your hands well, although you never have to touch the rodent. I'd buy this again. It's us against them, and I am not living with mice in my kitchen and walls. This is my home, and I'm protecting it.

(This review is for the mouse version not the larger rodent or rat versions.) You can buy a bunch of cheap snap traps for the price of just one of these electronic traps. I bought those cheap ones first but there were so many drawbacks to them I switched to these and I'm happy I did. The first reason I didn't like the snap traps is that when they work you've got a (hopefully) dead mouse in plain view. I don't like walking into my kitchen and seeing a mouse carcass. With these traps everything is covered and out of sight until you're ready to deal with it. Yes the dead mouse is still there with these but I don't have to look at it until I'm ready. Another reason I don't like the cheap snap traps is that you have to arrange barriers so that the mouse can get to them but pets can't. I have two cats and quickly found out the barriers need to be pretty big and heavy to keep the cats away from the trap and the caught mouse. Kind of a hassle when I needed to place the traps around my kitchen. But But the biggest reason I switched from the cheap traps is that they don't always kill the mouse. Unfortunately, they sometimes just crush part of the mouse without killing it leaving it alive but suffering in pain in the trap until you notice it (which could be hours if you're away or asleep). I don't want mice in my house or garage but I also don't want fellow mammals to suffer needlessly. These traps worked great for me and eliminated the mice that had infiltrated my house within 3 days. They are easy to empty—just lift off the lid and dump into a trash can. You don't need to touch the carcass, pry it out of the trap or even look at it. Quick and convenient and the trap is ready to go for the next mouse as soon as you put the lid back on and flip the switch. I happened to be nearby when one of the traps caught a mouse. The trap emits a low whine or buzzing sound when it's activated. It's pretty quiet but I was able to notice it in a silent room. It stays activated for a while (I'd guess about a minute) to make sure the job is done. When it stops making noise after a short wait the light starts to flash to let you know it's caught a mouse. A previous reviewer mentioned a smell but fortunately there was no smell at all that I could detect. I had no issues with non-kills; when the light was flashing on my traps there was always a dead mouse inside. I'd guess an issue some other reviewer may have had is if the contacts that connect the top to the bottom get dirty or corroded. The trap likely won't work properly if it can't make a solid electrical connection. I have two cats and I wanted to make sure these traps would be safe around them. Fortunately, the way these traps are designed with the location of the opening and the internal barriers there is absolutely no way even the most inquisitive cat is going to be able to get a paw in there let alone have two different paws touch the two metal plates. (Without going into the details on how this type of trap works a mouse would need to contact one of the metal plates with a front foot and the other with a back foot in order to be dispatched.) There is no way even a small cat or dog could do that and the voltage and current likely wouldn't be enough even if they could. You don't need to worry about your cats with this trap. Obviously, though, if you have rodent-sized pets such as hamsters you'll want to make sure they can't get near these. One thing I would change about this trap is to make the bait cup removable for easier cleaning and changing of the bait. What I did is put my bait peanut butter on a small scrap of paper and then put that down in the bait cup so that the peanut butter didn't stick to the trap itself. Another thing I would change is to have the trap self-test the connection to the bottom part when turned on. It should flash or something to let you know if the contacts are not making an adequate connection. I'm very happy with these traps and definitely recommend them despite the high price.

Texas House Mouse. That’s what I was dealing with for far too long. Who knew mice could get so big and fat? And who knew they could get so bold? What I tried to convince myself was a “small” problem turned out to be 13 mice caught over 3 days: one HUGE — no, really huge — granddaddy mouse, and the rest ranging from very large adults to juveniles. I chose the OWLTRA Rat Traps because I wanted something quick, clean, and as humane as possible. I hate rodents — at least the uninvited kind — but I also didn’t want something cruel. I did not want to see or directly handle a smooshed carcass in a snap trap, and I definitely did not want to hear anything struggling on a sticky trap. These traps made the whole process much more manageable, even for someone squeamish like me. Before setting the traps, I looked for and found two entry points into the interior of my house and sealed them. Then I set up four of these rat traps. For bait, I used leftovers that were at the end of their life. Apparently, the mice thought I was a good cook because meatloaf was a particular favorite. I changed the bait after every catch. The best part: with the exception of the giant granddaddy mouse, I didn’t even have to take the lid off to dispose of them. I just kind of shook the trap out into the outdoor trash can. – the larger ones took a bit of effort, but it worked. Was it still gross? Yes. But it was doable. Unfortunately, for the huge one, I did have to remove the cover, and I didn’t love that — but that was because of the size of the mouse, not because of the trap itself. I’ve now been rodent-free for well over a month. Just to be extra sure, I left the traps set up even after there were no signs of mice trying to share my space. I continued changing the bait twice a week, but I’m about ready to retire the traps since I’m long past the 7 consecutive days without catches that the CDC says can indicate the problem is solved. I’ll definitely keep them handy, though, just in case any new critters find a new way in. I wholeheartedly recommend these OWLTRA Rat Traps for anyone who needs a practical, effective, convenient, mostly mess-free, and mostly gross-free way to eliminate unwelcome rodents. They got the job done, and they made a horrible problem something I could actually handle on my own.

We heard noises in a partition wall of our kitchen the weekend after Thanksgiving. I ignored it for a couple of days until I actually saw the mouse. I called our pest control company - no results (quite frustrating). I bought about 3 different kinds of glue traps - no results. There is actually one kind of glue trap sold on Amazon that I placed to only watch the mouse crawl over it like a bridge. I bought 3 different kinds of snap traps - no results. I bought the spin traps - no result. I tried the old ¨bucket trick¨ - no results. At this point I am about 3 weeks into the frustrating situation of having a mouse in my house with a concerned wife, a 3 year-old, and a newborn. I finally got my son to leave the traps alone, but explaining why they were there just concerned him. I finally came across the Owltra electric traps. Humane, reusable, effective - at this point I've filtered through many products and I've heard it all. I am about $200 into a never-ending battle - why not try Owltra? The product is well made but is low profile. I was able to fit it behind a couch that seemed to be the mouses favorite tunnel (even through no glue trap or snap trap in that location had produced results). A week goes by and I am still frustrated. I happened to glance over behind the couch and I finally saw the green light! No mess, no agonizing mouse, no problem. These traps might be reusable, but I just took the batteries out and tossed the whole thing into the garbage can outside. These traps aren't exactly cheap, but I was not willing to clean up after a dead mouse and reuse the trap. The mouse was actually larger than expected and this trap still got the job done. A week went by and my wife wakes me up last night. She heard scratching in the wall when she went to the kitchen for a mid-night drink of water. Great! Here we go again. I had left the second of the two Owltra traps in place behind the couch. I figured it could just live behind the couch. I went and walked the kitchen after my wife woke up and heard nothing. Went to lay back down with the thought of having to deal with another rodent in my house with small children. I woke up about an hour ago to do my morning computer work before my children wake up. I came out to my living room and saw the green light of success flashing nice and bright before I could turn the lights on. Now I'm not excited that I have had 2 mice in my house in the last month when I had only had a mouse in my house one other time in the last 8 years, but I am quite excited about this product. I do not typically write reviews, but this product has worked great. It is not the cheapest solution, but I believe it is money well spent.

I've been inundated with mice the past month or two. I'm not sure why they're suddenly moving into my apartment. I've lived here since 2013 and have never had rodent problems. But whatever. My problem is getting rid of them, not studying their motivations. I was using those tunnel traps from KatSense. They've got the snap jaw mechanism in the middle of the tunnel. And they worked great with the first 4-5 mice. But then the trigger plate stop being so responsive, and next thing I knew I was subsidizing the mice's calorie intake instead of killing them. I'd set the trap, and when I checked it 24 hours later, it was still set but all the peanut butter was gone! It was infuriating. So, went back to Amazon to look into different, hopefully more reliable traps. That's when I came across this OWLTRA Electric Mouse Trap. Instead of relying on a trigger plate and mechanical action to catch the mouse, it's got a metal floor that's hooked to a bank of 4 AA batteries! You put a little stale peanut butter in the bait cup on the far side of the trap (stale peanut butter is a significantly better bait than fresh peanut butter), and set the trap by sliding the power button to the On position. It'll give you a single green light flash letting you know it's properly set, then you just set it along a wall that your mouse likes to travel along. When he approaches the trap, he'll smell the peanut butter and walk inside. As soon as he walks into the trap beyond the doorway, an infrared switch will detect his presence and arm the trap. Then, as he continues to make his way to the bait cup, he walks across the metal floor and those nice AA batteries dump 8000 volts of electricity into the mouse for 90sec, killing him quickly and humanely. Once the mouse is dead, your trap will flash a green indicator light every 10sec so you know you got one. You just remove the lid with the battery pack, and dump the dead mouse outside somewhere. Inspect the trap to make sure it still has peanut butter in it, and the floor is clean and free of debris. Press the lid back into place, power on the trap, and place it in a spot where mice continue to harass you. It's so easy! This trap is superior to tunnel traps, and other mechanical jaw-type traps because mechanical mechanisms come with the possibility of failure, allowing the mice to eat the bait without triggering the trap. There's no mechanics (no moving parts) involved with this fantastic electric trap making it more reliable. It also doesn't come with the potential to leave the mouse alive in agony with a broken back or leg. The electricity passes from the metal floor into the mouse, stopping his heart immediately. And since there's no mechanical jaw crushing down, there's no messy cleanup. Just an intact, dead mouse that was here one minute and gone the next. The say one set of 4 AA batteries can dispatch 60-80 mice, so it's an energy-efficient solution, as well. I picked up a 24-pack of Powermax AA batteries at the same time I ordered the trap for only $6.79, and I believe that will keep my trap fully armed and ready to take out mice for at least a few years. If you're like me, and losing your mind trying to figure out the best, most efficient and effective trap to address your indoor mouse problem, forget about it. You found it. If you're a Prime member, you can have this bad boy delivered to your home as soon as tomorrow. Setup takes 2min, and then you just sit back and relax. Check the trap once a day for the green light, and that's it!

First the most important detail, this does technically work. I put it on my patio to test yesterday and it killed one mouse like it was supposed to. It lights up green every ten seconds once it catches something. Pros: no annoying alarm. It just lights up when it catches something. It also tells you when the batteries are low which is important since it will only work with good batteries. Cons: the side door is annoying because it means you can't just dump the mouse out into the trash, you have to open the trap up, which would be fine if that was easy to do. This trap has a lid that you have to pull up on, so if there is a dead mouse inside you risk the mouse flying at you because it's not easy to open. This is the second trap I've bought and the first one it slides across the top, so it's very easy to open and I can dump the mouse first because the door is not on the side.

So I was pulling out grass seed to winter seed our lawn since we were expecting a good amount of snow. Unfortunately a bunch of mice found the seed and made a nice home in the bag. I managed to toss out the ones in the bag (our trash can is mouse proof so they can go live at the dump if they live long enough), but there were more that made a home in a large bag of garden soil I plan to use in spring. That bag is too big and expensive to use toss out. I ordered 2 types of traps, these and a 5 gallon bucket style that will arrive later and can handle larger numbers by resetting itself. There are too many for these to make a dent but wanted to start sooner, rather than when the other will arrive. As soon as it came I set them up with some peanut butter. It’s easy to set and the tunnel design will keep pets from a snap when they try to have a taste, an important feature in this house. An hour later I had to grab something out of the garage and decided to check on them, not at all expecting anything, although hopeful. Yeah! Got one! It was easy enough to dump the mouse and easy to wipe with alcohol to clean and reset. I’ve read they need to be cleaned with alcohol to remove any death scent, but don’t know if that’s true. Maybe that’s what keeps the other mice from eating the leftover bait that’s exposed after it’s been tripped. Whatever the case may be we have one less mouse in the garage and I’m able to reuse the bait. Hope they keep at it and there will be a couple caught before bed and again in the morning. I’ve seen 6 or them so guess there are three times that at least. I will say this may not work for really tiny mice as it looks like it snapped while the mouse was trying to leave, the tail and one leg could be seen when looking at the bait area, so it obviously was turning around when killed. Hopefully this won’t be an issue later on, but time will tell. Overall I’m happy with trap and glad my dog can’t get snapped due to the tunnel design. This was the main reason I chose this style vs old school ones as I don’t care about seeing them. P.S. I love pet mice and rats but unfortunately these wild mice carry diseases that I don’t want my family and pets to get so they have to die. I may be cruel since I’m not willing to drive 2 miles away to ensure they don’t return (mice are known to return to homes from 2 miles away even through that’s a long journey for such a small critter). This is a quick death and better than setting it free to annoy someone else (or make someone sick), letting it die on a glue trap or poison them slowly. I guess if you’re reading this review you don’t care that it does kill them, unless you want to read to judge us mean people who kill the poor mice. ;) Cross your fingers for me and I’ll do the same for you! Hope your mouse troubles are resolved with this trap or any other. Just be sure if you plan to get a “humane” one that you release them at least 2 miles away from your home, a minimum of 5 miles from my house and within a few hundred feet of your enemies house! ;D

It is straightforward to use and is effective.

Muy sorprendido con el funcionamiento. Cumple con su cometido. Ideal este modelo dado que tiene un leve pitido alterno en el tiempo que te avisa del premio... Ideal para huecos escondidos o falsos techos. Así te olvidas de andar mirando. La información del fabricante es mínima, revisar mis fotos donde subo el manual y las características. Se puede desconectar el pitido alterno. Lastima tener que usarlo, pero por lo menos los bichos se van al otro barrio de una manera más limpia. Recomiendo meter como cebo queso, es infalible...

Exceptional! Just received it today and caught 1 within 1/2 a minute and after 1hr I caught 4. So have just ordered another one.

Zuerst war ich skeptisch. Aber nach 2 Tagen lag die erste Ratte tot im Kasten. Nach weiteren 8 Tagen hatte ich weitere 5 gefangen. Als Köder hatte ich kleine Schnittkäsestücke mit Nutella verwendet. Wichtig ist die Anordnung, die Köder sind so anzuordnen, dass die Ratte auf 2 Metallscheiben stehen muss, erst dann wird der Elektroschlag ausgeführt. Toll ist auch die Regenabdeckung.

I caught at least 6 mice with this. It is worth every penny. It’s so much more humane than sticky traps or snap traps where they have a slower and more painful death. I can’t stand having killed anything because who am I to decide about life or death and the importance of one over another, but I also can’t afford to be left with messes or smells that cost hundreds or thousands. This is a good middle ground and it acts fast. The zap is relatively loud, so I heard it a few times being in the house. Easy disposal and it works for months at a time. Small foot print and fits in most spaces. Would buy again.