What you read here is designed to give you an overview of all the techniques you have at your disposal. Some I recommend and some I don’t recommend – and I’ll let you know which I think are best – but all have been included to give you as comprehensive a list as possible.

But first, I want to tell you about a couple of methods that don’t work so well: void-filling and trying to catch them manually.

Void-filling is the process of filing all the holes and crevices that a mouse may use to gain entry to your premises. Although in theory, this should stop the mouse getting in, in practice mice can fit through all manner of tiny gaps and filling in every single one of them can be very difficult – especially in older houses. And even if you do fill them in, mice have an annoying habit of making new mouseholes for themselves.

Similarly, trying to catch a mouse yourself is nigh-on impossible. They are much smaller and quicker than you and will escape your clutches 99.9% of the time. So, play to your strengths and use human ingenuity and tools to get rid of your mouse problem instead.

#1 The Humane Home-Made Toilet Roll Trap

PROS: Cheap, humane
CONS: Time consuming to release each mouse back into the wild, effectiveness varies

This has got to be one of my absolute favorite ways to catch a mouse and kudos to Chris Glass, who first introduced me to the idea (you can see full details of the technique over on his website).

All you need is the cardboard tube from a toilet roll, a bin or bucket and some bait (chocolate works well).

Flatten on side of the tube, add a little bait to one end and balance it precariously over the edge of your table (with the baited side hanging over the table’s edge). Place the bin or bucket underneath and you have your very own humane home-made mouse trap.

The mouse will be enticed by the bait and scurry through the tube to get at it, at which point gravity will take over and mouse, tube, bait and all will fall into the bucket. Then it’s just a matter of releasing the little fellow back into the wild preferably very far away from your home.

#2 The Traditional Mouse Trap

PROS: Cheap
CONS: Messy (can result in blood and gore) 

The traditional spring-loaded mousetrap has changed it’s appearance over the last decade but it still works on the same (slightly improved) idea.

The mouse tries to take the bait, which triggers a mechanism that releases a metal bar that has been spring-loaded to smash into the mouse’s head and spine with such force as to kill it instantly.

Mouse Trap

Although they’ve been around since the beginning of the 20th century, the traditional mousetrap remains one of the most cost-effective methods of getting rid of mice.

#3 The Humane Cage Trap

PROS: Humane
CONS: Time consuming to release each mouse back into the wild

Working on the same premise of the toilet roll trap, humane cage traps capture a mouse so that you can release it back into the wild.

Simply bait the trap and when the mouse enters the cage to eat it, the door slams shut behind it incarcerating it until you are ready to let it go.

Havahart Humane Mouse Trap

One of the leading manufacturers of these types of traps are a company called Havahart and it is one of their traps that is the pictured above.

Although this trap has two doors, it is worth mentioning that this does NOT mean that it can catch two mice at once – it merely gives the mouse two points of entry and when triggered both doors will slam shut.

#4 Mouse Poison

PROS: No contact with mouse
CONS: Health and safety issues, rotting mouse corpses in your house

Poison has long been used to get rid of rodents, however in this day and age I think there are far more effective methods of dealing with the pests.

Mouse Poison

Mouse poisons are made to attract mice and entice them into eating it, which then results in their death. The time it takes for them to die varies depending on which type of poison you use, which means it can result in having dead mice rotting away within your walls.

Additionally, poisons have the potential to harm pets and other wildlife as well as young children, so it is not a technique I would recommend.

#5 Glue boards

PROS: Cheap, Can catch multiple mice at once
CONS: Unnecessarily cruel and messy

Although glue boards are effective, they are my least favorite method of rodent control due to the unnecessary stress and suffering it causes the mouse before they die. I’m not a big fan of rodents but I don’t like to see any creatures suffer and glue boards are a particularly ugly way to die.

Glue Boards

When a mouse runs over a glue board it gets stuck to it and dies of starvation, stress or trauma. For the rat catcher, the glueboard can be disposed of in the trash can along with anything it’s caught.

#5 Electronic Mouse Traps

PROS: Very effective, clean
CONS: Expensive

Electronic mouse traps are one of the most effective ways of getting rid of mice, although they are more expensive than other techniques both in terms of the actual cost and the ongoing cost of batteries.

Electric Mouse Trap

Electric traps (like almost all rodent traps) entice mouse with bait and when they try to take it, it triggers a mechanism that electrocutes it, killing it instantly.

If you’ve checked out my top picks for rodent control, you’ll know that I highly recommend the Rat Zapper Ultra for getting rid of all types of rodents, however it is a little bit of an overkill for mice because of their small size.

And at around $45, the Rat Zapper is quite expensive (although it is very very good at it’s job).

Fortunately, there are smaller, cheaper alternatives available for mice, such as the one pictured above.

Summary

In the first instance, I would recommend trying toilet roll trap because it is free and easy to set up.

If you don’t have any luck with that I would recommend the electronic mouse traps or spring-loaded mouse traps, depending on how big your budget is.

However, if you’re looking for a humane option, then use the Havahart Cage Trap.

In this post, I’m going to tell you how you can get rid of chipmunks quickly and easily and keep them away forever.

As well as sharing with you my own tips for getting rid of chipmunks, I also consulted with my buddy John who runs the website Get Rid of Chipmunks and is a professional pest control expert, so you’ll benefit from the combined advice of the two of us

Why Get Rid of Chipmunks?

But before we go any further, let’s take a moment to ask why anyone would want to get rid of chipmunks? They’re cute and funny and have even made it onto the big screen and television (Alvin & the Chipmunks and Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Ranger).

Unfortunately a chipmunk does not have the sweet singing voice that the media might have you believe – in fact, as anyone that has a chipmunk infestation will attest to, their high-pitched chirping sound is migraine-inducing and exceedingly annoying.

And if they’ve made it into your house, you’ll have sleepless nights aplenty as they shuffle and scratch in your roofspace and walls.

But apart from the head-splitting noise they make, they are also very destructive creatures.

They dig their tunnels under your foundations that can potentially lead to structural damage in the worst cases and will think nothing of pulling up all your plants and seedlings in their constant search for food. They’ll also gnaw and rip up any material they can find to use as bedding in their homes from your newly-washed clothes to the cushions on your patio chairs.

They can even scare small birds away from your garden by eating their eggs and stealing any birdseed you’ve left out for them.

To be fair to the chipmunk, in small numbers they don’t usually cause a problem and they can be entertaining to watch scampering around your yard but in larger numbers they are a very annoying pest.

Chipmunk Traps

There are four main types of chipmunk trap; electric, cage, spring-loaded and water.

Electric Traps
The most effective (and most expensive) is the electric trap, which electrocutes any chipmunk that attempts to take the bait.

AgriZap Rat Zapper Ultra

Of all the electric traps available, the best is the AgriZap Rat Zapper Ultra. As well as being the best way of getting rid of a chipmunk infestation, it is also a very ‘clean’ method because there is no blood and gore and the chipmunk’s carcass will just slide out of it and into the garbage can (so you don’t even have to touch it).

Cage Traps
Next, we have the cage trap. It’s a little cheaper than the electric trap and catches the chipmunk alive (which can be either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it). If you want the most humane method of getting rid of a chipmunk, then this is the trap for you, however you’re just going to kill the critter after catching it, then spend a little extra on the electric trap.

HavaHart Humane Cage Trap

One of the best manufacturers of humane cage traps for chipmunks is a company called HavaHart. The triggering mechanism incarcerates the chipmunk almost every time.

Once you’ve caught a chipmunk, it is advisable to travel at least 2 miles away from your home before releasing it into the wild.

Spring-Loaded Traps
The next type of chipmunk trap, and the most traditional method of catching all manner of rodents, is the spring-loaded trap or the ‘classic’ mousetrap.

Big Snap-E Trap

These traps (such as the Big Snap-E Trap) implement two strong springs that, when triggered, force a metal bar onto the back of the chipmunk’s head, killing it in an instant. There may be some blood and gore to clean up afterwards, so they can be quite messy but they have stood the test of time and are very effecting.

Another type of mousetrap that has become quite popular of late is the Better Mousetrap. Rather than smashing down on the back of the rodent’s head, it uses suffocation, which results in a lot less blood to clean up afterwards.

Water Trap
Finally, you can construct your own water trap out of a gallon bucket and a plank of wood.

Just fill the bucket with water and rest the plank against it, then scatter some seeds on the surface of the water, the plank and the ground near to the plank.

The chipmunk will be attracted by the seeds and climb the plank to take a look in the water. As it tries to fish the seeds out, it will fall in and drown. Well, that’s the theory anyway – personally I’ve never had any luck using this method but there are lots of folk that will testify it is the best method of chipmunk control so it is worth giving a try.

Other Ways to Get Rid of Chipmunks

Apart from getting a cat to keep the rodent populations of your property down, there are also a few other methods you can use; air rifles, poison, fox urine, mothballs and decoys.

Air Rifle
If you own an air rifle, you can drastically cut down your chipmunk infestation by taking a morning or afternoon to snipe at them. There’s a video on YouTube where a guy killed around 50 chipmunks in just a few hours with his gun.

Poison
This is a method I would definitely not recommend. As well as harming the environment, using poison against chipmunks can also harm other wildlife, family pets and even children so in my opinion it is best avoided.

Fox Urine
Chipmunks are terrified of foxes because in the wild a fox will hunt and kill a chipmunk. So, any evidence of a fox being in the area has the potential of scaring them away and the best way to do this is by spraying some fox urine around your yard. Fortunately, you don’t need to acquire the fox urine yourself because you can buy it online. Although marketed as a natural chipmunk repellent, I haven’t heard of anyone that has had success with this method.

Mothballs
For some unknown reason, chipmunks have an aversion to mothballs. Although mothballs probably won’t get rid of your chipmunk infestation for good, they can be used to keep them away from certain areas. I know a guy that had success using mothballs around his garden to stop chipmunks digging up his newly-planted bulbs.

Decoys
Finally, we have decoys. They are basically models of owls or hawks that prey on chipmunks. The sight of them can potentially scare chipmunks away.

In Conclusion

The best way to get rid of chipmunks is to use electric traps, or if you don’t want to kill the chipmunks, then use Havahart humane traps.

Welcome to my new blog all about how to get rid of rodents.

My name’s Daniel and throughout the pages of this website, I’ll be sharing methods, techniques, tips and tricks for getting rid of all types of rodents including rats and mice, squirrels and chipmunks and gophers and groundhogs.

Both humane and lethal methods will be covered and I’ll be discussing traps, repellents, poison, scare tactics and even what to look for when employing a professional pest control expert or exterminator to do the deed for you.

I’ve reserved a special page for my top picks for getting rid of rodents and I’d love to hear any feedback or questions you may have – you can leave a comment below each post or email me direct at dan@howtogetridofrodents.org.

I’d also love to hear about any successes you’ve experienced and any methods that I haven’t written about. Again you can comment or email me.

I hope you find this resource useful and I wish you a happy rodent-free future

Daniel