Is Glue Trap Manufacturer Deceiving Shoppers?

Imagine stumbling into a sticky substance so strong that you couldn’t break away from it. Frantic, you struggle to pry yourself free, but all that happens is that you tear patches of your skin and hair off or get your mouth and nose stuck in it and start to suffocate.

That is exactly what mice, rats, birds, squirrels, hamsters, kittens, and other small animals stuck on glue traps endure. Some even try to chew off a paw in order to escape otherwise certain death. Some, helplessly trapped, die of dehydration. Motomco, which makes some of these little torture devices, is telling shoppers that one of its products is humane. George Orwell might be spinning in his grave.

Here’s the scoop: Motomco puts a substance called eugenol in the trap, citing that it is a “naturally occurring anesthetic.” Eugenol can be a pain reliever but only when it is injected into an animal’s bloodstream or pumped directly into the stomach. But just as you don’t get drunk by rolling around in alcohol, animals’ pain isn’t taken away when they come into contact with eugenol. In fact, studies show that eugenol can cause animals to suffer more by causing a painful burning sensation, vomiting, and nausea.

Is Motomco trying to sell its sticky glue traps by duping compassionate consumers who don’t want to harm animals? We think so, and PETA has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeking action against the company for false advertising.

You can read our FTC complaint here. If you have purchased a Motomco trap, thinking it was a humane solution, or if you know people who have, please let us know!

Oh, and if this whole ordeal with Motomco weren’t bad enough, Lowe’s is still selling these terrible contraptions.

Written by Grace Friedan