Glue traps are one of the cruelest methods of killing animals that exists today. These devices consist of pieces of cardboard, fiberboard, or plastic coated with a sticky adhesive designed to capture any small animal who wanders across its surface.
Glue-trap manufacturers generally direct consumers to throw animals away along with the trap, leaving the animals to suffer for days until they finally die of starvation or dehydration—a cruel death if ever there were one.
Trapped rodents and other animals suffer immeasurably during the days that it takes for them to die. Glue traps rip patches of skin, fur, and feathers off the animals' bodies as they struggle to escape, and many animals even chew off their own legs trying to free themselves. Some animals get their noses and mouths or beaks stuck in the glue and suffocate, which also takes hours.
Glue traps are completely indiscriminate, capturing not only rats and mice but also birds, squirrels, snakes, gerbils, kittens, and other small animals. PETA fields calls on a regular basis from distraught individuals who have discovered small animals, birds, squirrels, and even their animal companions hopelessly trapped on these sticky boards.
In addition to being cruel, glue traps and other lethal methods do not control rodent populations. When animals are removed from their habitat, others will move in to occupy the newly vacant niche.
The only long-term way to control rodent populations is to modify the habitat so that the area becomes unattractive or inaccessible to the animals. To repel mice, soak cotton balls in peppermint oil (from your local health food store). If any rodents need to be removed from indoors, this can easily be done with humane box or cage traps. PETA has carried a smart mousetrap in our catalog for years because it's effective and humane, and it's one of our top-selling items.
Humane traps must be checked frequently, and trapped mice must be released right away. Release the mice into a woodsy area close to your home, but be sure to seal all cracks and holes to prevent unwelcome visitors from making a comeback!
What You Can Do
If you ever encounter an animal stuck to a glue trap, try to release the animal by pouring a small amount of any kind of cooking or baby oil onto the parts of the animal that are stuck and then slowly, gently working the animal free. If you cannot remove the animal from the trap, rush the animal to a local veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator for assistance, or call PETA for guidance.
Also, wherever you see glue traps sold, be sure to send a polite letter to the store manager asking him or her to stop selling the traps and to sell humane live traps instead.
If you ever see that glue traps are being used to capture and kill animals, contact those responsible, ask them to stop using the traps, and provide them with information on humane alternatives.
Read more about proven humane rodent-control methods.