The Best Mouse Traps of 2025

It happened — you spotted a mouse. If you’re anything like me, your first instinct may be that you need to pack your luggage and find a new place to live. Of course, that’s not super realistic. A better option? Finding a way to evict your newly acquired rodent roommates.

You can certainly call a pest control company to come in and do the job, or you can grab a few traps and do it yourself. If you’d like to go that route, we collected some tips from exterminators. Below, they share what to look for in a mouse or rodent trap, as well as tips on how to tell if you have an infestation problem in the first place.

When shopping for mouse traps and rodent killers, according to experts, there are multiple factors you should consider. Here is what they suggest keeping top of mind:

• Type of trap: There are a number of different types of traps on the market that can help you catch mice and rodents. Glue traps involve a sticky surface that the mouse gets stuck to, electronic zappers utilize a high-voltage electrical shock to kill rodents and live catch traps entrap mice alive. “There’s really nothing better than a plain snap trap, though,” says Nicole Carpenter, a pest control professional and the president at Black Pest Prevention in Charlotte, North Carolina. When a mouse steps on a snap trap, a metal hinge comes down and kills them.
• Cost: You’ll most likely need multiple traps to effectively capture all the mice in your home. Because of this, you’ll want to think carefully about your budget. While the electronic traps mentioned above may sound appealing, Carpenter warns that they can cost a lot more. To meet all budgetary needs, we include a range of options at varying price points.
• Squeamishness level: When choosing a trap, you’ll want to think about how squeamish you’ll be when having to dispose of it. “With a glue trap, you’ll likely need to deal with a mouse that is alive,” says Carpenter. “With Live catch traps, you’ll need to release a live mouse miles from your home — otherwise it will return.” With snap traps, you’ll need to dispose of a deceased mouse.

We used the criteria above from experts to round up a handful of mouse and rodent traps worth your consideration. To narrow it down, we focused on traps that are highly rated, with a 4-star average or higher from at least a thousand reviews.

Both experts we spoke with recommended snap traps as the most user-friendly option on the market. These wooden traps have an indoor pedal that you put bait on — like a small piece of cheese or a schmear of peanut butter. When the mouse goes to eat the bait, it immediately triggers the bar to snap closed for quick rodent elimination, according to the brand. These traps have a 4.3-star average rating from over 21,475 reviews on Amazon.

What we like

• Includes 36 traps
• Easy to use

This pack comes with 36 glue traps. They are scented to attract rodents. When the mouse crawls inside the box, it gets stuck to the strong glue on the bottom, and then you can dispose of the trap and vermin. When used inside, the traps can last up to a year, according to the brand. These traps have a 4.3-star average rating from over 89,800 reviews on Amazon.

Electric traps work by drawing the mouse into a tunnel (you place bait inside to attract them) and then zapping them with electricity. This set requires four AA batteries between the two traps. The traps have a magnetic lid that you can easily pull off to dump the mouse in the trash. The electricity automatically deactivates when the lid is off to keep you safe. These traps have a 4-star average rating from over 19,310 reviews on Amazon.

Prefer to release your mouse once you catch it? Place bait on one side of the trap and open the trap door. When a mouse enters, the trap door shuts and traps the mouse. The tube-like trap has ventilation holes to keep the mouse comfortable until you’re able to release it back into the wild. These traps have a 4.3-star average from over 4,850 reviews on Amazon.

While this repellent won’t catch mice once you already have them, it can keep them away and prevent you from developing a rodent problem. These sachets are filled with cinnamon and peppermint — two scents that naturally repel rodents, according to the brand. You can place them throughout your house and garage to keep mice away. These pouches have a 4.1-star average from over 24,800 reviews on Amazon.

According to experts, every house has what rodents look for — food and shelter. Of course, not every house has a mouse problem. “The real difference-maker is how easy it is for a mouse to get into a home,” says Carpenter. “ If there is easy access — like gaps around doors, pipes or vents — you are literally inviting them in and telling them to make themselves comfortable.”

These gaps don’t even have to be big for them to get inside. “Rodents utilize dime-sized openings in the foundation walls and vents and garage doors as their pathways,” says Juan Rezk, chief marketing officer at Certus Pest in Tampa, Florida. “Easy food availability, like an improperly sealed pantry or an open bag of birdseed in the garage, also serves as a welcoming entrance for rodents.”

Worried you may have a mouse problem, but haven’t actually seen one? “If you have a cat, it may notice mice before you do by staring at the same wall or sniffing around one corner,” says Carpenter. If you don’t have a cat, Carpenter says looking for droppings can help determine if mice are around. “They look like small black pellets, similar in size to grains of rice.”

Another common sign you have a rodent issue: “At night, you’ll often hear wall scratching sounds,” says Rezk, who adds that even if you only see one mouse, it usually indicates there are many more somewhere. “Mice are creatures that live in social groups, and they reproduce rapidly.”

Once you identify that you have a mouse problem, the first thing you should do is lock away all food sources, clean and block any entry points in your home. “Use steel wool or caulk to seal entry points around your home,” says Rezk. If you can’t locate where the rodents are getting in from or the problem feels bigger than something a few traps will solve, professional assistance may be necessary.

At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Nicole Carpenter is a pest control professional and the president at Black Pest Prevention in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Juan Rezk is the chief marketing officer at Certus Pest In Tampa, Florida.

Bethany Heitman is a contributor at NBC Select and a journalist who regularly covers topics like beauty, home and lifestyle. For this story, she interviewed two pest control experts.