PretzelTrap v1.0 (mouse trap)

Introducing the PretzelTrap mouse trap.  As the weather turns cold and the holidays come upon us, mice and other rodents make their way indoors in search of shelter and food.  Keep these often disease carrying unwanted pests from making your house into their home with a simple to print, reusable, humane, non-toxic (no poison), mouse trap.

Inspired by Shawn Wood's YouTube channel, Mousetrap Monday.

The bait and the trigger are a simple pretzel stick (I smear a little peanut butter on it).  The mouse comes along, sticks his head in the hole, bites on the pretzel causing it to break, and the 2 sides of the tube snap in on it's neck.

To print, add supports to just the end-cap - the tubes don't need it.  I printed in PLA, .2mm layer, .4mm nozzle, 20% infill.  Takes about 2 hours to print a trap using my settings.

To set the trap:

1. Combine both tube halves
   
    
2. Insert a pretzel stick through the top hole into the center cup in the bottom half
   
   1. I use Rold Gold pretzels that are around 60mm in length.  Get pretzels at least this length - you can always cut them down to size if needed, but they shouldn't be any shorter.
   2. Smear a little peanut butter on the stick as well to help lure in a mouse.
       
3. Put the end cap on the pretzel part that is sticking out.
   
    
4. Lift  the right half of the trap just until you can insert and rotate the end cap.  Rotate the end cap about 90 degrees.  Keep tension on trap/pretzel with your fingers so the pretzel does not fall out of the cups on either end.
   
    
5. You should be able to see the pretzel suspended in the middle of the trap through the tube hole.
   
    
6. Wrap a tight rubber around the trap into the guides on the top & bottom of the trap.  Do this gently - do not “snap” the band or you will likely break the pretzel.  I use 3 ½" by ¼" (size #64) rubber bands.  One rubber band per trap, doubled over.  You WANT a lot of tension here!  Just enough so it doesn't break the pretzel on its own.
   
    
7. Place in a high-mouse-traffic area and check frequently.

Each half also has a small ring on the back.  If you have other rodents, like rats, or are placing in an outer building (garage, barn, or storage shed), they can carry this trap off.  Wrap a wire through these rings and attach it to a wall or the floor so these larger pests can't carry the trap off.  If you are setting your trap in your home, you likely will not need to use these.

OpenSCAD files are provided if you want to tweak it on your own.