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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Salisbury chapter.

If you are anything like me, you find all animal traps (other than catch and release ones) horribly inhumane. One of the worst in my opinion are glue traps. Glue traps essentially capture bugs, mice, and other small rodents because of their immense stickiness and can result in the animal starving to death or fatally injuring themselves while trying to get out. Getting stuck in a glue trap is a slow and torturous way to die for an animal.

Ever since I learned about glue traps, I have feared ever coming across an animal stuck in one because I would have no idea how to let them out. I feared I would have to kill the animal out of mercy, something that would deeply disturb me as an animal rights activist.

All of this changed however, when I learned a simple trick for letting an animal free from a glue trap. The secret is vegetable oil. Any oil you have in the house should do the trick.

 

Here is how you compassionately free a mouse, or any other animal, from a glue trap using vegetable oil:

Step 1: Get some kind of Tupperware container and place the glue trap and animal inside. This step is important as the vegetable oil works incredibly quickly and you may not have enough time to catch the animal to release them outdoors (if you do not already have him or her contained).

Step 2: Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil on one side of the container and when you are ready, tilt the vegetable oil so that it comes into contact with the trapped animal and the glue trap. As soon as the vegetable oil makes contact with the animal’s fur, they will be freed.

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Step 3: Remove the glue trap from the Tupperware (and honestly please throw it in the trash).

Step 4: Take the animal outdoors and release them back into the wild. Please do not release them too far from the indoor location. I know that people may fear the animal could get back inside but if you drive miles and miles away you may be separating that animal from their family members who live in the surrounding area. Instead, find a nearby park, forest, or even some bushes and release the animal there.

Please note that this method should be used as a last resort when an animal has been trapped by a glue trap that was placed there beyond your control. Animals can still injure themselves in glue traps prior to you finding them. If you have mice in your house, please use humane traps and check them frequently so that the animal does not starve in there either.

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I was so amazed by how simple this trick was, so I have been sharing it with as many people as I can. Even if you are not fond of animals, I can guarantee you that it will feel a whole lot better to catch and release an animal in trouble than to ignore them in their time of need or kill them.     

Compassion is contagious. Share it with everyone you know!

 

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Nicole is an Environmental Studies and Economics double major at Salisbury University who is passionate about animal rights. She strongly believes in the benefits of a minimalistic plant-based lifestyle. She is on a journey to self love and minimalism and is excited to share her progress and advice along the way. Finally, she is dedicated to yoga and running as forms of stress relief and confidence boosting. All her passions and lifestyle choices come back to her deeply rooted love for animals. Nicole believes showing compassion truly manifests itself in beautiful and positive ways in life. She is prepared to share with you the means of achieving a more meaningful, compassionate, and joyful life with her articles.
Nadia Williams is a senior studying Political Science, Communications and French at Salisbury University. She enjoys writing about policy, media and culture. She hopes to use journalism as a tool to empower others to play an active role in their communities.