Best Rat and Mouse Traps for San Diego Homes

Snap traps

Snap traps kill quickly, cost little and let you see results. Angi lists DIY live traps at $5 to $20 each, and snap traps sit in a similar range. Use the right size: mouse traps are too small to hold a roof rat.

• Place them flat against walls, beams and attic runways with the trigger end facing the path
• For roof rats, put them in the attic, on garage shelves and along the tops of fences
• For mice, put them under sinks, behind the stove and along garage walls
• Use several, not one or two
• Bait with a small amount of peanut butter, nut paste or dried fruit

Covered trap boxes keep pets and kids away from the trigger.

Electric traps

Battery-powered electric traps kill with a shock when a rodent steps inside. They are enclosed, which makes them easier to use around pets and children, and many have an indicator that shows a catch. Fixr lists professional electric trapping at $450 to $650, the high end of its trap price ranges, because the units cost more. They work best indoors on a flat surface along a wall.

Bait stations

Bait stations are locked boxes that hold poison bait. They keep bait away from kids and pets but do not stop a poisoned rodent from dying in a wall or attic. California has narrowed what can go in them. AB 1788 prohibited most uses of second-generation anticoagulants starting January 1, 2021, most uses of diphacinone have been prohibited since January 1, 2024, and AB 2552 added chlorophacinone and warfarin on January 1, 2025. AB 1788 and AB 2552 both list residential use among the prohibited uses. UC IPM's June 2025 rat guidance lists bromethalin, cholecalciferol and zinc phosphide as the active ingredients still registered for rats and house mice, and says almost all bait used in and around buildings must be in bait stations within 50 feet of a structure. If a provider uses stations outside, ask what bait is in them and where each station will go. See how to verify a pest control license.

Live traps and glue boards

The county's hantavirus brochure says not to use glue traps or live traps for mice. Live traps leave you with a live rodent to handle and release, which brings risk of bites and exposure, and a released rodent often finds its way back or into a neighbor's house. Glue boards hold rodents alive, which means handling a stressed animal, and they can catch pets, birds and lizards if left out. Snap and electric traps avoid those problems.

Where to set traps for roof rats

Roof rats travel high. Look for droppings and rub marks, then set traps:

• In the attic along joists and on top of ducts where droppings are thickest
• Near the eaves where rats enter
• On garage shelves and rafters
• On top of fences and walls outside, secured so they do not fall

Rats are cautious about new objects. Some people bait traps without setting them for a night or two, then set them once the bait is being taken. See how to get rid of roof rats.

Where to set traps for mice

Mice stay close to food and run along edges. Set traps:

• Under the kitchen sink, behind the stove and fridge
• Inside lower cabinets where you find droppings
• Along garage walls, behind storage
• At gaps around pipes where mice come out of the wall

Put traps a few feet apart in active areas. Mice investigate new objects more readily than rats, so catches often start the first night. See mice in the walls.

Handling catches

Check traps every day. Wear gloves, spray the rodent and trap with a disinfectant or bleach solution, let it soak 5 minutes, and put the rodent and any used trap in a plastic bag, then a second bag, as the CDC advises. Wash your hands after removing the gloves.

Traps are only half the job

Traps clear the rodents inside. Sealing keeps new ones out. If catches keep coming for more than two weeks, the house still has an open route. See rodent exclusion.

Traps outside the house

Outdoor traps catch rats before they reach the roof, but they also catch birds, lizards and pets if left open. Put outdoor snap traps inside a covered box or a short length of pipe that only a rodent will enter, and secure them so they cannot be dragged off. Place them along fence tops and walls where rats run, near fruit trees and under dense plants. Check them every morning.