Mouse Cage Trap†

Description

This is another of my favourite traps – not sure of the exact age or nationality but it’s a carefully crafted, well made and functional piece.

The box is straightforward, with a wire rod ‘cage’ at one end and a single sprung wooden door.

Part of the reason it appeals to me so much is that despite it being so simple, the attention to detail is very strong, no more so that in the trigger mechanism. You’ll notice that one of the wires in the top of the ‘cage’ sticks through the side, is bent upwards and the end twisted into a neat spiral handle. A nice touch in itself, but surely more than decoration ?

This is in fact a brilliantly simple means of adjusting the sensitivity of the trigger. The wire rod connected to this ‘handle’ is bent very slightly making the middle of the wire, where the trigger is mounted, noticeably off centre. By turning the handle, the rod is rotated and so moves the trigger closer or further from where it hooks on the back of the door. Brilliant.