Bolton: Mice euthanised after getting caught in glue trap

Two mice had to be euthanised after they were caught in a glue trap in Bolton. 

The distressed rodents were spotted by a young girl, covered in glue and struggling to free themselves, after the sticky board had been left in Dijon Street, Deane, on April 14. 

She took them home and managed to release them from the board before calling the RSPCA. 

One of the mice was unable to stand and had lost the use of all four legs, while the other was shivering and had a suspected dislocated hind limb. 

Mice stuck to the trap (Image: RSPCA)

The animal charity put both animals to sleep to prevent further suffering. 

Inspector Whalley said: “We’re really grateful to the young girl who showed such care and compassion by stopping to help these mice.

"It must have been a very upsetting experience for her to see distressed animals in this situation, but she took action and helped to minimise their suffering.  

“When I arrived, one of the mice wasn’t able to stand and was struggling to get up, it was a really awful sight.

"Glue traps are really horrible devices and to think this had just been left out on a residential street is appalling.

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The hair left on the glue trap from the mice (Image: RSPCA)

“Sadly they are currently still legal to use, although thankfully this will soon change.

"They’re intended for rodents but in reality they can impact any animal who is unfortunate enough to encounter them. 

“They are extremely difficult to remove - as seen by the amount of fur that was left behind on this particular device - and can cause a great deal of suffering and distress." 

Glue traps - also known as "glue boards’ or ‘sticky boards" - consist of a sheet of plastic, cardboard or wood coated with non-drying adhesive designed to trap rodents such as mice and rats as they cross the board. 

A glue trap box (Image: RSPCA)

The Glue Traps (Offences) Act was passed in 2022 and was expected to come into force in England this month, but has now been delayed until July.

However, the RSPCA is urging people to stop using the devices immediately.

She added: “In their increasing panic and desperation to escape, rats and mice have been found to tear patches of their fur out, break bones, and even gnaw their own limbs off as they struggle to get free.

“We would urge people to show kindness and respect towards all animals and not to use them.

"No animal deserves to suffer like this, especially when there are kinder and more humane ways of deterring rodents instead.”