What bait is best for catching mice with a spring type mouse trap? 
I've tried cheese, peanut butter and dog food with no luck.

Hello Bonzo,

According to Victorpest this is the typically used bait for mice and
rats.

Mice                       Rats 

Peanut butter              Peanut butter 
Cheese                     Bacon 
Oats                       Fruits, vegetables 
Nesting materials          Cereals 
Chocolate                  Meat 
Water (live catch)         Combination of any of the above 
Pretzel (tie with string)   
Combination of any of the above

Giles discussion group on how to catch mice is very informative and
will give you a good idea of the best bait to use although you may
have to find out your particular mouse's favorite dish by trial, error
and observation.

Almost everyone agrees that Jelly Babies obtain the best results.
Chocolate, currants and raisins work as well.

Here are a few short excerpts from the discussion group.
 
 “Peanut butter is often-recommended bait, but I think Jelly Babies
are better. Any mouse with half a brain can lick the peanut butter off
a trap without setting it off, but a Jelly Baby is much chewier - they
are far more likely to get caught.”

“I then purchased inexpensive wooden traps. Put cheese on them, bacon
rinds etc. (..) None worked but he liked chocolate-cleaned traps on
several nights. It was so clever I named him "Mensa the Mouse". On
reading your suggestions I headed off to the shop tonight at 10 pm to
get jelly babies for the traps - caught Mensa less than 2 hourrs
later.”

“Try dried fruit, sultanas, and currants as bait. I have had many a
victory with it.”
 
“The best trap is the old wooden 'little nipper' but after baiting (I
have found moistened raisins or sultanas are the best) you have to
place and then CAREFULLY tease the release wire to the very verge of
triggering “

“I have set one more trap, (cheese). The other one that had the catch
had (Snickers Bar).”

Stevie says: “Caught six within a few days baiting cheap wooden traps
with chocolate. (Hersheys Kisses work great) You can soften them a
little in the microwave. Mice love chocolate!! I've tried cheese,
peanut butter, but chocolate is the answer.”

“I baited the traps with "Penguin Biscuits" and bingo, I caught a
small one.”

“I set two wooden traps last night and had one capture.  I put choc
spread on and it took it straight away”

Source: Giles how to mice discussion group
http://www.gilest.org/146

At this newsgroup they say that lemon gumdrops attract mice the best.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=best+mouse+trap+bait&hl=es&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=20010205120609.23062.00001417%40nso-fw.aol.com&rnum=6

Additional information that may interest you:

Jelly Babies
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/aafood/jellybabies.html

Humane Live Mouse Trap
http://www.abundantearth.com/store/mousetrap1.html

Search Criteria:

best bait for mouse traps
mouse trap bait


I hope you find this helpful. 

Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga

Hello
the location of the mouse trap is very important, 
if you are locating them wrong they will not take the bait.
Mice do not like open spaces and tend to run along the wall, so your
mouse trap needs to be facing the wall (perpendicular to it) with a
generous deployment of them, perhaps 6-10 or so dispersed in the area.
Reference
Victor mouse trap page.
http://pub10.bravenet.com/faq/show.php?usernum=790240391&password=&catid=169&action=showcat
and good luck!
regards
lot-ga

My father swears by Portuguese sausage (choriço or linguiça).