How do you catch a mouse?

Question

Somehow a mouse got into our house. I was hoping my golden lab or my mean little rabbit would get rid of them, but they seem to have made friends with each other. We have called an exterminator, and he put down sticky traps. Unfortunately the only thing that got stuck on them was my dog. We bought humane traps that you stick peanut butter in, but they won't go near them. The mice are adorable, but I want them gone! Any helpful suggestions (one's that don't involve dead mice)?

Answer 1

You can always get the no-kill mouse trap. Wal*Mart has them for a buck or two. It is a plastic tube with a little door on it. You set the bait inside the trap; the mouse goes thru the trap door after the bait; the trap door closes behind it and it can't get back out.

Usually dead mice are the only good mice.

I was looking for something totally different and came across this article about home remedy for riding your house of mice. I know some people use those glue boards, which I totally despise because I don't like hearing the mouse scream... and they will. There is the traditional trap... but I hate even picking one of those things up once they go off on a mouse... There are pellets, but in my home, this is not an option because I have birds. I don't need a mouse carrying a poison pellet into one of my bird cages & leaving it.

These solutions below provide a more natural means of control.

Normally, I just turn my cats loose on the vermin. My cats are excellent mousers, to the point of the fact that I've even considered hiring them out! LOL Technically, I don't have a problem getting the mice... my problem is more of how to keep them out. However, once they get in, they can do some substantial damage before they are discovered and eliminated.

Thought this was interesting and just passing it on for your info.

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The common field mouse prefers a moderate climate and the fall season signals to them that it is time to find inside accommodations. They are often motivated to burrow inside your home by the smell of food.They are notorious scavengers and will live in the walls of your home, coming out only to eat. They have many natural enemies, including: wolves, bears, cats, dogs, snakes, and owls. Their nocturnal nature helps to keep them safe as a good number of their enemies sleep while the field mouse is awake.

So now, how do we get rid of these unwanted visitors? Below are a number of home remedies to get rid of field mice. We will first approach the problem looking at non-poisonous solutions:

Steel Wool - Field mice are very small. They can insinuate themselves into the smallest crack or crevice. An opening as small as 2 inches wide is large enough for a field mouse to enter. Use steel wool to stuff into any holes, cracks or crevices that you see outside your home, in your basement, walls or in your attic. A particularly favorite haunt of these small creatures is under the kitchen sink, so be sure to put steel wool into any openings under there.

*** This method did not work for me. Darned mice chewed right thru the steel wool. I used Brillo Pads, hoping that the soap on them would also deter the mice... Not a chance! They still chewed thru.

Soda Pop - Amazingly, these little guys love soda pop. Put a saucer of the sweet stuff where they are likely to get at it. The mice will drink the soda and die. Apparently, it is the carbonization that does them in.

Mashed Potatoes (instant variety) - Place instant mashed potatoes near where you suspect the mice are hiding. They will eat the potatoes which will swell up in their tiny stomachs before they can be digested, thereby killing the mice. Unfortunately, they will probably die in the walls which may produce a smell.

Plaster of Paris with Chocolate - Mix dry chocolate powder with dry plaster of Paris. Place it where the mice live. The mice will eat the chocolate plaster and then go out in search of water. The plaster will kill them but, unlike the situation with the mashed potatoes, there is a good chance that they will die outside of your house while searching for water.

Peppermint Oil - Place about 15 drops of peppermint oil on a large cotton ball and place in the area of potential mouse invasions such as under refrigerators, under kitchen or bathroom sinks, along baseboards, or about 7-10 inches from hotwater heater (no chance for fires!).

*** Mice hate the stuff and will not come around it. Plus, it puts a nice smell in the air for a few days. NOTE: It will repell cats as well.
*** This method has worked best for me for keeping the mice out!!! I was really surprised. Now my cats are out of a job for over six months!!! LOL

These low-cost solutions may prove to be all that you need to rid your home of field mice. If these treatments do not work, you may need something stronger. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Answer 2

Cats have already been living a long time with humans. Even so they have remained predators like their relatives, the big cats, which include the lion, the tiger, and the leopard. The animals of prey for cats are much smaller. Most of all cats love mice. The hunting instinct is inborn. Even when you regularly feed your cats, it will not pass up an opportunity to chase after any mouse that crosses its path. Cats have great persistence in hunting. They can sit quietly for hours in front of a mouse hole. If a mouse finally does stick its little head out, the cat will first wait patiently. The mouse shouldn't be immediately afraid and disappear again into its hole. If the mouse dares to come out a little further, the cat will spring as quickly as lightning and catch the mouse. What should you do if your cat drags you a mouse? While it might seem disgusting to you, for the cat it is a great part of life. So don't scold your cat. Take the mouse away as soon as the cat has left it and put it outside. If the mouse is dead, you can bury it. Hope this helps (it is instintive) heheheheehehe aussie

Answer 3

The only thing you can do without dead mice in a trap is to get a cat!
There are new traps that snap shut with the mouse inside so you don't have to see it.
If you use poison you run the risk of a sick or dead dog and when the mice die they really stink for weeks!
Get the closed traps or a cat!
good luck!

Answer 4

I've had great success with this trap in my house:

http://veganstore.com/index.html?stocknumber=266

I've caught over a dozen mice with it so far and it can be used over and over indefinitely. Or, you can try making the free homemade humane trap described here:

http://www.helpinganimals.com/wildlife_livingWithMice.asp

If you do live trap mice, please be sure to check the traps several times a day and release the mice promptly, approximately a mile away from your home. It is much more cruel to allow a mouse in a live trap to slowly starve to death than to kill it quickly with a snap trap. When you release the mice, do it in an area with some sheltering bushes or plants.

The absolute cruelest traps are glue traps. Mice have been known to gnaw off their own limbs and tear off their skin in an effort to escape, as they starve or dehydrate to death or suffocate in the glue. It can take three to five days for them to die. Poison isn't any better, as the mice die slowly and painfully from internal bleeding. It can take up to a week for them to die, and then they smell as they rot behind your walls.

Thanks for wanting to be kind to the mice. I agree with you--they are adorable, but they can't stay in the house! Good luck!

Answer 5

eliminate any food source. check under your sink and other areas for any holes. if its an odd shape steel wool will close them up. keep trying with the hav- a-hart traps. make sure theyre closed when not in use.

usually strong scents such as cayenne pepper, moth balls, or peppermint extract will work because they hate the smell. a new product called fresh cab works too and it's all-natural and smells good to humans. see links below.

if u look where a past person asked the same question & i answered-- the scents are working for him.

traps are inhumane. especially the glue ones.

Answer 6

get rid of the sticky trap!! theyre meeeeeeeean. the lil mouse gets stuck to them and dies a slow painful death, or chews off his own paws to get off. I hate killing animals but If I had to pick I'd get the traps that do it right away.

The humane traps should work just keep at it. try different food or putting it in a different location. but remember to check them often. if you do catch one he'll be scared to death and you want to get him outside as quickly as possible.


when youre done, spray around your house with bleach. mice leave a scent and if he can pick it up again, he'll just find his way right back into your home. if you kill the scent with a water/bleach mixture, he'll be lost and he'll have to find somewhere else to call home.

Answer 7

We like the humane traps as well, mainly because traditional traps don't put the poor things out of their misery quick enough. :( Keep trying the humane traps. If you keep your kitchen as clean as possible (which is difficult with a dog, I know) everyday, and don't leave out food, they will have no choice but to go to the traps.

Answer 8

I've always found the humane traps effective for mice though they don't work for rats. Have you thought about getting a cat?

Answer 9

Do you have an outdoor cat? Or a friend with a cat you can Borrow"? I would put the meanie bunny in a cage and Fido in the garage and invite the kitty in for a day. Worked for my Mom, and she now has a cat, Zsa Zsa (speaking of meanies) GOOD LUCK, mice are cute but, they can do a lot of damage and their droppings can me lethal.

Answer 10

Glue traps are the best method to trap rats and mice.
I found detailed information at http://www.pests.in