Ways to Catch a Mouse

[Lee]

Ok, there is a mouse running around on the 2nd floor of my house. I have two cats, but one was declawed before she was adopted, and one has no instinct what so ever. Anyone have any humane ways to catch this thing? The decon traps have been semi successful but now that there is one running around in visible sight, I don't think I'll sleep tonight.

Any suggestions are welcome.

[Regan]

If you don't mind the mouse climbing on your countertops, then I would recommend this trap:
http://glass.typepad.com/journal/2005/0 ... ch_a_.html

But if you don't like that, this person tried something else, which seems to have worked (although you'll have to get super close to the mouse, and that might not be your thing).

I modified this idea, because the original method didn't work, and I'd rather not have mice on my countertops. I put some honey roasted peanuts in the bottom of a long "mailing tube" and left it on the floor near where the mouse hung out. When you hear the mouse chewing peanuts you creep up, put some cardboard over the open end of the tube, and flip it so the mouse is at the bottom. Then I put a ziplock baggie over the open end, and flip it over again. The mouse falls into the baggie, zip it closed. Double bag it just to be sure, and release or allow mouse to humanely suffocate.

[smudgeoffudge]

I heard you can catch a mouse with a box and some tissue paper.

You have to kind of make a ramp to the top of a box, then you lay some very thin tissue paper over the top of the box and make it lay in such a way that the weight of the mouse should make it fall into the box. You need something like a few sunflower seeds or something for bait.

Also, you probably need to check the box often because the mouse can chew it's way out through a box even if it is hard plastic, it can eventually chew it's way out.

[MarchingDuck]

they do make humane commerical mouse traps. You can buy them just about anywhere.

[eilu]

I feel your pain. I have three cats, but they are more interested in the birds flying outside than the mice. A mouse will zip past them, they'll do a double take then go, "wait, we can catch that, right?" but by then the mouse has gotten away. They're starting to get it though, but still no catches.

This is a way to catch (escaped) hamsters, but I guess it will work for mice:
you need a large plastic bucket, a towel an apple and some apple juice. You put the apple in the bucket and soak the towel in the juice. Then you roll-up the towel and drape it over the bucket. The key here is that the part of the towel in the bucket must not reach the bottom. The idea is the hamster will smell the apple, run up the towel and into the bucket, but not back out again. Something similar will probably work for mice...

[Rissa]

My parents bought those sticky things when we had mice. They're just little sticky pads with some seeds or something on them, so the mouse's feet get stuck when they go after it. Of course, it's not very easy to get them off and set them free, so they usually end up struggling to death :/

[Helena]

I heard you can catch a mouse with a box and some tissue paper.

You have to kind of make a ramp to the top of a box, then you lay some very thin tissue paper over the top of the box and make it lay in such a way that the weight of the mouse should make it fall into the box. You need something like a few sunflower seeds or something for bait.

Also, you probably need to check the box often because the mouse can chew it's way out through a box even if it is hard plastic, it can eventually chew it's way out.

QFT.
I've used this method. Try using something sugary as bait: cake, sugared almonds, honey covered peanuts, raisins, currants, cereal, fruit, etc. Once it falls in, you can take the box outside and release the mouse or you can put a bag over the top, turn it upside down and have the mouse fall into the bag, release it or allow it to humanely suffocate.

[Lee]

My parents bought those sticky things when we had mice. They're just little sticky pads with some seeds or something on them, so the mouse's feet get stuck when they go after it. Of course, it's not very easy to get them off and set them free, so they usually end up struggling to death :/

Yeah, one of my old cats was a top notch mouse catcher and got stuck on the trap. Let's say she really didn't like it being ripped off her.

We have the humane mouse traps every where.

[Asthaloth]

Pick it up.
In my experience, they aren't all that smart.

[Siniri]

Picking it up is a good way to get bitten -- and mice do carry diseases. I had to handle mice a few times in the lab (one of the reasons I switched from lab research to epidemiology), and you had to hold them at the base of the tail between your pinky/ring finger and the scruff of the neck with your thumb/forefinger -- otherwise you'd get scratched or bitten. Bites hurt! I only got bitten once, and it didn't even break the skin (or the glove), but it left twin, deep bruises on my finger for over a week -- holding a pencil hurt for 3 days afterwards.

From personal observation, I would not call suffocating a "humane" method of disposal. The lab disposed of "excess" mice by dropping them in a CO2 chamber, and they would jump and twitch horribly before dying -- although this method has been determined by the AVMA to cause "no evident stress" to rats (p.11 here). Of course, the CO2 accelerates death and acts as an anesthetic; suffocation without an accelerant or anesthetic does cause suffering.

From the same AVMA article, acceptable methods for euthanizing small rodents include "Barbiturates, inhalant anesthetics, CO2, CO, potassium chloride in conjunction with general anesthesia, microwave irradiation." "Conditionally acceptable" methods include Methoxyflurane, ether, N2, Ar, cervical dislocation (rats < 200 g), decapitation."

All of these methods require training and access to specialized drugs and/or equipment in order to use properly. Personally, I'd just drop it outside somewhere. Unless you have a friend with a pet snake that needs feeding soon...

[ahoteinrun]

Don't feed wild mice to snakes. The snakes can get diseases from the mice and it's just not... a good plan.

Honestly if you don't want to kill it buy a humane trap, and take it MILES away from where you live and release it when you do catch it. Mice do carry diseases (if it's got a white belly and white paws and is a deermouse then it could have hanta virus), so please to be careful.

Frankly if you see one, there are sure to be more. Good luck.

[Rachel]

I agree with siniri - i would not call suffocating a mouse "humane". Personally i think it's worse than just breaking their necks as they suffer for a long time, if you break their neck they would suffer for max a couple of seconds, if that.

The best thing for getting rid of mice is the poison traps - which personally i think are just as humane as "humanely suffocating" them. That's what they use here at college (where there are always mice problems) and in the mouse house at work (incase any escape) or to get rid of any wild ones that get in.

And lastly, as others said - do not touch them. Wild mice will bite, and will most likely have diseases. They may not be all that smart, but they are also bloody fast, so good luck to just catching one with your hands anyway if you decide to ignore the fact they bite.