Catching Mice

Without bringing in the PETA folks like that guy from 7 years ago who was attacking everyone here...

What is the humane way to catch mice, with little effort by me, that I can then easily remove them? And how far do I have to remove them? 1/2 mile? 3 miles? I feel like the damn things would find their way back easily from a short distance.

I was planning on the bucket method, without the water in it, then letting them out at a nature preserve about 2 miles away. I figure that they'll become owl food out there.

Any other thoughts? I'm not averse to killing them, but I don't want a ton of cleanup, and I want something that is cheap and reusable--My house was built in 1927, I have to figure that I'll get them again.

Cats can be low-mess if you can shoo them outside when they catch one indoors...or catch one outdoors and then bring it to you for "training" so that you can learn to hunt mice too

GameboyRMH wrote: Cats can be low-mess if you can shoo them outside when they catch one indoors...or catch one outdoors and then bring it to you for "training" so that you can learn to hunt mice too

Cats make me sneeze. And they pee and poop inside. So no.

mtn wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Cats can be low-mess if you can shoo them outside when they catch one indoors...or catch one outdoors and then bring it to you for "training" so that you can learn to hunt mice too

Cats make me sneeze. And they pee and poop inside. So no.

You could get a low-dander or hairless cat, and they prefer to pee and poop outside if given the chance.

I've tried several types of traps, from traditional baited traps to fancy mechanisms designed to keep them alive. They all kind of suck. They're not super effective, they're a pain to set up, and they can cost a relatively pretty penny.

About a year ago, I got tired of playing nice with mice and went in-humane. You know what doesn't suck? Glue Traps. They're cheap (several for under $5), easy to set up (you just put them on the ground), and they're the most effective tool that I've used (with one step onto the trap, they're stuck).

Assuming you're looking for "humane" vs. "nonlethal," there's nothing humane at all about a glue trap, but old-fashioned mouse traps will end things quickly for the mouse and there's no mess.

Just kill them all and let God sort it out. I pulled 2 more out of my bucket trap under the house yesterday. A few weeks ago, after I hadn't checked it in a while, I checked it and got 15. Yeah, I need to put that job on a more regular schedule.

Is the bucket more or less humane than the lawn mower?

Either way, between mowing the ones that ran the wrong direction from the water when I intentionally flooded part of the yard and catching them when I mow in general my ole Cub Cadet has over two dozen so far this year. I'm thinking about getting little mouse decals for it like a fighter plane.

oldopelguy wrote: Is the bucket more or less humane than the lawn mower?

Less humane although the lawnmower is more messy. See also: Improvised lethal injection vs. execution by AA cannon

In reply to mtn:

Just an FYI mice will turn into cannibals when they're stressed and hugry so you'll have to be diligent about the bucket otherwise they make a gigantic mess.

The electric traps work really well, but really hard to clean up so they don't last long.

I've never had good luck with the bucket.

Even poisons and snap traps have been hit and miss through the years.

Peanut butter on snap traps, bars of chocolate out where they will find them, corn meal and concrete mix does a really good job.

When it comes to nice, being humane just lets them regroup and build up resistances. Go nuclear.

im sure you can DIY some kind of bated catapult, im not sure you will get the 2-3 miles you're looking for but it will get them away

the bucket trap is a new one to me.

If by "catch" you mean bring about their deaths in some way that you don't feel bad about then... old fashioned mouse traps are quick. Peanut butter, against a wall turned 90 degrees to it so even if they don't stop to eat they might run over the trigger.

Mine run along the pipes in the ceiling though to avoid being shredded by my dogs. So, I use rat poison in a doggie safe trap and make sure there is no water in the basement. They eat, get super thirsty and go outside to die.

I think the guy that got jumped by the interwebs was using the old bucket with a beam trick to drown them. That is sorta cruel. But so is poisoning them, breaking their necks, letting dogs rip them to pieces or cats playing with them. It beats fixing the damage they cause and cleaning up piles of their E36 M3 however you slice it.

I just use regular old fashioned mouse traps. If they enter my house I have no problem with them paying the price of admission.

There is a reason for saying "build a better mouse trap" and it is because those things just work. I would only consider catching them if I had a pet snake to feed.

Huckleberry wrote: If by "catch" you mean bring about their deaths in some way that you don't feel bad about then... old fashioned mouse traps are quick. Peanut butter, against a wall turned 90 degrees to it so even if they don't stop to eat they might run over the trigger. Mine run along the pipes in the ceiling though to avoid being shredded by my dogs. So, I use rat poison in a doggie safe trap and make sure there is no water in the basement. They eat, get super thirsty and go outside to die. I think the guy that got jumped by the interwebs was using the old bucket with a beam trick to drown them. That is sorta cruel. But so is poisoning them, breaking their necks, letting dogs rip them to pieces or cats playing with them. It beats fixing the damage they cause and cleaning up piles of their E36 M3 however you slice it.

The guy who got all butthurt over Crumudgeon, or Jensenman as he was known back then (RIP) was mad about the glue traps.

They're kinda hard to find now (try an actual hardware store) but for snap traps you want the old school victors with the steel trigger plate, not the plastic one (those are basically fancy mouse feeders). Then sit down with a pair of pliers and adjust the plate until they're as sensitive as you like (I generally aim for "thump on the table") then bait with a little peanut butter, working it into the curled bit so they have to really upset the plate to get it, and place along walls. Very rarely does one not get killed instantly.

Personally I kill them any and every way I can.

If you want to let them live, try this.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ABffYDM9EwU

If you let them live, keep this in mind.

The gestation period for a mouse is about 19–21 days, and they give birth to a litter of 3–14 young (average six to eight). One female can have 5 to 10 litters per year.

I vote KILL them so no one has to deal with the 60-80 new mice it drops every year.

BrokenYugo wrote: They're kinda hard to find now (try an actual hardware store) but for snap traps you want the old school victors with the steel trigger plate, not the plastic one (those are basically fancy mouse feeders). Then sit down with a pair of pliers and adjust the plate until they're as sensitive as you like (I generally aim for "thump on the table") then bait with a little peanut butter, working it into the curled bit so they have to really upset the plate to get it, and place along walls. Very rarely does one not get killed instantly.

Exactly right. you have to make it very sensitive or they will just steal the bait.

Ok, so what worked for me was this:

1. Get a rubbermaid tote.
2. Fill it with 50 pounds of dog food for your dogs.
3. When it gets low the mice will not be able to jump back out.
4. Stick a long box in the tub.
5. When the moron mice hide in the box, and they will, lift it up and close it.

I took dozens of mice out and chucked them into a cornfield with a berkeleying family size hot pockets box. They are not smart.

I used to hunt those things in Central Texas. I found a Ruger Blackhawk in 45ACP in a cowboy quick draw holster was the best. Way better than an AR15.

Toyman01 wrote: I vote KILL them so no one has to deal with the 60-80 new mice it drops every year.

I gotta agree. Catch and release just makes them someone else's problem.

When we had an indepdent Farm & Feed store in town they carried these: Most effective plastic traps I've used.

The wimpy plastic traps like you would find at Tractor Supply, Home Depot or Lowes aren't nearly as effective.

Barncat rescue. Seriously if can deal with having a cat outside and occasionally feeding it when there are no mice this is the answer. These are Feral cats that have been neutered and who are not going to be pets.

To give you an example of how much they can kill. Maine Coons, mine is a pampered indoor showcat, can kill 19-20lb of rats a week. They flat out are designed by nature and man to kill rats and mice.

You could use one of these; it won't shed any hair, but I'm not sure how you would train it to use a litter box.

Seriously, I'd probably go with the Victor snap trap option for a quick and usually reliable kill. The corn snakes are better kept in a terrarium, but could be handy for disposing of the mice once caught.

Victor snap traps works for me. Bag 6-8 minimum in the basement every fall. See more poop, more traps set. Quit using PB as they would pick it clean, Wilson's pepperoni wadded n jammed into the metal bait hole FTW, no missed hits. Neighbor cats outside help too.