How to Catch a Mouse Humanely

Mice can be dangerous, both to your health and your sanity. Here's how you can catch one and release it, so you don't have to worry about the scampering of tiny feet. Read on to learn how to catch a mouse humanely.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A baited glue mouse trap
• A cage or box that a mouse can't gnaw through
• Vegetable oil

1. Look for signs of where the mouse has been. Look for droppings, eaten food and other clues.

2. Place the traps in the same spot as mice like to run circuits.

3. Check the trap two to three times a day until you find your mouse.

4. When the trap has a mouse in it, lift it carefully and pour the vegetable oil along the top of the trap into the cage or box. The mouse should slip right into the cage or box.

5. With the mouse secured in the cage, take the mouse and cage somewhere far away (10 to 12 miles) from your home.

6. Release the mouse in a field or meadow.

Tips & Warnings

• You don't need to add bait to a baited trap. Adding peanut butter, cheese or other goodies to the trap will reduce its effectiveness, since the oils might lessen the adhesive qualities of the trap.
• Make sure to clean up any mouse droppings immediately. These can carry diseases and compromise your family's health.
• Mice can be quick. When slipping the creature into the trap or box, be careful not to let it get away.