Things You'll Need:
- A small, cardboard, metal or plastic box.
- A saltine cracker.
- A dab of peanut butter.
- A lot of patience.
- An open mind.
- A sense of humor.
-
Step 1
The uninvited guest:
A mouse in the house is not something we typically invite, but sometimes they find their way in; probably more by accident, as they seek out warmth and food and shelter for their survival, just as we might do in their situation. -
Step 2
The dilemma:
Mice certainly have a right to be here on the planet with humans, and I surely don't feel I want to kill them just for trying to survive. On the other hand, it has been said that mice can carry dread diseases. Hmmm, what to do! -
Step 3
To trap or not to trap:
That is the question many of us ask when faced with a mouse in the house; and certainly many will opt to go ahead and set a killer trap so they can delete the nasty, germ riddled beast who dared to invade their sanitized space! Others might be more inclined to set a humane trap; one that doesn't kill; one that allows them to release the mouse back outside; then we're forced to wonder, "do they immediately come back in, or do they wait a day or two first?" -
Step 4
Our all-natural, humane solution to a paradoxical situation:
Whenever we get a mouse in the house, our two cats let us know. They don't seem to be interested in eating them, but they surely like to hunt for them and wait for them to scoot across the floor from their hiding places. The mouse usually hides for hours in tiny corners, like under the baseboard heating, where the cats can't get at it. At times, when the cats have succeeded in capturing the mouse, they have managed to cause its demise, and we are left to dispose of the poor creature. -
Step 5
Welcome the mouse-whisperers:
Yep, you read it right! And why not? There are horse-whisperers and other kind of whisperers, why not mouse-whisperers?
Ok, I know it's not quite that simple. But, when we have a mouse in the house, we take a small cardboard, plastic or metal box; put a few crumbs of saltine cracker with peanut butter inside the box; place the box as close to where we have seen the cats waiting for the mouse as we can; then, believe it or not, using a flashlight and sometimes a small prodding tool, like the eraser end of a pencil, we coax the mouse into the box, quickly tip the box upright and close the lid.
Once we capture the mouse in the house, we just bring the box outside and leave it under a bush so the mouse can go about its way. -
Step 6
Conclusion:
We are not attempting to encourage anyone to get any closer to a mouse in the house than they currently wish to be. All we are alluding to is the thought that the mouse in the house is most likely far more frightened and confused than we could imagine, and, consequently, might just jump at a chance to hide in a box with food in it! And guess what -- it works!
Comments
w1z111 said
on 10/28/2008 Thanks, jason7777...
I know the mice don't mean any harm; they are only doing their best to survive, just like us. It is difficult for me to think of killing them; I believe they have a right to be here, like all of Nature.
Thanks again for the feedback and comments!
jason7777 said
on 10/25/2008 I think mice are hard to control because they have lots of babies, except that i found a website where they taught me how to get rid of them easily and quickly. I would like to share the website with you:
www.pestmall.com
I found gnawed holes about 1-2mm in my attic. I also found feces that were about 1/8"-1/4" and one side was pointed, but i found out that both ends can be pointed too. I bought trapper t-rex trap and provoke attractant off of Pestmall.
The trapper t-rex trap I just snapped it locked and placed it on the floor next to the wall with the opened side facing the wall and applied the attracted in small drops on the floor and walls near the trap.
After all the mice were gone i covered the hole with something called a Stuf-fit copper mesh and I didnt have any rodent problems anymore.
You should go check out the site. It is very helpful and CHEAP!
www.pestmall
w1z111 said
on 4/11/2008 Ah, yes indeed! I must agree there's no end to the supply! Which is (to me) all the more reason not to kill them; it's not possible to stop them, no matter how many we kill...and, "they have a right to be here", in my opinion.
Thanks for your feedback!
AdamsWife said
on 4/10/2008 For every mouse you capture there are about 30 to 100 more hiding in the walls. If you let it go in your yard, it will just come back in the same way and you'll be hunting it again.