Things You'll Need:
- 5-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid
- Cardboard rectangle, 24-by-6 inches
- Masking tape
- Empty toilet paper tube
- Cracker
- Peanut butter or cheese
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Step 1
Remove the lid from the 5-gallon bucket. Push the bucket into a corner or wedge it securely against a wall with a chair or other piece of furniture so it does not move. Set the lid aside nearby.
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Step 2
Make a sharp fold in the cardboard rectangle 6 inches from its end. Set the rectangle's fold on the bucket's rim and rest the 18-inch section on the floor. This is the ramp for the mouse to climb up to access the trap. The 6-inch section forms a platform over the bucket's interior. Secure each side of the fold to the rim of the bucket with masking tape.
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Step 3
Fold the empty toilet paper tube lengthwise and crease it sharply. Make a second sharp fold 1 inch from the first one, creating a tunnel with a flat bottom. Break a cracker in two and smear peanut butter on one half. Cheese also works well. Set the bait just inside one end of the tunnel.
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Step 4
Set the flat side of the baited tunnel on the platform. Position it so that 2 inches of the end with the bait stick out beyond the platform's edge. The mouse will smell the baited cracker and access it by climbing the ramp and entering the tunnel. When the mouse reaches the baited end, its weight will cause the tunnel containing the rodent to drop into the bucket.
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Step 5
Remove the mouse trap project from the bucket and secure the lid onto the bucket when you've captured the mouse. Release the mouse in a wooded area near fresh water a few miles away so that it can't find its way back to your home.
