How to catch a mouse

Yes.

We've used this style of tip trap quite successfully. The best bait we have found is chocolate. You put it at the end of the trap, the mouse goes inside and the trap tilts down at the end, lifting the entrance and dropping the door.

You need to take the mouse at least a mile from home otherwise they can find their way back. Five miles would be better - and preferably into the front garden of someone you don't like.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nippon-Live-Capture-Mouse-Trap/dp/B00H3EQ2JE/ref=pd_sim_201_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41DvaBX1vVL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0AAX1C05C3GW5BJSEGM8



If you find you have a bigger problem then this sort of advice may be helpful.

http://www.mousetraps.org.uk/Mouse-Traps/default.aspx

 

I tried the humane method when we had 'a mouse' at our old house, and persisted with the humane method even when it became apparent that we had mice. Their numbers exploded in a very short space of time, and then reality dawned that I had to stop faffing around being humane and just get rid of the blighters.

Do not underestimate the damage that mice can do, nor the implications to the health and safety of your family. They can and will chew through pretty much anything including electrical wiring so the risk of fire or electrocution come to the fore; they urinate continually as they scamper around so absolutely everything will get covered in their urine, and no matter how often you scrub, bleach and disinfect, you will still smell mouse... They will destroy food packaging, and ruin the food inside - if you are lucky, you will spot the damage and launch the food in the bin before eating any, but if you don't spot the damage you could be eating food contaminated with mouse urine and faeces.

And their population will grow and grow much faster than you could anticipate.

Trying the humane path cost me literally thousands in the end - they ruined a sofa, we had to replace the vinyl flooring in the kitchen and dining room (a large, open plan area), they knackered a freezer, and caused mayhem in a breakfast bar that had cupboards and drawers (kitchen style).

Seriously mate, do yourself a huge favour - buy some neck snappers, bait them with smooth peanut butter (they love the stuff), and lay the traps out; set aside a pair of marigolds that are only used for dispatching mice, and double bag the corpses to prevent foxes or cats dragging them out of your bin. When the traps seem to have done their job and are empty, keep resetting them and re-baiting them for a good 4 to 6 weeks to make sure you have got them all.

It is also important to prevent future problems - try and find where they have gotten in; as a rule of thumb, if a hole/gap is large enough to fit a pencil into, then it is large enough for a mouse to get through (they have very flexible skeletons that they can compress to get through small gaps). Stuff the holes with wire wool before any decorative filling/sealing - they hate the stuff, and can't chew through it. Look in all the non-obvious places too - - where does your gas pipe come in, for example? Are there any gaps around water pipes or drain pipes?

Consider putting those brush type draught excluders doors, as they hate them too - for some reason they don't like the feel of the brushes and will avoid them.

Good luck!

 

The ones we had indoors were all caught OK by the humane traps - which we still keep baited in the areas that they used to be. We have only caught one mouse in the last three years. We think we have managed to eliminate entry points in walls but the loft is almost impossible to be able to stop them from getting in.

The mice in the loft are handled in a different matter. Those are very welcome to the little trays of poison that we put down. These are replenished as and when necessary and, I think, they keep them from coming down into the house. Every so often the poison is taken and we never seem to find, or smell, dead mice. So we assume that they go away to die.

 

Smooth peanut butter @Sheal - never fails. Chocolate and cheese can be very hit and miss.