How to Trap a Mouse Without Killing It
When rodents, including mice, get into your home, you need to get rid of them one way or another, or they’ll destroy your home and could make you and your family sick because of some of the diseases mice carry.
Mice may cause damage to your crops and stored food, cause structural damage to your home and buildings on your property, and put the animals around your home at risk. Many people prefer to get rid of mice humanely. However, if you catch a live mouse, you need to relocate them far away from your home, or they’ll find their way right back in. Humane traps for mice catch them and keep them alive, giving you the chance to let them loose some distance from your home.
Is There a Humane Way to Get Rid of Mice?
If you find you have mice in your home or outbuildings, you need to start working to get rid of them before you have an infestation that you cannot control. Set a humane mouse trap wherever you see droppings — the droppings mark their trails. They generally stay out of the open, so their trails will most likely be against walls and behind furniture or items stored on the floor.
How To Prevent Rats From Entering Your House
Trapping and releasing the mice are not enough. You need to prevent them from getting back into your house or buildings. Here are some ways you can prevent mice from entering your home:
- Look for any place the mice may enter your home, including cracks in foundations, spaces where pipes and wiring go into your home, and even cracks under doors. You wouldn’t believe how small of a hole a mouse is able to squeeze through. Block any holes with steel wool and then seal the holes off.
- Make sure that all food is in airtight containers and repair any water leaks. Water and food attract the mice when they are looking for a warm, dry place to live during the cooler months.
- You may also try using smells that mice hate, such as peppermint oil placed on cotton balls. Place them throughout your home. If you have a crawl space that children and pets cannot access, throw several mothballs under the house.
Humane Mice Control Products
If you want to catch the mice and let them outside, you have a choice of several mice control products that allow you to catch the mouse without killing it:
- A live trap catches the mice and allows you to release them.
- You could also plug in ultrasonic sound devices throughout your home. Although, once the mice get used to the noise, these no longer work.
- Finally, use a rodent strobe, which has a flashing light that is supposed to be annoying to mice. These devices tend to make mice uncomfortable but do not hurt the mice.
Any of these products may help keep mice from re-entering your home unless it’s the same mouse. Always make sure the entry points are sealed and that you relocate the mice as far away as possible so they are less likely to find their way back into your home. If you keep noticing mice, you may need to call an exterminator. Contact RichPro Pest Management for expert rodent control services today.