The positive side of traps for catching mice is that these contraptions do not kill the small rodents. However, the traps are not designed to remove mice once the animals have bonded. With a little effort and preparation, you can remove the mouse and leave it in the wild, without hurting it or running the risk of it getting lost in your home or office again. Many traps are sold to catch the mice and then free them. Buy these if you can. If you can't or don't work well, try this method.
Steps
Step 1. Never try to pull the mouse out of the trap without following one of the methods described in this article
The glue on these traps can actually tear out the hair and sometimes even the skin, and so you literally risk skinning the trapped mouse.
Method 1 of 2: with Oil
Step 1. Put the whole trap, the mouse, the bait, all in a plastic container that has a surface slightly larger than the trap itself and that is at least 10 cm deep
Wear rubber gloves if possible and keep your hands off the mouse. Although they are small and cute, mice have very pointed teeth. They can transmit disease and cause injury with a bite. They can do serious damage with their teeth, so even if you use gloves, don't give the frightened animal the opportunity to bite
Step 2. Pour some vegetable oil on the mouse, lightly covering it and the area around the trap
Use the oil in moderation, maybe a tablespoon or two at the most. Any cooking oil is fine, but vegetable oils work best and are usually less expensive.
- Never use any other type of oil. In particular, do not use synthetic, lubricant or petroleum-based ones as they will kill the mouse.
- Make sure the rat's mouth and nose are not submerged in the oil. Again, a small amount is enough.
- The cooking spray is a valid alternative to vegetable oil because it can concentrate the oil only on the glued parts without having to cover areas where it is not necessary. Among other things, aiming the spray at these areas to moisten them causes an almost immediate removal of the mouse without wearing it down again or injuring it further.
Step 3. Put the lid on the plastic container and close it
Wait and see. The mouse should be able to free itself in a few minutes. This happens almost instantly if the rodent isn't particularly clingy, so try to put the lid on as quickly as possible. If the mouse comes off when the lid is not yet on, it will immediately pop out of the container and go back into the house.
Step 4. The mouse rarely needs a little help
If they have been stuck to the paper for a long period of time, they can weaken and dehydrate. In addition, the plastic version of the trap can be extremely sticky, and the mouse can have great problems breaking free, especially if the hind legs are both glued or the tail is completely submerged in glue.
- If this happens, use a padded cloth, such as an old pot holder, to help the mouse break free. The cloth should be thick enough to protect you from bites, but flexible enough to grip the rodent.
- When the animal is almost free, place the trap in the container and place the lid, then let the mouse do the job. It will take a few minutes.
- Also check that there is no glue covering the mouse's nose. If you find some, gently wipe it off with a cloth. There shouldn't be enough glue on paper traps for this to be a real problem, but it's a problematic aspect for deeper plastic traps.
Step 5. Look through the container to verify that the mouse is free
It must be able to move, with no legs or tail glued together. Once it is free and can move, it is time to leave it in nature. Don't be too hasty, he can breathe into the container for an hour, but no more. So prepare in advance to free the mouse in that time frame. Also, if you leave the mouse in the container for too long, it may try to bite it to get out, damaging it.
Step 6. Release him in a favorable environment, such as a large field or wooded area, at least one and a half kilometers from your home and away from other buildings
Some rodent species are able to move within 1 1/2 kilometers every day, so let the mouse out further away if you don't want it to return.
Step 7. Place the container on the ground, preferably near a cover, so that the mouse can escape and protect itself from predators right away
Remove the lid and take a few steps back. The mouse should be able to jump out of the container. You can try tilting the container a little to one side to encourage the mouse to break free.
Step 8. Thoroughly clean everything, prepare the trap and bait it in a sealed garbage can outside
The bait and trap can still attract mice and insects, but they are now just a food source. Although they generally clean the environment of many animals, mice can transmit a wide variety of diseases and put people and other animals (especially domestic rodents) at risk, so it is very important to wash and disinfect the container and everything else used to rid the mouse. Disinfect and clean the areas where the mouse has lived.
Step 9. Wash your hands thoroughly
Step 10. Repeat the process
Where there is a mouse, there are usually others. Then leave other traps in the same area for a couple of weeks. Repeat this process until a month has passed without catching any more mice. Check for signs of new infestations and set more traps as soon as possible. Mice procreate very very very quickly, 7 to 10 litters a year.
Method 2 of 2: With the Powder
Step 1. Get some non-toxic powder, such as cornstarch
Step 2. Apply it as you would oil
Corn starch cannot harm the mouse, although you must never use an amount of oil that would drown it.
Step 3. Assist the mouse
The mouse requires assistance in this case with respect to the oil method. Use a padded cloth or thick gloves, as the rat will almost certainly try to bite you. Try to free the mouse almost completely, as described above, and let it finish the job.
Step 4. Follow the steps described in the Oil Method to release the mouse
Advice
- Make life easier for you and the mouse! Just buy a mouse cube, a plastic box with a slanted door, so the mouse can get in but not get out. When you have to let it loose in nature, turn the cube upside down. The door will open and the mouse will be able to get out. No touch, no glue, just trap and freedom!
- Do not try to pull the mouse out of the trap without oil. The glue from these traps can pull away hair and sometimes skin. You risk sticking the mouse or its tail to the glove with the same glue as the trap.
- A cat, dog, or wild animal can take on glue that sticks to the mouth, throat, or the rest of the digestive system if they eat a mouse that still has glue on it. This process should leave the mouse glue-free, but if you see an excess of glue on the animal, take it with a glove or cloth to avoid getting bitten and use a sheet of cleaning paper, face or disposable towel to remove any excess glue before releasing the mouse.
- Get rid of the rodent lair. Mice and rats make a burrow in a place where there is food and sleeping material. If you keep that food and material indoors, you risk getting another infestation.
- You can use vegetable oil to remove the trap from animals, clothes, children. More attention is needed when cleaning clothes, so that the oil does not cause stains (start with a small invisible spot to check).
- If you can't rat-proof your home, you can seal off every possible entry point. The common field mouse can pass through a hole a little larger than a pencil and can chew on the sealing foam. Use a combination of sealing material or patching compound with wire mesh or metal pads to seal holes that mice can enter. Especially check the channels through which pipes and wires flow around the house.
- Check your local laws before letting the rat run free. It may be illegal to leave the animal on someone else's property without the owner's permission. You can let the mouse free even in the woods of a park and not worry about private property. In this case, be careful not to leave it free in a grassy place in the park, perhaps designed for people, to prevent a child from being bitten because of you!
Warnings
- Place traps where cats and dogs cannot find it. Otherwise, instead of catching the mouse, you run the risk of catching your pet. Additionally, a captured mouse is an easy target for cats and dogs. In doing so, you risk exposing your pet to disease.
- Check for traps regularly. A trapped mouse gets dehydrated easily in a day or less. Dead animals pose an additional health risk and emit bad odors. If the mouse dies, take the precaution of disinfecting the area.
- If sticky traps don't kill mice immediately, they can still cause them injury. Use them only if simple traps aren't available or don't work.
- Make sure the lid on the transport container is sealed and locked, otherwise you run the risk of the mouse ending up in the car.
- Use only cooking oil. petroleum oils can be toxic, harmful to the environment, to your mouse and to your home. It is also very difficult to remove them.
- Always check the traps, several times a day to reduce the chances of the mouse getting injured or dehydrated.
- Mice and rats bite. They are not bad, they just defend themselves. Keep your hands away from them and protect yourself with gloves or a padded cloth if you have the mouse in your hands.
- Mice can try to get out of the trap in any way, by fighting and letting go of hair or other body parts. If letting them loose is what you want, consider alternative methods, or look for less harmful traps on the internet, in shops, pet centers and department stores.
- Make sure the animal can survive in the environment in which it is released. If you live in an extreme and inhospitable climate in which the animal could not survive, there is no point in capturing it to free it.
