Humanely
I had a little friend visit my apartment the other week, and for a while there I was ready to make peace with him and co-exist. But after I cleaned up the place and ordered pizza one night, and it crawled up the side of my chair onto the sleeve of my shirt, I knew it was time to bid farewell.
Here's how I caught the critter:
- Get a toilet paper tube and crease two lines to form a flat sided tunnel.
- Put a treat on one end of the tube: A cracker and dab of peanut butter works great.
- Get a tall (at least 20 inches) bucket. A trash can works well.
- Balance the tube precariously on the edge of a table or counter with the treat hanging directly over the tall sided receptacle.
- The mouse will scurry to the treat (they like tunnels) and fall into the trap.
Set the fella loose at least a mile away from your abode.
Postnote: It worked within the hour.
Also, folks have asked how this could work if you don't have a counter or table. Simple: get a piece of cardboard and crease it to make a ramp up to a small trashcan.
SEMI-RELATED ENTRY: How to kill a fly without a flyswatter |
All you need to catch mice is the bucket. I take a paper napkin and wipe the inside of peanut butter jar, then drop it into the bucket. Place the bucket against a wall or furniture. Mice will find it, and you might just catch all the mice. Just be sure the bucket is tall enough so they can't jump out. 5 gallon plastic buckets work well but some mice can climb out. A tall metal trash can is perfect. A little water in the bottom will cause hypothermia, then just toss everything away
Posted by: Max | September 06, 2011 at 08:11 PM
well i have a pet rat that got out of her cage. she went behind a very old and important buffet, scared she may chew/scratch up it? anyways i hope this works!
Posted by: kathryn | September 05, 2011 at 10:56 PM
This trap works!! Have caught a mouse each night for the past 2 nights. Hope thats all of them.
Posted by: Whiskers | September 01, 2011 at 02:51 PM
This definitely works! Caught two young mice so far, just waiting for mom to fall for it, but I believe she is a little wise to my plan!
Posted by: Jess | August 29, 2011 at 07:07 AM
definitely works. got one already. set them all back up again. ::creepy music:: THERE MAY BE MORE!
Posted by: dernmau5 | August 26, 2011 at 04:24 AM
just knocked one down and got away... 2 left
Posted by: dernmau5 | August 26, 2011 at 04:16 AM
this little mouse has been in my hose for a week. i've tried conventional traps for days with no result except for missing peanutbutter. i have two regular traps sat up in the pantry along with 3 of your traps all going to the same trash can. we'll see what happens
Posted by: dernmau5 | August 26, 2011 at 04:08 AM
this little mouse has been in my hose for a week. i've tried conventional traps for days with no result except for missing peanutbutter. i have two regular traps sat up in the pantry along with 3 of your traps all going to the same trash can. we'll see what happens
Posted by: dernmau5 | August 26, 2011 at 04:08 AM
I tried it and it worked but the mouse climbed out by itself into the free horizon. How come it didn't happen to you? What am I doing wrong? Thank you.
Posted by: Noam Shalev | August 25, 2011 at 06:58 PM
We share 98% of our genetic material with mice. They are smart and kind creatures. Thank you for posting this. Most of the posts heartened me. The cruel posts reveal a cruel person, plain and simple. What goes around, comes around... eventually.
Posted by: Sky | August 25, 2011 at 09:53 AM
THANK YOU!!!!
Just got 1 like this.
Live long and prosper!
Posted by: Joao | August 12, 2011 at 04:04 PM
nice idea but work this also practicually ? Normally a mouse is not on a desk but more on the ground
Works well on a desk
Posted by: Bernhard | August 11, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Very Very good idea. thank you.
"My friend" was very upset... look what he did with the paper tube . he didn't touch the food
and water inside of the trash can.
http://www.wegif.com/gifs/Idoru/6931846/
I'd be mad at that tube too I figure! - cg
Posted by: ilie | August 06, 2011 at 10:38 PM
Its not inconsiderate to let it loose, believe me, there are already hundreds in every neighbourhood. You are doing no more damage by letting it go in a nearby park...its just laziness, the true reason.
Posted by: Kat | August 05, 2011 at 03:56 PM
What is with you murderous people. Its a live mouse trap for a reason... Leave life alone and just let them go free.. So simple. Sick people.
Posted by: Kat | August 05, 2011 at 03:53 PM
This worked perfectly!!! My husband saw the little bugger run out of our BR last night before we went to bed. Don't know how it got in the house, but I used the ramp method with the toilet paper roll attached to the cardboard in such a way that it would drop down the moment the mouse approached the PB. As was suggested I only put the PB at the end of the tube. I set the trap around 3 in the afternoon and at 3 in the morning we were awakened with the sounds of little feet at the bottom of the trash can. Thank you so much!!!!
Posted by: Autumn | July 29, 2011 at 07:13 AM
Thanks for the excellent directions.
We caught our mouse using this method.
It helped out big time. I wanted an effective and non-lethal way to catch the critter.
I didn't want to kill it, I just wanted it out.
Posted by: Paulie | July 27, 2011 at 11:20 PM
I have 2 mice. a small one and a large one. I've tried all the tricks. They are "smart" about glue pads and traps. I'm trying this tonite. Wish me luck!
Posted by: RGARLO73 | July 26, 2011 at 12:46 PM
I will try your method. The only reason I don't like traps is because I have a 7 pound dog I don't want her to get her foot in it. I have used several "no touch" traps and then flush them down the toilet when they are dead. If I catch one in a can I will let it go some place else. I would rather they be dead and thrown out because they just have more and more mice to bother me or others. If they do enough damage you will stop thinking about humane treatments. One of them ate a hole in a leather easy chair and had babies. Please tell us how to find out how they are getting in and how to block the entrance.
Thank you!
Posted by: Pearl | July 26, 2011 at 12:20 PM
My mom spotted a mouse streaking around her NYC apartment a few days ago. Tried glue traps (baited with cashews, rice, or chocolate) - nothing. Tried spring traps and humane traps - nothing. Today, found this page on google. My mom doesn't have a tall garbage can so I set up a bucket with glue traps at the bottom. I placed a paper towel sheet on top of the bucket with one edge taped to the bucket so it wouldn't fall into the bucket with the mouse. I placed a piece of cooked pork on the center of the paper towel. (Mice like meat, and my hope was to tempt the mouse enough to overcome its hitherto trap-avoiding judgement.) I placed the trap in the kitchen where my mom had spotted the mouse.
A few hours later, I noticed one corner of the paper towel was down, though the paper towel was still up and the pork was untouched. The mouse was caught on the glue traps in the bucket. I killed the mouse and dumped it in the garbage.
Thank you!
Posted by: Eric | July 11, 2011 at 02:52 AM
most of comments were as fun as the op's mouse method. Luv ya all!
Posted by: scout | July 10, 2011 at 04:12 PM
This really worked! Our cat brought a mouse into the house from the garage. We set the trap in the laundry room where the mouse was, and closed the door (blocking under the door with a towel). In the morning, the mouse was in the trash can. My husband took it out to the street and dumped it. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Posted by: Carol | July 06, 2011 at 08:57 AM
For those who use GLUE traps...as long as you check them every day...and they are alive....you can use vegetable oil and drizzle it over their feet or wherever they are stuck...they will eventually slide off. Take them to the woods or a park to do it..because once they slide off..they run away fast to the closest watering hole and tell the other mice. "You'll never guess what just happened to me."
Posted by: Sassy Lou | June 30, 2011 at 12:57 AM
i like this trap.
i m going to kill each by each
:P
Posted by: Lynn | June 28, 2011 at 07:17 AM
thank you so much! this worked the very first night and I have been trying to catch these buggers for weeks! Having a tall enough bin is crucial - I used a storage been that is just barely 20" high and it almost jumps out-I will be using the trash can from now on. Thanks again for such a GREAT idea that really works! SO glad to say goodbye to the mouse.
Posted by: rachie | June 26, 2011 at 11:21 AM
To those of you that think that killing mice is the only way to keep them out of your house. It only takes a miniscule amount of time to find the entry points into your house(usually by hot water pipes) and plug them with(fanfare) s.o.s. pads. or steel wool.
The mice hate the stuff and wont/can't chew through it.
On a brighter note. I caught a young female deer mouse in our house by hand. Then a month later we caught another one using this method.
She ended up being pregnant and had a litter of 5 cute little babies about three weeks ago. They've reached the 'popcorn' stage and we will be releasing them back into the wild(and far far away) in a little while.
Thanks for this trap idea.
Posted by: Abbra | June 24, 2011 at 03:04 AM
I have been seeing this little mouse for a couple days. We forgot to pick up a mouse trap so I tried this. Within 20 minutes he fell right into the tall box we had set up. He is so cute !!! Worked great ! Wonderful idea !
Posted by: Bob | June 24, 2011 at 02:05 AM
Just discovered one in my kitchen. I set up the trap but I used bread and honey since I don't have peanut butter. Hopefully in the morning I'll have a result ^^
Posted by: Veicki | June 16, 2011 at 09:47 PM
Well I set up the trap last night and guess what.....it worked!!!!! I woke up this morning to what I thought was an empty trash bin but there in the bottom was the toilet roll; I went to pick it up thinking that mouse had managed to ellude capture but the toilet roll seemed awfully heavy when I went to pick it up and when it started moving, there was the mouse hiding inside it!!! yay!!! Just went and realsed a kilometres away in a nature reserve. Settingup again tonight as I have no idea if it was just the one mouse or if there is more; time will tell! Thanks again:)
Posted by: Robyn | June 12, 2011 at 09:08 PM
Im all set! made my trap, on the couch just sitting to wait and watch coz he usually appears about now! Keep you all posted! Using cheese biscuits and cheese for bait:)
Posted by: Robyn | June 12, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Pat.....LMFAO!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Loved it! I have a mouse problem too. I am tryin a humane mouse trap similar to the one that you used. Accept the little monkey eats all the food before it, up to it, half in it and then must buckle and get out quick before the door shuts coz he always leaves the bit of food right at the end. Little bugger! This has been going on now for about two weeks!!1 the dog began hunting it but after a while now has given up the ghost too! If he does peak his little head out dog just watches it intently coz she knows the little bugger is smart and fast! It's infuriating stuff!!!
Posted by: Robyn | June 12, 2011 at 06:00 AM
i've got a little mmooch in my room where my birds live. they drop seeds, he steal and noms them. now, i'm vegan, and i would feel just terrrible about killing something that's done me no harm, and this is a fantastic way to capture the little bother!
Posted by: Nadine | June 10, 2011 at 09:17 AM
I must have Jerry and need a cat better than Tom. I have set two kinds of Traps. First was the bucket and ramp method. First night had the peanut butter at the bottom of the bucket with a ramp to the top. No luck. Second night had the trail of peanut butter going up the ramp. Peanut butter was gone off the ramp but still in the bottom of the bucket. Third night peanut butter up the ramp again with a glob at the end of the board so the mouse could see the rest of it in the bucket. Mouse would have to hang upside down to get it all off the board. No mouse and all peanut butter gone except for the bottom of the bucket. We got a second trap from a friend. Some wierd spin trap where the mouse walks in and the door closes behind and you never see the head chopped off type thing. Well it sat there for days. One night i put some peanut butter at the door to help entice it. It at the stuff and the trap didn't go off. Did it again with peanut butter at the door and put more of it in the middle of the trap as bait. It came by that night and at the stuff at the door and the trap went off. The trap flipped over and the mouse then hopped on top to eat the peanut butter out of the center of the trap that is held in by a sticker. That little prick is smart and Jerry must go!
Posted by: Pat | June 10, 2011 at 01:06 AM
Easy mod for this method. Replace trash can or bucket with toilet. Trap & disposal in one!
Posted by: roscoe | May 30, 2011 at 04:45 AM
Sans cardboard ramp and including a motion-sensitive trap tube and trash can with a plastic flip lid on it's side this worked with a baby bunny that got stuck in my yard. It freaked him out a little, but his mama in the local field was happy to see her baby again. :3
Posted by: Anonymous | May 20, 2011 at 11:17 AM
thanks, love ya. I really didn't want to buy a "kill mouse" trap, which the people in the office were urging me to do.
I saw a baby chipmunk on the side of the road today, and he came up and nibbled my finger a little, and I thought I am going to be the parent(guardian) of this cute little thing, but I left him to nature to take care of instead.
Anyhow, I will try this method until it works, and it even looks fun for the both of us, my heart is relieved a thousand times!!!
Posted by: Rain Wilber | May 18, 2011 at 03:13 PM
We have a little visitor in our conservatory since leaving the back door open the other night.. as we speak the cookie and peanut butter treat is perched right over the waste paper bin.. been about 10 minutes but no sign so far.. wish me luck!
Posted by: Paul | May 17, 2011 at 07:25 AM
this work great.. i cought the mice within 30 minutes
Posted by: sherine | May 17, 2011 at 04:03 AM
I just used a broom and knocked the little fucker out
Editor's note: Not only that, you took the time to share the fact. Bless your heart! - cg
Posted by: Shane (douchebag) | May 15, 2011 at 11:56 PM
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for posting this article! The store bought traps were more like mouse deterrants than mouse catchers. But this method worked the first night.
Posted by: JennDandy | May 15, 2011 at 07:31 AM
It worked for me great idea..Except i added water to the container and it drowned Sweet huh..
CG: I'm not judging your action with my usual sarcasm, but I do think it's pretty douche of you to share.
Posted by: Dallas,Bronze | May 08, 2011 at 06:42 AM
the brandon that posted on nov 7 2005 your an A**hole!!!!..........my pet mouse got lose about 4 months ago so i Googled how to catch him and this trap idea is the best i set the trap around 12 and by 12:30 i had him back in his cage. thanks for the great idea!!!
Posted by: jenifer | May 06, 2011 at 03:35 AM
We've been putting up with mice for years at our woods cabin. They have peed in our beds, ruined our furniture and multiply like crazy. Some of them nested in a snowmobile engine and it cost $500 to fix it. The last thing I want to do is "release" the little lovlies. I use a plastic bucket filled about 1/3 with water (antifreeze in winter). Put a ramp from the floor to the top of the bucket. About four inches from the top where the ramp is, put some peanut butter on the inside of the bucket. The mice fall into the water and drown trying to get to the peanut butter. Too bad but they die.
Posted by: Gil | May 03, 2011 at 02:17 PM
Mouse and rat control is a lot easier than most people think. Preventive maintenance such as keeping lids on trash cans, eliminating entry points into your house and most importantly, sanitation, are crucial to controlling these pests. Uneaten pet food and piles of debris in and outside the house are havens for rodents. Sometimes elements outside your control, like having slobs for neighbors, or new construction in the area can easily attract rats and mice.
Posted by: a rat | April 27, 2011 at 11:20 AM
This is a wonderful idea! Whoever thought this out is a genius of simplicity! Thank you!
I can't kill anything that lives, even less if it's a defenseless and hungry little rodent that's never thought of killing me either.
I tried safe traps, but the mice caught on to it and never went in there. This however, will finally help me getting rid of them and releasing them at the park!
Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Posted by: whmozart | April 19, 2011 at 01:09 PM
and the balance thing works for just about anything a small piece of wood or piece of paper balanced over a basket will work just make sure that the mouse can't get out and if you're worried about to fall place a cloth or an old shirt in the basket this will keep the little fella from being hurt
Posted by: carl | April 18, 2011 at 04:25 AM
Bravo to the youth today with their bright intuitive minds figuring out these things and sharing their conclusions to others. Thank you.
Posted by: carl | April 18, 2011 at 04:15 AM
there is a small plague in parts of Australia at present l have poisoned ,trapped etc the best trap so far is the bottle taped to a bench overhanging as much as possible with some tempting food in the end of the bottle a bucket underneith with 2inches of water in it. Coat the end of the bottle with oil or butter something slippery . it works and l have since bought my 9 ft python in to get the smarter mice
Posted by: Leroy | April 13, 2011 at 10:03 PM
They say that this is the proper way to treat a pest. Trap them without hurting or killing them. Once they are trapped, they can be set free in an area that is far from your home. Setting them free in your backyard is like taking them for a walk in the park. They can easily come back due to their homing instincts. They are like Hansel and Gretel
Posted by: a rat trap | April 13, 2011 at 09:51 PM
I used the same solution, only to make sure it smelled the peanut-butter(because the trap was high up), Instead I put traces of the peanut-butter on the ramp so the mouse could smell it from a closer distance and make its way up to the tube (where the big chunk of peanut-butter is), I just got some peanut-butter on my finger and smudged little bits on the ramp.
IT WORKED!.... If you are going to try this solution to get more accuracy on catching your little friend, Don't put lots of peanut-butter on the ramp because if you do it will take longer th catch the mouse... it will just eat the stuff on the ramp and then go back to its home (well somewhere in your home)and wont get to the tube so make sure you only smudge it in so it leaves a damp mark on the cardboard ramp don't leave any eatable bits of the peanut-butter on the ramp.
Then once you have caught it put it in a nearby field or something thats the beast place...but not too close to your home....HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU!!!!
Posted by: amy | April 11, 2011 at 07:14 AM
I tried the bucket method ... the mouse jumped out of the bucket. Must be supermouse! I also tried with a humane live capture mouse trap, and that didn't work either. Somehow it managed to get out. I will not be outwitted by a mouse!! Going to try and think of another way to catch it without hurting it.
Posted by: SJ | April 05, 2011 at 07:56 AM
Hi, came across your site as we had a field mouse in the house. We have domestic mice and it tried to get to their food (but to no avail). One night I heard a ruckus and looked to see this mouse running around our mouse's cage. My husband hates setting up the mouse-trap (that snaps their necks) as it takes time to set it just right. So I tried your method and it worked! But now my husband says if we release it, it will just cause chaos for others. If it were dead, it wouldn't be a problem for us or others. So told him the pet barn have an infestation of mice and one more wouldn't matter! :) (I will release it in a woody park with lots of scrubs).
Posted by: Leonie | April 04, 2011 at 05:28 PM
Gonna try your idea or one similar to it. Whether or not it works, I have been entertained by peoples ideas and comments (while these little buggers scrat around and laugh at me.... they reckon thay would just hop off when the toliet rolls starts to totter???')
whhaaaatt??? :-)
Posted by: Iain | April 04, 2011 at 04:42 PM
Great idea!!! When I mentioned it to my husband he laughed and said that it would be so funny if it worked. So I motified it with a paper towel roll on our counter top into a trashcan and it worked in less than 2 hours!!! We even took pics to show to our friends who we knew would not believe us. Thanks for the tip and the laugh!
Posted by: Proud Mouse Catcher | March 29, 2009 at 01:02 AM
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I'v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
Posted by: RaiulBaztepo | March 28, 2009 at 06:29 PM
In a bucket it is necessary to add waters
Posted by: www.traps.net.ru/en/ | March 27, 2009 at 04:55 PM
I did this and it worked and caught the mouse in my office in under 20 minutes.
Fantastic idea, thank you.
Posted by: adamcrisis | March 22, 2009 at 02:18 AM
I've tried sticky pads and those worthless wall plugs that are supposed to send soundwaves. That damn mouse is making more holes in my house and irritating the hell out of me and my dog!! We're going crazy!! I sure hope your plan works :.-(
Posted by: me! | March 19, 2009 at 06:59 AM
I had to use a paper towel tube because twice the little critter took its snack from the TP tube.. The PT tube extended longer off the counter, and balanced well, so the whole body was at the end of the tube and fell into the can!
Posted by: Louise | March 16, 2009 at 06:54 PM
I have a mouse-friend who has been sneaking onto my kitchen counter for about a month. He's very considerate though, and so much in fact that I actually left a cookie for him one night (yes, I gave a mouse a cookie). But I realized that it was time to let him go since my fiancee who has been away for a month is coming back home, so I just now set up this trap that you found. I hope to catch him and release him into the wild tomorrow. I have to admit I'm worried he won't be able to make it on his own, since he's been depending on us for food every evening, but he's a big mouse now and needs to move on. I put a few treats in the bottom of the trashbag so he will have sustenance until tomorrow morning, granted he is actually trapped. I'll keep you updated.
Posted by: Dave | March 14, 2009 at 11:37 PM
You could just keep your house clean...
Posted by: jorod | March 14, 2009 at 02:05 PM
lol love it
just set up with peanut butter
will reply with updates
[im planning on keeping the little mice :D i love them ive been feeding them the past few weeks and now i have a cage for them all to live in :)]
Posted by: maya | March 13, 2009 at 12:47 AM
Thanks, it worked for me to catch one right away. Don’t be too much humane on little critter because it might cause the house fire by chewing electric wire and spread germs by feces.
Posted by: sukkee | March 12, 2009 at 08:27 AM
I guess I don't get the humane side of this. I mean, think about it. Let's say the next time you go to the grocery store, somebody wants to get rid of you forever. Would you rather that person kills you immediately... or when you're reaching for some deli meat, would you rather fall into a 10 foot hole, get trapped in there for hours, finally be rescued, and then and only then find out that your rescuer is taking you somewhere deep in the Amazon to release you all by yourself. And then die. See what I'm saying?
Posted by: mattj | March 07, 2009 at 11:57 PM
First of all, great idea! Second of all, what the hell is humane about suffocation or burning while you drown? Would YOU wanna die like that? If you really can't find somewhere close to let them go that isn't in someone else's yard, you might as well use snap traps. At least it's usually fast, unlike suffocation or burning/drowning. But I don't think dropping them in a big park or field is equivalent to giving them to someone else.
Posted by: Lacy | February 28, 2009 at 06:43 PM
I caught 3 mice within 24 Hours and the 4th the second day..
Its so amazing!!
Thank you...
I also used a Christmas roll of old wrapping paper and cut off the same length as a toilet paper roll..
Placed some parmsean cheese at the end and one after another..fell in ..
I used a Walmart $2.97 Plastic Trash Can that can be found in the office supplies area..
Thanks again...WORKS GREAT..I will let them free at a feild when Spring arrives..I have all 4 in a Aquarium for the time being with a bottle of water and tubes for tunnels and lots of food..
I used a rat trap in previous years and hated seeing them dead and blood all over.. ITS a lot nicer this way and made me feel kinda good about NOT resorting to simple killing techniques..
Posted by: Clay | February 25, 2009 at 03:26 PM
It worked!!!! Tan damn pest is out of my life! I have been fighting with him for over a week:) Now I can move on...I guess until his cousin shows up:(
Posted by: Carmen Lockhart | February 21, 2009 at 05:03 PM
I used the ramp method yesterday and it worked like a charm. Actually, the first time it failed badly, since the captured mouse (as I approached him) simply jumped right out of the trash can! Amazing...
It eventually did work perfectly when I used a deeper can. I released the little fellow down the street after he'd eaten his peanut butter and cracker meal!
Thanks for posting this....nicely done......
Posted by: Drew Brania | February 14, 2009 at 04:16 PM
Suffocation is not humane (tragula), nor is pouring boiling water on them (h2odragon). In fact, they both sound like forms of torture. :(
Posted by: kruka | February 12, 2009 at 02:57 PM
I have a field mouse and my mom set up glue traps, and we left. When we got back he was stuck to the glue trap and she put it in a trash bag and threw it away. I was crying so hard. He is really stuck to the trap. Do you know of anyway to talk her into releasing him? She is afraid he will come back. Any answers are apperciated, trash is Wednesday and she is adding trash to the trash can so I need answers fast. Thanks so much,
Posted by: Jennifer | February 11, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Hey i actually have a mouse in my house and i hate rats I am 13 and he was in my room behind my hamsters cage and it scurried out and i screamed so loud that yall all probably heard me and I am going to try the tunnel thing if i don't work i am going to go to a friends house cus that is disgusting to me!!
But anyhow I'm out!
Posted by: Courtney | February 01, 2009 at 07:00 AM
that is so cool! my inky (cat) caught a mouse once, she didnt kill it but she beat it up pretty bad.
Posted by: ky | February 01, 2009 at 12:29 AM
The genius of this plan is its simplicity. I am impressed
Posted by: Brian | January 31, 2009 at 01:34 PM
We live on the 7th floor of an apartment block and 12 months ago we had a small furry big eared visitor. How he got up here we will never know but we have spent the last 12 months trying to get rid of him! there was definitely only one mousey (big ears - and they were large)! First step, we laid poison, (he didnt eat it!), second step we laid several humane sticky traps (he managed to avoid them every time)! We tried intensive cleaning (no joy). Tried spraying with oven cleaner! Shooting! We eventually tried a high tech mouse trap under the trade name the Big Cheese! (that didnt work either).... until.... we tried different baits. The instructions said try chocolate, nothing! Tried raisins, nothing! Tried fruits, nothing! Tried the fat off a slice of ham - within 24 hours big ears is RIP and down the shute! We are now happily mouse free due to finding the right bait and the right trap. PS: The big cheese trap whilst not humane (good) means that you do not actually have to handle mousey when he is dead, you can actually eject him from trap, downshoot and then reuse trap which hopefully we will never have to do again! Unfortunately, I am highly allergic to cats because nothing gets rid of mousies quicker than moggie and its green!
Posted by: James | January 30, 2009 at 10:13 PM
The trashcan needs to be about 3 feet tall. Mice can jump surprisingly far.
Posted by: bobisbob | January 24, 2009 at 01:48 PM
For those who like killing mice, Why not catch them then.... Take them to a pet store and see if they will take them. Possibly get money from it? Hehe! Or just let them go into the wild and get away fast before they follow. We have mice in our house, we set up sticky traps, bt them damn mice are too smart for those. Found a whisker and hair on one. My mom hates mice but you know what's funny? Last night I bought a pet mouse. He's so cute!!! I'm trying to catch and get rid of the other/s before they find him in the house. Don't want poor little Guss Guss to get a disease from them. #_# I would be mad as hell!!! I tried this trap before but it failed but you know, I'm gonna try it again.
Posted by: Travis Aristidou | January 23, 2009 at 08:27 AM
i can't believe it, but this worked! i just caught a mouse in my kitchen this afternoon.
thanks for the cool tutorial.
Posted by: bruce | January 20, 2009 at 03:23 PM
Before you can release any animal that you catch, call your local animal control agency. It is their job to deal with the animals in a safe and humane way. Releasing these captured animals can cause health concerns with the public or disharmony with your environment. It is probably illegal, unethical and immoral to dump these animals into the wild.
Posted by: Wizmo | January 20, 2009 at 05:17 AM
Brilliant...
thank you! We've caught 2 mice in our basement so far. A small piece of snickers works really well!
Posted by: Barbara | January 19, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Good idea. I didn't know I had a mouse roommate until I saw my cat strolling down the hall with the little bugger in her mouth.
Cats are pretty good mouse traps, but they're definitely not humane.
Posted by: natbust | January 15, 2009 at 01:09 PM
I tired making the ramp one. It's been more than 24 hours and I still didn't catch the mouse :( ...
Posted by: Roxana Chiriac | January 15, 2009 at 01:33 AM
After trapping mice in this humane way, I like to gently let them go on the driveway, then drag my boot across their backs, scraping them on the asphalt. If they are still alive, I insert pins in their eyes and watch them run around. Then I cut off their feet and tails, put them in the toilet, poop on them, and wait an hour or so before flushing them to their death.
Posted by: Owen Money | January 14, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Hi :) Good idea, i like my mouse though, i feed him cheese on my desk and he watches me play WoW!
Posted by: Samuel/Soccer KTE | January 14, 2009 at 05:29 PM
Worked brilliantly. I got the little bugger in less than an hour last night. He has been liberated to the city dump where he can live out the rest of his days with family. Cheers!
Posted by: Adrian | January 08, 2009 at 05:22 PM
Thanks so much!!!! i dont have any peanut butter but will buy some later!!! i REALLY hope this works for me!! my cat brings so many mice in... we have got at least 4 running around our groud floor!!!!
Posted by: Hayley | January 08, 2009 at 03:48 PM
Who knew a 2005 post would still come up on the top spot in Google. I liked your solution a lot and set it up last night on my kitchen counter next to an older one of mine. Mine went like this:
Take a whole walnut. Split it in two with a pointy knife. Take one of the halves and hold it on its edge on top of a cookie sheet. Prop a large tupperware-style translucent container, bottom up, with its lip on the walnut's edge, shell side out. Theory: mouse goes for the walnut, but to get to the core he needs to be under the container. As he tries to gnaw at it, the walnut slips and the container traps the mouse.
This morning I found the cardboard tube in the trash can, but no mouse. Under the translucent container, though, I could see one. I turned the whole thing upside down, slipped a lid under the cookie sheet, snapped it onto the container, then took the mouse out for a drive. I'm not sure whether this guy toppled over your tube, then got caught in my trap, or he had an accomplice that got away. I'm setting up again tonight.
Posted by: Gabi | January 06, 2009 at 11:05 AM
I filled my bucket half way with water. Is that bad?
Posted by: Mac | January 04, 2009 at 03:20 AM
Help
I have seen one mouse in my basement I am soo scared of mice. I put poison for it, it's wont eat it what do i do to get rid of it I know it's under my stairs. dont know how many???????? Help
Posted by: nadia | January 02, 2009 at 10:45 AM
By the way, I used dry cat food - it worked perfectly.
Posted by: Pedro Costa | December 31, 2008 at 12:23 PM
What an amazing tip! Apparently, it works with Portuguese mice too! I set up the trap and 15 minutes later the mouse was caught.
Posted by: Pedro Costa | December 31, 2008 at 12:22 PM
brilliant idea but my dad is to stupid not to do it
i will test it myself
Posted by: luke vesty | December 26, 2008 at 02:39 PM
im going to try this, really good idea:), on a personal note once i catch this little fucker im going to buy bb guns and lay bullets on this fucker bam bam bam
Posted by: samater | December 25, 2008 at 04:41 AM
Hi, Thank you for this wonderful idea. And thank you everyone for your comments, I had a good laugh today.
I just set the trap up 5 minutes ago. I'm at the computer waiting to here him/her drop to its destination. when it drops I'm going to put HOT water in the tall trash can and curse it out.
When I sat down at my desk this morning and saw his/her little shit to my left I said that's it "I'm going to get you this day". And that's when I decided to go on line and check out 'how to get rid of mice'. This little sucker has made its self at home in my domain. By the way, traps don't work. It took what I put in it, bacon, and went on its merry way. I'm sure this trap is going to work. It's just a matter of a short time. I've seen this mouse and it's a adult. Thank you again.
Posted by: Maryann | December 23, 2008 at 12:06 PM
This is such a great idea! We've got a mouse, and today he's been crawling on our counter, and he's avoiding our glue trap. I set it up on the counter a couple minutes ago.. Here's hoping it works!Thanks for the advice!!
Posted by: Sam | December 20, 2008 at 07:01 PM
I also modified this method slightly. I have these really cool things called mousetraps. I place one on the floor with a bit of peanut butter and when the mouse tries to get the food the trap snaps shut and catches the mouse. There's a bonus - it even kills the mouse.
Posted by: eric | December 17, 2008 at 07:13 PM
Paul,
Really, get a grip!
Posted by: Jim | December 17, 2008 at 10:26 AM
What makes you think boiling a mouse alive is neither inhumane, nor cruel?
That's painful, hence inhumane, and I can guarantee you it's not immediate. Not to mention the boiling water causes the gut/intestines to explode outwards causing a big mess.
The most humane way of killing something is to hit it in the head powerfully to knock it out. Or anything else that will put a creature to sleep before killing it.
Posted by: EV | December 15, 2008 at 09:01 PM
Very clever. I am impressed. Not only is it cheap and humane, it could be fun to watch. Place bets on the time frame.
Posted by: michael | December 15, 2008 at 05:38 PM
What if we don't want to get the mouse on the counter? My house is old, and the mice keep getting in through the air vents because our basement is just hollowed out earth under our house. So the stupid little critters keep coming in through the cracks. I need help!!
Posted by: Erin | December 14, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Hey if you don't want to be humane you could always add water to the bucket.
Posted by: islandmamma | December 11, 2008 at 03:18 AM