Mouse

[Theodoreb]

My dog biscuits were on the floor and my mums dog chewed a whole in the bag now I have a mouse my friend has offered to bring his hunting ferret down can I ask how bad is it? I have traps on the way tomorrow but I'm scared stiff of mice and even worse if it's a rat. Will it suffer a lot if I bring the ferret down or will the humane trap work?

I found a mouse in the cupboard under my sink a couple of days ago, it seems to come late at night. I put a humane trap down last night and this morning the mouse was in it, so I drove it to a park a couple of miles away and released it. It was easy peasy, though I actually thought it was really cute so fear wasn’t an issue!

I’ll keep at it with the humane trap in case there are others and I need to fill in any gaps with wire wool/expanding foam.

Personally I couldn’t let a ferret at the poor thing, it would surely be a painful and bloody end for it.

I certainly want to try the humane trap as it was my first thought just very frightened of the thing.

Apparently releasing them elsewhere is certain death for them. A ferret seems a bit much though, although it’s hard to say how. I thought ferrets were better for rats?

Do you have snap traps on the way?

I've also got a mouse/mice and the snap traps haven't worked. I even had the humane one where they run in and get trapped in. Neither work.

I want to try sticky traps, could you order those?

Sticky traps I'll give anything a go I'll order some now and put those down as well.

I have a humane one where they run in and get trapped

Oh god don’t do sticky traps ... they are just awful

Do you think the humane trap will work?

Sticky traps are horrendous, don’t do it!
Get a snap trap, they breed like, well like mice. You need to get rid. I wouldn’t do the ferret thing, horrible idea

A humane trap baited with peanut butter or chocolate should work. Please please please don't use a sticky/glue trap. They are horrifically cruel - it's not uncommon for mice to chew off their own legs in terror trying to escape from them.

Omg sticky trap sounds vile

@bluesapphirestars

Apparently releasing them elsewhere is certain death for them. A ferret seems a bit much though, although it’s hard to say how. I thought ferrets were better for rats?

Oh no, now I feel terrible

All of the advice online said to release it 2-3 miles away and I didn’t see anything about that being dangerous for them

What other alternative is there if snap traps and run in traps don't work?

I've tried both with peanut butter and chocolate. Never caught a mouse. They run around my house during the day. Most people can't afford pest control.

What's wrong wih leaving a sticky trap out near their entrance. Catching it and then disposing it outside, as it most likely would still be alive.

The trick is to block all entry points to your house. I had that done professionally (with a guarantee!!) as I'm so super scared. Then if you put down poison or snap traps you wil deal with any that have already made it in doors but no more can join them. Do not use sticky traps. Horrid. And why would you drive a mouse three miles away? And dump it. Better to put them out of their misery with the snap. Short sharp and minimal fuss.

What's wrong wih leaving a sticky trap out near their entrance if OP is scared of mice, how will she cope picking up one on a sticky pad

@Babymamamama

The trick is to block all entry points to your house. I had that done professionally (with a guarantee!!) as I'm so super scared. Then if you put down poison or snap traps you wil deal with any that have already made it in doors but no more can join them. Do not use sticky traps. Horrid. And why would you drive a mouse three miles away? And dump it. Better to put them out of their misery with the snap. Short sharp and minimal fuss.

I drove it and released it because I couldn’t personally kill a mouse and I thought it was humane, I had no idea until I read this thread that the poor thing will probably die out there now

I never had a problem with them before but left the door open for two days while I was filling the pool so pretty certain it got in through the door I've locked it in the kitchen with the door open in the hope it will leave should I shut the door to stop another getting in? Or leave it open in hope the mouse will leave?

I've doe the humane trap,, drive it a distance and let it out method in the past.

Then I found out it means likely death.

So I think snappy traps are maybe the most humane thing. Definitely NOT glue.

Alternatively, there are poison things you can get, where the poison is inside a plastic box, they walk in, eat it and die. Someone told me they take ages to die this way, but I have tried it once, and the mouse actually died with its head in the food so maybe they do work super quick?

But yes, definitely make sure holes are filled. It's not easy, as they can get through a hole the diameter of a biro. But we did a lot of work on this and we haven't had any for a while. Ours are field mice and the proximity to fields means we're always at risk, but you can do a lot to minimise the problem. Don't forget to put flour, rice, past,, dog biscuits etc in sealed plastic or metal containers so there's less incentive for them to bother..

There is a field a five minute walk away will it still die if I put it there?

You need to take them at least a mile or they come straight home. When we've released mice we've always left food at the release point for them but I don't know whether that's done any good.

I think it's gone, I took all the dog biscuits threw them in the bin left the back door open and haven't heard anything since when I been hearing it in the morning, so fingers crossed.

I also kept kitchen door shut so can't be somewhere else in the house.

@Theodoreb

I also kept kitchen door shut so can't be somewhere else in the house.

Can you fit a pencil under your kitchen door?

A mouse can get through very small gaps......

We set up camera traps to find the gaps that “our” mice were using..... tiny gaps...