Man v Mouse

[EatingPeanutButterWithASpoon]

There's a mouse in the house.
DH has emptied the living room into the dining room and office and constructed barriers from wood to contain it. With cardboard boxes containing cheese as traps. We borrowed next doors cat to no avail.

I just watched it scurry along in the dining room. DH is currently emptying the dining room now and wants to chase it back into the living room to try trap it.
It's very cute. I'm just being sent for next doors cat again 🤣

Send him round when you’re done to catch mine please 😫

They're terrible to catch, they're so fast and always seem to be able to jump much higher than you think they will. Last time our cats brought a live one in I managed to get a wicker bin over it and then slide a bit of cardboard underneath.

He needs to be quiet and sneak up stealthily. Admittedly all the mice I caught with my bare hands had been a little shell shocked and um...wet, but they've still been fast little beggars.

Provide a little removable hiding place, wait until they go in. One of you lift it up while the other scoops the mouse up in bare hands or teetowel. You do have to be kneeling and hunched over the spot though as you need to be lightening quick.

oh, I've just seen you put cheese. Thats a myth. They like chocolate. Got any choc raisins?

Great tips thanks, I'll donate a chocolate biscuit to the cause! NDN's cat is currently roaming downstairs.
DH is very annoyed with himself as he almost got it in the box but it was just too fast for him.

Last live one the cat dragged in I chucked a tea towel over and scooped up. Good luck!

We have an infestation at the moment. Next door has been feeding the birds all summer and have now moved out and the house is empty. I think the poor things are hungry so are coming in looking for food.
We’ve caught 10 of them in this trap using peanut butter as bait and then they are taken to the local leisure centre and let go.

I’m not sure how well they’ll survive there but there is lots of cover and always bread and seeds where people feed the ducks.
www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Humane-Mouse-Trap-Measurements/dp/B000WFI866/ref=asc_df_B000WFI866/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=255786433646&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15156528668604737687&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007044&hvtargid=pla-422376444865&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Peanut butter is the best for the traps

@CoachBeard I had a giggle thinking they'd be having a nice sauna and steam room experience followed by an aqua class.

Thank you for the humane trap link! I wasnt keen on putting poison down but we do need to get rid of it for the sake of DH's stress levels and the household furniture.
Saying that DH thoroughly cleaned up the floor after our meal 🤣

Loving the mice chilling in the sauna idea...

Trap + peanut butter. 1 night. Done and dusted. No issues since

Agree with pp above; peanut butter in the trap. If you have the odd skittle or soft sweet lying around, pop that in with the peanut butter. They love the stuff.

I read that they will run along the skirting board so lay an empty jar on its side and with luck they will run into it. I actually use an old welly boot on its side.

I once caught one sitting on my big wooden giraffe and managed to get the giraffe in the paper bin before the mouse skittered . And I was wearing basically nothing and ran out the front holding this huge giraffe in a bin while screaming and shaking it . Then i noticed several neighbours watching me !

🤣🤣🤣 that's hilarious

Unfortunately DH saw mouse/family mouse member in the bedroom overnight and was up til 3. So he's off to buy a proper trap and they don't have a humane one in the shop poor thing.
But will use peanut butter thanks.

Oh no 😥

I won't wish happy hunting but please tell DH he needs to up his reflexes and catching skills. I'm a fat 50+ woman with very bad knees who hand caught at least 20 mice a year for several years (and birds, and frogs). It is possible. It requires sneak attack and not a bull in the china shop attack.

leaves thread sadly

I hear you. For some reason this has really stressed him out. So far no peep from the mouse though...

I am impressed with your reflexes though!

Well I had to up my game as the alternative was killing them in traps and I refused to do that. It was funny to see my huge husband stand on the stairs and my adult DDs hop around squealing. Reminded me of Tom and Jerry with the woman on the chair 😂 I think the cat became impressed too since if I caught her coming in with one I would cup my hands under her mouth and say drop it and she did, just like a dog. Famiy never believed me until they saw it. I do miss that cat..

The big cheese traps from Amazon work great. Peanut butter in the little pot thing and put the trap in an old cereal box flat along a skirting board. Works every time here when one of the cat brings a live mouse in.