Where the fuck do we put the mouse?

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

At least I hope it is and not a rat..

Got some humane traps in, going to put them down today. What do we do with the fucker if/when we catch him? Drop him off at the old asshole neighbours house? Where on earth do we take him?

If it's a mouse I don't want it dead but if it's a rat, surely we can't release him somewhere? Or can we? I mean, they're diseased pests, right? Husband says drown it if it's a rat but I don't know if I can do that.

This is what I dreaded moving to the countryside. Fucking hell.

[sophiasnail]

It is NOT illegal to release mice or rats in the UK because they are both native species (unlike the grey squirrel for example). I don't understand at all why you would save a mouse and not a rat????? Rats are highly intelligent little animals, and are one of the only other species that will show compassion to others of their species when there is no benefit to themselves. (In studies they will release other rats who have been trapped even though they don't gain anything by doing so - virtually no other species will do that).

I understand why people don't want rats (or mice) on their property, but they are so sadly misunderstood.

[Disclaimer: I am highly biased as I have 6 pet rats which are exactly the same species of rat as the ones found wild in the uk, just bred to be a wider variety of colours over decades]

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

See, reading this thread, there's literally nothing we can possibly do that would please everyone, other than leaving it/them to live in our house. Unless he wants to cough up half the cost of the house, he can forget about sharing it with us though!

[Sparklfairy]

Agree mostly, except there's a huge amount of panic involved in drowning which I think is unnecessarily cruel.

I read a thread here once where people would put it in a sock and swing it hard against a wall. Maybe your husband would prefer to go that way?

There's no nice way to do this, let's be honest. I'm no vegan but I try and have some empathy and one way or another I would put my own squeamishness aside and do my best to make it instant.

[Mia184]

Do you know someone who has pet mice? A friend of mine puts some of her pet mice droppings in some spots in her backyard. All her neighbors have problems with mice in their backyards, she does’t. Apparently mice avoid areas where they think other mice are already there.

[Shade17]

Snap traps or don’t bother

[MyPatronusIsACat]

If you are traumatised by the thought of a mouse - or possible rat - in your house, then you are not going to cope with 'being in the countryside' very well. There are quite a few things worse than mice/rats. I hope you like snakes... Wait til you come across an adder...

Might be a good idea to sell up and go back to the town @MouseInTheHouseShit

[Bringham]

If you use snap traps you need to be checking very regularly (for reasons like your Dm's)

Poison isn't the way to go. Poison causes a delayed death where they often go back to hidey holes in the house and decompose in a horrific manner that's not pleasant to live with. The alternative is they go outside to die and get eaten or picked up by cats, foxes, birds of prey or general scavengers and the Poison in the body cause be fatal, or make them severely unwell
(Thats ignoring the risk of Poison being picked up by something else)

[Listener2021]

Of course they survive relocation. Look at Australia.

[Lovelyricepudding]

The problem with poison is they disappear under your floor boards to die then stick.the house out while they decompose

[thetemptationofchocolate]

I read a thread here once where people would put it in a sock and swing it hard against a wall.

I'm sure this would end the mouse but how would you get it in the sock?

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

I do hope people who take issue with killing rats but aren't vegan would make sure they never, ever eat halal meat. Cows can take up to 2 minutes before they die, and they are suffering a lot during that time.

[antsinyourpanta]

The humane traps didn't catch the mouse that was living here. neither did the cats
We did persevere for several weeks before using an alternative (worse) method.

[Throckmorton]

"humane" traps are not humane - they just prolong the animal's suffering while salving your conscience. The humane thing to do is snap traps - a quick clean death.

[MurielSpriggs]

"Humane" traps are quite cruel. Instant-death snap trap much kinder to the animal, and relieves you of the problem of where to leave it.

[Moonbabysmum]

If it's just in the garage and not in the house, can't your just learn to live with it/use repellant, and block up any entrances to your house.

It seems a shame for it to die because you are afraid.

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

Okay, apparently, the "drown it" was a question to my "what the hell do we do when we catch it", rather than a statement. He laughed at the thought of putting it in a sock and hitting it against a wall though. That's far too brutal for us both.

[jessycake]

You have to release it a long way away like at least half a mile or they run straight back

[GiveMeTheShivers]

We found an injured mouse and the local vet came and euthanised it. Apparently he has euthanised rats and mice that people have caught in humane traps but I’ve only heard that from others. It might be an option.

[LonginesPrime]

We live in the countryside, people use them here.

Ask the people who use them near you where they take the mice, OP.

That's assuming your mouse isn't one of the ones they set free, of course!

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

@Moonbabysmum

If it's just in the garage and not in the house, can't your just learn to live with it/use repellant, and block up any entrances to your house.

It seems a shame for it to die because you are afraid.

I do not need to live with a possible rat. It won't even be a cute country rat, it'll be a sewer fucker no doubt as it's pretty near our house.

[GiveMeTheShivers]

I think maybe you’re more suited to city living OP.

[MouseInTheHouseShit]

@LonginesPrime

We live in the countryside, people use them here.

Ask the people who use them near you where they take the mice, OP.

That's assuming your mouse isn't one of the ones they set free, of course!

No no, when I spoke with them during coffee, they said snap traps are used.

I couldn't dispose of the corpse to be honest. When a bird hit the window and died, I had to call an old family friend as husband was abroad for work.

[REP22]

We live in the countryside and my mum has had rodent troubles. There's a local reputable pest control chap who sorted it for under £100.

I think you are right in thinking that getting a professional is the best way to go. I personally don't like the thought of getting rid of them. Don't like the idea of killing and also that poison then gets into a "chain" - I've seen a number of owls dead and pet cats very unwell because they've consumed poisoned prey. But I guess that's not much different to putting slug pellets down in the garden, so it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Getting a reputable pest controller in should keep the rodents' suffering to a minimum, hopefully.

As to city living... I can remember urban foxes being a right pain when we lived in London. I also have friends who live in Botswana; they have pygmy hippos going through their bins at night... think I'd prefer the mice, to be honest.

Good luck and best wishes. Hope you can get it sorted without causing you too much stress. x

[trumpisagit]

There are rats and mice everywhere.

[thetemptationofchocolate]

I would not tolerate a rat in my house OP, you're not alone there!
Have you looked at the electric traps?