Not everyone wants to catch the mouse or rat in their house and kill it. Many animal lovers even like mice and don't feel right killing them with a trap. There are dozens of ways to catch a mouse that is a nuisance in your home. Many are homemade trap ideas that only catch the mouse but don't harm it leaving you the ability to release it into the wild. One well thought out idea was written up here with diagrams and everything. Seems pretty simple to carry out and catch the mouse without too much effort. These "no kill" traps are great ideas if you have a place to dispose of the creature, but there is no sense in trapping a mouse only to release it in the alley behind your apartment or in the woods across from your house. It will only get back into someone elses house. You can visit Havahart.com for their entire line of products that allow you to trap live animals and release them back into the wild.
How to catch a mouse without a mousetrap
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.
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.
