How do i catch a mouse?

Mike Sterckx · Jul 2, 2013

I have a mouse in my house and i'm failing to catch the little bugger!

About 2 weeks ago, while i was sitting on the pc i saw something in the corner of my eye and as i looked i saw a mouse running past. My pc is next to my door and the door was open. He literally came running inside... and decided to stay. The next day i saw him again running on the floor. The day after i heard him nibbling on something behind my fridge. As i moved the fridge i found a packet of spaghetti that had fallen behind it - god knows how long ago - which he had been nibbling on. Seeing he likes spaghetti i thought he must be Italian, so i called him Mouse-olini.

But mouse-olini is not welcome here. I want to get rid of him before he brings his brothers and sisters and starts to raise a family. I tried some homemade mousetraps. One with the bucket and the bottle as seen in this video :

I also placed 2 other homemade mousetrap using the toilet roll technique as seen here:

As bait i used Nutella, honey, cheese and even meat (mouse are omnivores, they eat everything)

But the little bugger isn't falling for it! I even bought a mousetrap yesterday that wont kill him but still hes not bitting. Is there something wrong with the bait i'm using?

Yesterday we had a stand-off, mouse-olini and i. He was sitting on top of the speaker while i was on the pc not 4 feet away from me. I jumped up to grab him but the little ****er is fast i tell you. He got behind the stereo and as i looked at him he sat there all scared in between the cables. I couldn't move my hand in the space between the speaker and the wall and as i moved the stereo a bit he took of at the speed of light,so fast i didn't see where to.

So yea... HELP! I'm beeing outsmarted by a damn mouse!

Calum McLure · Jul 2, 2013

From my experience try either throwing dynamite at it, leave dynamite in front of it's home, a fake female mouse made from dynamite, a big block of Swiss cheese with dynamite in it or a paper airplane with dynamite on it.

But to be honest it usually ends up backfiring.

Hampus Andersson · Jul 2, 2013

Or just buy regular mouse traps, they dont cost much.

But the most effective are cats, look cute but in reality cold blooded killers.
Usually the head is bitten of and it's just for "fun" as they dont eat mice.

Edit:read now that you bought one, use nuts, called "mandel" in swedish.

Senad Subasic · Jul 2, 2013

I caught one last summer, used a CD spindle cover, a coin, and a potato chip. He didn't fall for it, or, the spindle cover didn't fall for him. But the next day I heard him chowing down on the potato chip, so I carefully walked towards the spindle, and just pushed it so it fell and captured the bugger. He was swiftly deported.

Dynamite might also work.

Morten Wernersen · Jul 2, 2013

Senad Subasic said:
Dynamite might also work.

+1 when in doubt, use C4

our cat took care of a mouse problem we had a couple of weeks ago

Lee Knight · Jul 2, 2013

A snap trap/back breaker & a piece of bacon rind but make sure you tie it on with some fine cotton or the mouse will be off with the bacon...
Ive had mice in the house & 8 out of 10 times they'll go for the bacon rind if not in minutes then as soon as you go out or to bed...
I was raised around cats & had a cat but will never have one again as most times they'd rather be out killing anything native rather than the blasted mice.

Anecdote1
Years ago there was a mouse late at night behind the fireplace (not lit) which had a slide out ash bed (steel) & I'd seen the mouse go in behind it.
So Mum brings out a cat, cat looks about & then steals her seat & goes to sleep.
Two more cats latter & similar result even with the mouse running out & back in again.
Ma goes for another cat & I figured "Bugger it" got up & kicked ash pan thingy with steel capped boot.
I didn't know Ma was right behind me holding a cat, well, at least not for long.
All cats woke up & made a quick exit.
Mouse didn't know what hit it & was flatter than a tack.

Anecdote2
Not long ago had pest guys around to get rid of cockroaches that were invading & had left back door open...
I have a bird cage just inside back door so mice come in regular as soon as door is left open for 5 minutes.
I'd already told pest guys who laughed it off.
Then I saw a mouse running for cover behind stove.
After finally convincing pest guys they pulled out stove & out ran the mouse.
3 of us in a small kitchen & pest guys in work boots are jumping out the way.
On mouses 4th or 5th lap I stomped the poor bugger with my bare foot & a moment later a pest guy landed on my foot with his size 10 after trying to keep out of the way....
I wasn't impressed & neither were they when I asked for a discount.

If you release mice they'll only return,
Snap traps are the easiest & least cruel way to exterminate the little pricks & until he's dead, make sure you wash ANY canned or tinned goods before opening them as they leave urine everywhere & on tins/cans it has nowhere to run off, it'll crystallize & will poison any who drink/eat out of it without first cleaning it.
A young girl here in Oz died not long ago & it was reported in all the newspapers about this basic hygiene tip that would have saved her life...
Good luck with catching your little vermin

Hiroshi Awazu · Jul 2, 2013

If all things fail, a .410 gauge shotgun should do the job

just kidding.

How about those sticky pads made by 3M? I keep a bunch at home but thankfully we have no mice running around.

We have a cat but she is too friendly, would probably end up friending the mouse if we had em

Pete Bone · Jul 3, 2013

Depending on where you live, i use 2 of these - http://www.pestcontrolsupermarket.c...ler-95-p.asp?gclid=CMT_vMfQkrgCFajKtAodvAwAfw

I live surrounded by fields and havent had a mouse in 5 years with these things.

Péter Bártfai · Jul 3, 2013

Before we got cats, we used a flowerpot with a half cut nut working as a stand on one side. Mouse got in to eat from the nut, pushed it, so the pot fallen on it. Then we took it far away from home (usually on the other side of the railway that is about 60m-s from us. From there they didn't come back.

Craig Stevenson · Jul 5, 2013

I tried quite a few things when I had them around my fishing tackle and groundbait\pellets that I keep at far end of the Kitchen, I had electronic traps and poison that didn't seem to do anything, I did find these http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000LPA2KC/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 very effective used with Peanut butter or Choc spread. I also caught a couple with the pellets that they appeared to be aiming for. I never realised before but placement but placement of the trap is vital, even placing it the wrong way against a wall can mean failure.

Mike Sterckx · Jul 19, 2013

I got him! More then a month it took for him (or her) to finally bite. He/she is alive and well in an animal friendly mousetrap. A bit of cream cheese did it. Although after a month it smells more like Gruyere cheese.

I'm going to release him in the morning in the woods.