Getting Rid Of Mice Humanely

Whether you're red in the face and prepared to do whatever-the-hell it takes, or are looking for a humane way of ridding your environment of mice, you've come to the right place. I say this because I've had my wits fried before by the cute, furry bleeders and stand before you today as the proud and relieved victor.

In case you weren't fully sold on the idea of creating a rodent groundzero in your house, please keep the following facts in mind.

• Beyond just health concerns, they will end up tearing the house apart. Gnawing on furniture and wiring, a dangerous passive threat that can endanger just about anyone in the long run, especially toddlers and children.
• Even field and house mice can carry infectious parasites, worms and mites. Deer-mice are an urgent threat since they are known to carry debilitating viruses as well as everything else (Salmonellosis or common dermatitis are two examples).
• While the problem may seem manageable, almost cute, bear in mind mice breed and populate very rapidly.

Now that we're armed with motivation, allow me to illustrate several ways in which it is possible to achieve success without feeling overly guilty. If you couldn't care less about morals at this point, there's another section below that may uplift you somewhat.

While researching this article I came across a fantastic article on how to catch mice rather than kill them using a few, simple, household objects. The author claims it worked within the hour, but the problem here is that you're still dealing with individual mice rather than a batch. I get the impression they can breed faster than you can catch them sometimes. This may be a great solution for a single "guest".

Those of us who don't feel like testing their McGuyver instincts and prefer a cheap solution (everything's cheap compared to an exterminator) could give the following ideas a try:

This particular humane mousetrap senses when the mouse has taken the bait and locks itself. Judging from the customer feedback on this particular model, not only is the interior large enough to accommodate a couple of mice, it seems to work pretty well as well (realistically, we're looking at 2-3 mice caught over 24 hours).

The nature of this trap also ensures that the mice are comfortable and will not, as one review puts it, tear their own limbs off in order to escape, which is always a plus. There are many kinds of cheap mousetraps to be found on the market, but I nevertheless suggest luring the mice with some custom-made bait (more on that later).

Again, the only problem is that if you are dealing with a large infestation, it may be a laborious process to catch them all. If the need to make your home a rodent tabula rasa is high then a more pro-active approach may be needed,

• Make it a family event, or invite your friends over. In short, turn nuisance into fun. Many hands will make light work of a legion of mice (you could even offer a reward for every mouse caught).
• Arm the participants with towels which are easily cast and will trap a mouse without harming it. If you're dealing with mutant gargantuans, feel free to try a wet towel. Stop the kids from slapping themselves over their posteriors.
• Much like many of Speedy Gonzalez's cartoons, seal off exits and mouse-holes as you find them. A scared mouse will make a dash for open spaces. Don't forget to check back on the exit in case it's trapped, better yet, once you've unsealed the exit place a trap outside it.
• Set adequate bait as well as flush them out (text box to the right).
• Once you're such crevices, holes and other mouse homes are empty, don't forget to permanently seal them up again to make sure they aren't immediately taken over by a new battery of squatters.
• Once you have them all rounded up free them away from civilization, and no, the middle of a busy highway doesn't count in this case. If it's revenge you're looking for keep scrolling.

If its results you want, and couldn't care less about how this particular end is achieved, there are a number of options available to you. But beyond morality, know that some of them have side-effects.

I sincerely hope you avoid this option. Not only because I hate poison, but because it carries risks. Firstly, it can easily contaminate the house, leading to an enduring health hazard with serious consequences. Poison takes time to kill, in the meantime, the mice or rat will have stumbled his way around the house seeking solace, brushing-up against objects and littering the floor with the stuff.

Not only is this dangerous, but in seeking a place to die the mouse will hide from view, and over time the only proof that he's been taken out will be the nauseous stench that will hang throughout the house. Often, these nooks and crannies are hard to reach and may involve puncturing walls and developing a strong stomach.

But yes, despite this, its cheap and it usually does the trick. I hesitate to call this a fire-and-forget option, but it certainly involves little personal involvement and effort.

There are a number of traps which could be considered inhumane by many. But they do work. The ones that have proven to work best are:

1. Classic spring-loaded traps (or snap traps).
2. Glue-traps (I hate these, self-mutilation is not uncommon in an attempt to break free).
3. Electricity traps.
4. Poisoned (as mentioned) traps.

The squeamish would be well-advised to resort to live-catch traps simply because it is almost as efficient and less grotesque. Having said that, I urge the squeamish-yet-determined to read the following paragraph.

A word to the squeamish

The advent of electronic traps are probably your best bet. New designs are covered, meaning that an LED on the outside will flash to let you know the trap worked, and you can dispose of the mouse itself without ever having to view the corpse. Another plus is that electronic traps kill instantly, which means it can almost be considered humane.

Remember that mice carry germs, viruses and bacteria, thus a threat may remain despite their removal. This particular article suggests opening all windows, doors and outlets for approximately two hours to allow for a change of air.

Unfortunately, the house should also be thoroughly disinfected and cleaned and droppings or anything that you suspect came into contact with your rodent flat-mates (newly evicted) should be thrown away entirely.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this article, I hope it was of use in your quest (or at the very least, inspiration). When all is said and done, you'll be able to let out of long sigh of relief, pump your fist in the air and say, "...and that ladies and gents, is how we do that.".