Top Three Live Mouse Traps: Effective and Humane Tips for Catching Mice

I love mice (house and field mice included) and I have had a lot of experience with catching them effectively and in humane ways. In fact, among people I am close to, they have affectionately nick-named me the “mouse whisperer”.

It’s not that I have a lot of time on my hands, but because my significant other and I have moved and have “flipped” many houses over the years, which were often older houses so I have come across many mice and have developed strategies over time that really work.

So the following are my Top 3 Live Trap Tips To Catch Mice:

1) Live Trap: If you have one of those live trap cages where the mice walks in the door closes behind them but they are safe and can walk around in the box and there are lots of holes they can breathe – then the top way to get them to go in for a snack is the put their favorite foods in there (I put a little tray of water in there too, mice can go a long time without food and water, but to make their stay as comfortable as possible, I put just a little water in there like on a bottle cap lid.)

Mice absolutely LOVE: (In the following order)

1. Crunchy peanut butter (smooth peanut butter too!)
2. Chocolate
3. Nuts (all kinds including peanuts of course)

Mice love routine and have a food route – about eight places that they will visit during the course of their day (which is sunset to sunrise) – in fact their biggest feeding/activity time is sunset and sunrise.

So chances are if you see a mouse or find droppings this is a spot along his route and is a good place to put your trap. Mice are also near-sighted so they will travel along the walls versus criss-crossing rooms, so you may see oily spots along the walls which are also sign-posts as to where he’s going.

Mice are shy, some are more dominant than others, but they are curious and if they are alone, because they are social within their own mouse group, they may take a peek at you and other members of your family.

One time I found a mouse hanging out with me, while I was watching TV – so keep a look out as you go about your regular routine and if you happen to spot a mouse – watch where he goes if he gets startled.

Live traps are pretty successful and involve the least amount of interaction with the mouse. You don’t want to keep them in the live trap too long because there maybe some sharp edges and every once in a while there is a mouse who thinks he can chew through the trap – which is possible but it may take a long time and they may hurt themselves by trying really hard. Most of the time the mouse will just wait patiently after he’s done a thorough check for escape routes.

2) Bucket Trap: This is also a pretty successful trap especially if the mouse isn’t too coordinated (each mouse is different). If you have a tall bucket put the bucket on or near the mouse’s food route. (It has to be tall because mice can jump really high).

Take a pole or the end of a broom handle and put peanut-butter on the end of it then set the end the broom handle up so the end of the handle is sticking up over the middle of the bucket. The mouse will slip off the handle into bucket when he goes for the peanut butter. Don’t worry he will be startled (and jumping to see if he can get out) but unharmed since mice call fall from a high distance without getting injured.

If you go to check on the trap and all the peanut butter is licked clean and there’s no mouse – you have a well-balanced and intelligent mouse on your hands.

3) Home Made Box Trap: This is my trap of choice that I have had the most success with – however you need patience, good nerves and love mice. Take a long, long rectangular box, for example one you would get window blinds in, that can be closed up from both ends.

Make sure one end of the box is tightly closed.

Next take a plastic bag, put some peanut butter in the bottom of it, loosely crumple the bag up and stuff it in near to the closed end of the box.

Next place the box as close to the mouse’s route with enough room so that you can close the other end of the box, without having to move the box. (You may want to keep gloves on hand to be on the safe side too)

Now you can carry on with your evening, keeping an ear out for the sound of the plastic bag moving as the mouse makes his way to the peanut butter.

Then you just quietly approach, close the open lid and gently tip the box up while holding onto the lid you closed – sometimes the mouse doesn’t even know what’s up and remains calm other times he may start jumping – so don’t be startled. (I have caught a baby squirrel this way too)

You can also watch the mouse as he checks out the box – he may look around, going into the box a little bit, go back to safety, even come out to check you out a bit too, then he’ll go a little further into the box and then finally go all the way to the plastic, so you will be able to tell when the mouse is far enough into the box be able to close the open end of the box. (Mice look cute – but they are super fast as well!)

However, the plastic is designed so you do not have to watch. (It won’t take long for the mouse to find the peanut butter either because they just LOVE Peanut butter)

Well, those are my strategies. They are simple, but others have tried these tips and it has worked for them as well. If you have more than one mouse, the most intelligent and coordinated mouse will be the last to be caught, and if he’s as lucky as the Road-runner on the Bugs Bunny Show, you may have to change up the live trap you are using or change up the food that you are using in the trap, then before you know it your house will be clear of all mice.