How to catch a mouse?

Mice are small and rather innocent creatures, but for some reason, before its appearance, even an adult man is ready to jump on a stool. If earlier it was believed that mice live only in private houses, now these cute, but rather annoying rodents can be found sitting on the balcony of the 6th floor or rustling in the kitchen cabinet in the 10th floor kitchen. Therefore, the question of how to catch a mouse is of interest to many, because no one is safe from the appearance of uninvited guests, but you need to be mentally prepared for the meeting and know how to deal with them.

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How to detect a mouse in an apartment or house?

Next to us live house mice, which are so used to human proximity that they quickly bred all over the planet. Some keep mice at home in their cages as pets. Having adapted to live next to us, the mice are not at all capricious in choosing food. All eat:

• Corn.
• Meat
• Dairy products.
• Chocolate.
• Wax candles.
• Glue.

But without what mice cannot survive, it is without water. On the day they need no more than 3 ml of liquid, and from dehydration the mouse will die in 2-3 weeks.

To determine if there are mice in your apartment, pay attention to 4 main signs:

1. Extraneous sounds. Scratching, tapping, grinding indicate that rodents are assimilated in a new place and equip a new nest for themselves. If you do not want to babysit with numerous offspring, then urgently take up the fight against uninvited guests.
2. Traces of teeth and leftovers. The husks of cereals, seeds, crumbs from packaging and cardboard boxes indicate that omnivorous neighbors have settled next to you, and the question arises of how to catch mice.
3. Litter. Rodents leave behind waste products that resemble dried tea leaves in shape, but they are more rounded and regular.
4. Smell. The smell left by rodents in enclosed spaces (boxes, shelves with cereals) is very specific and easily recognizable.

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Why do mice come to apartments?

There are two main reasons that make uninvited guests settle in multi-storey buildings:

1. With the onset of cold weather, mice look for warm places, since they need to winter.
2. Food. A rural mouse can settle next to a stable or a barn, and steal food from cows. The city dweller is deprived of such an opportunity, so as soon as the cold sets in, she goes closer to the people and settles in the basements of apartment buildings.

Lack of food and the proximity to cats often make the rodent look for a safe and comfortable place, moving from floor to floor, until there is an ideal apartment ready to offer the mouse a rich treat and shelter. That is why the problem of how to catch a mouse can arise even for owners of an apartment in a penthouse.

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How to catch a mouse?

Gone are the days when the presence of a cat or cat in a house or apartment reliably guaranteed protection from mice. Some cats living in apartments do not even realize that mice were once a tasty food for their distant ancestors. Accustomed to fresh fish, dairy products, cat food, they have no idea that in order to soak - you need to work hard.

Since not everyone has cats, we will consider several ways of catching a mouse without causing injury to it.

Method number 1

This method is easy to use, does not require much time to make a special trap.

You will need:

• 3l glass jar.
• Vegetable oil.
• Any bait (a piece of fat or cheese).

Build a trap as follows:

1. Coat the inner walls of the jar with vegetable oil so that the edges of the neck remain dry (step back from the neck 4-6 cm).
2. Put the bait at the bottom of the can.
3. Set the capacity at an angle of 45 degrees.
4. Near the entrance to the jar, put something soft so that the mouse can climb.

As soon as the mouse enters the jar, it will not be able to get back, since the paws will slide on the surface of the container. You just have to cover the neck of the jar with cardboard and take the mouse out into the street.

Method number 2

To make this trap you will need:

• A box with a lid measuring 20x20x20 cm. You can make it yourself from a thick paper or thin cardboard. Glue the cube of the specified size, and cut 3 faces of one side with scissors to make a box with a lid.
• Thread.
• Matches.
• Bait. The best bait for mice will be grain: wheat, oats, and to make the smell stronger, mash a few grains with a rolling pin or grind in a coffee grinder.

To make a trap and put it into action, follow the plan:

1. Step 1-2 cm from the left and right edges of the box and pierce the box from the bottom exactly in the center of the side edge (use an awl or a gypsy needle).
2. Pass the thread. On one end, lowered into the inside of the box, secure the bait. On the other end left outside, make a reliable knot that will hold the bait and prevent the thread from falling.

Important! The length of the thread should be less than 4-6 cm of the length of the side wall of the box.

3. Place the box with the bait on the floor with the lid down (the bait should hang in the middle).
4. Lift one side of the box so that the rodent can climb inside.
5. Substitute 2 matches under the raised edge of the box, they will keep the trap from falling.

The principle of the trap:

Attracted by the smell of feed, the mouse will climb inside the box and, leaning its paws on the walls of the trap, will try to get the bait. Since the box is light enough, the touch props will drop and the trap will shut. You just have to lift the box, supporting the lid (bottom of the box), catch the mouse and move it away from home.

Method number 3

To catch a mouse in this way, you will need:

• Glass bowl or glass.
• Coin.
• Bait (some chocolate).

Proceed as follows:

1. Glue some chocolate to the bottom of the bowl.
2. With one edge, place a bowl on a coin on the edge.
3. Install the design at the rodent site.

The principle of operation is similar to the previous method. Trying to get to the chocolate, the rodent will upset the balance and the trap will close. Further - to catch the mouse does not seem difficult.

Method number 4

There is a special glue for catching mice on sale. This product does not dry out and smells delicious (according to rodents). In order to catch uninvited guests, you just need to pour glue on a piece of wood or cardboard and wait until the animal sticks.

Method number 5

Another option for catching a mouse at home is this sequence of actions:

1. Pick up paper towels. It should be without paper or use something similar. The tube should be large enough to fit the mouse, but also fragile enough to not withstand the weight of the rodent.
2. Place the bait in the very depths of the tube (nut butter is suitable, as it sticks well to the inside of the tube).
3. Fix the tube on the edge of the table (half a meter from the floor). One half of the tube should lie on the table, and the other (with the bait inside) - hang from the table.

Important! If it is difficult for you to install the tube evenly, then gently stick it with duct tape to the table.

4. Place a tall bucket under the edge of the tube. The mouse, climbing into the tube, should fall directly into the bucket.
5. Check your mousetrap from time to time.

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Murderous methods of getting rid of mice

One of the cruelest ways to catch a mouse is to set up a mousetrap. You can buy it at a specialty store. Following the instructions, set up the mousetrap and install in the place where the appearance of an uninvited guest is most likely.

Use a strong-smelling product as bait:

• Pet food.
• Smoked sausage.
• Peanut butter.
• Spoiled meat.

After the mouse falls into the trap, remove it and throw it away, or better, bury it so that it doesn’t appear in your dream.

Types of Mousetraps

Mousetraps come in many forms, from traditional spring-loaded to electric. Mousetraps must be installed in those places where, in your opinion, the rodent lives:

• In the closet.
• In the drawer.
• In the pantry.
• etc.

One mouse trap for catching rodents may not be enough, and using several devices, you can catch several mice at a time. Since mice are carriers of many dangerous diseases, regularly check the mousetrap and throw away the corpse, but use protective gloves and even a protective mask to protect yourself from contact with dangerous bacteria.

You can kill mice in another way by adding poison to the food, but as a result, if the mouse returns to its mink and dies there, the unpleasant smell of a decaying corpse will spread throughout the apartment.

Advice:

• If you decide to buy a mousetrap, then remember that electric mousetraps are much more efficient mechanical ones.
• Close mouse burrows only if you are sure that you have got rid of all the mice, otherwise they will gnaw new holes or die behind the wall from dehydration, which is also unpleasant.
• As soon as you find uninvited guests, act quickly, as mice can bring friends or quickly breed.
• Place poisoned baits out of the reach of pets and children.

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Creating barriers from rodents

So that the mice do not even look towards your house or apartment, create the most uncomfortable conditions for their stay. For this:

1. Inspect all kinds of gaps, corners, chimneys, ventilation holes. Close large holes with dense nets so that even the cockroach does not crawl. Glue the nets with silicone glue (do not use PVA, as rodents can feast on them).
2. Smear small holes with a special compound.
3. Keep all food in airtight containers and out of the reach of mice.
4. If you live in a private house, then place garbage cans as far as possible from the house so as not to attract the smell of rodents.
5. Water should not stand in the open. Repair current taps, and do not leave cups of water at night to prevent your mouse from getting any food or drink.
6. Use folk remedies that repel mice:
   • Peppermint. Put a few drops of oil on cotton balls and place them in places where uninvited guests can enter your house: near the front doors, ventilation, etc. Alternatively, grow a mint plant near the rodent sites.
   • Place trays with used cat litter in the places where rodents enter the house. If they smell a cat, they will instantly leave your home.
   • Arrange snake feces in places of potential appearance of mice, but always out of the reach of pets and children.
   • Incense smoke - as one of the options against mice.
7. Use ultrasonic repellers. The electronic device repels mice with ultrasound, as rodents cannot tolerate it. The only drawback is that the device works only in the visibility zone and only until the mouse gets used to it.

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Stock footage

If you are faced with the problem of an “uninvited guest,” then do not wait for the scout mouse to transfer the whole squad, but try to send it out as soon as possible. Use our tips and tricks for a successful hunt!