How Do You Catch a Wild Mouse Without Killing It?
If you have a mouse problem at home or in your garden, it’s a good idea to learn how to catch the pests without killing them. Mice are a nuisance because they carry diseases that can make people sick and cause property damage. They also leave little droppings around your house and garden, which can be unsightly.
Wild mice are attracted to your house and garden for two reasons – food and shelter. They will move in to search for these things and once they’ve found them, they’ll continue to breed, despite your attempts at removal of the problem through trapping or killing.
To capture a mouse without killing it, first identify the type of rodent you’re dealing with. Field mice, for example, have teeth and will bite.
Then, use a non-lethal trap to catch it (you can buy these at your local hardware store). If you’re worried about the health of your family or pets, you may want to call a professional exterminator instead.
Another way to catch a mouse is to capture it when it’s young and then hand-feed it. This is best done when the mouse has fur but its eyes are closed so it can’t see you, and is able to bond with you through scent. If you do this, it will accept you as a part of its family and behave like a domestic mouse.
When you’re handling a baby mouse, it’s important to only handle it with gloves. It’s very sensitive to touch and you will want to ensure you don’t cause it any unnecessary stress.
Once you’ve caught the animal, place it in a clean container and provide a warm place for it to live. It’s a good idea to make sure it has access to fresh water so it can drink.
You should also feed it an eye dropper solution of milk and melted cheese. It’s a good idea to discuss this with a vet so you know exactly what it needs.
It’s also a good idea to make sure the mouse is fed regularly as it can become dehydrated quickly if it doesn’t get enough food.
Lastly, if you find an injured mouse or one that’s been hit by a car, call a wildlife shelter. Wildlife shelters have the proper equipment and expertise to treat and care for injured animals, and they can often save them and release them back into the wild.
What’s more, they can often give the mouse medications to keep it comfortable. Some wildlife shelters have the ability to euthanize severely injured animals, but this is usually only for cases where the animal is too weak to survive on its own and is unable to be released back into the wild.
The only thing to remember is that if you want to catch a mouse without killing it, you should try to do so at an early stage in its life. This is the age when it has fur but its eyes are still closed, and this allows you to get hold of it and start feeding it a diet of milk and cheese.
