In this post, I’m going to discuss some of the techniques you can use to get rid of a mouse (or mice) that has made its home in your home.

What you read here is designed to give you an overview of all the techniques you have at your disposal. Some I recommend and some I don’t recommend – and I’ll let you know which I think are best – but all have been included to give you as comprehensive a list as possible.

But first, I want to tell you about a couple of methods that don’t work so well: void-filling and trying to catch them manually.

Void-filling is the process of filing all the holes and crevices that a mouse may use to gain entry to your premises. Although in theory, this should stop the mouse getting in, in practice mice can fit through all manner of tiny gaps and filling in every single one of them can be very difficult – especially in older houses. And even if you do fill them in, mice have an annoying habit of making new mouseholes for themselves.

Similarly, trying to catch a mouse yourself is nigh-on impossible. They are much smaller and quicker than you and will escape your clutches 99.9% of the time. So, play to your strengths and use human ingenuity and tools to get rid of your mouse problem instead.

#1 The Humane Home-Made Toilet Roll Trap

PROS: Cheap, humane
CONS: Time consuming to release each mouse back into the wild, effectiveness varies

This has got to be one of my absolute favorite ways to catch a mouse and kudos to Chris Glass, who first introduced me to the idea (you can see full details of the technique over on his website).

All you need is the cardboard tube from a toilet roll, a bin or bucket and some bait (chocolate works well).

Flatten on side of the tube, add a little bait to one end and balance it precariously over the edge of your table (with the baited side hanging over the table’s edge). Place the bin or bucket underneath and you have your very own humane home-made mouse trap.

The mouse will be enticed by the bait and scurry through the tube to get at it, at which point gravity will take over and mouse, tube, bait and all will fall into the bucket. Then it’s just a matter of releasing the little fellow back into the wild preferably very far away from your home.

#2 The Traditional Mouse Trap

PROS: Cheap
CONS: Messy (can result in blood and gore) 

The traditional spring-loaded mousetrap has changed it’s appearance over the last decade but it still works on the same (slightly improved) idea.

The mouse tries to take the bait, which triggers a mechanism that releases a metal bar that has been spring-loaded to smash into the mouse’s head and spine with such force as to kill it instantly.

Although they’ve been around since the beginning of the 20th century, the traditional mousetrap remains one of the most cost-effective methods of getting rid of mice.

#3 The Humane Cage Trap

PROS: Humane
CONS: Time consuming to release each mouse back into the wild

Working on the same premise of the toilet roll trap, humane cage traps capture a mouse so that you can release it back into the wild.

Simply bait the trap and when the mouse enters the cage to eat it, the door slams shut behind it incarcerating it until you are ready to let it go.

One of the leading manufacturers of these types of traps are a company called Havahart and it is one of their traps that is the pictured above.

Although this trap has two doors, it is worth mentioning that this does NOT mean that it can catch two mice at once – it merely gives the mouse two points of entry and when triggered both doors will slam shut.

#4 Mouse Poison

PROS: No contact with mouse
CONS: Health and safety issues, rotting mouse corpses in your house

Poison has long been used to get rid of rodents, however in this day and age I think there are far more effective methods of dealing with the pests.

Mouse poisons are made to attract mice and entice them into eating it, which then results in their death. The time it takes for them to die varies depending on which type of poison you use, which means it can result in having dead mice rotting away within your walls.

Additionally, poisons have the potential to harm pets and other wildlife as well as young children, so it is not a technique I would recommend.

#5 Glue boards

PROS: Cheap, Can catch multiple mice at once
CONS: Unnecessarily cruel and messy

Although glue boards are effective, they are my least favorite method of rodent control due to the unnecessary stress and suffering it causes the mouse before they die. I’m not a big fan of rodents but I don’t like to see any creatures suffer and glue boards are a particularly ugly way to die.

When a mouse runs over a glue board it gets stuck to it and dies of starvation, stress or trauma. For the rat catcher, the glueboard can be disposed of in the trash can along with anything it’s caught.

#5 Electronic Mouse Traps

PROS: Very effective, clean
CONS: Expensive

Electronic mouse traps are one of the most effective ways of getting rid of mice, although they are more expensive than other techniques both in terms of the actual cost and the ongoing cost of batteries.

Electric traps (like almost all rodent traps) entice mouse with bait and when they try to take it, it triggers a mechanism that electrocutes it, killing it instantly.

If you’ve checked out my top picks for rodent control, you’ll know that I highly recommend the Rat Zapper Ultra for getting rid of all types of rodents, however it is a little bit of an overkill for mice because of their small size.

And at around $45, the Rat Zapper is quite expensive (although it is very very good at it’s job).

Fortunately, there are smaller, cheaper alternatives available for mice, such as the one pictured above.

Summary

In the first instance, I would recommend trying toilet roll trap because it is free and easy to set up.

If you don’t have any luck with that I would recommend the electronic mouse traps or spring-loaded mouse traps, depending on how big your budget is.

However, if you’re looking for a humane option, then use the Havahart Cage Trap.