September 20, 2005

How to catch a mouse without a mousetrap

Humanely

I had a little friend visit my apartment the other week, and for a while there I was ready to make peace with him and co-exist. But after I cleaned up the place and ordered pizza one night, and it crawled up the side of my chair onto the sleeve of my shirt, I knew it was time to bid farewell.

Here's how I caught the critter:



Get a toilet paper tube and crease two lines to form a flat sided tunnel.

Put a treat on one end of the tube: A cracker and dab of peanut butter works great.

Get a tall (at least 20 inches) bucket. A trash can works well.

Balance the tube precariously on the edge of a table or counter with the treat hanging directly over the tall sided receptacle.

The mouse will scurry to the treat (they like tunnels) and fall into the trap.

Set the fella loose at least a mile away from your abode.

Postnote: It worked within the hour.

Also, folks have asked how this could work if you don't have a counter or table. Simple: get a piece of cardboard and crease it to make a ramp up to a small trashcan.

Filed in: Miscellaneous |

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Comments

don,t let children pet or touch caught mice...they bite and carry bacteria!!!!!!

Posted by: nurse | May 1, 2020 3:31:59 PM

I tried it and it worked!

Posted by: Eliana Colantonio | Apr 1, 2020 4:13:51 PM

My mom found a mouse in the van that ate some of her crunch candy bar and chewed a tissue and we are using this method because I would NOT let my mom or dad kill it we are going to catch it then let it go as gently as possibly after me and my sister hold and pet it a few times or we might keep it in our old gerbil's cage. I love mice!

Posted by: Rachel | Nov 3, 2016 4:56:11 PM

I hate to be "that guy," but:

If you set up a trap specifically to catch a mouse, what would you call it?

Answer: A MOUSE TRAP!



(I might not exactly hate being that guy.)

Posted by: Nope | Mar 6, 2016 8:12:24 AM

Tried this with Nutella instead of peanut butter, worked just fine. Thank you, will use again if there ever is another mouse in the kitchen!

Posted by: Vic | Feb 21, 2016 8:29:27 PM

Chris

Thanks for this page! I tried it out when I lived in Cameroon, in a house where mice and all kinds of insects could easily walk in and out. I tuned your method in some way filling the bucket half with water. I caught about 5 mice making the rest of them move out quickly the house. The water was not really a problem as mice are tough guys: the could swim for hours in it before freeing them....

Posted by: Frank Pinter | Feb 8, 2016 2:38:37 AM

I went back to the comments trying to find the diseases they have and couldn't find it. Guess I will have to google it. They sounded pretty bad. I guess the mouse took them with them for the night...omg.

Posted by: Georgia Peach | Sep 12, 2015 5:32:29 AM

I just discovered a mouse in my house at 0430am and no traps and it was on the floor not the table..duh...Most are not on tables. But this one was big and fat and I wonder if it is full of babies about to drop them in my house. OMG, Here I sat at 0515am and scared to do anything. But no cats either. Wonder how it came in and I do not want those diseases you mention and dam if I will take it to a park. What if it got out when I was driving and got away after an accident and they would never know what caused the fatality?

Posted by: Georgia Peach | Sep 12, 2015 5:17:20 AM

He CRAWLED up to the sleeve of your shirt, and you decided to 'say farewell' ? ......... so after he warmed up to you and decided to coexist with you, you decided it was time to bid farewell. its contradictory. the least.

Posted by: do | May 22, 2014 7:50:58 PM

Took less than 10 minutes to catch our little bugger! I do recommend the deepest can you can get your hands on, our guy jumped 2' easy, but we used a "leaf & lawn" size can, so we still got him. Thanks so much for posting this - we're 20 miles from the nearest store & the mouse showed up at 10 o'clock at night; it was great to use what we had on hand.

Posted by: Mindy | May 21, 2014 12:36:39 AM

Trap set... Fingers crossed

Posted by: Pauline | Apr 19, 2014 11:03:09 AM

This actually works! Delighted! Caught a mouse but think it was so big it might actually have been a small rat. Our cats brought it in and played with it but it hid and we waited for it to come out but it didnt until we did this. Tha nks so much!

Posted by: izzy | Mar 2, 2014 3:30:15 PM

Wonder if inverting a CONE into the bucket---like a dog "Collar of Shame" would KEEP the mouse in there???? Works on fish and wasps etc.

And---I get the whole "Life is sacred" thing---I do. I do wild animal rescue and rehab! But--mice can spread PLAGUE. And KILL you. The bubonic plague killed millions and could do this again. They can also carry many other diseases that can kill you. In the American Southwest this is a deadly problem and it is becoming more common as the climate changes. Hanta virus can KILL you!

Please IF you release these make SURE they are no where NEAR anyone elses house or business---they will be INSIDE before you get home. And this time they will NOT be eating the stuff in the tube-=----

Posted by: Comet | Feb 3, 2014 8:03:17 PM

Thank you soooo much - this was so simple to do and I had what I needed within easy reach... No trips to the hardware store! Mouse in the bin within 2 hours and dispatched to nearest park soon after. Must admit, carrying pink trash can in my pajamas at 4am to local park would have looked amusing!!!

Posted by: Christy | Jan 31, 2014 2:55:59 PM

I used to work at a garden center in New England. Chipmunks would always eat the birdseed we sold. I thought of a plan (probably inadvertently stole the concept, It's too simple to be my own). This is not a no-kill solution but it worked.

Needed:

Large leaves (paper plates would probably work too)

Bird seed

5-gallon bucket



Fill the bucket with water and put the leaves over it. Put the seeds on the leaves. When the chipmunk tries to eat the seeds it drops into the bucket, the leaves keep it from getting out and it drowns.

Totally sad, yes, but totally worked.

Posted by: MR | Jan 21, 2014 6:00:42 PM

This trap works extremely well.

I set it up & withinn an hour had a "HIT". Unfortunately. the bucket wasn't tall enough & the mouse jumped out.

I reset it using a tall trash can under the shelf in our pantry & have since caught 3.

Posted by: Kean O'Neill | Jan 20, 2014 6:09:54 PM

This trap does not work me and my husband moved into this old house and there were some mice running around we tried everything. Finally we tried this! The mice did not want to go in that hole in the tub. There to smart for that.

Posted by: Becky | Nov 24, 2013 5:00:17 PM

Thank you.

Was awake all night because a baby found its way in from the cold and kept trying to share my pillow. Knowing they are social/emotional/intelligent, murder was not a viable alternative. However, no sleep is not acceptable either.

This is the perfect solution to resolve the conflict.

Thank you.

Hope this link stays for all like me who need it in the future.

Posted by: sj | Oct 25, 2013 9:54:26 AM

Thank you.

Was awake all night because a baby found its way in from the cold and kept trying to share my pillow. Knowing they are social/emotional/intelligent, murder was not a viable alternative. However, no sleep is not acceptable either.

This is the perfect solution to resolve the conflict.

Thank you.

Hope this link stays for all like me who need it in the future.

Posted by: sj | Oct 25, 2013 9:54:21 AM

We call it the 'Mouse Pit'

Ok so this trap definitely works..

Found some mice in our new home around re pantry and kitchen; it's an old house with lots of drawers and spare cupboards.. So these droppings were everywhere and noises at night even saw a few but didn't know how many mice we had as we couldn't catch/kill any!

We got rid of the food cleared/cleaned all the house, used fox and some other animals urine to deter em from this pet shop used the 'best' ionic ultrasound pulsating noise sending mouse repellers cost about £15 a pop from eBay and 'humane' mousetraps, all to no avail & this continued for 6 weeks.. Then tried normal metal traps 8 in total and only caught 2 in the first night then nothing! It really started to spoil the peace and tranquility at home because my son is terrified of mice. Also the mice damaged the sofa as well as the carpet and we had to throw away a lot of food and constantly clean up the mess..

So finally I made a modified version of the trap above with a longer tube that tips into the plastic bucket about 20 inches high that has an angled floor to stop the mice 'spring' jumping out of it.. Must have killed about 30 mice so far in the space of 2-3 weeks.. Most nights there's at least one mouse, most cought in a night =3. All shapes and sizes.. most are skinny and look sick.. Might start a business selling mice to a pet shop or snake owners as killing them is such a waste!!

Seriously though, I have lost all compassion or mercy towards mice!! Thinking of putting their heads on a chopstick or something to deter other mice, as we don't know where they are coming in from as have blocked the entrances we could find.. The droppings have almost gone and they haven't damaged anything since this trap was set up.. I salute the person who came up with this idea.. Mice are clever so we have to be cleverer!

We call it the 'Mouse Pit'



Posted by: Claire Walsh | Aug 3, 2013 9:01:40 PM

I tried this trap in our barn with a 36 inch high trash can, but i have not caught anything. I think a squirrel is raiding my trap because the tube was in the can but nothing else was. I hope i can catch a mouse because i want to tame it and teach it to play basketball :D

Posted by: Samstar4ever | Jul 16, 2013 9:47:15 AM

Just made the one with the ramp and trashcan! Gonna wait and see. I was going to buy a humane trap but I really want this little guy out now! We saved him from the neighbors cat and the little bugger got out of our extra mouse cage.Our first rescued mouse is our pet! We wanted to make sure he wasn't injured and we were going to let him go. He isn't friendly like our found mouse who jumped in my hand in the middle of the road! Boyfriend says he will never do this again. The wild mice are on their own. We saved a bat too but got him to the bat rescue!

Posted by: Kathy | Jun 1, 2013 12:59:36 PM

This is so crazy that I can't make this up. My mom walked into my room & said we have mice in our cabinets. I quickly looked online because I remember using a trash can before to catch a mouse in the past.

I came across this page & asked if had a toilet paper roll. I ran down into the kitchen set up the trash can, toilet paper roll, a little bit of peanut butter & turned off the lights.

15 mins later!!!!! I heard a noise & ran down into the kitchen then yelled up to my mom, "I caught one!"

We sat in the kitchen for a little bit & heard another one walking around in the cabinet & wouldn't you know we watched as he crawled through the tube & watched as it fell into the trash can.

That's two mice within 45 mins. We ended up driving 2 miles away & released them at a community park.

When I read that it works within the hour I must admit I was thinking ok the probability this will work is likely to be high. Never thought it would work so fast.

Posted by: Jeane | May 1, 2013 12:31:24 AM

Im going to set the trap up tonite but i wont be releasing the Vermin so he can go to someone elses House and cause them Grief,im going to squash the bastard!!!!!

Posted by: Rick | Apr 26, 2013 6:32:02 AM

First attempt he jumped out. Ate the bait and left some poops in the can. Tried using the can/PB method but I guess this mouse does not like PB. 3rd attempt he was able to grab the counter as the tube fell. 4th attempt today. Braced the tube this time and sprayed pam near the top of the bucket. If this fails I will just fill the bucket with a little water so he cannot jump.

Posted by: Max | Mar 22, 2013 12:54:25 PM

Cat just brought a mouse in and it got away and am 99 % sure it is in the guest room now. So I made this with two soda 12-packs and the trash can and closed the door to the room. Will check on it in an hour or so. Hope it works. Don't want the cat(who is shut out doors until i resolve this) catching it.

Posted by: Ian | Mar 15, 2013 12:06:17 AM

Thank you SO much! Worked fabulously first time :)

Posted by: Wendy-Li | Mar 12, 2013 4:28:38 AM

if the mice can jump out of the bin try putting an inch of water in the bottom. Not enough so that it will drown but enough so that it cant jump high.

Posted by: Peter | Mar 6, 2013 6:38:00 AM

OK, just wondering, who are these people that dont have a counter or table????



Posted by: DLJohn | Mar 3, 2013 7:46:27 PM

Thanks so much for this article. We have tried for a week or so to catch our mouse (maybe mice), using the snap traps and little box traps. We set this up last night and immediately caught one. This is a much better idea and greatly welcomed. I feel like we are getting somewhere now.

Posted by: Chelle | Mar 3, 2013 4:11:27 AM

Getting rid of mice is very difficult. But not impossible. Effective technique and pesticide can do the job quite easier. I mostly depend on poison bait for controlling mice infestation. By the way thanks for sharing this article.

Posted by: Faysal | Feb 27, 2013 1:13:19 AM

lived in an old house and mice came in when it got cold. They got into my pantry and were chewing boxes and I had no trap so smeared peanut butter about six inches down a trash can and sat it by the pantry. I had three mice in the morning



Posted by: Jim McFalls | Feb 24, 2013 4:19:30 PM

Caught a mouse, I let it go at the park, as I walked off, I looed back, a bird "Magpie" had caught the poor mouse.

Posted by: james | Feb 23, 2013 5:38:48 PM

Update: I had that really smart mouse that avoided the normal hardware store humane traps and could also apparently jump out of my 20" slippery metal trash can (we named him "Harry Houdini"). After he fell in there once a few days ago, I changed the design of the trap so he probably wouldn't have been able to jump out anymore. He still came up the ramp to collect little nuts I had put there to lure him up again after the first time he fell in the trash can - but of course he never went into the paper roll again. So I ended up taking the whole contraption apart and instead, putting this trap up:

http://www.amazon.com/Device-Reusable-Humane-Multi-Catch-Mouse/dp/B009Y63YGI

And while it took a few days, last night he finally went in. Ate the bait (which was a piece of pita chip smeared with peanut butter) and then tried to get out; I woke up from the little clattering noises of Mousy trying to open the trap doors. Took a proof picture and drove him about two miles away across a six-lane Highways into a park and set him free into a very thick, large patch of underbrush.

TRIUMPH AT LAST!

And now my mother is giving me shit about how I probably deprived a whole batch of baby mice of their Mom or Dad and how they would now all starve to death...well, I'm putting my trap up again, if they walk in, they will be released at the same spot as Harry Houdini and they'll have every chance at a fulfilled mouse life outside of my house. If they don't walk in, well...

Posted by: Julia | Feb 20, 2013 12:05:32 PM

And remeber to put the peanut butter at the far end of the box, otherwise he will eat it and get back out, being as fast as thought! Also remember that mice will eat the cardboard box too in no time, to get out, so no use leaving it all night. You have to get rid of it, as soon as you've caught the little bugger.

Posted by: Vibes | Feb 18, 2013 11:23:18 PM

The only useful thing here for me, as I was in a rush to catch the mouse, was that mice like peanut butter, which I used as bait, till he got in my cardboard box, and I quickly shut the hole. I added a glass celieng to the box, so I could see him inside. The above examples only apply if your mouse is ON your table, but what if, as usual, he is UNDER the table, on ground floor ! Thanks for the humane tips here, and don't forget, mice are VERY fast.

Posted by: Vibes | Feb 18, 2013 9:13:00 PM

Attempt #1 Mickey went for the trap but was able to escape our trash can. In the garbage can, I saw the TP tube, some bait and poop. I couldn't understand how he got out. The mouse is so small. Bait: dry pasta

Attempt #2 Set the trap @ 10PM with a taller bin. Checked in the morning and I thought it was another failed attempt until my husband checked 20 minutes and saw the tail sticking out of the tube. He was just hiding! Watching him in the bin, I realized how he got out the first time. He can jump almost 8x it's height. Bait: Cookie w/ peanut butter.

Tip: I placed 2 small jars on each side of the TP tube in case the mouse accidentally knocked it over.

Thank you! I feel quite accomplished.

Posted by: angie | Feb 14, 2013 12:54:03 PM

First attempt failed... I started with a hunk of bread but thought better of it and went out for some Jif creamy. That got his attention withing 30 minutes. I'm guessing he fell into the trashcan but then jumped out. Its 22" high - might have an Olympic class mouse. Reset. 2nd attempt.

Posted by: Tyler | Feb 12, 2013 9:39:42 PM

Set the "ramp method trap" up a few days ago after weeks of completely unsuccessful mouse hunting with commercial humane traps. Woke up to a loud "KLONK" last night around 4 am. Went downstairs to check, and FINALLY, there he was caught (well, one of them, at least), cute as a button, and very plump. Looking slightly confused. Mouse, not me. Me, proud hunter that I was, I ran upstairs to go grab my phone to take a PROOF PICTURE for the out-of-town boyfriend. Coming back down like 40 seconds later - guess who looked confused at the sight of the...eeeer...EMPTY trash can. ME, not mouse! Because mouse was probably laughing his little mousey ass off in some dark corner that he had just escaped to. How the HELL he got of the totally sleek metal trash can, that's about 20 inches high...I HAVE NO IDEA...must have jumped.

So. Mouse. War is ON, just so you know!

I need to change the design a bit, as I don't have a higher trash can (since I need my actual trash can for its actual purpose).

Posted by: Julia | Feb 12, 2013 6:33:12 PM

This is awesome. I've never experienced mice in my life and I thought maybe I had one mouse in my house. I've caught four in twenty minutes of setting up the same trap consecutively. I'm pretty sure I have an infestation. But thank you so much. +1 for Peanut Butter on the end of the roll.

Posted by: Mike | Feb 12, 2013 2:42:43 AM

Fakeer, I drew this on an envelope with a pen then scanned it in.

Posted by: Glass | Feb 11, 2013 11:33:21 AM

As i sit here waiting, with anticipation, in complete darkness and silence, i cant help but ponder the struggles of my furry little nemesis. The fact that im on the 8th floor of my building alone is astounding. it almost kills me walking all those stairs so how he managed i dont know. Then theres the fact that ive been trying to poison him him for a week, unsucessfully i might add. the little bugger seems to be immune to rentokil. so ive built myself your ramp trap (but had to use some spring roll due to lack of peanut butter) to catch him. i then plan to release him 1 mile away from the top of clifton suspension bridge.

Posted by: rick daglas MD | Feb 9, 2013 6:40:03 PM

I actually like the drawings. Did you sketch on a Wacom tablet? Of course, the skill is greater than the tool.

Posted by: Fakeer | Feb 8, 2013 8:41:51 PM

So glad I came across this brilliant idea, found a mouse in our house tonight, quickly put together the trap and within an hour there he was in the bucket! Thank you so much, would much rather keep them alive!

Posted by: Jackchertsey | Feb 2, 2013 6:54:28 PM

Catch and release? Yeah I do too. I release then in my chicken coop. The girls say yum yum.

Posted by: monty | Feb 2, 2013 1:46:53 PM

I will be using this today....I woke up to a grey fuzzy face in my bed....



Posted by: ohhnoooo | Jan 27, 2013 8:27:50 AM

If you're having problems with the mouse pulling the cardboard onto the bench, tape a wine bottle (or other large glass bottle) to the bench with the top hanging out over the bucket. Put the bait on the end of the bottle (peanut butter works best as it stays there) and oil up the neck of the bottle with oil, cooking spray or butter. The mouse goes out to get the bait, and slips into the bucket!

Posted by: Ness | Jan 27, 2013 8:17:13 AM

GENIUS! I've been trying to catch this mouse for several days in a standard humane trap but every night it took the food without getting caught. This worked a treat (used kitchen roll tube). THANK YOU

Posted by: Sara | Jan 16, 2013 4:37:51 AM

After reading the comments about mice pulling the tube back onto the table or down the ramp and getting the bait, I've come up with a solution with I think will work - fold out a paper clip to make an L-shape. Make a hole in the bottom of the tube, just off centre. Slide the short end of the L into the tube from the other end, and guide it into the hole using two fingers of the other hand through the other end of the tube. Then tape down the long end of the L inside the tube. This should stop the mouse from being able to pull the tube back over the edge of the table. My tube would not balance, so I also taped an old cell battery inside the end on the table. I'll update if it worked or not.

Posted by: Jim | Jan 12, 2013 11:34:52 AM

This method worked well for me. However, toilet roll may be too short so try using empty kitchen roll instead as it is longer and increases the likelihood of success.

Posted by: Peter Duffy | Dec 31, 2012 9:47:32 PM

Thx. For ur idea but it didn't work i have to sleep in the guest room who knows till when I find the right sulition it's hard but I'm gonna go for it xxx from kimmy

Posted by: Kimberly | Dec 28, 2012 10:56:51 PM

Thank you. Used a Christmas cookie last night and let it out in wooded area today!

Posted by: Merry mousemas | Dec 26, 2012 9:51:26 PM

thx this worked well! we have mice everywhere in our community and for some reason they always end up at our house... anyways they come up on our deck and come in through our fireplace they dug a hole through it. ive always wanted a pet and i had a hamster cage that one of my family members used to own, so when i caught the guy i filled up the water bottle took it along with some cheese and stuck em in the cage along with my mouse. i now have three four mice, sugar, jasmine, nutmeg, and cocoa, along with the other mice i caught i built a tiny house fit for mice put it in our local park and continue to put mice in it everyday, i would suggest to do this because it is good. just put one cracker barrel bar of cheese or other type of cheese bars in the house, it should last about three to five days. you should also put three bottles of water a day in there. dont forget to put more in time to time or they will die. also remember that you will need to put more stuff in according to how much mice you get. once again thx!!!

Posted by: jacelyn | Dec 26, 2012 7:07:56 PM

Thank you for this post. I had a mouse that evaded me for 3 days, Little blighter !

I read your post last night and set about making the trap. I was disappointed when I found it empty this morning. I checked the trap all day and then this evening there it was sat happily in the bottom of the bin eating itself stupid. It has now been released away from the house.

I have reset the trap in case there is another (Hope not)

Thanks again :o)

Posted by: Tracey | Dec 19, 2012 6:44:44 PM

I have 2 mice in my house please tell me how to caych em cuz the go all around the traps I have im thinkin bout puttin roast beef om the ttaps sumbody hp me I dont like mice

Posted by: wanda | Dec 18, 2012 6:54:07 AM

TO THE pEOPLE USING THIS TRAP.

PLEASE STOP RELEASING THE MICE NEAR MY HOUSE. I'M ABOUT TO GO CRAZY

Posted by: LUIS | Dec 17, 2012 11:02:05 AM

Fantastic! After a month of trying out 3 tin traps (at a cost of about $70) I had caught exactly zero mice. On the first night of setting this up I had actually caught 2 mice at the same time in a single roll! I've now relocated about 12 mice - just a few fiendish ones to get now...

Posted by: happytrapper | Nov 29, 2012 2:58:20 PM

Just something of note to those asking about using things like carrots or other similar foods: I would avoid doing so. The mouse may end up choking to death on a big hard piece of vegetable like that. You could try placing a roasted pumpkin seed in the tube as an alternative.

Posted by: Drawberry | Nov 27, 2012 7:21:10 PM

Tried it... My mouse was too smart for this he pulled the tp tube fully onto the counter twice and got the pb out. I brought a humane trap but if he goes for the other two traps he's getting snapped. I'd rather not deal with a dead mouse but atleast it will be dead and not squirming on a glue trap.

Posted by: Tyra | Nov 23, 2012 2:30:38 PM

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! We had one that got into our stove we set up this trap and within a few hours he was in the empty trash bin and is now outside. This was helpful and does work.

Posted by: Jamie | Nov 22, 2012 11:29:49 AM

Omg gotta try this I gotta mouse how is fond of cooking sheets after I cook somthing on it he ( I think )every night he is on nom noming on the crispy bits ugg he is soo messy and soo loud!

Posted by: OmNomNom | Nov 21, 2012 12:14:25 AM

About to try. I had rescued a baby mouse yesterday and lost him >.> but she is still in my room because I left peanut butter bait and he is eating it when I'm not there.



Posted by: Maya | Nov 18, 2012 3:58:39 PM

It didn't work we lost to bin bags of food and we had to use old fashion traps and kill them

Posted by: Cal | Nov 8, 2012 12:39:29 AM

Mouse traps are one of the most effective ways to capture mice and ultimately eradicate the mouse infestation that has invaded your home. Before professionals choose poisons and products with toxic chemicals, they will choose traps to honor the safety of your home. Not only are traps effective in mouse control, but mouse traps are economical in that they do not cost a lot of money to buyTo.



Posted by: traps mouse | Nov 5, 2012 2:49:33 AM

Just about to try it

Wish me LUCK!!

Posted by: Cal | Nov 4, 2012 5:36:47 PM

Left out for a couple of hours. The mouse is now in the local park!

Posted by: Miz | Nov 4, 2012 7:49:30 AM

I'm planning on using your method tomorrow, this poor little mouse must be terrified. I don't believe in killing an innocent mouse that got stuck in my house. Hopefully this works, wish me luck!

Posted by: Patty | Oct 25, 2012 8:25:14 PM

So glad to find this page. I was looking to find another no-kill trap. I have a holey house so it's really a mouse house rather than mine. I can't move and I can't be buddhist about living with them. I've trapped alot in a no-kill trap and then set them free into a wooded area far from my house. But I'm going to try this. I've gotten good results with peanut butter but will try the jerky. Also I learned that mice can die very quickly without water (and in some cases people drowning them) so if you have to wait for hours to return them alive to the wild - a bottle top of water should be in the bin.In my case I have a great mouser cat living with me and he always alerts me to the fact by bringing it to me much alive. He doesn't ever kill them. Then I take over the trapping process. It's worked pretty well and I'm working on fixing up all the holes. Since moving in 1989 I think I caught and released about 25 mice but they use to just stay in my attic. Thanks for the diy and all the comments and tips.

Posted by: Nancy | Oct 19, 2012 10:07:06 AM

Hi guys I gave this Mouse trap a try lastnight simply because the live traps I bought have had no success at all anyways I set the DIY trap up and returned the following morning to find that the tube was gone so I assumed I had caught my 1st Mouse however upon inspection of the box it was empty, completely empty! the cheeky little sod was too clever and was not fooled and instead of entering the tube it opted to drag it down the ramp and under the tv cabinet to enjoy it's spoils! despite failing in capturing said Mouse I must admit I tip my hat to the little fella

I'll try again tonight but with a modified version

Posted by: Mouse | Oct 16, 2012 2:09:04 PM

would carrot work?

Posted by: Marla | Sep 28, 2012 2:07:55 AM

This worked amazingly well and quickly, too. I used a few bits of a raspberry to tempt my little guy. He seemed a bit confused when I let him go outside.

Thank you!

Posted by: Jenne | Sep 17, 2012 11:39:08 PM

This is the first time I have had mice living in my house since I was a child. At first I thought I would have to go buy poison or traps but since I have been out of work I have been looking for more 'homemade' ideas. I just set the trap; 9:50am, Thursday, Sept 13, 2012. Let's see how long this takes. My little mouse or mice, not sure, is pretty brave. Coming from the living room behind the couch into the dining area and then on to the kitchen during the day while I am sitting at the table sewing or crafting. Yesterday we had a fight, he wanted to go into the kitchen and I kept seeing him and making a noise made him go back. We did this several times until i guess I missed it or he gave up. I'm pretty sure he didn't give up. Update when I catch him. Thanks for posting the idea. A thank you everyone for posting your updates!

Posted by: Tina Boyd | Sep 13, 2012 10:55:41 AM

I had a little friend ( means the mouse ) over at my house he chewed a whole tip

Of the door frame we flipped the bed over and moved everything to the bathroom it was crazyyy thanks for the tip :)



Posted by: Gggg | Sep 8, 2012 12:19:35 PM

great idea gonna try it

Posted by: @3:8@:1 | Sep 4, 2012 4:15:05 PM

hey so i have a hamster and so obviously i have food...well this little mouse has been around getting in to my hamsters food a few nights ago i thought i heard something but wasnt sure..i had my light off but looked anyways and i thought i saw something very small and dark colored run across the nightstand where my hamster was and down under my bed...i didnt do anything about it or say anything to my parents...then a few times tonight i heard it and saw it for sure so i found this and i gotta say its a great idea i just hope hes not to smart since i know he saw me looking around for him and setting it all up...either way thank you so much (:

Posted by: courtney | Aug 27, 2012 12:47:05 AM

I did this last night. I lined the inside end with peanut butter and set a 2ft tall plastic bin under it (no liner). This morning, tube is in the bin and nothing in the bin. Two droppings inside. Its black, short grain rice looking and hard. Is this mice? How the heck did it climb out?

Posted by: Robert | Aug 18, 2012 9:43:57 AM

I just had to leave a comment because if it wasn't for you I would still be living with those nasty mice.I set up the trap you recommended and have caught 3 mice in three days. Thank you soooo much!

Posted by: cleanfreak | Aug 14, 2012 9:08:50 AM

How do you get the mouse on the counter?

Posted by: Carlos | Aug 13, 2012 4:46:40 PM

Amazing!!!!! I thing that this really will work here is the story. So my friend got a mouse from a pet store. The mouse got lose, and he started scaring everyone. The mouse started to eat punut butter, jelly, crackers and grapes. It was a pain. Now all of that is going to go away!!!!!!!.

Posted by: Tara | Aug 11, 2012 2:34:46 PM

Seriously amazing! I set out some glue traps tonight because I recently discovered I had a mouse. While watching my little "friend" walk around them I researched and found this. Thank you !I set it up and started reading the comments lol im not even finished reading them yet and I already caught my mouse. I set it up again because after hearing other people's stories I imagine there is more than one. Genius!!!!!!

Posted by: Kaila | Aug 8, 2012 11:27:47 PM

This does work if you stick with it and maybe modify slightly. Initially I put the toilet paper roll on the edge of the counter and weighed it down with a couple coins, but the mouse took it upon his or herself to spin the toilet paper roll around towards itself, ate the peanut butter, and, of course, pooped for good measure. The next night my wife suggested we very weakly tape the roll to the counter with some electrical tape. This forced the mouse to actually enter the tunnel to get the treat, and its weight was enough to break the hold of the weak tape, and we caught it very easily. It's an excellent, no muss no fuss trap if you only get mice in your house once in a while, and don't like dealing with traps and gore.

Posted by: Jeremy | Aug 7, 2012 2:51:38 PM

Just wanted to let you know if you ever catch a mouse or anything on a glue board, use olive oil to release it. It works reall well. Also, will work if you step on a blue board. Use Olive Oil.

Posted by: C-Mouse | Jul 26, 2012 8:02:34 PM

Guys.. I saw a mouse on a Wednesday, following Saturday saw poop, and chewed up bags... Did a good clean up. Sunday, more food bags attacked. Monday, pest control came, spread traps around, and did catch anything. Tuesday night Ive set up Chris "trash can/tube/peanut butter" - genius idea. We got the he/she bastard. Saturday, found out that the bastard WAS a she - how? Saw 2 crawling/closed eyed babies on the kitchen floor. Got everything out of that cabinet, and found 2 more babies - and their nest. The mom made her nest in a mexican runner (in the trash now)... Moral of the story: if you have a hungry mouse, she may be eating to feed her babies. After an OCD clean up session, no more signs of droppings anywhere in the kitchen. Going to buy plastic bins to put all my table cloths, towels, linens or anything that could be used for nesting.

Posted by: mousemad | Jul 23, 2012 10:55:06 AM

FYI

I also never saw a mouse dropping, until I started cleaning really well after I killed that mouse. I followed along the wall, using carpet cleaner and bleach on walls. I opened my coat closet and there they were, but only about 7-8 droppings. So after I cleaned, I started checking and there's 1 area he was getting into my main house. You would've never guessed, it wasn't a hole, just a 2 inch wide and maybe 1/4 inch high if that, in the corner. Almost like the carpenter didn't mind his measurment was a little off, it was a coat closet, who would ever see it?!?!

Well I'll tell ya who saw it, THAT MOUSE, thats who... LOL

Posted by: Em "The Mighty Mouse Hunter" | Jul 19, 2012 7:05:27 AM

Here's A "BAIT IDEA"

I started spotting a mouse about a week ago, was able to corner it and yes I shot it. I have 2 kids, 1 small, also single mom and didnt have much choice at the time. But I just seen another today, so I know there is probably more.

I came across this site while doing research to get rid of problem.I'm not trying to sit and hunt them down 1 by 1, haha. Gonna try this first thing today, and I'll let u knw how it works.

But I wanted to pass on some advice I got from few people as what to use for bait. I hade 4 people tell me beef jerky, or better yet "slim jims" was the best and only bait they use.

This lady said she just caught 50, she moved into a new/old house And they have 4 CATS, but this was previous owner problem, she used "slim jims" and caught 50 in 1 week. and hasnt had any problems since. They closed up all the holes and cracks with wire mesh or steel wool pads u use to clean with. So hope this might help lure your mice into the tube/traps. She used the old slap traps with that bait. FYI

**Remember you have to fill in and close of any way for the mice to get in. As u get rid of them, follow there dropping, usually there will be an area with a concentrated poop and if you look real close, you will find a tiny crack and thats where they r coming in from the walls. So start there, then move outside/under house/basement, that my problem. they keep coming in where holes are drilled through brick in my basement for piping to come into mechanical needs. I tried caulk but it weathered, shrink in winter. Then they chewed insulation from around pipes and squeezed in. But I'm gonna use steel wool and wire meshing.

I'll keep u posted on what works and if I fish any mice this week. I'm a great fisherman, so i think I'll gettem.

GOODLUCK EVERYONE...

Posted by: Em "The Mighty Mouse Hunter" | Jul 19, 2012 6:48:25 AM

Called pest control, set traps, glue traps, nothing... After losing lots of food to this (hopefully just one) ... I set the bucket/tube, and .......Caught the bastard.. tks

Posted by: mlima | Jul 18, 2012 9:58:41 AM

There's one in my grandmas den right now, gnawing in between the walls. I'm trying to sleep and am very tempted to shout "sod off!". Time to lay back with loud music and hope this bucket plan catches the furry little bugger... (-_-)`

Posted by: Moony | Jul 17, 2012 3:28:16 AM

Shouldn't of posted this as the smart people (like yourself) who have the intelligence to value life will think of a way to get the mouse out by themselves. Only the dumb fucks will use this to trap and kill the mouse since they have the brain capacity of a cat.

Posted by: Bratman | Jul 13, 2012 4:07:25 PM

I often wonder if this will happen to me one day as I meander down the aircraft boarding tunnel

Posted by: Ty Tower | Jul 12, 2012 3:59:12 AM

Just saying to Bert (the first comment)... I hope you drown just like the mouse/mice you drowned. You are an ignorant dick who stupidly thinks we are above mice.

Once again, I hope you die a horrible, slow, painful death.

Posted by: Kiara | Jul 11, 2012 4:43:35 AM

To prevent them from jumping, just fill the bucket one foot high with water. Cant jump and drowns then.

After so much damage experienced, absolutely no mercy.

If you catch a VD will you just take meds until the bacteria are dizzy then spread them to your neighbors?

Total extermination rulez!

Posted by: bert | Jul 9, 2012 6:47:58 AM

I set up the trap and i hope it works because I really want to see if my 3 year old brother really is seeing mice in our barn and i hope he isn't scared of them because he wants to keep it for a pet.

10 mins later we went out there and he saw want was at the bottom of the bucket and he and I were amazed me mostly because he was really seeing mice out their.....there were TWO mice in the bottom he called them Fuzzy 1 and Fuzzy 2.

Posted by: K.J.O | Jul 8, 2012 4:53:20 PM

it really worked fine, got 4 in a row ! the only problem is, if one escapes, forget it! The mice "talk between themselves" and they dònt fall in the trap anymore...

Posted by: aldo | Jun 30, 2012 6:04:55 AM

I KNOW PEANUT BUTTER WORKS ABOUT BEST,THINK THAT BALANCE TRAP IS AWESOME IDEA,HATE KILLING ANY ANIMAL,PEST OR NOT,STICKY TRAPS WORK BUT WHERE YOUR GO WHEN YOU GOT A LIVE MOUSE STUCK IN IT,QUESS YOU COULD CUT OUT CARDBOARD AROUND FEET AND TURN LOOSE IN WINTER,THERE ARE SNOW SHOE RABBITS,NOW WE HAVE SNOWSHOE MICE,THATS CALLED EVOLUTION



Posted by: KERRY | Jun 29, 2012 7:23:09 PM

We caught him in 1-2 mins but we just spooked him into it but when we went to tell our aunt he scurried away so you need a tall bucket but we didnt need foot just scare him into it

Posted by: Ryan+willie | Jun 29, 2012 4:30:22 AM

wow, after 2 hours of setting this up OUTSIDE we had caught our mouse and dispatched it to 2 miles away near to the canal - thanks massively, Janet

Posted by: janet huyton | Jun 28, 2012 5:05:12 PM

Daughter and I tried it while staying in cabin w/family.It worked! Great

idea. Thanks for posting.

Posted by: rick garcia | Jun 26, 2012 7:45:33 PM

I have one running around in my drop ceiling and didnt want to kill it. Opened a panel put a roll up there with a big garbage can underneath. waiting to hear a plop. This is perfect thank you.

Posted by: Leo | Jun 22, 2012 1:06:23 AM

I don't want to release! I'm setting snap traps at the bottom of the bucket!!

Posted by: LC | Jun 19, 2012 1:23:26 AM

I am going to try this and see how it works. My concern is having to build a ramp since I wouldn't need it on the countertop. I dont know why there are people on here trying to drown the mice, that is incredibly cruel. I also suggest NOT using peanut butter, the peanut butter gets stuck to the mouses throat and eventually kills them, this is what I have read, so of you are trying to catch this mouse in the kind and compassionate way then I would recommend cereal or something like that, that will not get lodged in their throat.

Posted by: Laura | Jun 17, 2012 12:06:24 PM