Once you spot a mouse in your house, if you do not address the problem as soon as possible, it is highly likely that you will be (or already are) dealing with a full-blown infestation.
Mice are one of the most common rodents found in residential dwellings and can breed five to ten times a year with litters of well over a dozen pups!
Trapping and killing these pets seems like the most straight forward answer to the problem, however, in some cases, it pays off to know how to get rid of mice without killing them.
Steps For Getting Rid Of Mice Without Killing Them
Preventing mice from getting inside your home is the most important step and will reduce your chance of being infected with the pests in the first place. At any rate, there are a few steps to take for successfully getting rid of mice without killing them:
1. Clean And Maintain Area
Mice are looking for places and materials to establish their nest. They are particularly fond of fabric-like materials they can shred such as towels, tissues, pieces of clothing, etc. Furthermore, any food particles can be detected by mice, and if they do detect it, they will feast on it. Be sure to not leave any foodstuff lying around and to clean your surfaces often if you want to prevent mice from getting into your house.
2. Remove Accessible Sources Of Food
Food attracts mice, they have an incredible sense of smell. Do not let food on counters, sitting in an unsealed bin, on tables. Mice can squeeze themselves through tiny holes, meaning they could potentially access the inside of your cupboards. It is thus recommended to use sealed boxes to store your food. It is also a great way to organize your food storage!
3. Seal All Holes Inside And Outside Of Your House
Mice will use any holes as an entrance to your home. It is crucial to seal all the holes inside your house to prevent them from coming in. You will have to check behind your furniture, in all the hidden corners, near the plumbing, absolutely everywhere! Once the inside is sealed, time to tackle the outside.
If you live in a house with potential outside access for mice, you will also have to seal them too. It is important to seal holes with durable and weatherproof material such as steel wool or metal sheeting.
Lastly, if there are tree branches touching the walls or roof of your house, trim them. Mice will use them to get into your house and find a hole to get in.
4. Apply A No-Kill Pest Control Technique Or Product
After cleaning up your home, and making sure all water and food sources, as well as entryways, are closed off, it’s time to get down to the not so funny business; getting rid of the mice without killing them.
Here are a few proven methods that help in getting rid of mice without killing them:
Using Smell Repellents
Mice have a very sensitive sense of smell and if garbage and food attract them, other smells will make them run away. For example, you can use peppermint oil, cloves, cayenne pepper, and black pepper as a repellent.
You can also purchase one of the many variations of mouse or rat repellents available on the market. Perhaps they are not as safe as natural repellents, but they are just as strong and effective (if not more so).
You can simply drop essential oils or spices on cotton balls and dispose of them where you suspect the mice to be. As it is not a viable solution, repellent smells will be more efficient near holes mice are using to enter your home.
Using Electronic Repellents
Mice also have a very sensitive hearing! Electronic repellents are using high-frequency noises that create highly irritating sounds for mice, acting thus as repulsive. The sounds created are out of range for people and pets such as dogs and cats.
Electronic repellents are probably the safest form of repellent. They leave no residues, release no poisons or toxins, and are perfectly safe to use around people, plants, and pets.
Additionally, ultrasonic pest repellents will not only be effective against mice, but against insects, roaches, rats, and others too! However, the sounds created by ultrasonic repellents can be blocked by walls and the effect can be reduced by large pieces of furniture.
Using Non-lethal Mouse Traps
There are plenty of non-lethal mouse traps on the market, but they all work based on the same principle: the mouse is baited inside the trap, a mechanism blocks the entrance, and the mouse gets stuck in. There are even tutorials online to make your non-lethal mousetrap yourself!
For a non-lethal trap to work properly, it is important to select a bait that will attract mice. It is recommended to use nuts, seeds, sugary treats, a cotton ball infused with vanilla extract, wet dog or cat food, and a host of other things as your non-lethal bait. That said, the common consensus is that peanut butter is the best ingredient to add.
Just remember, once the mouse is trapped, you will have to set it free. Do it the further away from your house, otherwise, the mouse will quickly find its way back.
Why Try Getting Rid Of Mice Without Harming Them?
There are plenty of ways to get rid of mice, however, not all of them are exactly safe or clean. Nor do all lethal methods promise guarantying results that ensure your house will be pest and odor-free when all is said and done.
So, why not try getting rid of mice without killing them? It is safer, cleaner, and leaves less of a stain on your conscious (if you have a hard time killing something).
Poison baits typically used for getting rid of mice attract not only rodents, but also pets, and domestic animals. furthermore, they are sometimes even dispersed in the wild through ants, water, or decaying animal corpses.
Moreover, as any living organism, mice have evolved to be more resistant to commonly used poisons, meaning that poison pest control baits could be useless ammunition in your war with the mice that have infested your house.
At any rate, when poison bait takes effect, there is a risk that dying mice will take refuge somewhere in your walls, plumbing systems, or elsewhere in your house. That said, keep in mind that a decaying mouse corpse can produce a putrid smell for six to twelve weeks, and if you cannot access the corpse, you will have to endure the smell.
Concerning the snapping and sticky mice traps, well, many people consider them rather barbaric, and you would have to deal with the corpse. Additionally, they are not effective all the time, and you could be facing an agonizing mouse you would have to terminate before disposing of the corpse.
Whether you do not want to harm animals for ethical reasons, or you are looking for safe ways to get rid of mice, efficient humane solutions exist!
Final Thoughts
To get fully rid of mice without killing them, you will have to combine the steps and methods mentioned above. At any rate, addressing the mice issue before it gets out of hand is crucial to keep your home and family safe. Mice can host ticks – who can carry Lyme disease – bring bacteria and diseases into your house and more.