Mice are a giant nuisance, and they can be quite dangerous. They carry diseases, they chew through electrical wires, and they are pretty disgusting to have in your home. However, despite all this, some people may find poisons and rat traps a bit too brutal. If you are one of these people and you feel sorry for the mice, but you still want them out of your home, this article is for you.
How Does a Mouse Infestation Start?
Mice have a great time living in the fields and forests, building nests and foraging food… in the summer. However, when autumn hits and the weather starts to get cold, the mice begin to look for warmer shelters and new food sources. This often lands them inside our homes. Here, they can find warmth, easy shelter, plenty of food, and very few natural predators (at least compared to the outdoors).
What Are the Least Humane Pest Control Methods for Mice?
There are plenty of pest control methods out there that can be quite inhumane. One of the worst is the glue trap, which unfortunately is also a very effective way to catch a mouse. It is a simple trap made out of glue and a piece of cardboard. Once a mouse is stuck in one of them, they will die of thirst or hunger, unless the homeowner finds the mouse and kills it himself. Compared to other traps such as strong poisons or the classic snap-shut mouse trap, the death is quite drawn out. The only other method that is as slow of a killer is the multi-dosage poison, which takes up to a week to kill a mouse.
Dealing With Mice Humanely
For starters, you can work on deterrence and preventative measures, such as pest proofing your home, and ensuring that the mice do not have easy access to food on your property. Keep all food in sealed containers, and throw the trash away in lidded cans. However, once the mice are in the home, you can use certain traps that will capture them alive and then release them into the wild. This is the most humane way to deal with a mouse infestation. However, make sure to check on the trap regularly, otherwise the death will be almost as bad as dying in a glue trap. You can find these humane traps online and at home improvement stores.
Once captured, you can release the mice in the woods, where they will likely fall prey to some larger animal. If you want to give them a quick, painless death, you can take them to your local vet for euthanasia.
Working With a Pest Control Specialist
Modern pest control methods can give mice a quick and painless death, and you can discuss the extermination method before the specialist begins the control process. If you have a mouse infestation and would like to get it under control, contact us today.