How to Catch a Mouse in the House

It's one thing to catch a mouse when you see it run through your living room. It's a whole different story when you can only hear the little rodent. If you think you've got a mouse in your house, more specifically, a mouse running around behind your drywall, there are a few DIY mouse removal tricks you can try before you call a professional.

It's important to catch an unwelcome mouse before they do any damage, like chewing through an important cord or wire, in your home. Mice also have a habit of inhabiting spaces where food is stored, which is dangerous for a number of reasons.

There are a number of ways to catch mice in your home, so you can find a method that you're comfortable with.

Why You're Getting Mice

One main area where mice live is large, open fields. Oftentimes, when construction begins in these fields, the mice are displaced, and they seek shelter in surrounding yards and homes. If you live near a construction site, there's a good chance that you're seeing mice (and a whole lot of bugs) come for your house.

Leaving your garage or front door open for extended periods of time is one easy way that creatures sneak into the home. Another way mice get in is through cracks or openings in the foundation of your home. Open windows also appear like an open invitation to hungry mice, and improperly sealed drainage pipes can be a pipeline for mice.

Making sure that your home is sealed up and that doors and windows stay closed when unmanned is a good way to keep mice from ever getting into your home.

Catch and Release

If you're willing to cut a hole in your drywall, you can use a catch and release method to find your mouse. Use a mousetrap that is no-kill and place it by the hole in your drywall. Make sure to strategically cut the hole, so you're not cutting into something important or hitting a stud.

It's also a good idea to listen for a little while to make sure your mouse stays around the same area of your home. There's no use cutting a hole in the front room if your mouse frequents the drywall behind your bathroom.

If you don't want to cut a hole in your drywall, try to find where your furry friend is hiding and place a no-kill trap near the exit closest to them. You can use food to lure them out of the wall.

Call a Cat

Pets are a good way to keep pests at bay. If you have a mice problem and you live in an area where you can have an outdoor cat, it's actually a pretty easy solution. Barn cats come trained to hunt mice and keep them away from your home. Barn cats are inexpensive and very self-sufficient, so they require little from you while still bringing a lot to the table.

Set the Trap

There are several kinds of mouse traps that you can pick from. There are traditional traps, no-kill traps, DIY traps, and even sticky traps that are similar to spider traps. The type of trap you set is up to you, but we do recommend setting up several traps at once.

Mice are pretty smart, so having a few different kinds of traps or using a variety of bait is a good idea. What works on one mouse might not work on another, so for the best chance of catching the critter quickly, set more than one trap.

If you have kids in the home, make sure the traps are safe from their tampering and that they are safe from the traps. No one wants to lose a finger in a mouse-snatch gone wrong.

Especially if you've got littles, we do not recommend using any type of rodent poison to try and catch the mouse because those types of products are especially dangerous to kids.

Once you have your traps set, be patient and wait for your mouse. If you haven't caught the mouse in a few days, adjust your strategy and move your traps.