Mouse caught live - now what?

[Pen]

He or she got into my heater duct— the live trap was only thing I could conveniently get into the duct pipe.

Now what?

 

How far would I have to take it so it would not just head on “home” again?

 

[Laura Corin]

At least a couple of miles.

[ashfern]

I've read you have to take them at least a mile away or they will find their way back. We give ours to our outdoor cat to deal with. 🙃

[mathnerd]

I released mine 10 miles away in a wooded area in a public park. I put the trap in an amazon cardboard box to ensure that the transport process was sanitary.

[Pen]

I have 2 cats, but don’t feel confident they will deal with it.

I was hoping I could take the trap and dog and walk to forestry area beyond house and let it go.

But that’s not even a mile.  Maybe if I cross over a creek?    Or it might just use bridge, same as I would.  

[catz]

Do you regularly have mice?  We've released a couple that accidently got into our house in our back alley (less than a block) and haven't had problems. I think if they establish residence, you may get them back again.  But if one gets stuck in a vent for a few hours, I can't imagine it returning.  If you've known you've had mice issues for a while, I'd take the time to go further.   

I have to admit, he is kind of cute!

[Pen]

1 minute ago, FuzzyCatz said:

Do you regularly have mice?  We've released a couple that accidently got into our house in our back alley (less than a block) and haven't had problems. I think if they establish residence, you may get them back again.  But if one gets stuck in a vent for a few hours, I can't imagine it returning.  If you've known you've had mice issues for a while, I'd take the time to go further.   

I have to admit, he is kind of cute!

 

From time to time.  Usually a winter issue if they seek a warm home.   I was using pails with peanut oil in bottom to get rid of them this past winter—and thought I had succeeded

In summer usually they are happy to be field mice. But it has been unusually rainy, plus neighbors are cutting hay which often sends mice scurrying to search out new safer spots. 

I’m considering putting him /her in a cardboard box with sunflower seeds in it and tossing the box to other side of creek where there isn’t a bridge.   He she can eat, and then maybe move on to life as an outdoors mouse. 

 

Another problem is how she or he got into the venting.  I had that once before and put metal mesh over the grates that was supposed to stop it from happening again. 

 

Sort of cute.  Cuter out of the house. 

 

[MercyA]

Oh, he is adorable. Please don't leave him in there too long. He'll get stressed out and dehydrated.

Please don't toss him. Mice are fragile. A pet mouse of mine was once accidentally flung a short distance and he died a few days later. 😞  Also, he might not be able to get out of the box before a predator gets to him.

About a mile away should do it.

When I had mice in our previous house, I'd put the live trap in a paper grocery bag or a cardboard box and drive him or her to a new home.

Edited June 29, 2020 by MercyA

[Jean in Newcastle]

I captured a live rat that came up through our sewer system and into our toilet.  I gave him a ride in a box in our car to a park a ways away and released him by a nice stream.  A man saw me dumping "something" and asked if I was dumping hazardous waste.  I said, "Nope, a rat!"  He didn't ask me for details. . .   LOL 

[MEmama]

I read the title as MOOSE caught live and I was like WHAT, Pen?!?!
 

Clearly I need another nap.

 

Good luck with the cute mouse! ITA cuter out of the house!  

[Matryoshka]

6 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I read the title as MOOSE caught live and I was like WHAT, Pen?!?!

Oh, my!  I think the answer to that one would be 'hang on for dear life!' 🤣

Usually when we catch live mice it's because we've taken them away from the cat and have them by the tail, so usually just fling them out into the yard to continue their mouse-y lives, which probably includes coming right back in... but when we've caught larger things in hav-a-hart traps (like when we had the flying squirrel incursion), we've brought them far away, across a highway, and not near to other houses... not sure if you have to be as thorough as that with something as small as a mouse...?

Edited June 29, 2020 by Matryoshka

[itsheresomewhere]

They will come back if it is not released a few miles away.  Even over the stream. 
 

[Pen]

He or she is released.

I hope his her new home will be liked and he she won’t find way back to mine. 

I drove it to where I took a pack rat a few years ago.  The packrat was really adorable.  

The mouse didn’t want to leave the trap initially but I lured it out with sunflower seeds.  No box—I watched as it disappeared into wild flowers and grasses.  I expect it can eat grasses seeds. And there was a bridge for shelter and a creek for water. 

 

[MercyA]

That is wonderful, @Pen.

[katilac]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I captured a live rat that came up through our sewer system and into our toilet.  I gave him a ride in a box in our car to a park a ways away and released him by a nice stream.  

I might possibly drive to a park and sing Born Free for a mouse, but if I see a rat in my toilet I'm burning the house down. 

4 hours ago, Pen said:

I have 2 cats, but don’t feel confident they will deal with it.

The one cat that is willing to catch mice at our camp exemplifies the saying like a cat playing with a mouse. She's so cruel that we'd rather kill the poor thing ourselves. 

[Matryoshka]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

The one cat that is willing to catch mice at our camp exemplifies the saying like a cat playing with a mouse. She's so cruel that we'd rather kill the poor thing ourselves. 

That's why we grab 'em by the tail and toss.  But if they find mice at night, sometimes we'll find 'remains' in the morning.  Ew. 🤢  Although sometimes they're fully intact and have just been licked a lot... 😒

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

I might possibly drive to a park and sing Born Free for a mouse, but if I see a rat in my toilet I'm burning the house down. 

. 

What was crazy was that there were two men in the house and they made me catch it!  

[kiwik]

I thought you were supposed to hit them with a shovel or something.  

[J-rap]

On 6/29/2020 at 4:58 PM, itsheresomewhere said:

They will come back if it is not released a few miles away.  Even over the stream. 
 

Wow, that's super interesting!  I had no idea that mice could do that.  I know bats do, and that they'll keep trying to return for up to 14 years.  But had no idea about mice!

[Jentrovert]

On 6/29/2020 at 4:09 PM, Jean in Newcastle said:

I captured a live rat that came up through our sewer system and into our toilet. 

🤯😬😱🤮 I just postponed my trip to the bathroom. Now contemplating the horrors of this possibility. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Jentrovert said:

🤯😬😱🤮 I just postponed my trip to the bathroom. Now contemplating the horrors of this possibility. 

If it makes you feel any safer I heard splashing in the bowl before I even got close. A quiet toilet is a safe toilet!!

[Jentrovert]

29 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

If it makes you feel any safer I heard splashing in the bowl before I even got close. A quiet toilet is a safe toilet!!

Thank you, that is *very* reassuring. Now I only need to worry about it entering the toilet while I am sitting down. The odds of that happening do seem slim.