And then you have a pet mouse.

I could have used this last year. My patrol base in Iraq was rampant with mice. I spent a year peeling the angry little guys off of the glue traps. I figured that those were as close to humane as I could get my hands on at the time. I'd throw the now sticky mice into a gatorade bottle with some food, then drop them off somewhere far from home while I was out on patrol (cap removed).

How did you get them off the trap without killing them? Just curious. I didn't think it could be done.

I have humanely caught mice in a similer fashion, by placing a plank over a bucket with bait on the end. A paint stirring stick is the perfect plank. Set it such that it's a few inches over the lip of the bucket. Set the other end on another surface that is level with the bucket so that it acts as a bridge. When the mouse walks across it and over the bucket's edge towards the bait, the plank will tip from the weight of the mouse, and it will fall inside.

You have to consider the sticky traps "less-than lethal." Sometimes the mice would die due to choking. But for removal, first, put on gloves, I had a pair of the beefed up hatch flight gloves, think they're called operator gloves that were thick enough to keep the little guys from biting through, then you grab the little bugger by the tail as close to the body as you can and slowly and gently but firmly pull up and away from the glue. The mouse will be sticky. Don't grab the mouse by the body, experience says that this will end in the demise of the mouse. (RIP mouse, sorry). I had a couple dozen successful catch and releases. One failed. One mouse got a piece of my thumb when I stupidly did not where the gloves. You can also re-use the trap through quite a number of catches.

I've humanely caught mice with a normal mouse trap...instant, no pain.

another ingenious extension to the plank over bucket solution was a dowel and paper towel roll over bucket. smear the paper towel roll with peanut butter and stick the dowel through it, and sit both on the bucket. this way the mice will climb to the center on the dowel which is stable, but then the paper towel roll will simply spin them off, and this one is reusable to catch many mice without having to reset it each time. we've definitely gotten buckets of mice before.

A bunch of bleeding-heart? Apologize for actually using your empathic abilities? Why?

So then what do you do with the mouse, put it outside, so you can catch it and its new offspring again, or set it free further away so it can become someone else's problem?

Mice can easily be removed from a glue trap with a little vegetable oil.

These do not work. I spent 4 hours making a whole bunch of them two days ago. The mice do not go inside of it, although I place them on the wall right where I know they are walking. It looks like I have to spend my money on the humane traps after all plus I wasted so much of my time.

"So then what do you do with the mouse, put it outside, so you can catch it and its new offspring again, or set it free further away so it can become someone else's problem?"

Why would you write this? Put the mouse in a field, where it will join the heaps of mice already living there.

I built this trap and caught 3 mice overnight. They started to chew through the side, but did not get through before I checked it. Then I just took the top off and let them out near the dumpster at work. I did not expect it to work but it works great.

Another easy way to catch mice without hurting them that I have used is to take a paper towel roll and balance it on a counter top, place peanut butter at the end of the paper towel roll and put a garbage can or something the mice can't jump out of underneath. Balance the paper towel roll so that it will fall when the mouse runs to the end. The only problem is making sure that the same mice don't come back inside once you have caught and released them. I have heard that if you release them into a stream, or moving body of water, they won't be able to follow a sent trail back to your home. But I have not tried releasing them into water yet. 9+ mice caught, I just hope there not the same ones...

i got a hampster or mouse in december and it is in the basement we now she/he is there because when we lay food it`s gone the next day. i have tried soooooooooooooo much to get her/him back a trap down there might work but dose any 1 have suggestuns on how 2 make a trap without killing her/him?

How to remove mice from glue traps so they don't starve and so you don't break their legs and/or tails:

ITEMS NEEDED
Q-tips
leave-in hair conditioner*
*(Infusium 23 spray works great)
large plastic jug or bottle with little air-holes
snug-fitting latex or rubber gloves
a gentle touch
patience
empty, clean five-gallon bucket*
*(or cheap plastic trash can)
chemical free paper-towels (or an old cotton sock)

At all times keep your fingers away from the mouse's body, feet, and face. They bite when they are frightened. Keep a Q-tip's length between you and mouse at all times (unless you're very gently handling it by the tail).

On a flat counter-top or tabletop (with the five gallon bucket very close by) spray a bit of leave-in conditioner onto the mouses stuck feet and fur, where they come in contact with the glue-board.

With two Q-tips, begin gently working the mouse's tiny, delicate feet and fur away from the glue.

Spray a little more conditioner on the glue-board (beneath the mouse) as you go---every time you manage to get a foot or some fur loose (which will form a layer BETWEEN the mouse and the glue, enabling it to stay un-stuck). Little mouse will get re-stuck immediately if you do not do this.

When you're on the last appendage (foot or tail) hold the mouse and trap just a few inches above the bottom surface of the five-gallon bucket (or deep plastic trash can).

CAREFULLY work the last appendage free of the trap (you can sometime pull very gently on the tail but it's best just to use the Q-tips as little levers).

Let the mouse fall gently into the bottom of the five-gallon bucket. He'll be happy with some ripped up paper towels (unscented, no chemicals, mice are sensitive to this stuff) and a few honey-nut cheerios or some granola. (Seriously, they love this stuff.)

Take the mouse to a wooded or brushy area with natural shelter and at least some kind of food source, and release it. (Blackberry bushes are great shelter and food.) Leave him a pile of oats. He'll love you and respect you in the morning. Preferably don't do this in the dead of winter... have the common sense to wait until spring so they don't starve or freeze. (I typically keep the mice I catch until then and let them go when the snow thaws. They're such cute little buggers, but not when they're crapping all over my pantry... ;-)

-Naiya
Portland, Oregon

See Dealing with mice and rats: A humane approach to pest control

hey-- a simpler way to free mice from glue traps is with some water and cooking oil-- just stay away from the little guy's face, and put on some plastic gloves. pour a bit of oil and water on the parts where he's stuck and mush it around with your finger until he's almost free. Just make sure to stay away from his face and put the trap in a box so he doesn't scurry away. this worked the other day for me, when the new apt. I moved into had left a trap set for us.