How to Catch Your Pet Mouse

Pet mice are often keen to explore when they escape. If your mouse is not very tame, catching him can be time consuming and as stressful for you as it is for the mouse. Regular handling from a young age makes mice much easier to handle but won't necessarily stop them making a run for it at the first opportunity. Rather than shifting furniture around in a vain attempt to catch a small, quick animal, who will only get faster when scared, it is better to wait. Pet mice are nowhere near as cunning as wild mice and it is a lot easier to catch them.

Things You'll Need

  • Large sized aquarium net
  • Live trap
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Instructions

    • 1

      Close all doors and windows in the room the mouse escaped in. If you own a cat, put the cat somewhere else for the time being.

    • 2

      Try bribery. You might be able to coax your mouse into a shoebox with some of his favorite treats, or even into your hands. Then gently pick up and put the mouse back in the cage.

    • 3

      Wait for your mouse to cross an open space and quickly put the aquarium net over him. Then hold him in a fold until you are at the cage.

    • 4

      In a small room, corner your mouse. Approach the mouse with one hand and catch him with both, or by the base of the tail, as he tries to runs the other way.

    • 5

      Put down a live trap baited with the mouse's favorite treats. Sooner or later the mouse will get hungry and investigate.

    • 6

      Put the mouse gently back in the cage and let him calm down for a day before handling again.