how do i catcha mouse / shrew

[alldaysmith]

Last night a little shrew or mouse ran across my kitchen, scared the whits out of me. I'm sure its getting in and out of my house as it was quite small. does anyone have any ideas on how to catch it. if possible, i'd rather not kill it??

Thanks

[woofgang]

If you go to a pet shop they should have humane mouse traps, although there is not a lot of point humanely trapping if you cannot identify and block the way it is getting into your house as even if you release it a million miles away from your home, other little denizens will find the same way in for the same reasons (food warmth shelter). If it is coming and going, it is unlikely to be a shrew but just a warning, I rmember seeing on a TV program that shrews do not tolerate stress well and the fact of being trapped can cause them to die.

[newtron]

Get a cat.

[mrs.pudding]

If you actually see it, throw a tea-towel over it.  Just gently pick it up and release it outside.  We're forever rescuing things that the cats bring in and that seems to be a fairly humane way to do it.  Certainly, they scurry off when I release them.  As Woofgang says, stress seems to kill them as quickly as anything.  Watch out if it is a shrew - they can't half bite!

[BigDogsWang]

Call in Michael Winner

[auldyin]

prop up a tupperware box at one end with a match to which is tied a piece of thread connected to a peanut. mouse moves peanut, box falls, mouse harmlessly trapped! Schoolboy stuff, but I recently caught a small harvest mouse this way.

[Morrisonker]

my dad aways used to use an washed out empty milk bottle (or any glass bottle would do i suppose) with some olive or vegetable oil at the neck so it's slippery and some food in the bottle.  Put it on it's side and the rodent can get in but not out.  When you want to let it go outside just tip the bottle upside down.

[alldaysmith]

Thanks for all your answers, keep an eye out on here tomorrow and i'lll let you know how i get on.

ps, i wouldn;t call Michael winner if my life depended on it

[Bob A Job]

Apparently rats and mice wont live close together, Ive heard that you can get rat droppings from a pet shop and place them under floor boards and cupboards. and this scares mice away.