Many people who have mice in their homes would like to get rid of these pests. Mice can carry diseases and humans are best off in homes free of mice, not including pet mice. It can seem cruel to trap mice in ways that kill them and there are number of alternatives for getting rid of mice without instantly causing their deaths. One idea is the humane mouse trap.

A humane mouse trap or live mouse trap catches mice in a way that does not kill them. This is usually accomplished by means of some sort of cage that has an entrance but not an exit. Sometimes the entrance has special weight sensitivities that close a door once a mouse has entered. Not all live mouse traps are perfect and some may accidentally close entrance doors on mice if they’re small enough. Usually though, a humane mouse trap works well to capture mice, which can then be released far away from human dwellings.

You’ll find lots of varieties of humane mouse traps available online and in places like hardware stores. Some of them are suited to catching one mouse only and others can be used to catch multiple mice. The latter may be a better choice if you’ve got a significant mouse infestation in your home. Many of these humane mouse trap types are easily cleaned and reused so that you don’ t have to dispose of the trap once you relocate the mouse or mice.

One humane mouse trap that is recommended by the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the Smart Mousetrap, manufactured by the company Greenfeet®. This is an inexpensive trap that looks more like a plastic hamster or mouse cage. It has plenty of air holes so that mice won’t suffocate and you can definitely tell you've caught a mouse through the clear plastic covering. There are a variety of other humane mouse traps available, but not all allow you to tell if you’ve actually trapped a mouse.

Some live mouse traps are not really humane. A few brands come with glue paper inside the trap, which will cause the mouse to stick to the paper. You can’t release mice stuck in this way, and most people either allow these mice to starve to death or they kill them. When you use these traps without glue paper, mice can be caught safely and released in the wild.

Even though a humane mouse trap is supposed to be better for the mouse, there are some problems with the trap and release theory. First, it’s definitely not humane if you don’t release the mouse quickly. Mice can starve and die if deprived of food, which can be a terrible and painful death. Don’t use these traps if you won’t be home to check them frequently. Additionally, some mice are not very well adapted to living away from human dwellings and they may not survive or be able to compete well for food when they are released.