Dealing with a mouse infestation is, no doubt, anunpleasant situation. It can be unsanitary. It can lead to health risks. It can damage the structural integrity of your home. And it can be downright frustrating.
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Regardless of how frustrating the situation may be, however, it’s important to realize the mice have not taken shelter in your home to scare you or cause harm. They were merely seeking warmth, food, and safety. For this reason, it’s important to think carefully about the means by which you choose to take care of the problem.
Though it’s often necessary to take action when mice come into conflicts with humans, the controlling methods should be ethical and humane.
What Is Humane Mouse Removal?
The control of mice is a worldwide animal welfare issue.
Humane mouse removal consists of removing the animals without causing undue stress, fear, or pain. Many mouse control methods fall short of this ideal. When removing rodents, homeowners should respect their welfare and adhere to two principles:
- Using controlling methods that minimize unnecessary suffering, such as fear and pain
- Affecting no more animals than necessary
Common Inhumane Control Methods
Using inhumane control methods, such as the ones described here, is exactly what not to do when dealing with a mouse problem.
Rodenticides, or rat poisons, are the most commonly used approach to eliminating problem mice. These poisons use anticoagulant agents that kill by disrupting blood clotting; this leads to bleeding either externally or into the body cavities, joints, gut, and skull, ultimately resulting in death by blood loss. For up to 48 hours before death, breathing difficulties, lameness, and weakness can occur. Bleeding into the skull and joint spaces will also be very painful. Thus, rodenticides are known as being markedly inhumane. In addition, your pets may also be harmed by anticoagulant poisoning.
Spring-powered killing traps, often known as break-back traps and snap traps, are intended to cause death by crushing vital organs. Though death can be very quick with this method, killing should not be the solution to a wildlife problem. In addition, death does not always come quickly. The mouse may be caught by the muzzle, tail, or a limb, leading to unnecessary distress and pain. If a mouse is left in the trap for a long time, this also leads to a prolonged time of death. In addition, a pet or wandering child may be harmed in a snap trap left unattended.
Glue boards are exactly what they sound like: boards covered in viscous glue. This mouse control method is exceedingly cruel and inhumane. The mice get stuck on the boards, and unless killed, will die a slow and painful death as a result of exposure, suffocation, dehydration, starvation, or injuries. Other animals could also be harmed.
Live traps are often seen as more humane mouse removal method. Though the goal is not to kill the rodents, the process still isn’t humane. A mouse trapped in such a trap will likely injure itself, sometimes fatally, in attempts to escape. While in the trap, the animal will also feel immense fear and stress,too.
Choose Humane Mouse Removal
When dealing with a mouse problem, it’s best to choose a wildlife removal company that offers humane removal services. Mice in your home can be a nuisance, but that doesn’t mean they should suffer and die.
Humane wildlife removal experts will not use cruel poisons or traps to fix the problem. They will ensure minimal stress, pain, and fear in order to evict the animals safely.
Another worthwhile reason to choose a humane animal removal company is that it will fix the problem in the long term. Exterminators using traps and poisons will only get rid of the immediate problem—the mice currently in your home. They will not offer a guarantee of service. In a few weeks or months, you may be dealing with the same situation all over again.
Humane mouse removal experts believe prevention is the best solution. After evicting the problem wildlife from your home, they will get to work on refitting entry points and reinforcing problem areas to ensure the problem doesn’t reoccur.
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