Move a Family of Mice
If you've found a family of mice living somewhere around your home, you could move their nest to a more convenient location.
Steps
- Find a box that is big enough for the nest and a little bit of movement. The box must have flaps at the top that you can close.
- Cut a hole the size of a mother mouse with babies hanging on to it (tennis ball size is good). The hole should be at the end of the box with no flaps and close to the edge so the mice can get in from the ground.
- Have a handful of food ready. Good foods include cheese, foie gras, truffles and almonds etc.
- Plan out where the family will be relocated to. Make sure it's somewhere close to their old home so they can find it. Try to make sure that they have a little bit of cover too, shrubs, small plants etc.
- Research how to take care of baby mice in case your operation is a failure.
- Gather your supplies (heavy gloves, prepared box, food) and head out of the mice home.
- Open the flaps of the box and place it where you can access it.
- Move anything in the path of the nest so you can easily grab it.
- Get the nest so you don't touch it with your hands. If the mice get away that is ok, but it is better if you cover the entrance while you're moving them.
- Place the nest (mice or no mice) in the box close to the entrance.
- Close the box flaps and move the box to the relocation point.
- Place a trail of food leading from their old location to the new location and just inside of the box to help the mice find it again.
- Wait a day and come out and check in the morning to see if the food is gone but don't disturb the mice or they might not come back because it is a new location and then they will perish somewhere in the cold harsh world because you scared them out of their warm safe home.
- If the food is still there and nothing has changed, wait until midday and then check inside the box. If there is still no sign of life careful tap the top of the nest. If nothing comes out peer inside the nest to insure that no young have been left to die.
- If there is a baby mouse, you will have to kill it or take care of it and then release it. If you leave it it will die a long, cold, lonely, painful death of starvation, cold, and dehydration.
- But there is an extremely low chance that will happen so if the food is gone you're successful! Good luck with your family of mice!
Warnings
- Avoid being bitten- mice can carry diseases.
- Avoid damaging the nest.
- Do this in the day as mice are nocturnal and leave them alone in the night so they can find their new home.
- If you touch the babies or nest, the mother will probably eat the baby mice.
