Why is my mouse not mating?

Got a mouse in my house?

• Recently, for about the past 3-4 weeks, I have had scratching in my walls. I assumed this was a mouse (and was confirmed 3 days ago when I saw it) and put down humane mouse traps. Problem is, the scratching, while not as often, is still going on, and as said, I did see the mouse (maybe a small rat? only saw it for a split second in the corner of my eye, couldn't focus on its size) run from under my stairs to the back wall of the room nearest. The rodent has not entered any traps, has not gone in the kitchen, or even outside of those 2 small areas of the house and has not taken ANY food at all. I'm not sure if it is nesting or trying to move across to the house next to ours. At first I assumed it was stuck in my walls and would just starve or go away, but seeing as it has come outside, even for a few seconds, I'm not sure where it is getting its food. From what I can figure, it's working through the walls, but cannot find any holes aside from venting holes, which I am certain it could fit through if it wanted. I also don't think it came here by it's own will, when the noises started, my neighbors cat was stalking my front garden, so I think it was chased in (the cat no longer hangs around, but I do know it likes to kill rats and mice and has once before now left the corpse in my front garden). The problem is, I don't want to have to kill this rodent, but as it draws closer to mating season for most animals, I am worried about it setting up and starting a full on infestation. Can anyone advice me on ways to either: -Lure it out of hiding (I have tried chocolate, fruit, peanut butter, mouse bait and biscuits but to no avail) -Make it leave without much trouble (I have 2 large dogs, which is why I think it usually stays inside the walls, but is also the reason I don't want to put down poisons or moth balls indoors) -Capture it humanely (I already have 2 different types of traps, but not sure why it's not going into them? Too big?) -Any way to avoid killing it. I think the most important facts are I haven't found any droppings or food sources, so I don't know the best place to put the traps, any ideas?

• Answer:

  Ric; How's the weather been, over there? Only, this does sound, to me, like absolutely classic Apodemus sylvaticus. " Wood Mouse ". Right down to your glimpse of it leaving ye uncertain whether it was a mouse or a small rat. They're that much bigger and bulkier than a House Mouse that that's just the impression a glimpse would give. Good news is that they're actually not really a great problem. They don't come after ye foods. They don't tend to hang out in ye voids, biting ye electrical wires. Best of all; They don't even tend to stay, let alone breed in ye home. They just pop in for a bit of shelter. Tend to get behind skirting boards and scratch about a bit. Eventually though, they go back out doors ~ where they prefer to be ~ and get on with eating berries and god knows what. Review the situation rationally then, along with my input? Ye have a relatively harmless house guest who means you no harm and who ye don't wish to harm yeself ~ and can't capture either. Not getting left a lot of choice in the matter, are ye? Had ye not then just as well to give him best and let him scratch about for a bit longer? Then, one day soon, ye'll realise ye've not heard from him lately.