Catching and removing the vole is more straightforward than catching a mouse, mainly because the vole is unlikely to return to your house after release.
Things You Will Need
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Put on tough work gloves. Wild rodents often bite and they can transmit diseases.
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Scoop the vole up quickly and put it in the bucket. A vole brought in by a cat is likely to be in shock and easy to catch. Alternatively, put the net quickly down over the vole, pick it up with the mesh and place it in a bucket. Put the lid on so the animal doesn’t jump out.
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Place a couple of large handfuls of grass in the box and allow the vole to recover for a couple of hours if you want to ensure its survival on release. If the lid fits tightly, make a few air holes with a sharp knife.
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Release the vole in your yard, preferably at least a dozen yards from the house. Keep your cats indoors for a couple of hours so it doesn't re-catch the vole and bring it back inside.
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Bait live traps for mice or rats with peanut butter or pieces of apple and place alongside walls or near where the vole is hiding, if it took refuge under furniture. Check the traps every couple of hours until you catch it. Darken the room. Drawing blinds and turning off lights makes nocturnal animals feel more confident.
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Wash your hands and disinfect the bucket, pet carrier or box. Put the gloves in the laundry.
The Drip Cap
- Although they might look a bit like mice, albeit with blunter faces and shorter tails, voles have a different lifestyle and habitat.
- Release the vole in your yard, preferably at least a dozen yards from the house.
- Keep your cats indoors for a couple of hours so it doesn't re-catch the vole and bring it back inside.
- Bait live traps for mice or rats with peanut butter or pieces of apple and place alongside walls or near where the vole is hiding, if it took refuge under furniture.