Catching a wild mouse?

From time to time our house gets wild mice. I trap them and keep them until I can release them in the wild. Usually not more than a day or two. Some get pretty mellow, learn to use the bottle and eat pretty well not to mention hang out by the glass to watch us. I have to think some of the youngest mice we trapped might have domesticated up pretty well. Many years back I did keep one for a few weeks as more or less an exhibit animal... it did pretty well and never tried to bite me, but I always wore gloves.

Just keep a few things in mind... these little critters can and will chew through anything plastic. They jump like bullfrogs and they are lightning fast... open their cage and watch them disappear into thin air... It's sort of fun until you realize they are a whole lot harder to trap a second time... And yes.... I'm pretty sure some will bite if you try and grab them before they are socialized... so wear gloves.

I don't see as captivity or socialization as a bad thing for the mouse, and I doubt homeland security is going to pay you a visit if you try and hand raise a mouse or two, and it's still way kinder to raise them than kill them... if you give them an enriched environment or socialize them into your family... they are pretty smart and it might be doable as they may already live in your home...

Like all domestic mice and rats, someone started out with wild ones... So depending on the particular species of mouse you have in your garage, they have been domesticated before. But as someone that's had both wild mice and a part wild rat... not to mention a wild caught parrot it a lot harder to deal with wild and part wild animals. They take lots of time and patience... occasional bites tend to come with the territory and you can expect fast reaction times and animals that may be very quick to panic. These types of animals are for people who are up for serious challenges. They can be very rewarding or they can be a nightmare depending on their particular personalities and yours. In general they aren't recommended as pets and more than likely the dang thing will most happily move into your home and cohabit with you on it's own terms once it escapes.... I had one jump about six feet out of a cage, we never were able to catch it again and it free roamed the house for at least six months showing practically no fear of humans after being handled for just a few minutes. And just to be clear a semi friendly wild mouse that isn't afraid of stealing crumbs off you when you are napping in the easy chair isn't much of an improvement over the wild ones that keep their distance... in fact for certain people it can be rather unnerving.

Best luck.