Although you may breathe a sigh of relief when you catch the mouse that's taken up residence in your home, your work isn't done yet. Depending on whether you've gone for the killer approach or used a humane trap, you have to find a way to get rid of the mouse before you can really relax.

Disposing of a Dead Mouse

Dead mice are relatively easy to get rid of, but you need to take some precautions when you're handling them. For example, according to the Government of South Australia, you can dispose of dead rodents in your regular rubbish bin. It's a good idea to wrap them in newspaper first.

You can also bury the mouse; however, this may not be the best solution if you have pets or local animals who may be tempted to dig it up and eat it. If you used poisonous bait to kill the mouse, this may harm the animal that eats the corpse, and the mouse may be carrying diseases that could also be dangerous to other animals.

To protect yourself while disposing of the mouse, make sure to do the following:

• Don't touch the mouse with your bare hands. Wear rubber gloves, or use tongs or a few sheets of newspaper to pick it up.
• If you're removing the mouse from a reusable spring-loaded trap, be careful not to get your fingers caught in the mechanism. If you can't face opening the trap, it may be easier to simply wrap the whole thing up and bin it.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after you've disposed of the mouse.

Tip: Sometimes, mice will die in inaccessible areas of your home, such as behind your walls, and you may only realise that a mouse has died when you notice a bad smell. If you can't find or access the body, you may have to live with this smell for a couple of weeks. It may help to put an air freshener near the affected area until the smell disappears.

Disposing of a Live Mouse

If you want to remove a mouse from your home but don't want to kill it, you may have caught it in a humane trap. These traps allow you to take the mouse out of your home to release it.

If you want to give the mouse a fighting chance of survival and are willing to risk it returning to your home, PETA advises that you release it within 100 yards of where you caught it. Moving mice further outside their territory reduces their chances of survival. However, the mouse may return to your home if it is close enough to find its way back, so you'll have to decide whether its survival is more important to you than getting rid of it once and for all.

Tip: If you know how the mouse got in to your home, it's a good idea to seal the area before you release the mouse to prevent it – or any other mice - from getting in again.

Pest Control Disposal

If you really don't want to deal with dead mice, talk to a pest control specialist. Some companies may offer a service where they return after baiting to check traps and remove dead rodents. Depending on the company's policies, this service may cost you extra.