Yes, it works. You don't fill the bucket all the way; just halfway. You put something so the rat cat climb in thebucket but can't climb out. Eventually the rat will tire itself out and either die of exhaustion or drown.

Problem with the above method is it takes a very long time. The animal can be in there for a few hours or a day plus before it dies. Which is where the .22 or BB gun comes in. Wait till it gets tired enough that it's pausing to take it's breath and rest then shoot it. It's more humane than a glue trap.

You can give it a try. Like I said a BB gun will work it just takes a lot more than one BB to do enough damage to kill it. Last time I killed a rodent in a bucket with a BB gun I had to shoot it 4 times before it ceased.

Actually this could pose a bit of a problem since my sister has a pet hamster, never thought of that.

You should put a bullet through his head before he can testify against you on the stands and put away your family for life.

Oh, you mean the animal rat....

Move to interior Alaska. We have no rats. That said if there was a shrew in my house, I'd have to move.

How weird this topic should come up, I almost posted one a few days ago on the same subject. Even had the damned thing scurrying around my bed. Sounded like a rabbit running around - it was that big. But it mostly hung out in the kitchen. Tried rat poison, but it came back for second and third helpings so that didn't do much. Must have developed resistance. Eventually tried using a regular mousetrap - it didn't catch the thing but it must have scared it or something because it hasn't returned for the past few nights.

Hope it doesn't as the next resort is a glue trap and those things are fiendishly inhumane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHwPYze5M9s

Look for any budding nearby adventurer to do your quest for you. Reward him with some flimsy leather shoes.

Why a shrew? Aren't those desert animals?

Edit: Ooh! I just Wikipedia searched them, I found one in my house a winter or two ago and tried to catch it without killing it. I put it back outside and always worried if the cold killed it, but I've never found a body, so I'm hoping it made it home to its burrow.