Mice! Mice!! Mice!!!

[Linda]

Last night Joe Black the cat caught and gave me two little gray mice. I guess they live in the basement and now made their way to the apartment.
I had not delt with such a problem before, and do not want to use a poison of any kind, as dogs and cats who eat poisoned mice can fall ill. Also, rodenticides can affect my Guinea Pig.
Anyone has any idea or experience?

 

[batgirl]

There's piles of mice on the acreage, and as far as I know, my family uses mouse traps and poisoned food. Obviously you don't want to try the poisoned food, but I would try the mouse traps. Also you can make your surroundings less mouse-friendly. If you have lots of clutter in your basement, remove it. Same thing in your apartment. Also keep all your food sealed or locked up, like you would for deterring insects, and keep your kitchen spotlessly clean. Place mothballs behind your stove and fridge (favourite places for mice to make nests), and other hidden areas. Mice don't like mothballs. Having cats helps too, they love to catch mice. Good luck! :)

 

[cookie]

yah, traps. peanut butter works well, they can smell it, and they have to lick it off, can't take it and run. the cat will prob keep them down.
cathy

 

[Linda]

Holy cow, I had found a large hole in the wall, so it is clear where they are coming from now! Already asked my stepdaughter to buy a few mousetraps (thank youm Evie and Cathy!) and glue pads. The later is an advise from my nieghbour. But first of all, something has to be done about this hole.
I used to keep mice as pets, but hate those creatures running around my house!

 

[Marilyn_S]

Hello Linda!

My advise would be DECON. It is just a simple blood thinner like what they give heart patients. It will not usually hurt cats or dogs unless they have a blood problem such as anemia. DECON will kill the little pests better than anything and they will not come back for a long time. Patching the hole is a great idea. Make sure and spray alot of air freshener or lysol in the hole to get their smell out as they will try to nest in the same place the next year. Especially if you use glue traps. Glue traps are a slow and agonizing death for the poor little critters. DECON is fast and pretty painless. they usually just feel sleepy and die. The only bad thing about DECON is that they usually hide to die. Pee UUUUUU! Unless you can find the little stinkers, they small things up for a few days untill they dry up. Sorry! That was really gross! But I live out in the sticks and have to deal with these clever little pests each winter and spring. Another little tid bit I would suggest if you can handle it is, do not kill any of the black snakes that may linger under your house. They do not bite people but love to eat mice. Well, that's my advise. The Marilyn country bumpkin advise colomn. lol!

 

[Marilyn_S]

Oh! By the way, mice are way too smart for mouse traps unless its the really young ones. They'll steal the bate right off the trap and laugh at you the whole time! lol! (OK! Perhaps I been watching way too much "Tom & Jerry") lol!

 

[Kathy]

I believe you are correct Marilyn - those tiny ones do seem to have a sense of humour at times! Though we have caught several in traps, of various sizes. Perhaps our mice are not as intelligent as yours ha, ha.

Linda, I hope you are able to seal up that hole! That may be all you need do to solve your problem.

 

[Marilyn_S]

Ok, you just have to hear this story. One time my daughters boyfriend handed me this little pink squiggly thing in my hand and ask me what I should do with it. My husband laughed and said, through that nasty thing in the toilet and flush it down. Well as I saw it there, struggling and squiggling in my hand, my mother buttons were pushed. I had no idea if it was a squrell, oppossum, or a mouse. But I fixed up a make shift incubator and fed it dog formula. It grew up to be the cutest little doe eyed field mouse I had ever seen. When it was old enough to eat real food, I turned it loose in the woods. That prolific little sh*t! I've had trouble with mice in the house every since. Moral of the story? "When your momma buttons are pushed by some happless infant of another species, go find a human baby to hug and flush the nasty little pest down the toilet!" lol!!!!!!!

 

[Portabella]

Okay, traps work great. Yes, they will outsmart you from time to time, but you will get them. Also, Spring and Fall are the only real times they come in, so it will be over soon either way. Also, fill the hole will steel wool prior to sealing shut, they cannot chew through the steel wool.

Lastly, Please don't use the glue trap. It is torture on the mouse, they die very slow in there and go through hell. Moth balls do work also to deter them.

 

[Linda]

Marilyn, thanks, but I am still afraid to use any kind of poison. especially anticoagulants (blod thinners), since had seen many cases of dogs and cats poisoning by that stuff. My dog is really old, so if she will be exposed to thie product, that is an increased risk for her.
My husband is currently trying to seal the hole, poor thing :)
I Russia I used to find and hand-feed little baby birds :)

 

[GR-ass]

Please don't use the glue traps. Normal snap traps are good though, if you check them every day (just in case it lasn't killed them outright.

Also, if you bait them with a peanut butter coater pumpkin seed, they can't just pull it off and it takes enough force to set the trap off when they tug at the seed.


And yes, though I love rodents I don't like them running loose around the place. Not unless they caome to names.

 

[Jim]

I concur with no glue traps. Normal snap traps work well, as Grass mentions. Can get them in various sizes also, to nab the tiny buggers.

Jim.