Field Mice

[Evil Queen]

Anyone having issues with them?

I live near a big field, which is now half gone due to building new condos.

When I was little I remember having a field mouse a time or two in the house. I've been back in the fmaily house for almost 11 years and haven't seen any or even signs of them. So far this week, my indoor cats have caught 2.

The mice themselves don't bother me, but if I've already seen 2 how many are there that I don't know about?

Any clues to get rid of them? I can't really use traps or poison due to the pets.

EEK!!

 

[monkeyboy]

dont let FC know

 

[hpygrll]

I thought when I opened this thread it would say "And bopping them on the head"

Jenny

 

[Evil Queen]

dont let FC know

What am I missing?

 

[momrek06]

dont let FC know

Monkeyboy: FC


ANYWAY, OP, we moved into a new condo years ago. JUST built brand speaking new and it was formerly a FIELD. And after we moved in the MICE joined us. I was so confused and mad as they would eat all my PENCILS !!! DH says..."we have mice"...I will tell you the only thing that worked was setting the traps. So sorry. But the TRAPS did work for us. We had NO pets. But can I tell you the first time the trap went off "SNAP"..I SCREAMED HYSTERICALLY Not fun !

 

[vsimeone]

We had this problem at our old house. For the longest time, I would live trap them and let them go outside. They are just so cute! But I couldn't catch them fast enough after awhile and had to resort to Decon. I have 2 cats but we put it way back in a cupboard where we knew the mice were going but the cats couldn't get in there.

Best of luck to you - they are so darn cute but can get out of control.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

We live in the country so mice are an occasional problem You can buy traps that are rectangle boxes with a flap door on one end. If you bait them (we use crackers/bread with peanut butter), they go in the boxes and you can take them somewhere and let them go. These traps are safe for pets but you do have to deal with a trapped mouse.

 

[Evil Queen]

Thanks-will try that. Might try the Decon too. My cat's have no interest in eating them, just playing with them to the point of non-life.

I worry more about poison and if one of the ferrets gets to the mice. Not sure if the ferrets would eat them or just like the cat's play with them (since the ferrets are the best fed animals in the house. ).

 

[kaw1218]

I thought when I opened this thread it would say "And bopping them on the head"

Jenny

I remember that!!!!

 

[kpm76]

We had an issue with mice last Fall and we had to call a pest control company. We never saw any but I heard them scratching in the ceiling above our bedroom! Mice multiply very quickly and there is no way we would have been able to keep up with them without professional help. Good luck!

 

[FergieTCat]

I've used "Have-A-Heart" traps, which trap the mice inside, and you have the joy of setting them free. I've given 2 mice free rides in my building's elevator and set them free to the wilds of Queens.

My cats killed the last mouse in my apartment. I HATE dead mice and was not happy with the corpse removal.

 

[Sonya]

We also live near a field that is being built on but our problem was voles. They look like mice but don't have the long tail. They also don't come into the house. They just made lots of holes in our landscaping. DH put out 2 things that seemed to work. One was chocolat Ex-lax! They eat that, poop in their homes and leave b/c they have made a mess. The other thing he put out was bobcat urine. I think he found this on the internet and it works for all rodents. They now have taken up residence in our neighbor's yard!

 

[travelbug]

I had a lot of trouble with field mice in my yard (not the house so far, thank heaven). They'd go scurrying around when I'd be cutting the grass. EEK! My mom happened to hear a radio show where a pest control expert was talking about how to get rid of mice. He said to go to a health food store, buy oil of peppermint (not extract), put some on cotton balls, and place the cotton balls around where the mice have been. The mice cannot tolerate the smell, and they leave the area.

I was desperate to try anything, so I went in the health food store and asked for oil of peppermint. The cashier said, "Oh, do you have mice to get rid of?" She said that's always why people seem to buy that. She also said that this supposedly works on moles too.

Well, the good news is that it seems to have worked. I put a cotton ball down into every mouse hole I could find, and near the garage where I'd seen a few scurry. I haven't seen a mouse since. If they do come back, I'm armed and ready with my oil of peppermint!

 

[catsrule]

As others have said, they have no kill traps. Just put some peanut butter in them, they go inside and the trap shuts. Then you get your DH to take them outside and release them.

 

[kpm76]

As others have said, they have no kill traps. Just put some peanut butter in them, they go inside and the trap shuts. Then you get your DH to take them outside and release them.

While I admire those that are kind enough to not kill the mice, how do you know that the ones you trapped and let loose are not the same ones coming back in? I needed to know for sure that we were reducing the population. Our pest control guy said you'd be amazed how small a space they can find their though and how rapidly they reproduce. I thought we only had one or two mice....when I said this to the pest control guy he laughed....he never gave me a number but he said it was a boatload.....my point is that if you think you have a few it's probably much more than that.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

We use glue traps (and DH gets rid of them). I don't want to use poison, just in case a mouse ate it, then my animal ate the mouse.

I have heard about the peppermint oil, but haven't tried. I think I'll go get some, just in case.

 

[vsimeone]

While I admire those that are kind enough to not kill the mice, how do you know that the ones you trapped and let loose are not the same ones coming back in?

That is EXACTLY what my DH accused me of!!! He kept asking me why I bother because they are just turning around and beating me back into the house!!!

Well, I don't believe that but what I do think is that there got to be so many that catching one, or tops - two, at a time just wasn't doing it.

As far as the Decon and other pets eating the poisioned mouse, I was worried about that too but was told they will go out to search for water - that's what the Decon does - makes them thirsty - and that the cats would probably never find them. They must have been right because with the Decon, I never actually found a dead mouse. SOOOO much better than those glue or snap traps! I couldn't stand the sound of the snap and I REALLY couldn't stand to look at the dead mice!!!

Good luck!

 

[SplshMtn99]

Basic wooden snap traps baited with peanut butter.

We get them each fall. When I start hearing them in the attic, we set out more traps. Last October, we got 7 in that first hour. Only 3 more after that. None since. But they'll be back.

Oh, & I have a cat too. She's almost 18 & useless when it comes to mice.

Never found evidence of them being in the house, cupboards or food. Just in the attic. I don't want to know where else.

I won't ever use poison. We've had 2 dead mice on occasions at a former job that died in the wall. You DON'T want to smell that smell for weeks. TRUST ME!!!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Get the poison that is in cube form. It goes into a locking plastic holder that the mice can get into and out of but other animals cannot. Does your cat just kill them or does the cat eat them too? I might be conserned about the poison if the cat eats them. They also sell live mice traps that do work.

 

[SplshMtn99]

What am I missing?

FC = FlowersChild. Ya know, the Suzy & Perla mouse pictures guy here on the DIS.