Smart mice-Need to get rid of them!!

[happily single]

I am having a small problem with mice in my house. I've tried glue traps, regular traps and poison-The damm mice seem to hope over the glue traps, ignore the poision and get the peanut butter out of hte traps without setting the traps off! These darn things are smart!! I'm trying to devise a way get them out for good. Oh, and my cat yeah right!

I don't think I'm "infested" and need to hire someone, besides I'm an indepedent, happily single woman, who would like to handle this, without actually touching a mouse, by herself.

Fire away. I'm preparing to head out to Home Depot, always a dangerous trip for me

 

[CajunDixie]

WalMart has cheap little live traps that are basically a brown tinted plastic box. Simply dab a bit of PB inside the box toward the back with a butter knife. The mouse goes in the door shuts. Now if you don't care if the mouse dies then simply duct tape over the door and toss it in a dumpster.

 

[sandramaac]

call a professional in it only takes 2/3 mice 3 weeks to make a mice family the faster you get them out, the less extended family they will put bait bags down, that the adults will eat and will feed to the babies many think it cause them to go in seek of water, and when they drink they explode from drinking so much that is a myth it will just out and out kill them but you do need to use the bait the traps only catch the ones out and about (which you want to use in conjunction with the bait), not the ones, and babies you can't see

 

[Imzadi]

A little PSA: I was told by a professional exterminator that if you or a neighbor has pets, do not put out poison.

The rats/mice eat the poison then go outside to die. Since they are slow moving & easier to catch, the pets eat the poisoned rats/mice and they can also die from ingesting the poison in the rats/mice. Once they do, there really isn't anything that can be done to save the pets. It's a slow horrible way for a pet to die. They die slowly from kidney failure, etc. Please, please, please, get rid of the poison.

A secondary problem with poison is that after the mice have eaten it, they often crawl into small enclosed spaces, cubbies, behind baseboards, inside the part of the stove you can't get to, so they can die in peace. Problem comes when the bodies start to decay and you can't get to them. You end up smelling the stench for about a month. Don't ask how I know.

And yes, I think mice laugh at us when they see those sticky glue traps.

Invest in those new, enclosed traps that the rats/mice walk in but can't get out. Then you simply toss the enclosed trap away. Believe it or not, they do work. For some reason, the rats/mice see a dark hole, and they MUST investigate it. It's the darnedest thing.

 

[Lanshark]

Look up a nice little device called a Rat Zapper. http://www.ratmousezapper.com/

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

Invest in those new, enclosed traps that the rats/mice walk in but can't get out. Then you simply toss the enclosed trap away. Believe it or not, they do work. For some reason, the rats/mice see a dark hole, and they MUST investigate it. It's the darnedest thing.

OK I have the same problem as the OP and my mouse (I'm trying to believe there is only one) ate all the peanut butter, and walked right back out.

This is starting to really piss me off.

 

[jl]

Every fall my husband wants to put peanut butter on the trap; every year I remind him the mice are smarter than that....we use cheese; also, we buy new traps every year or so; they seem to rust or something and are not as tight...course all we really need to do is seal up the masonary crack under the stairway where they get in every fall!

 

[DawnCt1]

I went down in the basement last week and I looked up and saw this little mouse looking down at me. He was light brown with white patching on his face. I have to say, he was really cute. Now, let me tell you about my experience with glue traps. I thought that they were a great idea. The mouse gets stuck to the glue trap, I lift him off, put him outside and all is well. NO WAY! My kids were younger, waiting to go outside for the school bus when we heard this screaming sound. I went into the living room, where I had put the glue trap and there was this poor mouse, his whole body stuck to the trap. My boys started crying. I started crying. I called the vet! She told me that I could put on gloves, mice bite when they are upset and wash the mouse off in in Avon Skin So Soft. If you can picture me, cleaning this mouse with Skin So Soft, rinsing him with warm water, putting him out in the woods and then driving my boys to school because they missed the bus. I will never use those things again. The cute little light brown mouse with the white patched face? He can stay in the basement. I don't care!

 

[Imzadi]

OK I have the same problem as the OP and my mouse (I'm trying to believe there is only one) ate all the peanut butter, and walked right back out.

This is starting to really piss me off.

Wow, they've already figured out a way around that. I guess that saying, "How to build a better mouse trap," is not just a cliche. My sister actually has some big, huge black box thingie. The OP can do an Amazon search for it.

We were sitting in her kitchen at night when I heard this subtle whoomp! sound and a click. I asked what that was & she said it was that door on the mouse trap box. She went over to check the number counter on the box & it had indeed clicked forward the mouse count.

She's the one who said it indeed catches mice, with no need for food.

I asked her what they did with the mice.

She said, the first mouse they caught, she & DH went down to the curb by the street & went to release the mouse. (No woods nearby - all residential.) Well, as soon as the mouse let go on the street & he took one look around to get his bearings, he ran right back towards their house!

Needless to say, they didn't do that again.

Now, let me tell you about my experience with glue traps. I thought that they were a great idea. The mouse gets stuck to the glue trap, I lift him off, put him outside and all is well. NO WAY! My kids were younger, waiting to go outside for the school bus when we heard this screaming sound. I went into the living room, where I had put the glue trap and there was this poor mouse, his whole body stuck to the trap.

I went through the same thing with a HUGE rat stuck on one of the rat glue traps the exterminator laid down. (Notice I did NOT recommend glue traps in my previous post. )

It was 4 am & I hear this thrashing & screaming coming from the kitchen. I knew it was a rat. I turn on the light. I don't know which one of us was more frightened staring at each other.

I KNEW the rat wasn't dying, he was just stuck to the trap. It would take days for him to die of starvation on a trap. (A little oversight on the glue trap makers. )

I also had a feeling the rat was way to big for the trap. Eventually he would wiggle his way off...then he'd be mad ...he was in the house with me...

If I had had long fireplace tongs, I would have clipped the edge of the trap with it & left it outside. I thought about taking a cast iron frying pan & hitting him. But the thought of rat splattered all over the place, made me nauseous. And frankly, I just couldn't do it to a poor, defenseless rat. It would be different if he was foaming at the mouth & chasing me.

I went back to bed and listened to the rat struggling for another 45 minutes, until he finally got himself off the glue trap. He left a big patch of fur on the trap. It was like hair waxing for rats.

 

[Piecey]

A little PSA: I was told by a professional exterminator that if you or a neighbor has pets, do not put out poison.

The rats/mice eat the poison then go outside to die. Since they are slow moving & easier to catch, the pets eat the poisoned rats/mice and they can also die from ingesting the poison in the rats/mice. Once they do, there really isn't anything that can be done to save the pets. It's a slow horrible way for a pet to die. They die slowly from kidney failure, etc. Please, please, please, get rid of the poison.

Ahh! My poison is going out the window tomorrow (trash day) because now both the animals in my signature live here.
The poison is only downstairs and I've only ever seen mice downstairs (basement) but I'm going down there more and more now and kitty has followed me a few times.

BTW- I haven't seen any signs of my mice since I put out the poison (D-Con)!

 

[Aprille]

OMG! Please stop with the glue trap stories. You guys are killing me! (Yeah, I know, funny now but definitely not at the time! )

I have no first-hand experience with them but when DH and I first got married (more than 3 decades ago) our neighbors across the street had a rat problem and decided to use glue traps. Let's just say it wasn't a cute or funny story. I would never EVER consider using them!

We have used the live traps with success in the past. This was when we lived in a residential area. I made DH drive them a couple of miles away to a gully and let them go. Yep, he's a keeper!

We haven't had a problem since we moved out to the "country" 10 years ago (not in the house anyway) but that probably has something to do with our 4 cats.

ETA: The cats (one in particular) brings us home a "present" every once in a while but at least it is already dead. Thank goodness!

 

[happily single]

Yes I was nervous with the poision, although it's only INSIDE and on the counters and in corners my fat cat can't get to. I just got back from Home Depot and bought the kind that they go into and it clicks shut behind them. I also got ingenius and duct tape happy. (hey tag fairy, how's that one ). I taped pieces of duct tape ALL OVER a large piece of cardboard and put it behind my microwave. Then I put a trap right at the edge of the cardboard. Then I put a trap on the other side of my stove and MORE DUCT TAPE on top of the microwave-don't ask me how these little mice get ONTO MY MICROWAVE.

Since I THINK I came face to face with a mouse last night at 2:00 a.m. while getting ds a bottle it should be an intersting night.

Yes I did think about setting the mice free outside, but I know they'll just come back (kind of like my ex )

Stay tuned!!

 

[janette]

Try this, works and no poison or mess. Just a dead mouse.

http://www.ratzapper.com/index.cfm

 

[Renysmom]

We had a huge mouse problem when a builder broke ground across from us and disturbed the mice homes. We were seeing 1 -4 a day, nothing would get rid of them including an exterminator. This went on for WEEKS.. it was so gross!! Believe me we tried everything..

I went online one night and searched and dug and found out that in the old days (LOL) people used moth balls. I figured why not and bought a 99 cent box and laid them out around the basement floor boards, behind the stove, where we saw most of them and on the pantry floor. Just 5-6 in each location. Within 3 days we stopped seeing them (the mice) and never saw them again. I don't know if it was the smell or some chemical in them but they went away for good You do have to live with the smell for a few days, but the smell fades pretty quickly and it was a small price to pay to be mouse free.

For a dollar or so it may be worth your time to try.

 

[JR6ooo4]

The cute little light brown mouse with the white patched face? He can stay in the basement. I don't care!

the problem is not the cute mouse, it is the trail of number 1 and number 2 everywhere. They do it purposely to find their way back home. It is what has the greatest chance of spreading their deseases to you and the fam.

Mikeeee

 

[cristit14]

We had one in our garage last year that kept getting the peanut butter off of the trap. Finally on the third night, DH put the PB on the top and underneath of the metal thingy and it finally got him!

 

[JR6ooo4]

Set up a barrage of traps. Put three or four in a row, all touching. and do that in many spots.

They say if see one you have five.

Mikeeee

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

So many stories about too small traps, and too large mice. I have a story from my childhood.

My grandmother had seen a few mice, in the house and asked him to set some traps. My grandfather being the cheap one that he always was- bought the traps that happened to be on clearance--RAT TRAPS. Imagine my grandma having to clean up mice guts when the poor little dudes expolded from the impact.

To whoever mentioned the moth balls. Thank you. I remember my family doing that when I was younger. I will try.

 

[starwatcher]

lol is the mouse remy??? if so that why they avoiding the poison

 

[happily single]

UPDATE: I was up all night, nervously looking for caught mice-no luck.

This morning I checked the traps-the damm things ate the peanut butter out of hte traps I re-set them with the peanut butter (and a potato chip) IN THE WAAYYY BACK.

I think the moth ball trick is great-but I want them out of my ENTIRE house, not just where I'm finding their droppings.

Stay tuned