Mouse Holocaust

[catherine]

We noticed we had at LEAST one mouse that would scurry across the kitchen counter and then run up inside the back of the stove whenever we turned on the kitchen light.

So DH went out and got his favorite snap trap: Victor.

I had just recently sent away for the Catchmaster: a stainless steel box with a trapping mechanism, and a glass top so you can see how many critters you've cornered and frightened.

So last night we set out all the traps. We were both successful. His traps killed a couple, and my trap live-caught 4 mice. Freaked us out that we had that big a family hanging out!!

I feel so bad killing anything, but to be honest, when I saw the mice in the no-kill box, I felt bad for them, too!! They looked scared and confused. When DH went to relocate them outside, he reminded me that a predator might get them anyway. My response was that at least we fed a predator. Better than throwing a dead mouse in the landfill.

So I'm feeling very bad. What is your rodent eliminating device of choice?

[Rogar]

Knock on wood, I've not had rodents where I've lived for the last ten years. Before than I lived in a more rural area and the standard Victor mouse trap was efficient and usually resulted in clean kills. Call me heartless, but I've never had much compassion for any of the rodent family anywhere close to being inside buildings. If there was a live trap around that was as effective I might go that way these days, but I never had any issues with the Victor traps.

[Float On]

Just part of living in the woods is having to deal with mice on occasion. I have no problem dispatching a few with traps (old fashion snap, I hated the glue traps because then I had to drown them, box, poison) and have no interest in relocating them because they'll just find their way back. I keep an outdoor feral cat to try to displace as many as possible. Though I saw a chipmunk run right over the cat the other day so I'm thinking I may be supplementing her mouse diet with too much cat food. The worst were the field rats. They are pretty and multi-colored but got into our crawl space and into the duct work...then one had the gall to die in the duct work. Nasty. Had to pay $800 to redo the flex tube duct work...then it happened again! 2nd time I redid the duct work myself and nothing has been able to breech my handiwork since. We also had to go around our foundation, dig out and fill in with concrete any holes. I figure the expense and time we've had...they owe me a few lives.

There is nothing creepier than seeing a mama mouse run with 12 babies hanging all over her back. Eek!

[Teacher Terry]

Traps that snap their little necks. I am not fond of mice.

[Tybee]

It is definitely that time of year. We use the ones that catch them in a tube, then my husband takes them out and relocates them into the barn, where it's warm and dry. It's probably never ending, but that's what he wants to do as he hates to kill anything. Left to my own devices I'd probably kill them, but I am phobic about them and would prefer to let him handle the whole process.

[mamalatte]

A timely topic for me too. I have tried numerous methods -- glue trap, snap trap, live catch "tube," even Have-A-Heart trap. I won't use glue trap anymore because it doesn't kill them and seems like torture. One time I just found a foot the mouse had chewed off, poor guy. I also had trouble with live catch "tube" because didn't realize I had caught one and then it starved to death or somehow died. Have-A-Heart trap was borrowed and I had to give it back.

So, using snap traps for recently-discovered current wave of mice (a recurring problem in my old house with, I'm sure, lots of mouse-sized points of entry, as well as a mouse-smorgasbord of food the parakeets toss out of their cage, chicken food the kids spill when on feeding duty, dog food (a little harder to get at), not to mention all the crumbs).

I'm not grossed out by mice, in fact I had some domestic mice as pets when little and still think they are kind of cute. So, I prefer a live trap. I take them far away from my house to this little patch of public woods. Catherine, I looked up that Catchmaster and it looks great--inexpensive compared to Have-A-Heart cage and I like the see-through top so I won't have the problem of not knowing I caught someone. Do you just put the bait in the main part of the box? I couldn't tell from online description.

[catherine]

Catherine, I looked up that Catchmaster and it looks great--inexpensive compared to Have-A-Heart cage and I like the see-through top so I won't have the problem of not knowing I caught someone. Do you just put the bait in the main part of the box? I couldn't tell from online description.

It got great reviews on Amazon, and I have to say, it seemed easy to lure the mice. I had a block of cheddar cheese and I just broke off a few bits and scattered them in the box. We actually found we had FIVE (one was hiding). So it definitely is as effective as a snap trap. You just have to be comfortable about relocating them and trusting they won't find their way back to your house.

[KayLR]

I'd just move. Ick.

[nswef]

We use snap traps. If they are in the house, they are killed. That's my rule. Now with the groundhog that was haunting the porch...we were able to block it from getting into the root cellar under the porch, so no need to kill it but I am eyeing those under the big shed and perhaps they need to die. I'm just not very good at it and want them to move out! There are lots of fields where they could live.

[Williamsmith]

I had strict instructions from the wife to keep several victor traps up and running at all times after a mouse ran across her pillow, up over her face, down her shoulders and under the covers one cold winter night. I never saw her get out of bed that fast in the morning. I like the instant kill of the snap trap.

I have been known to use the five gallon bucket trap....it’s very efficient and versatile. Basically the bucket is filled with enough antifreeze to get them wet and they die of exposure. A rod is placed through holes at the top of the bucket and a pop can is fitted onto it so that it spins around the dowel. Peanut butter is pread on the can. A wooden ramp is placed from the ground to the top of the bucket. Mouse walks up, tries to get on the can to eat and falls in. Will take care of a large population without having to tend.