View Full Version : Mouse Holocaust
catherine
10-17-17, 11:40am
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?
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
10-17-17, 12:18pm
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
10-17-17, 12:42pm
Traps that snap their little necks. I am not fond of mice.
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
10-17-17, 1:34pm
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
10-17-17, 1:53pm
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.
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
10-17-17, 2:44pm
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.
We dont have mice in our current place, at least as dar as i know. But when i lived in NYC they were inevitable. My cat Harry earned his keep two or three times per year in that apartment. They'd ysually come out at night and i'd wake up to him scrambling out of bed to take care of business. I kept an old tupperware on hand to remove the little trspassers to the street before Harry had a chance to kill them.
iris lilies
10-17-17, 3:45pm
Last year we had mice in the house and DH dealt with them using snap traps.
He had a little "pet" mouse of sorts who lived in the compost pile, who would stand and look up as Dh dumped food scraps into the bin. Food raining on his head! Nice.
We didnt mind this mouse becase the compost pile is at the back of our property and that mouse stayed where mice belong, outside.
Last year my friend down the block had mice and also a rat. i saw that rat 3 times one afternoon. Ugh.
We've fought the battle.
I've used the Tomcat spin trap before. I like that the dogs will not accidentally get into it, and there's no possibility that Mickey is stuck there being held by a paw but not dead...yuck!
I can tell you that having your hubby shoot them with a bb gun is not effective either. The shot bigger ran off to die elsewhere and really stunk us out.
sweetana3
10-17-17, 4:11pm
Told an old neighbor that she fed the rats and I housed them. She put out huge amounts of bird seed and we had a big old pile of brush. We got rid of the pile and she stopped feeding so much to the birds.
We have mice all the time......but thankfully, just in the crawl space. We have a small basement, and a small door to the crawl space, so DH keeps about 4 traps with peanut butter all the time. I have to keep after him.......as with everything else. But he gets that job because I don't do stairs well with my knees.
I feel AWFUL killing them..........but then I try to imagine our house burning down from them chewing the wires.
One time, we had a sudden influx of them in the house (not crawl space). We discovered it was from holes/cracks in the cement between the fieldstone on the outside chimney. DH closed those up and it solved the problem.........but.......I had to remove everything from every kitchen cabinet and clean it out, along with the stove and oven. During this time, I walked into the kitchen, and there was a mouse peering out at me from under one of the stove elements. Every morning there would be mouse poop all of the counters. YUK!! But after the chimney holes were plugged and everything was cleaned up, life was good again!
For awhile, they would get into the basement from the crawl space, but we've fixed that too. I also put one of those rubber extensions under the door to the basement.
For awhile, I tried the hava-hart traps in the basement.......but those have to be monitored constantly, or they are cruel.
I did use them in the house for awhile when we had so many mice from the chimney holes, but I could check it often and would relocate them down the lane.
I could never do something that was cruel. Those sticky tapes are cruel. We just use the old-fashioned traps. I like to check those kinda often, in case somebody got their leg caught and is still alive.
It's really unfortunate that these guys have to die.........but that's life. They chew electrical wires and poop all over your kitchen. I wish there were a more humane way........like putting up a sign........ :~)
I got one of those sonic things, but they don't work.
One time we discovered that they were digging holes down the side of the foundation all the way down a 4 block foundation and then back up into the crawl space. another time we discovered they chewed holes through our crawl space vents. One time we caught a red squirrel. I hate it, that things have to die.
catherine
10-17-17, 6:01pm
I hate it, that things have to die.
Me, too, Cathy. But to your point, it can get nasty to give them free rein, at least in terms of the poop factor. So DH likes the swift retribution and I like the second chance. Both work. Both have their downsides.
Victor style traps but made of sturdy plastic the better to wash away odors before resetting them.
rosarugosa
10-17-17, 6:17pm
Frugal points, Yppej!
mamalatte
10-17-17, 9:17pm
Here's a question: when using snap traps, do you remove the "corpse" and re-use the trap? Personally I just throw the entire thing away -- they cost less than a dollar each and not handling a squished dead mouse is worth a lot more than that to me! But I remember when I was little my dad used to always re-use them.
I lift up the edge of the spring and tap the trap upside down over a trash can so the mouse falls into the trash bag, which I immediately empty.
SteveinMN
10-17-17, 10:52pm
After 14 years of no-pest living, mice started showing up in my mom's place (my rental property) this spring. Without an idea of how extensive the problem was, I hired a pest control guy. He sealed entry points from outside (well, almost all of them, anyway) and set (Victor) traps. Quickly caught three or four mice and that was the last I heard about mice.
Until about three weeks ago. My mom saw another one so I reset the traps I hadn't tossed with dead mice and got a couple more. This time I used Tomcats. I think they're much easier to set than the Victors. They do seem sensitive to how much bait one uses; too much makes the trap unsteady and it snaps shut prematurely. But, properly baited, they're effective. Within a day or two, the Tomcats landed three more mice. Press the spring, mouse goes bye-bye, and the trap is re-baited and reset. Haven't heard from my mom that any more have been caught but I haven't had a chance to go and look myself.
I don't have a problem killing mice in the house. They can be quite destructive and they're filthy. We have some mice in our backyard and garage (probably hers too but no one uses it). But we also have (garter) snakes and neighborhood feral cats and we have hawks and eagles which will swoop down on mice once they're in the open. We also have a compost-heap mouse pet. >8) I tend to leave the outside mice alone. They'll feed a predator I'm happier to have around.
iris lilies
10-17-17, 11:22pm
Here's a question: when using snap traps, do you remove the "corpse" and re-use the trap? Personally I just throw the entire thing away -- they cost less than a dollar each and not handling a squished dead mouse is worth a lot more than that to me! But I remember when I was little my dad used to always re-use them.
I dont k ow, my Moise Guy handles this unoleasant task. He is the killer of all small animals. Once in a while he removes and relocates rather than kills, but that is seldom.
We reuse ours, but environmentally, I don't think it's a problem if it's all metal and wood. Any plastic ones I would reuse, for sure.
We always expect more when the weather turns cold. They always seek shelter. Hey.......mouse lives matter too! :~)
The one good thing about them, is that you always know when they've been somewhere! (thanks to the little gifts they are always leaving behind!) (or should I say "always leaving from their behinds")
O.T......One day, out of the corner of my eye I saw something on my carpet. I went towards it and it hopped! It was a little tree frog! Now how did that little guy get in there?? I chased him for awhile, but he was too fast for me. I finally threw a towel over him and he stopped. I set him free. I love tree frogs!
Back to mice........Our crawl space is huge.....the length of most of the house and is lined with white radon barrier. DH went in there once to fix something and was overwhelmed with all the mouse poop. He tried to vac it up with a shop vac. I guess if we just had plain soil under there, poop wouldn't show up like it does on white plastic. The mice also chew holes in the radon barrier. DH has had PTSD ever since and he hasn't gone back in the crawl space since. :~)
SteveinMN
10-20-17, 9:27am
DH has had PTSD ever since and he hasn't gone back in the crawl space since. :~)
In the process of shopping for both my house and my mom's place over the years, "crawlspace" pretty much knocked a prospective house off my list. Only one of them was finished; the rest were dirt holes under the house. No.
Float On
10-20-17, 10:09am
In the process of shopping for both my house and my mom's place over the years, "crawlspace" pretty much knocked a prospective house off my list. Only one of them was finished; the rest were dirt holes under the house. No.
The front of my house is over 5'5" off the ground so once I'm in I can stand. It's pretty easy to 'light up' by opening the two access doors under each end of the porch that goes across the length of my house and the vents along the side can be opened too. It slopes up to the rock base the back of the house sits on. It's only the back 1/2 of the house I actually have to crawl to access. If I had to open a small panel and squeeze to get under the house from the start I probably wouldn't do it...and I was a caver!
rosarugosa
11-8-17, 5:30pm
I've been hearing them in the walls, so we set 4 traps in the cellar. Two are untouched, but the little suckers licked the peanut butter right off the other 2 traps without springing them. Licked them so clean you would have thought they were never baited!
Williamsmith
11-8-17, 7:05pm
I've been hearing them in the walls, so we set 4 traps in the cellar. Two are untouched, but the little suckers licked the peanut butter right off the other 2 traps without springing them. Licked them so clean you would have thought they were never baited!
Squeeze a small cracked sunflower seed under the bait holder and cover with a little peanut butter. You are dealing with young mice, small tongues with a light touch. When they go after the seed......wham! Lights out.
rosarugosa
11-8-17, 7:16pm
Thanks for the advice, Williamsmith. We have plenty of sunflower seeds for the birds.
I have not heard any since I pulled out all the old insulation and DS sealed up the foundation with Pest Block spray. It is a foam to seal cracks and crevices and hardens shortly after application. You can add an extra layer of protection with steel wool under the foam, though we didn't. Two mice were trapped shortly after, but could have been in the house already.
If they come back our next DIY step if they come back is to get a black light and look fir mouse urine trails to track their paths.
SteveinMN
11-9-17, 11:45am
Since this thread has come back to life, I will note that the Tomcat traps have caught more mice. One thing I'm noting, though, (SPOILER ALERT) is that the Tomcats
seem to cut deeper than the blunt metal of the Victor traps. There were a few bodies that -- umm -- bled out some, requiring cleanup besides the body. Still easier to use than the Victors, though.
catherine
11-9-17, 12:54pm
Eeeww, Steve. My husband doesn't like TomKats because we haven't had much luck catching mice with them. He swears by Victor.
I like my live-catch box but I have to say I almost feel worse throwing them out into the elements than I do just ending it for them once and for all. I've had to walk back a couple of mice to the creek, and I put them down in places where there are high grasses to protect them, and I throw in a a few snacks for the road.
I struggle with this issue. We've had many pet rodents over the years and love all animals; are vegetarians. We've used both the humane traps and the "classic" traps, and poison. I won't use poison anymore because of the possibility of one of my pets getting out of its cage and ingesting the poison (this happened with our dog about 20 years ago and you don't wanna know about it, believe me. He did survive, however.). At this point we are down to using the Victor brand trap, and I usually cry every time we catch one of the little critters. I just hate killing anything.
Anything except centipedes.
Williamsmith
11-9-17, 7:16pm
I struggle with this issue. We've had many pet rodents over the years and love all animals; are vegetarians. We've used both the humane traps and the "classic" traps, and poison. I won't use poison anymore because of the possibility of one of my pets getting out of its cage and ingesting the poison (this happened with our dog about 20 years ago and you don't wanna know about it, believe me. He did survive, however.). At this point we are down to using the Victor brand trap, and I usually cry every time we catch one of the little critters. I just hate killing anything.
Anything except centipedes.
Centipedes Lives Matter.
Centipedes Lives Matter.
:laff:
Yes, they do.
catherine
11-24-17, 8:52am
Well, I think it's time to call the exterminator. We haven't seen any mice lately after catching a few, but we found droppings behind the oven. Then when we turned on the oven to cook the turkey, the smell was really foul. We haven't used the oven in a while.
I cleaned the inside of the oven thoroughly, but it didn't do a thing. So I looked online, and I read that if there has been a mice infestation, they will frequently seek shelter in the oven where they will poop and pee inside the insulation. You can maybe get the crap and the smell out by dismantling the stove, but it's a very difficult job. Some people recommended replacing the stove! Our stove is only 3 years old.
Can anyone here confirm or refute this? Do you think we'll have to ditch the stove? I'm calling in a professional and we'll see what he says, but I was wondering if anyone has had any experience.
Thank God our turkey was small, and our microwave/confection oven is big. We were able to cram it in there and save the day. Otherwise, DH/BIL and I would have been having Thanksgiving dinner at IHOP. Also I thank God we weren't having Christmas with the kids!!! At least I have 3 weeks to rectify this problem before they come for Christmas
Williamsmith
11-24-17, 8:57am
Is this a built in oven? Otherwise, you would have pulled it out already and accessed the situation right?
catherine
11-24-17, 9:02am
Yes, we pulled the oven out, but we didn't actually look inside from the back. We did see that an old gas line hole is probably where they are getting in to the kitchen in general.
Williamsmith
11-24-17, 9:08am
It shouldn’t be too puzzling to remove the outer cover and take a look see. My guess is you got a dead mouse inside. Clean it out good and seal up the gas line hole with some of that foam insulation spray. Those little buggers can really stink when they go to mouse heaven,
catherine
11-24-17, 9:10am
It shouldn’t be too puzzling to remove the outer cover and take a look see. My guess is you got a dead mouse inside. Clean it out good and seal up the gas line hole with some of that foam insulation spray. Those little buggers can really stink when they go to mouse heaven,
Thanks for the advice. Maybe that's what we'll do, although I'm going to put DH in charge. The thought of looking in there and not knowing what I'll see really grosses me out.
frugalone
11-26-17, 2:35pm
Our friend found out the mice ate all the insulation inside his seldom-used oven. He had to buy a new one.
Mouse poop/pee does smell, but like Williamsmith said, it sounds like you got a dead mouse somewhere.
Two more mice trapped since our mouseproofing project. I am stumped how they are getting in the house.
A coworker's mechanic found one nesting in the napkins she had stashed in her glove box.
I hate these beasts.
catherine
12-17-17, 8:11pm
I actually took Williamsmith's advice and had DH open up the back of the stove. There was some yukkiness in there, which I cleaned out thoroughly.
Tonight we preheated the oven for pizza, and it smelled fine!!! I think we got it! But I still want to call an expert to come in to tell us how to prevent future infestations. I'm sure they're getting in through the basement.
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