Mouse in House

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:21 pm

Hello all,

Been living in a house for two years, and my security camera saw a mouse run in front of it on Friday night in our kitchen.

I don't check the tapes every night, so I could've missed previous instances.

Never saw a mouse before even during the winter.

Naturally, we are very upset because its Sunday and we can't find it anywhere.

We cleaned behind stove, refridgerator, and dish washer, pantry, and didnt see any droppings.

Within the last month we ripped about half the basement to the studs, and replaced outside stairs (required digging to foundation).

The last two nights I set snap traps and glue traps in the kitchen and had two cameras on in my kitchen for full coverage and didnt see anything the whole night.m

Could it have ran in and ran out? Or is it hiding somewhere? We only have one kitchen and have never eaten anywhere else.

The attic is insulated and I see a lot of dirt.

Help!!

Post by **LadyGeek** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:28 pm

Cleanliness (dirt) has nothing to do with attracting animals. It's either the food source or they're looking for a new place to live. I'm betting the new construction disturbed their home and they've moved to a a new location. IOW, they were already living in (or just to the outside of) your house.

Mice can get through very tight spaces, you'll never seal the house against them.

You may never see this mouse again. Or, he may appear with some friends in a few weeks. I suppose I shouldn't mention all the other types of critters that can exist in a house.

If you want peace of mind, the absolute best thing you can get is the mouse's natural predator. Have you considered getting a cat? If you're not a pet person, then I wouldn't recommend it.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:32 pm

I think you may be worrying too much.

Just set some traps, placed in several different places. If you catch one, that's one less mouse to worry about and his/her friends might get the message. If you don't get one, maybe that was just a 'scout" mouse. Also watch for mouse droppings as a sign that there have been mouse visitor(s). That might also be a good place to place a trap.

Of all the things, IMO, to worry about - a visiting mouse would be a very low priority on my list. Just put out a few traps and stop worrying. Mice love peanut butter, so that is a good thing to bait a trap (either the sticky type or the type that closes and traps the mouse) with.

livesoft · Post by **livesoft** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:48 pm

The previous extended thread on mice from earlier this month seems to have been sequester. Maybe somebody didn't like all the talk about putting out poison?

Aptenodytes · Post by **Aptenodytes** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 2:14 pm

I'm curious what you are looking for when you watch you kitchen security video. I've never heard of such a practice.

Mice in small numbers are harmless. If there are particular places you really don't want them, just put traps there and you'll be OK.

Jfet · Post by **Jfet** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 2:20 pm

Aptenodytes wrote: Mice in small numbers are harmless.

http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/rodents/

Use poison if you want to get rid of the mouse. Use traps if you don't mind the mouse and want to be enviro friendly.

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 2:40 pm

LadyGeek wrote:Cleanliness (dirt) has nothing to do with attracting animals. It's either the food source or they're looking for a new place to live. I'm betting the new construction disturbed their home and they've moved to a a new location. IOW, they were already living in (or just to the outside of) your house.

Mice can get through very tight spaces, you'll never seal the house against them.

You may never see this mouse again. Or, he may appear with some friends in a few weeks. I suppose I shouldn't mention all the other types of critters that can exist in a house.

If you want peace of mind, the absolute best thing you can get is the mouse's natural predator. Have you considered getting a cat? If you're not a pet person, then I wouldn't recommend it.

Thank you very much. My neighbor said he had been putting out a block that causes mice to become thirsty, and he noticed its been heavily eaten. I'm guessing that's what caused the mouse to come in my house, and maybe leave!

I am allergic to animals, and definitely not a pet person. So cat is out of question for now, however, who knows what the future holds.

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 2:44 pm

Aptenodytes wrote:I'm curious what you are looking for when you watch you kitchen security video. I've never heard of such a practice.

Mice in small numbers are harmless. If there are particular places you really don't want them, just put traps there and you'll be OK.

Basically the camera is in a location that monitors both entrances to the house. Therefore, when the camera is armed it will capture any motion from both entrances. I saw the next morning that there had been motion detected in the middle of the night. I reviewed the footage and saw what happened.

frugaltype · Post by **frugaltype** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:19 pm

I know how freaky this is. About once every six months there is a mouse or two in my house. And my brain goes into Unclean! Unclean! overdrive.

The first time I saw them several times. I tried humane traps, nothing. Then I tried dcon and it felt like it was rotting my lungs out. Then I realized I had wild birdseed stored in the open in the entry hall. I moved that into containers. No more mice.

The second time there was 1 mouse. I ran the vacuum cleaner for awhile. They seem to hate the sound of that. It never came back.

I know there are mice in the neighborhood, so I suppose it is inevitable that this will happen again. My neighbor uses poison, but he says they then die in the walls and it stinks for weeks. I would also be concerned about taking out animals higher up the food chain who might eat the poisoned mice. I only used the dcon because I was desperate.

By the way, I saw them at night. My main room was fairly dark, just my reading light on, and I had been sitting quietly reading for awhile. So if your camera hasn't caught any activity since that one, my guess is you don't have a problem at this time.

Aptenodytes · Post by **Aptenodytes** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 3:20 pm

Allan12 wrote:
Aptenodytes wrote:I'm curious what you are looking for when you watch you kitchen security video. I've never heard of such a practice.

Mice in small numbers are harmless. If there are particular places you really don't want them, just put traps there and you'll be OK.
Basically the camera is in a location that monitors both entrances to the house. Therefore, when the camera is armed it will capture any motion from both entrances. I saw the next morning that there had been motion detected in the middle of the night. I reviewed the footage and saw what happened.

Cool. I guess you had a good test of your surveillance system.

Regarding hantavirus, I personally wouldn't be worried about it at the level of a single mouse.

jdb · Post by **jdb** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 5:57 pm

Hate to be bearer of bad news but if a mouse next comes a rat. Skip the cat, agree they are useless. Do what every farm family always did, get a rat terrier. Great family pets, will guarantee rodent free life.

telemark · Post by **telemark** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:10 pm

Traps work but you have to place them where the mice run, and I discovered that I'm not very good at thinking like a mouse: of the dozen or so traps I laid out only one location ever caught any mice, but that one worked repeatedly. For what it's worth, that was under the stove all the way back, lengthwise against the wall. I bait and set it and put it down carefully under the stove, and then use a long stick to push it into place. The point of the lengthwise placement is so they can't just jump over it as they run along beside the baseboard. Fortunately, traps are cheap, so you might as well use a lot of them.

texasdiver · Post by **texasdiver** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:18 pm

We have 3 cats and a dog.

Yet we still get the occasional mouse. I think the cats sometimes catch them outside and bring them in through the cat door to play with. They also do that with the gecko lizards around the house and sometimes bring in a giant moth or cicada that they have caught. So a cat may not be your best solution.

Keep the house clean and minimize clutter. Put your bulk food storage into glass or plastic (don't have bags of grains sitting around). Set out some traps in likely locations as telemark has suggested and you'll probably be OK. Unless you live in a desert with no other life within a mile in any direction there probably isn't going to be much you can do to completely and permanently eradicate rodents. They move from house to house in urban areas and as when you completely rid your house of them all you have really accomplished is open up the environmental niche for the next family of rodents looking for a home.

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:22 pm

telemark wrote:Traps work but you have to place them where the mice run, and I discovered that I'm not very good at thinking like a mouse: of the dozen or so traps I laid out only one location ever caught any mice, but that one worked repeatedly. For what it's worth, that was under the stove all the way back, lengthwise against the wall. I bait and set it and put it down carefully under the stove, and then use a long stick to push it into place. The point of the lengthwise placement is so they can't just jump over it as they run along beside the baseboard. Fortunately, traps are cheap, so you might as well use a lot of them.

Yup! Put some traps behind the stove. Tonight I have a camera in attic, where I originally saw it, and also in the basement.

We will see what happens.

I've sealed all the gaps outside that I see, and put down mouse poison in three spots.

EagertoLearnMore · Post by **EagertoLearnMore** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:28 pm

Was the mouse gray or brown? Gray - house mouse, brown - field mouse. Either way, they love peanut butter, so you could set traps with that. I prefer the poison blocks previously mentioned. These green blocks (various manufacturers) make the animals thirsty and they leave your house searching for water and die outside. Nice and clean. The poison also comes in the form of small green pellets. This works well for outside applications since chipmunks take the entire block away with them. So, you could cover all bases by putting the poison within your home in the attic and basement and also outside along the perimeter walls.

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:34 pm

EagertoLearnMore wrote:Was the mouse gray or brown? Gray - house mouse, brown - field mouse. Either way, they love peanut butter, so you could set traps with that. I prefer the poison blocks previously mentioned. These green blocks (various manufacturers) make the animals thirsty and they leave your house searching for water and die outside. Nice and clean. The poison also comes in the form of small green pellets. This works well for outside applications since chipmunks take the entire block away with them. So, you could cover all bases by putting the poison within your home in the attic and basement and also outside along the perimeter walls.

It was hard to tell from the video, since it was completely dark.

This is my third night with glue traps so hopefully I get i, with peanut butter.

I got the green blocks, and emptied a fountain I had so there is no where on my property with standing water.

Jeanz · Post by **Jeanz** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 9:09 pm

The problem with a glue trap is that if it works you have a live mouse stuck to the trap. I understand that you can remove them with cooking oil, but then you have to spend some time in close contact with the mouse. I'd rather use an old-fashioned snap trap, even though they kill, because at least they usually do so quickly.

In a country house field mice do try to come in when the weather gets cold, but if you trap the first few it doesn't lead to an infestation.

eharri3 · Post by **eharri3** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 10:04 pm

We found a dead one in the basement a few weeks ago and the wife freaked out. When it comes to pests I tend to find that attacking the issue pretty aggressively with peremiter and interior treatments is best to nip it in the bud quickly. I put down a bunch of spring loaded traps baited with peanut butter in the basement. Their natural instinct will be to stay close to walls and corners where they can hide easily so I shifted things around and created some alley ways along the walls where they could 'discover' the food. I also thew some pellets up on the basemet ceiling joists where the dog can't get at them in case any of the buggers were scurrying around up there. Outside I put bait stations loaded with the blocks around the foundation in several places and in the crawl spaces. For good measure I put some loose poison blocks behind the walls in the detached garage and tossed some more up on the storage loft in there. If you have kids or pets you should mostly use traps in doors and leave the poisons for hard to reach crevices and for outside. Another reason to focus more on traps inside is if you only use poisons they will often eat them then go die and start decomposing somewhere that you can't get at the body.

It has been a week and I have seen zero activity. I am inclined to think seeing one often means there are more around, but not ALWAYS. I think it's just that time of year when pests and vermin will try to find warmth and you could occasionally see one or two mice find their way inside. This doesn't mean you have an infestation but it could probably become one if you don't act quickly.

First rule is usually to seal any gaps in the foundation. My house is 108 years old with a stone foundation so I don't think it will ever be 100% sealable. When we moved in we were told all the old houses on this block have had minor pest issues and a good seasonal pest control routine will be important. So in Summer and Spring I put out my carpenter bee and ant stuff down. And now I know as soon as the temps go under 70 for any length of time I need to start patrolling for evidence of mice and keeping some traps handy.

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 5:58 am

eharri3 wrote:We found a dead one in the basement a few weeks ago and the wife freaked out. When it comes to pests I tend to find that attacking the issue pretty aggressively with peremiter and interior treatments is best to nip it in the bud quickly. I put down a bunch of spring loaded traps baited with peanut butter in the basement. Their natural instinct will be to stay close to walls and corners where they can hide easily so I shifted things around and created some alley ways along the walls where they could 'discover' the food. I also thew some pellets up on the basemet ceiling joists where the dog can't get at them in case any of the buggers were scurrying around up there. Outside I put bait stations loaded with the blocks around the foundation in several places and in the crawl spaces. For good measure I put some loose poison blocks behind the walls in the detached garage and tossed some more up on the storage loft in there. If you have kids or pets you should mostly use traps in doors and leave the poisons for hard to reach crevices and for outside. Another reason to focus more on traps inside is if you only use poisons they will often eat them then go die and start decomposing somewhere that you can't get at the body.

It has been a week and I have seen zero activity. I am inclined to think seeing one often means there are more around, but not ALWAYS. I think it's just that time of year when pests and vermin will try to find warmth and you could occasionally see one or two mice find their way inside. This doesn't mean you have an infestation but it could probably become one if you don't act quickly.

First rule is usually to seal any gaps in the foundation. My house is 108 years old with a stone foundation so I don't think it will ever be 100% sealable. When we moved in we were told all the old houses on this block have had minor pest issues and a good seasonal pest control routine will be important. So in Summer and Spring I put out my carpenter bee and ant stuff down. And now I know as soon as the temps go under 70 for any length of time I need to start patrolling for evidence of mice and keeping some traps handy.

That's exactly what I did too with the foundation.

This morning I didn't find any mice, droppings or activity on the cameras.

I think it was just a thirsty mouse looking for water since my neighbor put the bait out that makes them thirsty and they ate it.

I put the same bait out last night and it looks like it was nibbled on.

SimonJester · Post by **SimonJester** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:38 am

A mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime, so seal up any holes to the exterior. I had mice one year and found them underneath the kitchen cabinets in the space between the bottom of the cabinet and the floor, I had to remove the base board of the cabinet to get to them. I found a small hole they were using between the floor and the crawl space, then a small hole in the crawl space to the exterior.

Post by **LadyGeek** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 3:23 pm

^^^ I can attest to that size, as I had 3 mice stuck an interior wall - they were trapped behind a light switch plate. Long story short, I coaxed them through a gap, about an inch in diameter, between the switch and the drywall and put them in a bucket. Then, I let them go in a wooded area about 50 feet from my house (I have a lot of trees). My thinking is that nature will take care of the rest. We have a few hawks and owls in the area.

The OP's problem stems from the mice being forced to find a new home due to construction. Remember that they're after a food source. Remove the food and they won't want to hang around.

618744 · Post by **618744** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 3:38 pm

My experience with poison bait is that the mice will take it ALL back to their cache. We found a hoard in a water heater's insulation.
I just don't like it potentially scattered about, or dead mice rotting in inaccessible places. Spring traps keep things manageable.

fandango · Post by **fandango** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 3:06 am

Mice are everywhere in the areas surrounding your house. Food smells often lure them inside your house or garage.

Since they can squeeze through very small spaces, they can gain access to your home.

My garage door, like most, does not seal completely air tight. So, I use glue traps at the lower corners of the door. About once every couple of years, I catch a mouse probing for a way into the garage.

Once you get rid of your new "friend", I would keep a glue or mechanical trap placed for a while. More may come to visit, and they do reproduce very rapidly.

Good luck. This is a common problem but one that you can fix fairly easily.

Valuethinker · Post by **Valuethinker** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:51 am

- mice can get through into anywhere-- incredibly small holes. Probably most old houses have mice. Good news is mice eat things like cockroaches so help to keep other pests down.

- probably you disturbed their nesting place, so they are on the move

- first thing to do is make sure no food or food particles

- I would use humane traps. Poison is just ugly and you can wind up killing other creatures (like local cats) *or* you can have dead mice in inaccessible places. I am not a big fan of glue traps (ugly way to die). Better to trap them and release them at a safe distance from house

Cats are very effective against mice. I don't agree that rats inevitably follow. Cats have this extraordinary patience waiting for a mouse to appear- will sit watching a hole for hours. Then they will batter the mouse and bring it to you (trying to show you how to hunt, it's instinctual nurturing behaviour-- cats find us very annoying in that we don't seem to learn!).

frugaltype · Post by **frugaltype** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:26 am

Valuethinker wrote: Cats are very effective against mice. I don't agree that rats inevitably follow. Cats have this extraordinary patience waiting for a mouse to appear- will sit watching a hole for hours. Then they will batter the mouse and bring it to you (trying to show you how to hunt, it's instinctual nurturing behaviour-- cats find us very annoying in that we don't seem to learn!).

We're stupid kittens, you know. It's a miracle we find any food.

Valuethinker · Post by **Valuethinker** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:30 am

frugaltype wrote:
Valuethinker wrote: Cats are very effective against mice. I don't agree that rats inevitably follow. Cats have this extraordinary patience waiting for a mouse to appear- will sit watching a hole for hours. Then they will batter the mouse and bring it to you (trying to show you how to hunt, it's instinctual nurturing behaviour-- cats find us very annoying in that we don't seem to learn!).
We're stupid kittens, you know. It's a miracle we find any food.

I don't know if you have seen the Youtube series 'Henri the Existential Cat' where a Seattle cat addresses his audience, and his owner, The Thieving Filmmaker', in French (with subtitles) but it really does capture the feline attitude to humans.

That and the long running internet cartoon series 'Simon's Cat'.

midareff · Post by **midareff** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:06 pm

dm200 wrote:I think you may be worrying too much.

Just set some traps, placed in several different places. If you catch one, that's one less mouse to worry about and his/her friends might get the message. If you don't get one, maybe that was just a 'scout" mouse. Also watch for mouse droppings as a sign that there have been mouse visitor(s). That might also be a good place to place a trap.

Of all the things, IMO, to worry about - a visiting mouse would be a very low priority on my list. Just put out a few traps and stop worrying. Mice love peanut butter, so that is a good thing to bait a trap (either the sticky type or the type that closes and traps the mouse) with.

besides peanut butter they LOVE bacon. // snap trap baited with bacon will work very quickly .. they can't resist and try to pull the bacon to go away with it springing the trap.

rustymutt · Post by **rustymutt** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 6:11 pm

At 57 years of life, I believe I've had mice in every home I've ever lived in at one time or another. It's seasonal here in Kansas, and they look for warmer shelter as it's getting colder at nights. We actually saw one jump over a brick wall into our basement walk out area. Now that freaked me out. Put out pioson and run the risk a smell coming from inside a wall somewhere. I like old fashion mouse traps with a sharp snap.

protagonist · Post by **protagonist** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:22 pm

Allan12 wrote:Hello all,

Been living in a house for two years, and my security camera saw a mouse run in front of it on Friday night in our kitchen.

Naturally, we are very upset because its Sunday and we can't find it anywhere.

Don't be too upset. The climate changes this time of year, and food becomes scarce, so, like us, they want to come inside to be warm and raise their little families.

They are generally easy to deal with. You can buy humane traps. Set them with peanut butter along where you saw them running. You will probably catch them all within a week. Catch them and set them free in the woods far from where you live. If you got caught sneaking into some giant's house to warm up, you would hope he would do the same for you.

If you insist on killing them, which is unnecessary, at least get the old kind of trap that snaps their necks quickly. Glue traps and poison are really inhumane. Think about it.

Valuethinker · Post by **Valuethinker** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 3:32 am

protagonist wrote: If you insist on killing them, which is unnecessary, at least get the old kind of trap that snaps their necks quickly. Glue traps and poison are really inhumane. Think about it.

Glue is just cruel.

Poison is also a bad idea (besides being cruel) because you cannot control where it goes: dead mouse in the wall or poison another animal-- the environment does not need more poisons. Also in the long run it breeds 'super mice' that are resistant-- that's what has happened with rats and Warfarin.

Van-Guard23 · Post by **Van-Guard23** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 3:48 am

A while back, my parents kept birds in cages in their back yard which attracted mice...my dad and I spotted them going into a small crack in the house's foundation and came up with a "brilliant" idea to trap them in there by sealing the crack with some cement. Well, it worked! Problem was, we could smell the decaying mice from inside the house which lasted at least 2 weeks...and no amount of Fabreze could mask that rotten odor.

niceguy7376 · Post by **niceguy7376** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 11:20 am

My neighbor was complaining over the weekend that a mice might be staying overnight in his car since he noticed droppings on floor mats and some piece of insulation on passenger's side.

minesweep · Post by **minesweep** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:37 pm

The best mouse trap (works every time):

D-Con® Ultra Set® Covered Mouse Trap

I bought the mousetrap for much less (at Giant Food Stores) than the amount shown at the above link. Read the (37) reviews).

Check out the 37 reviews

Mike

reggiesimpson · Post by **reggiesimpson** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:49 pm

Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.

nirvines88 · Post by **nirvines88** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 6:06 pm

A timely thread - I've caught 6 mice in the last 2 days. Before this, I had never seen a mouse in my house in my life. It may be because a construction company just clear cut a nearby forest.

Scary how quickly and how often mice can reproduce...4 of the 6 were babies. They get EVERYWHERE!

Allan12 · Post by **Allan12** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:24 pm

nirvines88 wrote:A timely thread - I've caught 6 mice in the last 2 days. Before this, I had never seen a mouse in my house in my life. It may be because a construction company just clear cut a nearby forest.

Scary how quickly and how often mice can reproduce...4 of the 6 were babies. They get EVERYWHERE!

Ughhhh, at least you caught them!!

I think my mouse left because I've had traps out everyday and haven't seen any sign of it in person or on film. I never saw any droppings or anything.

Post by **LadyGeek** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:39 pm

reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.

Be sure that the coffee cup is wide (high) enough to ensure that the trap won't hit the inside of the cup as it closes. IOW, the arc of travel from tension loaded (locked) to the closed (snapped) position isn't impeded. You also need to allow clearance if the mouse pushes the trap around.

gvsucavie03 · Post by **gvsucavie03** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:09 pm

I've never had success with traps, poison or the sticky stuff.... I've just gotten used to catching them by hand with the cover of a plastic cake stand. It's pretty freaky at first. Bats are even more fun to catch that way!

Ditto on a cat... as long as they do their job! Give kitty lots of praise when he does his job

VictoriaF · Post by **VictoriaF** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 10:24 pm

reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.

Why not to brighten the last moments of the mouse's life with something intoxicating? One could experiment with beer, wine, vodka and other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps, serve some bread soaked in rum? I doubt mice would choose coffee as their final drink unless it's spiked with a generous doze of cognac.

Victoria

Dutch · Post by **Dutch** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 10:44 pm

reggiesimpson wrote:Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall.

reggiesimpson · Post by **reggiesimpson** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:58 pm

LadyGeek wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.
Be sure that the coffee cup is wide (high) enough to ensure that the trap won't hit the inside of the cup as it closes. IOW, the arc of travel from tension loaded (locked) to the closed (snapped) position isn't impeded. You also need to allow clearance if the mouse pushes the trap around.

Agreed... Forgot to add..............dont forget to remove said mouse before refilling!

reggiesimpson · Post by **reggiesimpson** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:04 pm

VictoriaF wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.
Why not to brighten the last moments of the mouse's life with something intoxicating? One could experiment with beer, wine, vodka and other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps, serve some bread soaked in rum? I doubt mice would choose coffee as their final drink unless it's spiked with a generous doze of cognac.

Victoria

Perhaps Schnapps!!!.............to coincide with the last sound the mouse will hear when the trap snaps closed............lame reggie lame.

VictoriaF · Post by **VictoriaF** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:19 pm

reggiesimpson wrote:
VictoriaF wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.
Why not to brighten the last moments of the mouse's life with something intoxicating? One could experiment with beer, wine, vodka and other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps, serve some bread soaked in rum? I doubt mice would choose coffee as their final drink unless it's spiked with a generous doze of cognac.

Victoria
Perhaps Schnapps!!!.............to coincide with the last sound the mouse will hear when the trap snaps closed............lame reggie lame.

I think, Reggie, you mean something like this:

To catch some mice you pour Schnapps.
As mice get drunk contraption snaps.

Victoria

davebarnes · Post by **davebarnes** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:47 pm

I think this has discussed before
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYJVo9v6MNI

reggiesimpson · Post by **reggiesimpson** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:48 pm

VictoriaF wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:
VictoriaF wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:Get the mousetraps and spread the peanut butter flat and thin on them. Place them inside coffee cups ( mice prefer Starbucks) with the bait side outward and against the wall. When caught just put the lid back on the coffee container and return to Starbucks..............for a fresh cup.
Why not to brighten the last moments of the mouse's life with something intoxicating? One could experiment with beer, wine, vodka and other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps, serve some bread soaked in rum? I doubt mice would choose coffee as their final drink unless it's spiked with a generous doze of cognac.

Victoria
Perhaps Schnapps!!!.............to coincide with the last sound the mouse will hear when the trap snaps closed............lame reggie lame.
I think, Reggie, you mean something like this:

To catch some mice you pour Schnapps.
As mice get drunk contraption sn
Victoria

Correctamundo!

fandango · Post by **fandango** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:46 am

After the mouse is caught in the glue trap, I pick the whole thing up with a shovel and take it outside.

A quick smack on top of the trap with the shovel ends any suffering.

I use the shovel to put what remains in a plastic bag.

I tie the bag shut just to be sure and put it in the garbage.

I put out a fresh glue trap and begin the cycle again.

VictoriaF · Post by **VictoriaF** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:14 am

davebarnes wrote:I think this has discussed before
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYJVo9v6MNI

You would not want to apply the methods recommended in this thread to that mouse. I feel queezy just by thinking about it. Perhaps, that mouse should set the standard of a humane treatment.

Victoria

frugaltype · Post by **frugaltype** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:41 am

gvsucavie03 wrote:I've never had success with traps, poison or the sticky stuff.... I've just gotten used to catching them by hand with the cover of a plastic cake stand. It's pretty freaky at first. Bats are even more fun to catch that way

The mice in my house were running at 60 mph.

BigFoot48 · Post by **BigFoot48** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:47 am

We haven't had any mice inside the house here in southern AZ, but they're plentiful outside. I put a game camera out recently to see what was going on and caught this encounter between a Kangaroo mouse and a large scorpion. A few days a ago a similar size scorpion was walking around the living room when I got up in the morning! How it got in remains a mystery, but not happy about that event. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yZVjsZVgWY

We use live traps and peanut butter or aluminum foil balls (yes!) to capture and relocate pack rats from our yard.

PacNorWest · Post by **PacNorWest** » Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:22 am

Poison doesn't not kill instantly.
Often, the poisoned mouse will wander or stagger out into view only to be snatched up by a natural predator - such as an owl, hawk or cat - which will also be poisoned.
Please don't use poison.

Stick with the traps.
Use gloves to pick up the dead trapped mouse, bag it and drop it in the trash.