Ah, Mice!

[brewer12345]

Well, it seems that the turn to cold weather has started driving the field mice into warmer spots, so I ended up getting a close-up view of a startled mouse for about a second this morning as I went into the basement. The evil black cat who spends a lot of his time down there gets many of them, but not all. This critter took one look at me and hopped into some exposed insulation in the wall. What is the best way to get rid of these guys? Poison? Traps? Something else? I don't want to poison the cat at one remove (most of the time, anyway).

 

[tryan]

Having dealt with many hundreds/thousands of the critters over the last 20 years I am probably the resident mouse "expert".

Best treatment is 1-2 oz poison packs sold by exterminators ... I used to buy them by the case. Beauty of these nuggets is that the poison decays the mouse before they stink. They can lay in the walls as a final resting place and you never know/care. Also because the packets are small they can be placed where the cat can't reach i.e. in the basement rafters.

Second best treatment is the good'ol mechanical mouse trap. Peanut butter can be licked clean off the trap so use cheese. Check it every couple days else the smell will lead you to it.

Finally - and third best - is sticky traps. I enhance the trap by putting peanut butter in the center. Had one mouse escape a sticky trap ... but he left a leg behind. Also can't re-use the trap so they can be an expensive solution.

Good luck!

 

[brewer12345]

Any particular type/brand of poison you recommend?

 

[Sarah in SC]

Be sure that poison isn't going to kill the cat--if you've ever seen the agony that a poisoned pet goes through (strichnine), you would have nightmares the rest of your life.
My vote: get a second cat! Or patch up those places the mice are gaining access. I have 5 cats and I am sure there is not a mouse for miles around my house! I do like the traps in inaccessible (to the cat) places, the best bait I've ever use: a cheap greasy hot dog chunk!

Sarah

 

[youbet]

a startled mouse

And it appears that a startled brewer assumed the position so charmingly depicted in your avatar?

 

[azanon]

Be sure that poison isn't going to kill the cat--if you've ever seen the agony that a poisoned pet goes through (strichnine), you would have nightmares the rest of your life.
My vote: get a second cat! Or patch up those places the mice are gaining access. I have 5 cats and I am sure there is not a mouse for miles around my house! I do like the traps in inaccessible (to the cat) places, the best bait I've ever use: a cheap greasy hot dog chunk!

Sarah

Sounds like you have the mice definitely dealt with. Now what to do about your cat infestation?

 

[justin]

Is there any risk that the cats might eat a poisoned mouse, thereby ingesting poison contained within the mouse?

I have fears of using pesticide to kills bugs around/in my house. What if my cats eat the poison-laden bugs?

 

[azanon]

Is there any risk that the cats might eat a poisoned mouse, thereby ingesting poison contained within the mouse?

I have fears of using pesticide to kills bugs around/in my house. What if my cats eat the poison-laden bugs?

The risk is probably pretty low. Those poisons work pretty fast, and most cats wont eat another animal that's obviously sick. Cats would have nothing to do with an outright dead mouse.

 

[Martha]

I favor the traps over the poison. Quicker and no risk of poisoning the wrong thing.

When setting traps, set where the mice runways are, like along the wall. Set two nose to nose, the odds of a mouse snatching the bait is reduced. Mice like sweet. Try cotton fluff dipped in vanilla.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I second the idea of sealing up a better....it doesnt take much for them to get in....Also, I suspect that some people arent careful with what they bring in the house.....papers, etc. dont come back in our house after they have been in the garage, etc.

 

[brewer12345]

I second the idea of sealing up a better....it doesnt take much for them to get in....Also, I suspect that some people arent careful with what they bring in the house.....papers, etc. dont come back in our house after they have been in the garage, etc.

Impossible. This is a ca. 1950 house with lots of spots where pipes, etc.go through the exterior walls. There is also a closed in porch that has a "foundation" (using that word very loosely) that appears to have been "constructed" (ditto) from leftover bricks, chunks of rock, etc.

 

[TromboneAl]

You've gotten good advice.

For sealing up, crawl around the edges of your house and look for any cracks. If you find them, use "Great Stuff" hardening foam to fill them up.

Put the the mechanical traps against the walls at right angles to the wall, and with the bait part closer to the wall. The mice tend to hug the walls as the scurry, and in most cases you don't even need any bait. You can get traps with little plastic paddles that are good for this, and you can leave them in place for years.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Ah, yes, the old house problems--we had a 1932 beach house for 10 years!

One thing that might help is "Great Stuff", a spray sealer/insulation goo that worked great for large raccoon-sized holes we found in our house! Go easy on it to begin with--it expands rapidly!

And more cats, you need more cats--I have some to spare, would you like pictures to aid in your selection process! Shipping is free this week...

Sarah

...Rats, T-Al beat me to the Great Stuff recommendation!

 

[d]

cats -- as previously stated, you need more cats. even without the field mouse, you need more cats.

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks for the offer, but I think this will be my one and only cat. I'm really a dog person, and the fact that the cat's personality is, um, unique helps confirm me in my dogginess.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

The world's best mouse trap--no poisons, but lethal.

* 5 gallon paint bucket. I used a plastic paint bucket.
* Drill holes in the center of the lid and bottom of a small can.
* Put a small but sturdy rod through the holes so the can spins on its axis. I had to make washers out of pennies fixed to the rod with tape to keep the can from sliding to one side or the other.
* Mount the rod across the top of the bucket. I stuck it through the bail holes and taped it down so it couldn't move.
* Put 6 inches of water in the bucket.
* Smear peanut butter on the can.
* Place bucket where mice will find it.
* Lay a yardstick from the floor to the top edge of the bucket.

Mice are crazy about peanut butter. They smell it, run up to the rim of the bucket, walk out on the rod to the can, jump on the can, which rolls over, dumping them in the water where they eventually drown. It doesn't matter how many mice are floating in the water, they just keep coming. WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE ALL DEAD, then throw them out. (I pitched them into the woods before they stopped moving and my farm girl wife laughed at me, said they will come right back. They did. Had to do it all over again, this time with no mercy.)

A colleague of mine got this design from an old farmer. My friend had mice in a shed and had tried many other things first without much success. This worked 100% for him, and for me. (This was the most useful thing I learned at that company, where I worked for over ten years. )

It does not work on rats (I tried it).

Ed

 

[Nords]

It does not work on rats (I tried it).

That takes a bigger bucket...

 

[brewer12345]

That takes a bigger bucket...

And a flamethrower.

 

[HFWR]

Bucket #1, #2, or #3?

 

[Nords]

Bucket #1, #2, or #3?

Well, after buckets 1-3 run out, the contents of the mice bucket probably make a nice change from cat food.

 

[SteveR]

At the cabin I used snap traps and raw bacon. It was harder to get off the bait holder than Peanut butter and lasted longer without drying out. I had a 95% kill rate on the traps and would reuse them unless they were too bloody. The mice seem to stay away from the ones will more than a few small drops of blood on them.

I sealed every place I could find and finally we are mouse free. Find where they are getting in or you will have to keep trapping/baiting them forever. Once we found all the holes they stopped getting in and I have not trapped one in a year.

 

[samclem]

Brewer,
I sense no hesitation on your part to kill these varmints, so go with the traps.

If you are interested in getting rid of tjem but not killing them, then live-catch traps are the thing. Two types are sold:
-- Small plastic model "tip door" trap (made by Victor, biggest maker of snap traps). The mouse goes inside to get the bait at the back, his weight makes the trap rock back slightly on a fulcrum point near the front, which allows a door to come down and lock in place. In my experience, these get tripped often without catching the critter.
-- Small clear plastic model with spring-loaded door. Mouse goes in to get bait, door is activated by a treddle. These work really well, but I can't find them for sale anywhere.

I build my own live-catch traps which work really well. 6" of PVC pipe (1.5" works fine, bigger if you want to catch bigger things). Cover one end with wire hardware cloth. The other end has a wooden "guillotine door" and frame. On top of the pipe I put a snap trap. The door to the "cage" is held up by a pin tied to the "death bale" on the snap trap. I drill a hole through the snap trap directly under the bait pedal and into the PVC pipe. Tie a string to the bait pedal on the snap trap, with the other end inside the PVC tube. Tie a washer to the end of the string in the trap and smear on peanut butter. When Mickey enters the tube and tugs on the bait, the snap-trap is activated, pulling the pin out of the door and securing him inside.

Okay, it is a lot of work just to catch a mouse. But, it was fun to make, it works really well, and it will probably last forever.

After we catch the mice we take them far away to a field and let them go. Sometimes we even give them some food as a parting gift. They probably get eaten within hours.

 

[brewer12345]

I'd prefer not to off the little buggers, but being how they are in an area where an evil black cat who is a pretty serious hunter roams, I have to say that I am a realist. At least if I trap or poison them the end will be quick. Not like the way the beast that dwells below will play with them and leave them maimed and squeaking...

 

[SteveR]

I'd prefer not to off the little buggers, but being how they are in an area where an evil black cat who is a pretty serious hunter roams, I have to say that I am a realist. At least if I trap or poison them the end will be quick. Not like the way the beast that dwells below will play with them and leave them maimed and squeaking...

Better to Off them than for them to "off you" from Hanta virus. After seeing what they can do to a house and the piles of crap they leave everywhere you may change your mind especially if one of them is infected with Hanta. This is a bad new virus and you don't need that kind of health risk especially with kids.

 

[Brat]

In our area there are 'live' traps made of metal with two entry 'gates' and a hinged tight-fitting lid. Once they enter they can't get out. Once could bait it with either peanut butter or the poison described by others depending on your disposal approach.

This system assures that the family pet won't consume a poisoned mouse.