Mouse Mice Exterminator?

[SumDay]

Our humidifier hose clogged, and ran all over the work room floor, but also managed to soak the carpet in the guest bedroom. While drying and sopping it up, I discovered mouse excrement. Not something I'd want guests to discover!

Years ago, we had a dog who ate a poisoned rat, and that poor dog died a horrible death. We still have a dog, so I'm inclined to use glue traps, but am not sure how effective they are.

Has anyone ever used an exterminator to get rid of them? If they're just going to show up and tell me to put out traps I'll save the service call fee.

Any words of wisdom would be most appreciated.

P.S. I think they are coming up through the sump pump opening, but DH says that's not possible. I've seen crickets come out of there, so why couldn't mice?

I did a search for this here on ER, but everything was pretty old. If someone has had recent good luck with a chain exterminator, please share. Thanks!

 

[RunningBum]

I use these traps:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B9XPOO


baited with just a bit of peanut butter. No poisons. I'd rather have a quick kill than the sticky traps do.


Check them daily. Mice procreate fast, so you if you aren't catching them all in a pretty short time, the problem will persist.

 

[GrayHare]

Know a friend with a cat? Request they baggie for you a few dried-urine-clumps of cat litter. Place the clumps near suspected mouse entry points. Mice have wisely evolved the keen sense to avoid places frequented by cats. Works very well here, the clumps need to be refreshed about every 6 months.

 

[RunningBum]

An exterminator *might* be able to identify how they are getting in and tell you how to fix it. Or they might just set traps.

 

[travelover]

Mice can slip through any hole their head will fit through. It is good to block any known paths, but the best deterrent seems to be to catch and kill them. The glue traps work, but it is a bad way to die. I'd just set conventional snap traps, baited with peanut butter or in cool weather, Tootsie Roll chunks stuck to the trip lever.

Forget dryer softener sheets and mothballs.

 

[MRG]

Traps no poison! A good exterminator should be able to do that.

We had poison in a spare bedroom for years, our dog wouldn't walk back there. One day he did, ate the crap. We found a vet who did blood transfusions and saved the little guy. So thankful but we still felt so horrible for what he went through.

 

[harley]

I've still got two cases of glue traps from when we were cleaning out my departed DM's house. We had to leave it for months at a time, and the place was covered in mouse crap. So DW bought 3 cases (300) glue traps online and essentially lined the floors and counters and drawers with them. We caught dozens of the varmints. I'm sure it was quite stinky at first, but by the time we got back they had mummified. Nasty but very effective. Luckily we sold the house before needing to break into the other two cases. I meant to leave them for the new owner, but decided that wasn't an appropriate house warming gift. Maybe next spring when we get back from FL I'll Craigslist them.

 

[vince]

I owned a 100 year old house and there was no way I would have been able to seal every possible mouse entrance. I just used a old fashion wood/spring mouse traps. Mice follow the same path over and over. There was a ledge on the fieldstone foundation they would run along. Set the traps there all the time and always caught them. Whenever it got tripped I'd just replace it. The easiest way I found to bait them was to use Elmer's glue to stick a sunflower seed to it, then drop a couple of loose ones near trap.

 

[target2019]

I owned a 100 year old house and there was no way I would have been able to seal every possible mouse entrance. I just used a old fashion wood/spring mouse traps. Mice follow the same path over and over. There was a ledge on the fieldstone foundation they would run along. Set the traps there all the time and always caught them. Whenever it got tripped I'd just replace it. The easiest way I found to bait them was to use Elmer's glue to stick a sunflower seed to it, then drop a couple of loose ones near trap.

I use the old fashioned traps. They are cheap enough that if you don't want to reuse, just toss them out. Peanut putter, cheese, etc. make good attraction. Have to be careful with your pets. I place the traps in baseemnt ceiling, or behind furniture.

 

[vince]

Funny, I tried peanut butter a couple of times but found a mouse could actually lick the peanut butter off the trap and not trip it.

 

[spncity]

An experienced pest control tech brought largish metal traps to a place where I consulted. The traps could trap up to 16 mice. I asked him how the mice were attracted. Bait? Pheromones?

He explained that the inventor had discovered that the certain entrance hole (size, shape, and placement of a certain height from the floor) was just too irresistible for mice. The had to go in and explore.

Here are more uses for mousetraps than I've ever seen:
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/mouse-traps/

 

[Dash man]

CAT

 

[RunningBum]

The trap from Amazon I posted has some advantages over the old traps. The catch bar only has a quarter of the way to go so it's more likely to catch a mouse. It's got a little cup for the bait that makes it very likely for them to trip the trap. I've only had one trap with the bait gone and not tripped, and I don't think I've had a tripped empty trap. The bar seems less likely to make a mess of the mouse and would be easy to clean, and it's easy to release a dead mouse. Seems like they did build a better mousetrap by improving on the basic trap.


The only problem with it is that I seem to have taken away the cats' fun time. But they were catch and release, and would bring mice up from the basement to play with. As winter came I wanted the mice gone.

 

[CaptTom]

As a long-time old-house owner, I have some experience in this field.

First, they CAN get in through the sump pump drain. At least, that's where the last infestation we had was coming from. Took me a while to find it, I had finally gotten to the point where I thought there was no way they could get in. Got through the whole fall with no mice, wish me luck!

Second, the plastic snap traps seem to work very well. The big-box stores sell one that looks very much like this:

I've also seen another one that looks similar to the one RunningBurn posted, where the bait is hidden under the trigger, so the mouse can't lick off the bait.

Peanut butter is the best bait I've found.

I've used the bucket trick, similar to some of the ones spncity posted. I never got that fancy; just a bucket with the rim where the mice travel, enough water that they can't push off the bottom, and maybe some peanut butter on the inside somewhere. Works great.

 

[user5027]

If the bait is gone with the trap unsprung the trap is defective and should be tossed. Likewise I never understood why people throw out a perfectly well working trap along with the demised mouse that has gone on to meet his maker. I always separate the trap from the carcass. The proven trap goes back into service.

 

[pb4uski]

Foster a cat for a while. Ours loves to leave us "presents"... often headless.

 

[Bamaman]

The biggest selling "mice poison" is DCon. But it's not really a poison. It's got a gritty texture with coumadin in it. Mice eat it and it gets into their intestines where they bleed out.

The stuff works okay, but so do traps baited with peanut butter or bacon.

And Jax our Maine Coon Cat is death on mice--after he plays with them for awhile.

 

[travelover]

Funny, I tried peanut butter a couple of times but found a mouse could actually lick the peanut butter off the trap and not trip it.

Thus the Tootsie Roll stuck on the trigger. They chew it off or try to chew it off.

 

[jazz4cash]

Funny, I tried peanut butter a couple of times but found a mouse could actually lick the peanut butter off the trap and not trip it.

Had the same issue once so I tie a bit of string slathered in peanut butter to the bait cup.

 

[easysurfer]

If you go the old fashioned trap route, also to consider is the amount of traps and trap placement. Good to get plenty of traps and put them perpendicular to the walls about a foot or two apart as mice tend to run alongside the walls.

If you sent only one or two out in a room, you may be disappointed. Use probability on your side.

 

[travelover]

The biggest selling "mice poison" is DCon. But it's not really a poison. It's got a gritty texture with coumadin in it. Mice eat it and it gets into their intestines where they bleed out...........

I think DCon is very hard on pets and wildlife. Anticoagulant Poisoning in Dogs | petMD

The main cause of anticoagulant poisoning is from the ingestion of rodent poison. If you suspect that your dog has come into contact with rat or mouse poison, and you are seeing some of the symptoms listed above, you will need to bring your dog to a veterinarian before your pet's health becomes critical.

Keep in mind that outdoor dogs (or dogs that go outside frequently) are at risk of rodent poisoning. It might be in a neighbor's yard, in a trash bag, or in an alleyway. Dogs that engage in chasing and killing rodents may also be susceptible to this type of poisoning. Even if you do not live in an area where rats or mice are a concern, rodent poison may be used for other common suburban pests like raccoons, opossums, or squirrels.

Some of the main anticoagulant chemicals that can be found in rodent poisons (or other household products) are:

• Warfarin
• Hydroxycoumadin
• Brodifacoum
• Bromadiolone
• Pindone
• Diphacinone
• Diphenadione
• Chlorohacinone

From DCon web page:

The active ingredient in our Rat Bait Pellets, Mouse Bait Pellets, Place Packs and Wedge Baits is Brodifacoum.
The active ingredient in our Refillable and Disposable Bait Stations is Diphacinone.

 

[savory]

Before starting, take a few minutes to learn rodent behavior. For example, Vince who posted earlier, likely had rats not mice. Rats follow the same path and like to have their body touching a wall when moving from place to place. They are creatures of habit and it takes them some time to try things. Mice are curious and will for example try new food sources rather quickly. So, if you think you can figure out if you have a mouse vs rat problem (droppings are your best bet), it will help you get started. And, it will allow you to know the best approach to remove them. A little online research would likely be helpful.

Than, I would try to determine where they are coming from. The best bet is to follow the droppings. Keep searching, it will be worth the time to know where to place the traps and to determine entry points. Building them out, if not for this event but future ones is always the best bet.

Poison is likely the easiest and least messy as the rodent will typically die somewhere unknown. But, it does cause potential problems with pets (which is a concern) and rodents that die in nearby walls, creating rotting smells.

That leaves live traps and those that cause instant death. There are various live traps. As others have recommended, I would stay away from sticky traps. They can be cruel and they expose the rodent to your pet.

There are various live catch traps. They come in single and multiple catch forms. I am guessing you do not need multiple catch traps which are a little more expensive but they are reusable.

The snap trap, which was mentioned by many people, is very common because they are inexpensive and evidence of working is quite clear. I have not looked at these in a while but within reason they all work the same. There might be a difference in removing the mouse after the traps activated. As you know, place a bait that is not easy to remove so the rodent has a higher likelihood of activating the spring.

The exterminator will bring lots of knowledge and experience. I think you could learn enough on your own (if you want to invest your time) to try to solve the problem on your own. If you are not successful, call the exterminator.

 

[SumDay]

Thanks for all the info! We ran out & bought traps, and 5 hours later we have our first casualty. I am calling an exterminator tomorrow, at the recommendation of a neighbor.

 

[travelover]

Thanks for all the info! We ran out & bought traps, and 5 hours later we have our first casualty. I am calling an exterminator tomorrow, at the recommendation of a neighbor.

I've found that there is never just one. You can trap many before you are mouse-free.

 

[SumDay]

Agreed travelover. That's why I want to determine the point(s) of entry.