basement doctors and mice

[escape]

Hello,
when i bought my house, there was water in the basement. I contracted Basement Doctors and they dug out a narrow trench all around the edges that leads to a sump pump. the good thing is no water intrusion (i also put in a french drain in the front of the house). since then i've had a three times when mice got in. i don't think they stay long as i have a cat who is a mouser par excellence. but it's concerning because mice can give worms to cats and worse than that, they carry hantavirus (terrifying).

i don't know where they could get in; i have checked every inch and dealt with any breaches and yet my mouser kitty just presented me with 2 baby mice. i'm wondering if they can get in through the basement doctors trench.

anyone know for sure?

thank you!

 

[GrayHare]

Mice can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps. Putting urine-soaked cat litter clumps outside at the house foundation should have a scent that scares away mice for months.

 

[Koolau]

Mice can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps. Putting urine-soaked cat litter clumps outside at the house foundation should have a scent that scares away mice for months.

And sticky traps really w*rk as well.

 

[escape]

And sticky traps really w*rk as well.

Thank you. Sticky traps are horribly cruel. i do have humane traps, which are reported to work extremely well but my cat gets them first. It's not a great experience for the mice but it's preferable to intentionally inflicting even more human cruelty on nonhuman animals!

 

[Sunset]

When they dug the trench, was it inside or outside the house ?
Is your basement floor concrete or dirt ?

I found mice getting in a house by the A/C pipes/tubes going in the basement, I simply caulked them to close off the gap and it stopped the mice.

 

[Luvtoride]

We had issues with mice in our house years ago. We hired a good exterminator who covered/ treated the areas inside and OUTSIDE the house properly and the problems went away. The exterminator now comes quarterly and handles that and any other pest/ insect issue we may have with the changing of the seasons. It is money well spent (not even BTD level).

 

[braumeister]

As noted, they can get in through the tiniest, most unnoticeable openings.
Your cat is the best solution, so be sure to give it an extra treat when they catch one.

 

[Jerry1]

. . . they dug out a narrow trench all around the edges that leads to a sump pump.

Is the sump pump new? Or, did they tie into an existing sump. If new, my guess would be that where they exited the sump plumbing from the house would be the culprit.

 

[threeonesix]

When I first bought my house in 2007 there were mice pretty much everywhere. I bought a bunch of Victor Sonic PestChaser repellant devices and plugged them in all around the house, inside and outside. I haven't seen a mouse since 2007. I replace them every 5 years. Heck of a lot cheaper than an exterminator. They also make a version that repels insects but I don't have an insect problem in my house.

 

[Sunset]

We had issues with mice in our house years ago. We hired a good exterminator who covered/ treated the areas inside and OUTSIDE the house properly and the problems went away. The exterminator now comes quarterly and handles that and any other pest/ insect issue we may have with the changing of the seasons. It is money well spent (not even BTD level).

OP - has a cat and probably doesn't want poison around as it will hurt/kill the cat if a poisoned mouse is caught or simply if the cat touches the poisoned area.

 

[savory]

You experienced a tiny big dig that Boston experienced many years ago. The rodents ran wild after their homes were destroyed. They looked for new ones.

Mice require a hole the size of a pencil to squeeze through. The advice you received to build them out is the best long term advice. You should inspect, likely more than once, given the size of the opening needed to be closed.

If they get in, mice are curious (rats are cautious). Since you have a preference for how you kill them, place the sticky, live or your choice of trap with a food source in several places around where you see droppings or the mouse. If you use poison, know they may want to die in the nest. It would be wise to do your best to find them before decay.

And, every time they reappear, even once, go back to finding the opening and close it.

 

[escape]

Thank you all for your responses. I'm hoping that someone has specifically had experience with Basement Doctor trenches and mice. I believe BDry uses the same techniques. Other than the BD trench, i cannot find any other possible entrance.

 

[savory]

No offense, but having been in the PC business, I think it is not anything you will learn from BD. They may have caused the problem by the nature of their work or the other work you had done outside. Or, it’s a coincidence.and the mice simply entered your house through an open door which is not a surprise. Mice find their way into homes thousands of times all over the country.

If you feel the mice are not coming from the outside then you have an indoor infestation. I expect your infestation has been growing and yout cat is hunting periodically. Showing you babies is not a good sign. It might mean the infestation has increased.

I would check food packages which indicate mice have fed including available cat food, water including leaks.or moisture creating pipes for example, and droppings. If you can’t find droppings, begin to look in places you can’t see. For example, we had a house where the mice were in the ceiling tile. None of their droppings were on the floor. Bottom line, find the nest(s).

You may want to spend some time on the web learning more about mice infestation if you are DIY. Otherwise, a pest control operator, that you quiz about how they plan to protect your cat could be an approach.

Apologize upfront if I overstepped with my response.