Mouse Mice Exterminator?

[MRG]

Good job. You can fix the current point(s) of entry, trap and become mouse free.

You may eventually find new friends but typically a few traps left around will alarm you.

 

[Texas Proud]

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

We do not have the problem, so our cats do not leave us presents....

But, I have a sister who lives on 40 acres... her cats presents are the heads... not a headless body!!! She assumes the rest of the mouse was dinner...

 

[easysurfer]

We do not have the problem, so our cats do not leave us presents....

But, I have a sister who lives on 40 acres... her cats presents are the heads... not a headless body!!! She assumes the rest of the mouse was dinner...

You do know that when your cats leave a present means they like you. A food offering .

 

[SteveNU]

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.

These are the ones I use also. Much better than the old wooden snap traps. Easy to bait, set, and empty.

I tried the sticky traps before and caught a few but mostly they just got dragged around and covered in debris.

 

[Dash man]

Cats need food and give as much love as they receive!

 

[EastWest Gal]

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.

The traps pictured above work well, the mouse doesn't suffer-as opposed to drowning them, and they're not messy.

The bait is the secret. Tootsie Roll with a hint of PB on top. Offer them an irresistible dessert that they sink their teeth into (and get stuck).

Take a bit of Tootsie Roll (one tiny tootsie roll will bait multiple traps). Mash it into well on the trap--I use a plastic orange peeler but any similarly sized tool such as a small screwdriver will do. Make sure it's really jammed in there, so it sticks--I pushed it in hard and even over the edges of the plastic well. Now top it off with peanut butter. The mouse will be attracted by the smell of the peanut butter, but the chocolate seems to be addictive to mice, and I think they try to bite it--and they get stuck.

A couple of years ago we had a mouse in the kitchen leaving evidence on the stove (YUCK). Peanut butter alone didn't work, Tootsie Roll alone didn't work. But we put out the combo and 30 minutes after we put out the trap in the evening we had our mouse. We kept out traps but no more mice. Two weeks ago we had evidence of mice in the basement and in the kitchen and family room. We set several traps and caught two mice right away, in the basement. I could see where they likely got in--a storage area is unfinished and there is a gap between the dry wall and the outside frame of the basement. We're keeping out the traps but no more mice or evidence of mice so far.

Another thing to be aware of is that farther back takes more pressure than the front of the trap to trigger it, so don't try to draw the mouse farther in by baiting behind the well.

Here is another idea from a youtube video.

They guy in the video uses a piece of pipe--not something people keep around the house. I've seen rolled up and taped paper work as well.

These things can work rather quickly as mice come out at night, every night, looking for food.

I think hiring an exterminator for this purpose is probably not necessary.

 

[beowulf]

Glue traps may be cruel, but mice are vermin and spread disease. In the military and many state and local governments we even have a position titled "Vector Control Officer." Here is part of a very long job description "Knowledge of and prevention of vector-borne diseases, breeding places and habits of insects and animal vectors particularly rodents, including ecto-parasites such as but not limited to fleas, ticks, lice, as well as flies and cockroaches."

I recommend using Tomcat Super Hold plastic tray glue traps (not the paper ones). You can get them in 4 packs at Walmart at a decent price. Unlike other ones I have tried, they can't escape from these. They also do a great job of catching camel back crickets, which then become live bait for the mice. And you just throw them in the trash after use.

 

[brucethebroker]

We have had much success with glue traps.

A friend shared a story about them. Her Grandfather was very cheap and "reused" his traps. She once saw one with tiny feet on the trap and asked what it was. He told her he used scissors to separate dead mice from the traps so he could recycle.....

 

[devans0]

We had a cat that loved to play with her 'toys'. One was pounced on before i could get there. The cat kept nudging the little guy to get him running again. Glue trap is more humane, imo.

I'm a fan of glue traps. Fold up box types of glue traps are effective.

 

[Breedlove]

Kind of a funny one about mouse traps, in Houston the University of Houston has a radio program (Engines of ingenuity) put on by a professor of Engineering . Most of the programs are made to make us think . In the history of the mouse extermination there have been over 55000 patents of products to kill mice . From the original wooden spring loaded trap to glue paper , sonic waves , ultraviolet waves electric shock ,,etc .
Now every year a group of scientists and engineers evaluate the new methods to exterminate mice to award the better mousetrap award.
Guess what the original wooden spring loaded trap when used properly is the most effective way to get rid of mice.
He used this scenario in talking about computers for the home , he felt we will get to the place that the newest home computers will be so complex that we will never use them to their abilities.

 

[ERD50]

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.

Yes, these are the ones I've used after the stray cat that adopted us got too old to hunt. They always work for me, and I just used peanut butter. Easy to bait, easy to set, easy to empty. That 90 degree action just makes it so much easier to handle - you don't need to get to the part that is on the mouse, just press on the 90 degree bar part. Several keys:

A) Get a BUNCH of them (at least four), you want to catch as many as you can as quick as you can. And having several set around the area increases your odds of catching at least one per night. Mice leave a scent trail (their urine/feces - gross!) that others follow, so you want to get rid of them fast so others are not following.

B) I rarely need to re-bait them, the mouse trips it before it gets to eat any of it, so just dump the mouse into the garbage bag, reset, and you are good for at least a week (though I did catch one in a trap I left set that had year old bait in it - peanut butter really doesn't go bad, as far as a mouse is concerned). When I was re-baiting the larger chipmunk traps, which were outside and ants would get the bait over a few days, I filled a baggie with some peanut butter, cut a corner, and squeezed out a bit like a pastry bag - easy and quick and no mess!

C) Recommended: I attached each trap to a 12" long thin plank of wood. This makes it easy to set the trap deeper in a hidden place. And though it doesn't seem to happen very often with this brand of trap, sometimes the trap will just catch the mouse by a little hair/skin on the side, and the mouse will drag the trap away. It might end up somewhere you can't reach, and create a stink, or you just lose your trap. With the board attached, it won't be able to drag it far, and you will be able to retrieve it easily.

D) They should be placed perpendicular to walls, bait side against the wall. Again, use several of them each night.

E) Make sure they are sensitive. Test with a stick. If it doesn't trip easily, a little veggie oil on the catch may help. This was easier on the old wire snap-traps, I could bend the catch until it was a hair trigger.

F) Leave them out year-round where you can, and check them. Best to get that lone scout right away, before it leaves a trail for others to follow, or makes a nest and you've got babies there.

I have not had the problem of them coming in from the side and not tripping them, as in the earlier video, but that's a different brand than these (and some of the other similar ones I tried did not work as well - these had the best reviews at the time on Amazon). I did have that problem with the larger 'rat trap' size that I used to get rid of chipmunks (striped ground squirrels, other names in places) that were digging up DW's flower beds. So I added sides to the plank I mounted them to.

Please don't use glue traps! I'm not really an animal lover, and I'm not all that squeamish, but that's a terrible way to die. These snap traps kill them in seconds, sometimes instantly (I've actually seen some chipmunks get caught, it was fast in these brand traps, others sometimes caught them by the side, not nice). I figure this death is better than what they would probably experience in the wild (I've see what they go through when the cat would get them - yuck!).

-ERD50

 

[RunningBum]

C) Recommended: I attached each trap to a 12" long thin plank of wood. This makes it easy to set the trap deeper in a hidden place. And though it doesn't seem to happen very often with this brand of trap, sometimes the trap will just catch the mouse by a little hair/skin on the side, and the mouse will drag the trap away. It might end up somewhere you can't reach, and create a stink, or you just lose your trap. With the board attached, it won't be able to drag it far, and you will be able to retrieve it easily.

I like this idea! Even if they don't drag the trap, the trap flips up when sprung and can go in deeper. It also makes it easier/safer to grab when it hasn't been sprung, if you have to move it. It seems to me there's always a chance you'll go for the wrong end and might trap a finger! I'll have to look into doing this. How did you attach them? I'm thinking liquid nails, but that's pretty permanent. Would rubber bands hold up?

 

[ERD50]

I like this idea! Even if they don't drag the trap, the trap flips up when sprung and can go in deeper. It also makes it easier/safer to grab when it hasn't been sprung, if you have to move it. It seems to me there's always a chance you'll go for the wrong end and might trap a finger! I'll have to look into doing this. How did you attach them? I'm thinking liquid nails, but that's pretty permanent. Would rubber bands hold up?

I had some I just lashed to the board with some wire, others I just used short screws into a 3/8" thick board. Either drill a couple holes in the trap for the screws, or use a washer and screw alongside, letting the washer hold the trap down.

Yes, they just are easier to handle this way. And when I do need to re-bait or move it, I like to trip it with a rolled up newspaper or something soft. Just seems to be easier on the trap, and doesn't make me flinch when it snaps!

-ERD50

 

[Music Lover]

I prefer the cheap old-fashioned traps...I'm a city boy and a little squeamish around dead critters. The old style traps are cheap enough that I just toss them with the mouse.

Cats are great for catching mice, but I learned the hard way that if they are sleeping on your belly while you're having a nap, then you may suffer some scratches when they launch themselves off you to chase the mouse...

Funny story from the office. It was a large building that was having a mouse problem. One day one of them got very brave and ran across a few desks in the middle of the day. The usual panic ensued...several people left the area in fear, but most stayed. Then, the poor mouse made the mistake of running across the desk of a woman who grew up on a farm. SLAM!! Without flinching, she slammed her hand down killing it instantly.

 

[GrayHare]

Good job. You can fix the current point(s) of entry, trap and become mouse free.

I see demand for a side gig for Dave Ramsey.

 

[easysurfer]

I prefer the cheap old-fashioned traps...I'm a city boy and a little squeamish around dead critters. The old style traps are cheap enough that I just toss them with the mouse.

Cats are great for catching mice, but I learned the hard way that if they are sleeping on your belly while you're having a nap, then you may suffer some scratches when they launch themselves off you to chase the mouse...

Funny story from the office. It was a large building that was having a mouse problem. One day one of them got very brave and ran across a few desks in the middle of the day. The usual panic ensued...several people left the area in fear, but most stayed. Then, the poor mouse made the mistake of running across the desk of a woman who grew up on a farm. SLAM!! Without flinching, she slammed her hand down killing it instantly.

I bet the brave woman got promoted with a new job title .

 

[Music Lover]

I bet the brave woman got promoted with a new job title .

No promotion, but she got a new nickname: "Sue the Slayer"

 

[swakyaby]

When our next-door neighbor decided to raise a few chickens in his backyard, he discovered his chicken feed was raising an army of rats, so he eventually got rid of the chickens. It wasn't long before I noticed rodent noises in my crawlspace attic. After some very unpleasant odors (I assumed at least one fell and died in the walls), we hired Orkin pest control.

He placed about 5 baited snap traps in the attic, found 2 glue traps DH had placed a week earlier with a live rat stuck on one. He also placed covered traps around the exterior of the home, helped DH locate and seal possible entry points into the attic. He would return 1-2 times a week to check and refresh the traps. Over a 6 month period, he caught 4 more rodents in the attic, and I assume 2 more died in the walls from the smell.

It took awhile, but finally no more attic noises and no more odors.

My husband was tempted to forego Orkin and let our cat loose in the attic, but I told him that if our cat fell into the wall space and couldn't get out, we would have an even bigger smell.