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MICE!
Posted: Oct 28, 2015
Hello. My husband has recently seen mice in our closet in the bathroom. My question is what is the best way to get rid of the mice, cat or poison? If we get a cat, will the cat need to hunt them down or will the mice leave when the cat takes residence? My thoughts are if we get poison, we will have to keep getting it because the mice will keep coming back. Thanks so much for any input.
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Don't recommend poison because you never know where - sm
[ In Reply To ..]the carcasses will end up. Dead bodies decomposing in your walls smell very bad.
The quickest and easiest way is the old-fashioned mouse traps. Mice usually die immediately. I think that's more humane than glue traps. I tried humane traps where you can release the live trapped mouse "back into the wild," but they were not very effective in that the mice seemed to avoid them.
Also very important, be careful to use proper procedures when cleaning areas where mice have been. Hantavirus is a rare, but potentially deadly disease that can be contracted through contact with infected rodent urine, feces, etc., or inhalation of dust stirred up from infected droppings.
For the current ones, trap them, bait the trap with peanut butter--sm - anon
[ In Reply To ..]To prevent others, you need to find out how they are getting in and plug the holes. If there are holes in the wall, fill them with steel wool, etc. The problem with a cat is not all are good mousers. To really be effective at controlling mice, they have to be hunters and often that means you not feeding the cat, making them work for their own food. You may not have enough of a problem for that to be feasible. Yes, the cat will need to hung them and the cat will need to kill them and that may not always be pretty.
Mice and Cats - LinK0514
[ In Reply To ..]I can vouch for the cat not being effective if they're not good mousers. We have two cats and my daughter has a mouse and they have no interest in it at all. They even can be nose to nose with the mouse and still nothing. I would do a humane trap myself, but I'm a woman who isn't bothered by mice, although I definitely would not want them running around in my house loose! Good luck.
Calico cats are notably good hunters. I did some research. - SM
[ In Reply To ..]I had a very bad mouse problem several years ago. We lived in the middle of a 20 acre field and it was just a nightmare. We got a black tabby kitten and when it got older, we hoped it would be a good mouser. Never caught one. My hubbie actually caught a mice in one of the humane traps and then "introduced" it to our tabby as a way of letting him know what is job was supposed to be. The tabby played with it briefly and then lost interest.
Then we got a calico kitten. Didn't have to teach it a thing. I have NEVER seen a live mouse in my house since we've had her. Best darn cat I've ever had! Note, I said I've not seen a LIVE mouse in my house. She does like to display her handiwork for my appreciation. I have found mice corpses laid out neatly on my living room furniture, outside my bedroom door, on the front porch, etc.
I did some research and Calicos are said to be good hunters which I can attest. Let me just caution you, when they said they are good hunters, that doesn't mean just mouse hunters. They like to hunt everything. My cat likes to hunt birds, knock nests out of trees. And recently brought home a baby rabbit that was still alive.
So long story short, if you have the stomach for it, I would suggest a calico. If you are squeamish, then just get some old fashioned snap traps.
Mice.... - sm
[ In Reply To ..]The mice are not likely to leave on their own, and their trail usually attracts more mice. You simply cannot fill all the holes in your house where they can come in. However, mice do not like the smell of peppermint. Get some peppermint oil and drop it where you think they may be coming in.
We used the humane traps with cheese and peanut butter as bait. We caught them, but do not let them go near your house. They come right back in. Drive them away, miles away. Alternatively, you can used the snap traps. They are very effective.
You do not want these critters getting in your closets or drawers. That is where they will build a nest and have their babies. Normally, they stick to the kitchen or where they can get food. We get them once every other year or so, when someone cuts a field locally, or when it gets cold. Keep the kitchen floors, counters, stove, etc very clean until you get rid of them
My heart goes out to you! - Mouse-phobic
[ In Reply To ..]I have been terrified of them since childhood in Illinois (mice came out of the cornfields in the fall). Unfortunately, as a home-owning adult I have had to battle mice a couple times.
1. As someone said, a cat is not your first line of defense. I have heard that mice do not like the smell of cats, which may where the idea that mice would leave if there was a cat, but that's probably wishful thinking. Our dear cat did kill a mouse (which was how we found out they were there in the first place), but after that we went after them ourselves. Thank you, Stripey!
2. In addition to not liking peppermint, they do not like vinegar. Get a spray bottle like you spray weeds with and spray the outside perimeter of your house with apple cider vinegar. That may deter them in the future.
3. For the ones in the house right now, traps or poison are your choices. I have used everything. The new formulated poisons essentially dry them out, sort of like mouse jerky, so the smell of dead mice that used to sicken everyone doesn't seem to be a problem. The downside is that you might come across a dried-up mouse corpse. It is amazing how much of it they will eat. Also, you don't have evidence that they are gone so you have to cross your fingers and pray for quite a while. Traps: I prefer the traps that kill them quickly, preferably the kind where you don't have to see the body. As an animal lover, I am morally against glue traps but have used them when I felt I had no choice. If the mice are in a tight space like under the refrigerator, you do what you have to do. It is the worst of all methods because it is not a pleasant way to go and you have to see them. As far as a humane trap and releasing them in the wild, rodents have an uncanny ability to home. In addition to mice, we once had 2 squirrels chew through the fascia and get into the attic. It was winter, and we finally were able to lure them out when it warmed up with a humane trap and some Smokehouse Almonds (pricey! I had bought the Smokehouse Almonds for Christmas, but again you do what you have to do. It was an almond-less Christmas for the humans.) We drove out into the country to an abandoned farm to let them go (also with a bag of peanuts just to get them adjusted), and I never drive by that place without praying they don't recognize the car! Also, bad news in that if you are actually seeing mice, there are many more that you will never see. They can be extremely tough to get rid of. I had a friend who went to hotel management school, and she was told that if a mouse can get its head into an opening, it will find a way to get its body through as well. Good luck! And, yes, I know I sound crazy....
I love your squirrel story! - How nice!
[ In Reply To ..]I can just see you relocating those squirrels . . . driving round to find the perfect farm . . . shopping for peanuts . . .
I'll bet you talked to them the whole way there, too, explaining about what a nice place it was going to be, the little squirrel friends they would find . . .
A tip about glue traps - sm
[ In Reply To ..]We get camel/cave crickets in our basement in the spring and autumn, and we use glue traps, in addition to pesticide, to help control the population. Unfortunately, once in a blue moon we would find a poor struggling mouse on the glue trap. If, like me, you cannot bear to see a mouse suffer like that, there is a way to extricate them from the trap without harming them.
I would take the lid from an old cookie tin (very shallow--maybe an inch deep) and fill it with very soapy lukewarm water. I used natural plant-based dish detergent. I would bring the trap with the mouse outside and carefully lower the adhered parts of the mouse, being careful to keep its head well clear of the water, into the soapy water. In a minute or so, the mouse was able to free himself from the glue and would just run off.
Like someone else said, make sure you do this well away from your house because they can find their way back if you're too close.
Get outside and block all possible mouse entries - Mickey
[ In Reply To ..]Get a good tube of silicone caulk and check the outside perimeter everywhere for any tiny holes (such as around electrical meters and gas lines especially) and mouse proof those holes. Other places: Cracks in the foundation, under-surface of house if a crawl space, up in the attic. Not a pleasant job, but the only way to rid house of mice.
It will also plug heat loss openings keeping your heat bill down. A mouse can squeeze through a tiny, tiny crack.
Nix the poison - anon
[ In Reply To ..]It's a horrible way for anything to die.
Purchase what are called safe traps. You put a bait inside of it (i.e. peanut butter), and then close it up and put it in your closet. Check it every day opening the lid just enough to see inside. If there's a mouse, take the trap to a field and let the little critter free. (I happen to love mice)
In the meantime, you need to empty your closet of everything and then inspect everywhere for small holes in the walls. Chances are, the mice have already set up residence in the walls and are making nests with the insulation. If you find any holes, you can use a product that sells at Home Depot or Lowe's which covers holes (about $8). It's a little screen that you place over the hole and then use putty to cover it completely. Give it an hour or two to dry before you put things back.
There are problems with relocation--sm - anon
[ In Reply To ..]I am not sure if it applies to mice, but often when relocating critters, you are creating a problem for them by inserting them into a new territory. It is something worth researching for those inclined.
I think the glue traps for mice are cruel. I have used peppermint oil with some success, mainly in the engine of the vehicles because there is not much else I can do there. Where I live, mice droppings can contain Hantavirus, which scares the bejeebers out of me. We kill them with snap traps. Also, mice chewing in engines of vehicles can be extremely expensive so if they are in the garage, we trap them. We do not poison them because if a hawk or owl were to eat a poisoned mouse, it could die and I want to keep the predators around to help keep the population in check.
I'm an animal lover, and I don't think that's a good reason (sm) - Cat lover
[ In Reply To ..]to get a cat. Unless, of course, you have been wanting one. Cats need love too. Not trying to be rude, I'm giving my opinion, that's all. Some cats don't like hunting anyway, although I think most do. I'd go with traps. I hate using poison. You never know when it might get on someone's shoe or something and kill another animal. Traps work best, although it is disgusting emptying them. Good luck
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