Mice. Rodents. Pests. Seriously. I don't see anyone else posting about this topic. Why not. DO YOU NOT HAVE MICE?
I live in the country. So I have Country Mice. But, I'm sure some of you, who live in the City have , yes! dare I say it? ...City Mice. That would mean ...if you lived in the Suburbs... you probably have Suburban Mice? Yet, no one talks about mice? (if you've written a post on mice and/ or pest control...please leave me a link in the comments...because I'm big enough, I can retract my above RANT...if need be.) :)
Sooo.... about 4 weeks ago; I saw a mouse. Yes! and it was pretty good sized.
R.O.U.S. (rats of unusual size)
Though, NOT a rat! (we haven't had a RAT Problem in years...not since the Owls moved into the Oak Tree out back!). Anyway-- back to the good sized mouse. We didn't catch her. I say her...not because I picked her up to check ...NO. oh, my goodness...NO!
But... a few weeks later...The Honey saw her scurry across the room with a baby in her mouth. She had BABIES! because that's what all PESTS DO. They multiply! We didn't get her then either. Funny...you wouldn't think a mouse carrying a baby in her mouth...could SCURRY SO QUICKLY.
I know what you're thinking. Get a Cat!
No. Allergies. So that's out.
Not long after that... I'm beginning to notice ... 'the signs'. They were everywhere. Guess what... you know how when little babies (human) begin crawling? They don't know where they are supposed to go and not go... well, turns out baby mice don't either.
They come out of hiding ...lights on,lights off.They come out hiding... when you're not in the room, and when you are! They come out of hiding...no. matter. what.
So off I go to the store... bought glue traps. Speaking of Traps...
That's a Q and A we could have while discussing MICE. Do you use GLUE TRAPS, SPRING TRAPS, OR CATCH AND RELEASE... (who does that?) They just come back inside; AND MULTIPLY!
I bought glue traps. They work...except, they don't die right away. I don't like to see OR HEAR them suffer. So... somebody, usually me, puts them out of their misery.
WARNING SQUEAMISH ALERT! : GRAPHIC CONVERSATION ENSUING AT THIS POINT. you may scroll down to comments and leave me a nasty comment if you like. It's ok. If I'm big enough to retract my rant... I can take any LIBERAL- PETA- BE-KIND-TO-ANIMALS type of comment you throw at me.
...where was I? Oh yes... put them out of their misery.
- COUP DE GRÂCE.
- 1: a deathblow or death shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded .
- 2: a decisive finishing blow, act, or event
Yes. Shopping bag and a real quick slam to the floor. Done. Paper or Plastic you ask? Plastic. Always use plastic.
Well ,After all this, I have a confession to make. Wait for it. I can't just throw it out there but;
... Little Rabbit Foo-Foo ... is my hero.
"Little Rabbit Foo FooHopping through the forestScoopin' up the field miceBop 'em on the head!Then the Good Fairy came and said:'Little Bunny Foo FooI don't wanna see youScoopin' up the field miceBop 'em on the head!I'll give you 3 chances,And if you don't behave, I will turn you into a goon!"
The traps are working.
To Date:
- 1 adult
- 5 babies
- and...1 small snake (we think came in with the firewood) OOO! the CREEPS and another post altogether!!!!
Today, I can be found in the kitchen. Cleaning out the cupboards. It's a dirty job. But someone has to do it.
Linking here: 
Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee;
Because he trusts in Thee.
~ Isaiah 26:3
30 comments:
I haven't seen a mouse in our place since I started putting peppermint oil on cotton balls and putting the cotton balls under the sinks. Hubby also used that spray foam to fill every little crack or hole he could find. Like you, I used the glue traps. I have no mercy when it comes to vermin.
We had mice about once a year at our old place. We haven't see or had signs of any here in the house yet, but they are in the shop. I prefer the spring traps, although they scare me to set.
I had mice at my old house which was built in 1914. The cats pretty much sniffed them out and took care of them! We did have some funny scenes involving my husband and a broom trying to get a mouse out of the house!
We had mice in the attic of our Florida house and I believe they multiplied. One of them fell between a wall and died. Talk about smell and not being able to do anything! And the flies! Just closed off that room until nature took it's course, but we plugged any openings after heaving poison packs up there that drives them outside to find water. Usually find them by the spigot. Dead. Hate it all, the whole process. And we had three cats! Haven't seen any signs here at the new house, but I bet they are in the detached garage. My Uncle Al grew up in NYC and always talked about the "rats the size of cats" there and how they would swim through the sanitation system. ***shiver***. My biggest nemesis in FL were roaches! Hate, hate, hate them.
There. I talked about it! Ann
Mice ... yes I have mice, made lots of comments on mice. I am not a believer in catch and release ... mice are disease carrying vermin, even Yosemite National Park had several deaths this last summer due to Hantavirus spread by mice in their cabins. I use the Victor RAT Traps, the white, flat mouse traps are too flimsy and if a mouse has even one leg free they can scoot them under furniture, or flip them over to stick on carpet. I live in a 100 year old house, there are plenty of places (especially toe spaces under cabinets) that they can sneak in. Mice can go thru a hole the diameter of a number 2 pencil, I have seen them, they are all fur. Mice also reproduce at an amazing speed. I have even found them in my truck, I now keep a sticky trap under one of the seats. I think as well as domestic mice I import them in the hay from the feed store. Even 2 cats and 5 dogs don't spread fear into mice.
I second the use of peppermint oil! It really works!
Pat,
I always live in old houses, so we get mice. I always have (house) cats in varying levels of mousing skill.
Do you know that when a cat hunts, only 1 in 15 attempts are successful?
Here is how it goes around here. The cats stake out the stove. Apparently that is a major mouse entry route. This can go on for hours, days.
Then we hear a mouse squeaking. I investigate and find 4 cats watching. One picks up the mouse and runs with it, the other 3 trotting briskly behind. Head cat drops mouse, another cat picks it up, and the parade resumes. You get the idea.
I come along, catch the mouse in a plastic container. I drive the mouse to a field - it is a field mouse, right? - and release.
I did the sticky trap once. I could not kill the little mouse. I gave it to my one cat who regularly 'harvested' mice from traps. He started at the head and ate the mouse til it was dead.
I'll bet this is WAY more info than you were looking for!
If I use a trap, the snap traps with the faux cheese work best.
Never heard of this! So... you just soak the cotton balls and leave them sitting!
How often do you think they need to be replaced?
I'm so curious!
Yes!
and talk about them you did!!! Not to mention you brought up other issues with Pests... and OTHER PESTS TOO!
HATE THEM ALL!
I so love the post you write..
Mice, no I only have lizards, spiders
the size of a tea cup saucer and yes,
I have two cats that love to catch these
things.. I try to get them and toss em
out the door before the cats can shred
them but sometimes I'm too late.
These are the only critters that come
into the house but I have so many more
varieties outside.. My yard is registered
with the National Wildlife Fed and it's
a Backyard Habitat.. I think the only
critter I just don't like are the gators..
the turtles are fun...
The Osprey's get all the rodents... so no mice
here...
Sandy
Don't like mice. Don't like bugs. Read my post today! Used to live in the country....and had mice....so glad you can take care of the problem...me, I would be up on the couch...(yeah, like they don't know how to get up there!!)
This topic touches on a personal PHOBIA. I am BIG-TIME afraid of mice and have no clue why. That's about all I want to say about it! I speed-read your post and now am trying to put it out of my mind :)
Very timely post. I actually DID just write one on getting rid of mice in your chicken coop, but same idea...here you go! http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/10/not-creature-was-stirring-got-mice-in.html
I second the peppermint oil idea mentioned above. Rodents don't like the smell of mint. Great post - come share at my blog fest if you would like. There's a post there about getting rid of moles also :0)
http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/11/farm-girl-blog-fest-7.html
Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
We have cats so they do solve the problem - though we do get all-too frequent 'presents' (ie. mice in various stages of mauledness) by our back door. Uuuugh!
Sarahx
I love this post!
My facebook status yesterday was a photo of the mouse guts I found in the duck pen. My theory is that a neighborhood cat dragged a mouse there and ate whatever he wanted, leaving the rest as a "gift" for the less talented ducks. But a friend said my chickens might have done the deed. Wouldn't it be great if the chickens could be trained to catch and eat mice? Protein for them, and less trapping/killing we have to do.
Hmmm - this reminds me about a post I was going to do for all the single gals out there. It involves a PAPER bag. And a trap of your choice.
But I usually use the dcon stuff that kills them. They eat it and die - sometimes inside the walls, and get stinky. There is no good way, really.
-Revi
I use glue traps for spiders and crickets, but I just couldn't bare to hear the screams of mice. There are TONS of mice in the garage next door (where I store my inventory) They are everywhere, and apparently like to use the bathroom off the rafters onto my stuff. :( I have bought spring traps, but they haven't been tripped. I have bought bait, which is gone, but the mice are not. I need to get rid of them, but just can't do the glue traps. You're a good ole country girl that can kill chickens and mice, me, I'm a wimpy city girl...I don't like to kill anything. I don't generally kill spiders (which I HATE) if they are outside. If they are in my house, they're dead meat!
gail
Before we had cats, we had an experience. I had just finished my shower one Saturday morning and pulled back the shower curtain. This huge creature slid under the door. I am telling you that it looked at me laughed wickedly, and his teeth were so sharp, that the light twinkled off of the pointy ends. I started screaming uncontrolably. When my husband managed to get to the bathroom, and take care of the varmit, he appeared to have shrunk. All of that screaming for that tiny little mouse. However we had a cat before nightfall!!!
We have barn cats now, but ocaisonally one finds his way into our house. After all, this is the country, we have fields behind the house, woods in front and an orchard beside the house, also our home is over a hundred years old, it is bound to happen. We have Atticus, he is a cat man with a cat plan! If that fails, then glue traps! I have no sympathy for mice, or their calling cards or the diseases and germs that they carry!!!Finding a mouse causes screaming, tears, freak out cleaning sessions and demands that we move to a different house and get rid of everything that we own because it is now nasty. My husband thinks that it is much easier to have cats. It is also easier to sleep when I am not screaming and crying!
As for the glue traps, when I was single, I found evidence of a mouse and bought some glue traps because I was scared of the traps. Well I left it out and got up the next morning to make coffee and there the nasty little disease ridden creature was, stuck to the trap. I called the cat into the kitchen and I showed her the mouse, I was so mad! I told her that it was her job to keep those things out of the house, she looked at me, gulped and grabbed the mouse. Part of the sticky trap stuck to her face, she started screaming, the mouse was screaming and I started screaming as we ran through the house.It was ugly, but I caught her, removed the sticky trap from her face, she was okay, but I think that they mouse died from shock.
Also, Little Bunny Foo Foo is my hero too!!! I loved this post, had to read it too my hubby!!! He liked it too!!
Girl! I hate mice! We had not had any in years, then about 2 years ago we had a bunch come in. I freaked! Our son's Boxer caught one one day. It was hilarious! He is always looking for them when he comes, it's a game!
I use snap traps! Only! Those sticky things are too slow and don't always hold them! I use peanut butter or pecans. Also, I have gone through the house lokinf for every possible place they could come in and shoved steel wool into every crack and crevice. That is a lot of work, but I hate the rodents more than the work!
We live in the country, so, country mice!
My husband thru poison under the house. Our dogs can't get to it and we don't have cats.
I have traps all over right now b/c I saw poop on my dish rags last Monday morning! Yuk! Double yuk!
I caught that little rascal pronto! Washed all the dishrags and got paranoid again! lol
I had a mouse in the house many years ago. My son was still a toddler. Every night after the kids went to bed, I would bait and set out several of the spring traps. I wasn't sure how many mice were around. I baited the traps with peanut butter, cheese, bagel. It was a regular mousie buffet. Every morning, I would get up and put away all of the untouched mouse entrees and traps before the kids got up. This went on for several days. Then, one night as I was sitting in the recliner, the mouse came running, in that creepy mouse way, up under the recliner where I was sitting. I leaped up and practically threw the recliner across the room
just in time to see the mouse run under the book shelf. My husband and I were trying to catch the mouse under a plastic shoe box, since with all the hollering and chair throwing, both kids were standing there watching. I was holding the shoe box while my husband moved the bookshelf. We heard a slight cracking/popping noise. I just thought it was the bookshelf. My husband said "I don't see him. He must have gotten away." and put the shelf back. Later, after the kids went to bed, he pulled the shelf out again, and there was the little squashed mouse.
The shelf had squashed it when my husband went to move it. We let the kids think that the mouse must have gone back outside. A few days later I found out what the mouse had been eating instead of my moustrap entrees. He had been feasting on the leaves of my Christmas cactus. Oh, please never again, but if I ever see mousie calling cards in the house again, I'll be using the spring traps. I would not like to have to kill one with it stuck in a glue trap. I'm a wimp.
Oh gosh, all these stories brings back to vivid memory my rat experience two years ago. It was traumatizing but funny too. I wish I had the time to tell it, but you know me...it would be a very long story. Best I just say that I would not do the sticky kind of trap, and I was afraid to find a squished one in a snap trap. I tried the electric kind, but despite all the traps I put out, I never caught it. I did find the entry areas, closed them up and prayed the rat didn't die in the wall or attic but got out and left the area. I'm still afraid of the area of the house we encountered him. I'm very cautious in there. That kind of fright isn't easy to dislodge.
Liz
I don't have mice in the new house with 6 cats outside, they usually get them and anything else that is small with a tail! When my grandmother died her house was filled with them so I used DCON and it basically dehydrated them. I was pulling little petrified mice out of cupboards months later. We used it in our old house too when a mom mouse had babies. Again, stiff, never decomposed-- but you should not have other animals in the house if you use it, at least not other animals that might eat the decon laced mice. Other than that we've used traps in the old house. My husband used to get giddy when he heard the snap. Something about getting it mounted next to an old tin can and putting in on the mantle???? I don't think so. I never used glue traps because I figured I'd feel sorry for it and try to peel up their little feet. No, either traps or chemicals for mice for me.
Well, I'm one of those people who can't stand thinking of killing a mouse....so, yes, I admit, I use the catch and release trap. And, yes, I keep catching and releasing the same mice over and over...but it's all good. My dogs know when they've been caught so they scoot the trap across the floor letting me know there's a mouse in there. I take the trap outside, grab the mouse's tail and let it go. I won't even kill a spider! We get wolf spiders the size of my palm and I catch them on a piece of paper and take them outside...same with bees and wasps...lol....I know, I'm a little strange! tee hee!
Well, no. It's not strange to you! I know there must be some people who 'catch and release' mice. Otherwise, they wouldn't sell those traps.
It's just not for me. I figure a good mouse...is a dead mouse. That's all. ;)
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your say so...Pat
I don't think glue traps should even be legal. They're barbaric, and only torture the animal on it. There are simply better alternatives to trapping and/or killing them. Not pointing the finger at you, but the people who use these things tend to be the same people who don't care if they make something else suffer, even when killing it quickly takes no time and effort. The kind of people who'd throw the animal into the garbage to die a slow and painful death. I hate glue traps with a passion, and I have very negative opinions of the people who use them. They're evil, I'm sorry. Super gluing a mammal on a sheet of plastic is inherently cruel... but at least you redeem yourself for showing a bit of compassion by putting them out of their misery.
Don't really care how much of a "pest" it is, it didn't ask to be born a pest, so why does it deserve to die so painfully? People who say they have "no mercy for vermin", I wish for some people to be in a hopeless situation where they require the mercy from others. Maybe then they'll have a full appreciation of knowing not to be such a jerk.
Hopefully mercy still comes in the form of a swift death when caught, rather than leaving it to suffer. If you opt to leave them in the trash to starve... well that does speak volumes.
Thanks James for all of your well thought out and compassion ideas. Thank you especially for sharing your opinion on these matters here.
If you read the whole article...which I'm certain you did not...You'd would have read, I can take your Liberal PETA be kind to animals comments.
I don't mind if you voice your opinions about the topic at hand...just don't taunt, brow beat, or bully my readers and comments. This is not a yahoo article or a play ground for bullies.
As to mice and vermin. Buck up man. They're diseased ridden creatures. No one here has said anything about torturing them with glue traps or putting them on the traps...they got there on their on volition. THEY ARE TRESPASSERS and will be treated as such.
Please play by the rules or you too will be treated as a trespasser as well.
Thank you.
Every creature is disease ridden. Whether they are vermin or not isn't the point... I just see so many people using it as an excuse to be especially cruel to them. That's the beef I have.
And as far as trespassing goes, well, technically speaking, they're probably been in the area for a lot longer than we have. Building homes on top of theirs pretty much displaces them, causing them to live and breed in our walls. They've no concept of trespassing or human ownership, so I don't believe that tag is really relevant.
And of course I read your article. Would I have mentioned your own compassion otherwise? :)
Mine really isn't a PETA-esqe comment. Do I really sound that radical?
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