Indoor Pest Control - Mouse?
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bjf123
07-10-09, 09:43 PM
i think I saw a mouse run across the floor from the door to the basement and head around the sofa in the living room. I was dozing and woke up and thought I saw something move quickly across the floor. We've got six cats and a few of them saw something, too, since they ran over and were looking under the sofa. I grabbed a flashlight and looked under there, but didn't see anything. Any suggestions? With the cats, I can't really put out traps or poisons, though I suppose I could leave it to the cats to catch and kill.
We've caught a few small field mice in the basement before, but I never did figure out how they were getting in. Maybe through the sump pump pipe, since it empties into the woods behind the house.
We've caught a few small field mice in the basement before, but I never did figure out how they were getting in. Maybe through the sump pump pipe, since it empties into the woods behind the house.
nap
07-10-09, 11:50 PM
mice tend to find ways into your home that you just can hardly imagine. Any gap around pipes, any gap in the foundation to sill plate, any way to get behind the siding, and many other areas allow the little buggers in.
as to traps; for them to be effective, you must place them where their is mouse activity. I tend to have a kitchen cabinet where they like to show up under the bottom drawer so I put the traps under the drawer. You would need to discover a place where they frequent at your home and find a place to hide the trap so the cats do not get whacked.
my favorite mouse attractant when using traps is a little piece of lightweight cardboard folded over so it makes kind of a little tube but both edges of the cardboard must point away from the tube. I then take that and crimp the little bait holder teeth onto it. I then take peanut butter and smear a little bit on the cardboard making sure I fill the "tube". The mice are so gentle sometimes that if I do not do this, they have actually licked peanut butter from the bait holder without setting off the trap. This way, they work hard to either chew the cardboard or try to lick the peanut butter from inside the tube almost always resulting in one dead mouse.
be sure to check the traps regularly so you do not catch a mouse and let him decay. They can smell real bad when you allow that and they are a source for lots of flies.
I tend to stay away from poisons because the mouse can die anywhere so they decay wherever that happens to be, causing the above noted problems.
as to traps; for them to be effective, you must place them where their is mouse activity. I tend to have a kitchen cabinet where they like to show up under the bottom drawer so I put the traps under the drawer. You would need to discover a place where they frequent at your home and find a place to hide the trap so the cats do not get whacked.
my favorite mouse attractant when using traps is a little piece of lightweight cardboard folded over so it makes kind of a little tube but both edges of the cardboard must point away from the tube. I then take that and crimp the little bait holder teeth onto it. I then take peanut butter and smear a little bit on the cardboard making sure I fill the "tube". The mice are so gentle sometimes that if I do not do this, they have actually licked peanut butter from the bait holder without setting off the trap. This way, they work hard to either chew the cardboard or try to lick the peanut butter from inside the tube almost always resulting in one dead mouse.
be sure to check the traps regularly so you do not catch a mouse and let him decay. They can smell real bad when you allow that and they are a source for lots of flies.
I tend to stay away from poisons because the mouse can die anywhere so they decay wherever that happens to be, causing the above noted problems.
Christopher1983
07-12-09, 07:31 PM
What about a humane mouse trap so you don't have to worry about the cats getting into poison or snapping a paw? I've been meaning to try one for our new rodent friends, but haven't gotten around to picking one up yet.
Example:
Amazon.com: Smart Mouse Trap - Humane Mousetrap: Kitchen & Dining (http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mouse-Trap-Humane-Mousetrap/dp/B000YFA7HW)
Example:
Amazon.com: Smart Mouse Trap - Humane Mousetrap: Kitchen & Dining (http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mouse-Trap-Humane-Mousetrap/dp/B000YFA7HW)
nap
07-13-09, 06:32 PM
so, what do you do with a live mouse once you catch it?
I am really a soft hearted guy about most things but a snap trap, to me, is just the best way to go but if animals are a problem, the humane traps are a good alternative. Not sure how effective they are though. Never used one and you do have to get the mouse to go in to the thing.
If you go that route, stop on back and let us (me) know how they work. I'd like to know.
I am really a soft hearted guy about most things but a snap trap, to me, is just the best way to go but if animals are a problem, the humane traps are a good alternative. Not sure how effective they are though. Never used one and you do have to get the mouse to go in to the thing.
If you go that route, stop on back and let us (me) know how they work. I'd like to know.