Getting Rid of Mice in the Kitchen

[suzilightning]

On 1/4/2020 at 2:02 PM, kayb said:

This bit of doggerel comes to mind:

 

"Loves to eat them little mousies

Mousies what I loves to eat

Bites they little heads off

Nibbles on they tiny feets."

 

I cannot for the life of me remember what that's from, nor do I have any idea why I remember it.

 

 

It's on an apron hanging in my kitchen ... by Kliban

 

John insists on hav a heart traps only.  Therefore I have to deal with a lot of mouse poop.  ALWAYS spray with some sort of liquid before cleaning up because the hantavirus can aerosolize.

Edited July 23, 2020 by suzilightning (log)

[dcarch]

9 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

  We don't trap them.   Certainly don't poison them with the number of birds and neighbors' cats who wander through our yard.   

 

They do carry all kinds of serious deadly germs, and ticks.

 

dcarch

[weinoo]

A friend who has a home in the Appalachians uses some sort of electric chair trap.  Seems to work for him pretty well.

[paulraphael]

Wow, I forgot I'd started this thread. I no longer live in the mouse-infested former-brewery, but did manage to get rid of the mice.

 

Here's what worked:

• Getting rid of the filthy housemates who caused the problem in the first place
• Traps. The humane electric one, and lots of conventional ones.
• Exclusion. Stuffing holes with steel wool.
• Containing food in mouse proof things as much as possible. And cleaning up religiously.
• Cat. Between when the problem started and when it ended, a kitten showed up in my life. He was a ruthless serial murderer. No mouse could get away. Recommended with reservations, because he drew out the process as long as possible. Possibly the mice just packed up and fled after witnessing the torture. I did not enjoy this process, as effective as it ultimately was.  

[ericthered]

I live in a rural area where mice are prevalent.  Each year, they seek out our warm house as winter approaches.

 

Years of experience have taught me as follows:

• Exclusion is the first, essential step.  If you don't plug the holes where they enter, you can trap for weeks and others will simply replace the dead ones within a short time.  Get steel wool, caulk, etc., and plug every little hole where they can enter.  If you don't exclude, all else is naught.

 

• Keeping things clean inside is also key. 

 

• Conventional snap traps  (e.g., Victor traps) do work very well, with a few key steps.  Use several at once--they're cheap.  I buy the traps in bulk via Amazon and throw them out when they catch a mouse because where I live the mice spread Hantavirus, the Plague, and other awful stuff.  The triggers are too stiff on half or more of the traps in a given batch so mice can often eat the bait without triggering the trap.  I use a needlenose pliers to slightly bend the part of the trigger paddle to make the trap more sensitive, then I re-bait it, re-set it, and nearly always get dead mouse shortly thereafter.  I also put bait inside and underneath the trigger which forces the mice to dig longer/deeper and is more likely to snap the trap.  Use a mix of peanut butter, cheese, shelled sunflower seeds, raisins, etc., on different traps to appeal to different tastes.  Jam the bait in the tiny  trigger tube and make 'em dig to get it out.  On a few traps, I'll wind a bit of butcher's string on the trigger paddle--mice like this string to pad their nests in the fall.  Place the trigger portion of the trap along walls where mice walk.  Space the traps at leas several inches apart so that when one is triggered it doesn't trigger the next one.

I have to be vigilant and re-check to ensure exclusion each fall to keep the mice out and I've been very pleased with the results.

 

I concur with others regarding how awful glue traps are.  Ditto for poison which kills raptor birds.

 

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

18 minutes ago, ericthered said:

I use a needlenose pliers to slightly bend the part of the trigger paddle to make the trap more sensitive, then I re-bait it, re-set it, and nearly always get dead mouse shortly thereafter.  I also put bait inside and underneath the trigger which forces the mice to dig longer/deeper and is more likely to snap the trap.  Use a mix of peanut butter, cheese, shelled sunflower seeds, raisins, etc., on different traps to appeal to different tastes.  Jam the bait in the tiny  trigger tube and make 'em dig to get it out.  On a few traps, I'll wind a bit of butcher's string on the trigger paddle--mice like this string to pad their nests in the fall.  Place the trigger portion of the trap along walls where mice walk.  Space the traps at leas several inches apart so that when one is triggered it doesn't trigger the next one.

 

This almost makes me wish I had mice.

 

Instead: I got this really useful trap...

 

 

You just have to bring the mouse really close to her.  And it should have catnip in it.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

As Victor advises, let them get used to your traps.    Bait several traps without setting them.    Let  your mice enjoy the banquet for a while.   Then rebait and set them.    Whammo....you got yourself a mouse or two;.

 

Repeat as Necessary.  

[heidih]

The last one was a mystery. Going from point A to point B but no logical food destination and !!! no droppings. He was around for at least a month but I could not figure trap setting - totally other brain despite You-tubes. BIL set the snap trap w/ peanut butter set sideways at point where he seemed to come out of wall (teensy hole from garage). Day 2 - snap. Nobody else showed up. Maybe his friends were under the house (we have a basement) but if they are not scuttling bout I am cool. 

[BeeZee]

Tip from my HVAC guy, for those living in suburbia...turn the breaker for the AC off for the winter. The trickle of power creates just a tiny bit of warmth and can attract mice to the opening.