mouse in the oven.

[beans]

I think it has been almost 2 years since the last mouse sighting, but my mouser, she still sits an stares at the oven, just hoping.

[Mabelline]

Oh My God!!! Mine sit and stare at me!!!

[elyse]

[elyse]

I relocated for the afternoon to let the mouse have its sabbath while I had mine.

I sat outdoors at a Greek deli where, while reading the paper, I watched two 8-year-old boys claim the table beside me while clutching one ice-cream cone, one 7-11 slurpee, one plastic sack filled with 7-11 candy, one large sack of Doritos "Cool Ranch" potato chips, and, leaving the booty on the table for a moment, place an order for a large fries.

Then they ate it.

All of it.

Make it Spicier Nacho, and I'm there.

I decided that my stomach could better handle the concept of a mouse in my kitchen, and that my hips could certainly handle a baklava first.

Many thanks for the suggestions and then some.  I think I'm going to try the humane trap on top of the stove--haven't had much luck in the past with it, but since I know where the good guest is living, and since he will continue to live after devouring the peanut butter I'll deliver for him, it seems like the best option.

Good woman. Er... woman?

[picaman]

I must have the three most incompetent cats on the planet. I came home a few months ago and found a dead mouse in the middle of the living room. Completely untouched and intact, with all three cats asleep and oblivious in various other parts of the apartment.

I'm convinced that the mouse found it a perfectly safe place to lay down and die of old age.

Jamie

[Mabelline]

After seriously studying everyone's suggestions, I think I have it. Get a humane trap: bait with some of your best fine food~something the in-laws don't even get: place it on the stove: grab the bottle and go to bed. The bottle is the necessary part. Best of wishes and much luck.

[beans]

I must have the three most incompetent cats on the planet.  I came home a few months ago and found a dead mouse in the middle of the living room.  Completely untouched and intact, with all three cats asleep and oblivious in various other parts of the apartment. 

I'm convinced that the mouse found it a perfectly safe place to lay down and die of old age.

Jamie

[babka]

I decided that my stomach could better handle the concept of a mouse in my kitchen, and that my hips could certainly handle a baklava first.

Many thanks for the suggestions and then some.  I think I'm going to try the humane trap on top of the stove--haven't had much luck in the past with it, but since I know where the good guest is living, and since he will continue to live after devouring the peanut butter I'll deliver for him, it seems like the best option.

Good woman. Er... woman?

according to the hips...yep.

I once--ONCE!--pulled a girly-girl on a dead mouse. I was running very, very late for dinner, with ten guests arriving in two hours. I arrived home with bags and bags of groceries and started to pile them onto a chair when I saw him. He had decided, in his old age, that the ancient trap was beneath his dignity, and so he had chosen to exit this world beneath my dining room table instead.

Maybe if I hadn't had guests arriving and four courses to prepare...maybe if my friend the carpenter had been home when I called...maybe if it hadn't passed beneath the table...

But since those maybies weren't options, I dropped the bags on the sofa and ran across the hallway to knock on my brand-new neighbor's door. We hadn't had a chance to properly meet yet, but I did introduce myself as his neighbor before inquiring as to how he felt about dead mice.

He stepped back a bit from the door.

Dead mice? he asked.

I explained. I felt more than a bit self-conscious but was somewhat reassured in the knowledge that, at that moment in time, it was either get help or lose my tenous grip on sanity altogether.

He gulped, said Okay, and came over with a broom, dustpan, and box in hand. He cleaned it up while I hovered in the far corner of the living room.

A month later, over several scotches, he said that he was rarely called upon for vermin duties for damsels in distress. He rather considered that rarity to be quite the perk of being a gay man.

[elyse]

I actually had a silly mouse moment about a month ago. I was in my bread class, and my teacher had asked me to bang out the willow baskets (for proving the bread). Anyway, I wacked out the first two, then the third one I separated had a mouse in it. I was holding it. I yelped, dropped it, and lost track of the mouse. Jeez, was that a fright. I don't mind mice and all, over there. When I'm holding it and it's scurrying away from my hand and it's a surprise... that I can do without. I suppose I'm lucky I didn't flip it into my cleavage.

On a related note, around very west 82nd-83rd streets, I am seeing many squashed dead rats. Like four today? On 82nd. One on 83rd. Not so bad, but I keep nearly riding my bike over them.

[fifi]

I suppose I'm lucky I didn't flip it into my cleavage.

The visual on that one got me!

[sherribabee]

I found a mouse in my stove this past spring. I bought the little sonic thingies and plugged them into every available outlet in the apartment. Didn't work. In fact, I'm willing to bet that it actually attracts mice.

I bought a few snap traps and loaded them with peanut butter. The little bugger managed to eat all the peanut butter without setting off the traps.

I made a carpet of glue traps surrounding a sack of poison. The little fella managed to lay himself a carpet of dustbunnies to walk across to get to the poison. If he hadn't eaten all the poison, I think I wouldn've asked him to stick around and balance my checkbook. He was a smart little guy. A week later there was noxious evidence as to his demise.

I just spotted a mouse poop in the kitchen near the stove, so I think the next generation has moved in. Gotta go buy more poison tomorrow. I doubt I'll sleep well tonight.

Edited November 3, 2003 by sherribabee (log)

[msfurious1]

Regarding those glue traps~~

~~Someone told me that the little buggers will gnaw off their own limbs to escape them.

[elyse]

Regarding those glue traps~~

~~Someone told me that the little buggers will gnaw off their own limbs to escape them.

Yes, that's how horrible they are, and how desparate the mouse is to get away from them.

You can release a mouse from them though by dripping cooking oil on the stuck parts. Then they can be released, hopefully.

I mean released away from the house after being released from the glue.

Edited November 3, 2003 by elyse (log)

[tommy]

someone just rang my doorbell, and then i heard a knock on a window. i was tempted to try peanut butter, but decided my 6 inch all-clad skillet might work better. i'll report back on the outcome. it should be painless and quick.

[sherribabee]

someone just rang my doorbell, and then i heard a knock on a window.  i was tempted to try peanut butter, but decided my 6 inch all-clad skillet might work better.  i'll report back on the outcome.  it should be painless and quick.

Yeah, but you gotta catch 'em first. They're fast little suckers.

[bloviatrix]

Our gorgeous, statuesque hostess used to unhesitantly drive her heel down onto them.

Finally, I know the true purpose of high heels.

[davidthomas8779]

This is pretty entertaining reading, have to say.  Bourdain, that hostess sounds like she would make serious cash in the dominatrix business...  I'm a bit in awe.

You're in awe because you're in the dominatrix business and aren't making much money?

To be on topic, I've had a recent rat issue. We solved it with snap traps and peanut butter. No more rat issue (although it took a week to kill all those dumb rats--you'd think that they would be smarter than to keep returning to the same place to eat peanut butter when their buddy had his neck snapped, but apparently not)

[Rachel Perlow]

My ideas:

1. Drop the mouse into a freezer bag. Toss in the fridge. When you find more mice, toss them in this bag too. When you have enough, make some stock.

2. Toss it alive into a FoodSaver bag. Suck the air out of it.

1. lol

2. I recommend using a cannister instead of the bag; same loss of oxygen without the smooshing.

[Jason Perlow]

It doesn't come that easily to me. What's your preferred method of termination?

Do something really horrible. Force feed it a Bayless BK sandwich.

[tommy]

we need an eGCI course. this is interesting. some of this sounds good. mmmm. thai food. a nice bubbly wine would go nicely with this.

Edited November 3, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

mmmm.  thai food.

A Cook's Tour, Season III: Episode IV. "Return to Chiang Mai"

ANNOUNCER/NARRATOR

"What Mr. Bourdain DOESN'T know is that we've changed his regular Thai street satay with grilled rats on a stick!"

BOURDAIN:

Mmmm. Yummy. Deep fried goodness. Now all I need is a bottle Sriracha sauce, a carton Marlboros and a six pack of Singha! I'm in heaven!

[tommy]

mmmm.  thai food.

A Cook's Tour, Season III: Episode IV. "Return to Chiang Mai"

ANNOUNCER/NARRATOR

"What Mr. Bourdain DOESN'T know is that we've changed his regular Thai street satay with grilled rats on a stick!"

BOURDAIN:

Mmmm. Yummy. Deep fried goodness. Now all I need is a bottle Sriracha sauce, a carton Marlboros and a six pack of Singha! I'm in heaven!

i urge everyone to click on the images in that link to enlarge them.

[Jason Perlow]

What was that episode where Tony was in thailand or cambodia or something and he stops by some village in the middle of nowhere to partake in some feast in his honor? Hmmmm.....

[elyse]

mmmm.  thai food.

A Cook's Tour, Season III: Episode IV. "Return to Chiang Mai"

ANNOUNCER/NARRATOR

"What Mr. Bourdain DOESN'T know is that we've changed his regular Thai street satay with grilled rats on a stick!"

BOURDAIN:

Mmmm. Yummy. Deep fried goodness. Now all I need is a bottle Sriracha sauce, a carton Marlboros and a six pack of Singha! I'm in heaven!

i urge everyone to click on the images in that link to enlarge them.

Dija haveta?

[Schneier]

It doesn't come that easily to me. What's your preferred method of termination?

Do something really horrible. Force feed it a Bayless BK sandwich.

Now that's thinking outside the box.