Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

mouse in the oven.


babka

Recommended Posts

my father caught a mouse under an upside-down bucket once.  he tried dragging the bucket from the garage to outside to let the little fella go.  i think you all can guess what happened to the mouse.

Uhm...I'm guessing the mouse kicked the bucket. :wink:

edited to add: Those spring-loaded traps with peanut butter have always worked for me.

Edited by Toliver (log)

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put some poison out for my little mouse. He rummaged around in it yesterday and left me a gift of poop. I'm picking up some incense on my way home tonight, as I imagine he will be meeting his demise soon.

Now, what to do about the squirrel living in my wall? We seem to have a standing date every day at roughly 3:00 AM -- he scratches and thumps around, I fling rubber bands at the wall. 15 seconds of fun. Thank god I'm a nightowl so he's not waking me up with his ruckus. He can't get into the apartment from where he's at, so I'm not terribly worried about it, but he sure is annoying (and freakishly punctual). I just hope he doesn't decide to die in my wall. I don't think any tolerable amount of incense could cover up that smell. :blink:

Sherri A. Jackson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put some poison out for my little mouse.  He rummaged around in it yesterday and left me a gift of poop.  I'm picking up some incense on my way home tonight, as I imagine he will be meeting his demise soon.

Now, what to do about the squirrel living in my wall?  We seem to have a standing date every day at roughly 3:00 AM -- he scratches and thumps around, I fling rubber bands at the wall.  15 seconds of fun.  Thank god I'm a nightowl so he's not waking me up with his ruckus.  He can't get into the apartment from where he's at, so I'm not terribly worried about it, but he sure is annoying (and freakishly punctual).  I just hope he doesn't decide to die in my wall.  I don't think any tolerable amount of incense could cover up that smell. :blink:

I've had recurring problems with squirrels in the ceiling, along with the mice in the house. The most important thing to do is eliminate any sources of entrance. Cut back any trees that overhang the roof. You might need to contact your utility company to have them place anti-squirrel guards on the lines running into your house. And you also need to seal any entrances that the squirrels have made.

I collected a bunch of info that I have in one file from every online source I could find about squirrel problems. I can email it to you if you'd like.

Edited by hillbill (log)
Gustatory illiterati in an illuminati land.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I collected a bunch of info that I have in one file from every online source I could find about squirrel problems.  I can email it to you if you'd like.

That wold be most excellent, thanks! My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in fixing the problem, so if I can do something myself...

Sherri A. Jackson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I collected a bunch of info that I have in one file from every online source I could find about squirrel problems.  I can email it to you if you'd like.

That wold be most excellent, thanks! My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in fixing the problem, so if I can do something myself...

Done! It's very long, mostly it's repitition of the same basic ideas from different sources.

Squirrels in the roof or walls aren't just a nuisance. They can gnaw through insulation of electrical wiring and casue a fire. According to some of the literature I sent to you squirrels are responsible for dozens or hundreds (or many :raz: ) house fires each year. Also they do all sorts of other damage, like destroying insulation.

Edit: Your landlord might have some legal obligation to take care of the problem. At the very least it would be in his/her economic self-interest. You might want to contact your local county or city health or pest-control department.

Edited by hillbill (log)
Gustatory illiterati in an illuminati land.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I collected a bunch of info that I have in one file from every online source I could find about squirrel problems.  I can email it to you if you'd like.

That wold be most excellent, thanks! My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in fixing the problem, so if I can do something myself...

I guess that I should mention that what seems to have solved the problem this time around for me was cutting back all of the trees that were overhanging the house. I've had recurring problems with squirrel infestations in the past and the house owners would seal any holes they found but the squirrels would inevitably return sooner or later. This time around I decided to do a little of my own research (thus the info I collected and sent to you) and presented it to the house owners because I'd been driven insane for the past few months by the squirrel and wanted some more aggressive action taken.

First some trees were cut but I still had the problem. Then I pointed out where there were still trees close to the roofline and they cut those also. Finally about two days later the infernal noise stopped and I haven't been bothered since then, for the first time in months. :wacko:

Edited by hillbill (log)
Gustatory illiterati in an illuminati land.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That wold be most excellent, thanks!  My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in fixing the problem, so if I can do something myself...

I find it helps if you tell your landlord that if they don't take care of it, you'll hire someone and deduct the cost from your rent.

If that doesn't work, take hillbill's suggestion. Call 311 and place a complaint with DCH.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the exact same problem not long ago. Had, that is, until I found this most wonderful innovation: the

ratzapper.

The Ratzapper. Kills mice dead. Oh, and you've got way, way more than one mouse. You'll realize just how many more when you see how often you empty this little beauty.

"All humans are out of their f*cking minds -- every single one of them."

-- Albert Ellis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is hilarious! We had the same problem. We live in a rural area where mice are very plentiful. And we have a LOT of cats.

One day I walked into the kitchen and saw my cat Moonlight sitting on the kitchen counter. She (and I) saw a mouse come out from behind the toaster oven. To my great disappointment, she casually watched the mouse go s-l-o-w-l-e-y right past her little feline nose and back into the stove!

We have one cat who is a ferocious mouser - catches 2-3 a day - but only outdoors, where he leaves them as little presents for us on the back deck.

We tried traps to get rid of the stove mouse, but then always more mice showed up.

The problem was only finally solved when we got a new stove with closed gas burners.

*****

"Did you see what Julia Child did to that chicken?" ... Howard Borden on "Bob Newhart"

*****

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have old-fashioned mice, for which only an old-fashioned snap trap will do.

After mixed success with cheese, bacon and mayo, I read, I think on the SciTech website, about the one bait that mice can't resist: CHOCOLATE. I started using it and caught five in three days. A Hershey bar kept in the fridge has lasted me for several months, and the problem is under control.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is such a bizarre thread.  I'm just waiting for someone to come up with mouse recipes....

Kitty Cocktail

In a cocktail shaker with shaved ice combine 2 parts freshly-squeezed mouse with one part rum and one part simple syrup. Stir, strain, and serve garnished with a sprig of catnip.

Aidan

"Ess! Ess! It's a mitzvah!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both glue traps and poison are inhumane.

Flash! Mice aren't human.

Do you avoid unchlorinated water due to ethical concerns over killing billions of bacteria?

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both glue traps and poison are inhumane.

Flash! Mice aren't human.

Do you avoid unchlorinated water due to ethical concerns over killing billions of bacteria?

Considering I can't see bacteria, I can't magine their reaction to being killed. Mice I can see, and have seen dying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, landlord and his sidekick stopped by yesterday to patch up all the holes in the apt. Turned into an all-day event. Turns out there hardly WAS any wall behind the stove, so he had to re-drywall that part.

He patched up the gaps in the brick walls in my bedroom. When I told him about the squirrel that has made a home in my wall for the past month, he didn't seem to think much of it since it couldn't actually get into the apt. I tried explaining the fire hazard aspect of it, but that didn't phase him (my landlord is a moron, basically).

I have to call him again to come back and fix the kitchen faucet that no longer works since he was tinkering with it yesterday, and when he comes by again, I'll tell him that he either finds out how to keep the squirrel out of my wall, or I'll call every organization in the book to complain about it.

Grrrrrrrrrr. :angry:

Sherri A. Jackson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recipes for Rodents...

Farley Mowatt prefers his lemmings squashed flat on crackers, or puree'd into an arctic gazpacho. See "Never Cry Wolf" for more ideas.

". . . if waters are still, then they can't run at all, deep or shallow."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is such a bizarre thread.  I'm just waiting for someone to come up with mouse recipes....

I've always been a fan of ratatouille...

From my 6 year old son...

Q: What is a cat's favorite dessert?

A: Micecream :biggrin:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...