# PLEASE HELP - Mice, Mice, Mice!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!



## Honeybee (Oct 16, 2002)

Oh my goodness has this been a long battle. Every year we battle mice! I don't know where they all come from, but they are driving me nuts and I can't keep up. I also don't know what to use to control them anymore.

I've tried your conventional traps, sometimes they work, most often they take the bate without setting off the trap! I just barely touch the trap and it snaps so not a trap problem I don't think.

I've tried the newer snap traps with even worse results than above. :viking:

I tried glue traps and the mice leave little tiny foot prints all over them, sometimes even hair. Rarely do they stick to them unless it's mid summer and very hot. I think the glue is softer then. :doh:

I gave in and tried poison last year and they paid me back good - one by dieing in my refrigerator motor, one caught in my washing machine belt and last and worse of all one crawled up on top of my dishwasher and died. I discovered that because when I ran a load of dishes my house filled with the smell of dead mouse! I really don't want to go through any of those experiences or cleaning projects again. :grit:

My house situation does not help. We're remodeling/repairing our old house and both the addition and old portion that we'll eventually tear down are not mouse tight. I try really hard to make food unaccessable to them too. 


*Does anyone have a fool proof mouse cure? I'm totally lost as to what to try next.*


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## wildhorse (Oct 22, 2006)

plug all holes with 

Stainless Steel Scrub pads or aluminum foil in the tiny areas to keep them out.


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## Honeybee (Oct 16, 2002)

wildhorse said:


> plug all holes with
> 
> Stainless Steel Scrub pads or aluminum foil in the tiny areas to keep them out.


Thank you. I have tried this and it does work for holes. Our problem now seems to be they are coming from the old part of the house that we will tear down and the are coming in from the ceiling, down through the inside of the wall. I can't wait until this house is finished - Oh will that be a good day! LOL

That seems funny, how would they get in the cieling? Maybe from under the house and they're going to the ceiling? I know there in the walls and the ceiling sometimes.


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## celticfarmgal (Feb 25, 2008)

have ya tried the traps that are plastic and clothes pin like ? ( You squeeze the back to set/empty the trap)
the trick to them is to put the bait ( I use peanut butter) on the underside of the trigger part and squish it up through the X. then they work great I just got a pack directly from Vicktor online and they are catching them like crazy
its a bad year for mice around here


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## Honeybee (Oct 16, 2002)

celticfarmgal said:


> have ya tried the traps that are plastic and clothes pin like ? ( You squeeze the back to set/empty the trap)
> the trick to them is to put the bait ( I use peanut butter) on the underside of the trigger part and squish it up through the X. then they work great I just got a pack directly from Vicktor online and they are catching them like crazy
> its a bad year for mice around here


Yes, we call them snap traps. But I've not tried peanut butter on the underside, good idea. I will try that today. Thank you.


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## celticfarmgal (Feb 25, 2008)

also Mint plants are supposed to discourage mice from hanging around

And if your re-modeling not to get off the subject but I recently discovered the Habitat for Hummanity reStore and am reccommending everyone to check out the one in their area for excellent money saving deals on supplies site for reStore locations in your area here (US and Canada) http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx
I bought a new toilet,a gal of premium paint, some outlet covers,two light fixtures and a new cabinet door for less than $20 and if ya have stuff to get rid of and Craigslist doesn't work then ya can donate it to HFH and get a tax right off


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

celticfarmgal said:


> have ya tried the traps that are plastic and clothes pin like ? ( You squeeze the back to set/empty the trap)
> the trick to them is to put the bait ( I use peanut butter) on the underside of the trigger part and squish it up through the X. then they work great I just got a pack directly from Vicktor online and they are catching them like crazy
> its a bad year for mice around here


those are good. thats what im using to catch the 6 or so mice ive caught already. one ate right through it though.:1pig: i have some mint growing near the foundation. the mice are down the basement. i guess thats not where their coming from im thinking mabey under the deck.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

We've used peanut butter on ours will great success! They can't haul it away like they can with cheese!


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## pinemead (Jan 18, 2003)

Snake in the basement and cat upstairs. Very few mice now. Of course, I don't go in the basement anymore.


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## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

Oh, we went through a horrible time with mice and I finally had to give in to getting a cat...worked like a charm!


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

peanut butter works great. i just put a bit of low fat peanut butter on the plastic traps and they keep falling for it. it's a way for me to get rid of my yucky low fat peanut butter.


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

My aunt keeps a large black snake on her porch to keep the nasty things at bay. He's tame as can be and quite the hard worker. 

Now, my dad... he fights rats on his back porch. Snap traps, they laugh at. Poison, gross. Sticky traps... yeah right. Shepherd/husky mix who thinks they are the best toys on God's green earth? Problem solved.


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## hiswife (May 30, 2008)

I'm not a cat fan but they are worth 100 times their weight in gold as far as getting rid of/discouraging mice.


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## Selena (Jun 25, 2005)

Are you buying Victor brand mouse traps? IMHO, the other brands are inferior to Victor. And I concur with getting a cat, just a generic mouser is all you need. Got any friends who have a cat who'd like to come visit for a spell? Our dog also catches mice.


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## Sully (Feb 29, 2008)

Peppermint oil from health store $10. Bag of cotton balls. Put a bit of oil on cotton balls and throw them in every corner, under every cupboard, and behind every appliance. Nice smelling for a day, then you can't smell them anymore. 
Something about peppermint oil screws with the mouses nervous system and they split.
I have every kind of mouse trap invented in the last 20 years...don't need them anymore. No more mice.
Cleaning day gets the cotton balls vacumned up and fresh put down. Use oil sparingly. A 4oz. bottle lasts me a year or more.

Good luck,


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## blacksmithtech (Oct 11, 2007)

anyone mention 5 gal bucket trap?

I use that in the shop and it kills a boatload of 'em - use anti freeze in the winter so it doesn't freeze.

good luck


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## Lynn Bodoni (Feb 10, 2008)

Peanut butter is the best bait because it isn't a solid, like a piece of cheese. It can't be carried off all at once. It's also fairly strong smelling, which attracts the mice.

Personally, I prefer cats, but I'm cat crazy.


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Get a small terrier type dog. They are bred for hunting vermin. Ever see a jack russel go after a hamster? Turn one loose in the house while you work and watch him get those little sons of guns. It's fun to watch, just because the dog gets so excited when he finds one. AND, once the mice learn that he's there, they will stop coming in. However, you've probably got nests full of babys in that older section of the house. You'll be needing a ferret for those.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I have some kittens you could look at. Their mother has been bringing them mice and you should see the little guys go after them! I not only don't have mice, I have nothing larger then a cricket come in my house and sometimes they hunt the houseflies for fun.

If you prefer dogs, Ninn is right on about the terriers. I once saw a jack russell stand over a hole for 4 hours. The rat had only two ways out and Champers had them both covered. Stand isn't exactly the word, more like bouncing between the two openings, growling and trying to dig his way in. He was there when I came and there when I left and I have no doubt he got it.


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## Windy_jem (Feb 19, 2006)

Wanna borrow my pet snakes? lol

I hope you figure this out soon...


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## MaryB (Jul 6, 2008)

I definately vote for the CAT. I dont care for them a whole lot, but my goodness, they came in here and swiped the place clean!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Another vote for cats here.  I'd definitely give the peppermint a try, too, if I was still having mouse problems where the cats couldn't reach.


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## sewsilly (May 16, 2004)

I live in an 100+ year old house... a big old farm house... it's a 'two cat' sized house... two inside and two outside... sounds drastic, but no mice at all. We once had a cat who put the caught mice in the toilet... and sat and watched them swim... made for some odd adventures in the middle of the night. 

I tried all the other things... Here, mouse free with cats for 25 years.

dawn


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## debik70 (Jun 25, 2008)

We had a horrible time with mice and we tried everything. The only thing that worked was getting a cat. The only downfall is I have to take Zyrtec everyday so I can live in my own house.lol But I can make due considering there are no more mice.


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## ZMTmom (Jan 30, 2008)

Cats here too...I've never even seen a mouse around here(except outside, so I know they're around). I think they SMELL the cats and don't even bother coming in.


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## Candace (Jan 14, 2008)

We have two inside cats. One doesn't have a clue. The other one doesn't catch the mice but she tells us where they are by staring at the location. That's how we figured out where the mice were getting in. We also have an old farmhouse (1875) and it's easy for them to get in. The place came with a cat who works very hard at keeping them at bay but the ones he misses, we use the inside "pointer" to let us know where to put the traps. We use the snap traps and also put peanut butter put way back inside the trap so they have to stick their little head in there to get it. I use the natural peanut butter because it is runny and there is no chance of them grabbing a chunk and running off. LOVE the peppermint idea and am going to give that a try soon also. Just like when it gets cold the little darlings come inside, seems like they do the same in the heat to get to where it's cooler. You're probably already doing this but I put everything in a container. Dishes are always done at night, pet food taken up from the kitchen floor and the garbage has a top. If they're going to steal my food, they're going to have to work at it. So far, we've been able to nip it in the bud. Good luck and let us know what finally works for you!


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## naturewoman (Nov 12, 2002)

The only mice I have in my house are the ones the cats bring in and accidentally let loose in the house. They don't last long Within a day or two at most they are caught again. A good mouser cat or small rat terrier or other rodent catching terrier is priceless. I have a terrier lab mix who catches gophers and rodents when we go for walks. She can hear the tiniest noise and just goes right to them. But at home the cats are the best. I was overrun with rodents (mostly chipmunks, which I loved but were very destructive) until I got my cats and now not a bit of trouble. But I love cats and dogs. Ferrets are good mousers too, but they can be a bit smellier than a cat.


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## Lynn Bodoni (Feb 10, 2008)

ZMTmom said:


> Cats here too...I've never even seen a mouse around here(except outside, so I know they're around). I think they SMELL the cats and don't even bother coming in.


 Yes, the mice do smell cats and avoid any place that smells of cats. Our cats are actually pretty disappointed about this. :benice: :croc:


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## Steffiej (Jul 7, 2007)

Same here, I have 3 cats, and I've never seen a mouse where I live. Cats aren't my favorite animal, but I'll take them over mice anyday!


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## naturewoman (Nov 12, 2002)

If you do choose to get a cat, make sure it's a country cat, not a city-raised indoor cat who may not have any experience with mousing. I have a few cats who are totally hopeless as hunters. One rescue who was raised as a kitten in an apartment and never allowed to go outside, is my worst. He'd probably run away from a mouse.


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

I ditto the cat solution. When we first moved into our house two years ago, we had mice. They had gotten in during construction. Once we moved in with the cat, no more mice in the house. Well, two tried but, as my father would have said, "The Lord called them home early."  Our cat stays upstairs during the day (away from the dog), then has the run of the house all night.

You don't need to know this, but I think it's interesting. Our cat's mother lives with DH's brother and I've seen her jump head high (over 5 feet) and snatch a bird out of the air. 

Good luck finding something that works for you!

BlueberryChick


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## fellini123 (Feb 2, 2003)

We have the same problems. We have an outdoor/barn cat and she does her job well. BUT we cant have a house cat both me and DH are terrible allergic. Me to the point of hospitalization when around a cat.
I am going to try the peanut butter and see if that works better than cheese we are using now!! LOL

Alice in Virginia


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