OT: I hate mice

#1

Landlords upstairs are slobs and this is an ooooold house (100 years or so) so we have occasional mice invasions. I hear them upstairs at night sometimes (yecch!) and recently, I found mouse poop in my flour so I placed a trap under the rack where I store oats etc.

I was sitting at my computer and heard a racket coming from the kitchen wondered “what the h is that?” my dog had the glue trap (yes, I use those, the snap traps don’t work!) stuck to his paw and was flailing his paw about trying to remove it. :roflhard: I went to remove the trap from his foot when I saw a mouse stuck to it, covered in dog drool! He had been licking the mouse, I think he thought it was a pet (I’ve had many pet rats in my dog’s lifetime.) hahaha.

Anyway, I got my boyfriend to humanely dispatch the mouse (I don’t let them suffer slowly to death on glue traps.) I’m not phobic in regards to mice but I can’t stand them scurrying about in my home - ick!

Anyway, that’s the second mouse I’ve gotten with the (horrible but effective) glue traps in several months…when I move in with boyfriend, I won’t have this prob anymore…he has a cat. :yay: :cheering:

#2

I can laugh right along!!! When I was little (10ish) I had a cat that got stuck on one of those things. Midnight (so creative:) ) was a hunter and real HUNTER cat and we all ran out side one day when we heard… MEOW slap slap slap MEOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW slap slap slap… Midnight ate the mouse but in the process put his front paw on the trap…poor baby :roflhard:

#3

That is so funny. My sister found a mouse in a trashcan once. It jumped out at her and scared her half do death. She jump and when when came down landed right on it and killed the thing. :happydance:

You can plant catmint (cat nip) around your house, if you have a flower be or garden, to deter mice. Just so ya know. It does spread so putting it in a pot or raised bed would be preferable.

#4

Over the winter, we had a mouse invasion at work (I work at a daycare). One morning one the the boys came running out of the bathroom “There’s an animal in the toilet!” I thought he was just joking, but when I went to look, sure enough, there was a mouse in there. Yuck!!
I never knew that about the catnip, what a good suggestion!

#5

Yup. You can repel mice, and squirrels with Fritillaria imperialis But they smell like skunks so you might repel people too.:wink:

#6

Hmmm, interesting…I’m only here to the end of August so long-term solutions aren’t really required. The way we humanely dispatch the trapped mice is kind of horrific, put mouse + trap in plastic bag, drop large heavy rock on bag. Put bag in garbage.

It’s quick and merciful but yucky. PETA is gonna be all over me, eh? :lol:

#7

I heard of someone’s even more humane method. You put peanut butter in a wine bottle and leave it out for the mouse. They can get in (for the peanut butter!) and can’t get back out. You then take the bottle to the woods and tip it upside down and let the mouse out.

We had a few mice this winter and a few weeks ago I found a pretty good size snake. I think I know what happened to my mice.

#8

The problem is that the species of mouse that usually invade our homes etc is habituated to human settlements and can’t survive in the “wild.” So catch-and-release is of no use, plus the mouse may find someone else’s house to invade. Mice spread all manner of nasty diseases, too.

I’m a confirmed bunny-hugger, but I’m also rational.

The best thing anyone can do is check the perimeter of their house for tiny cracks etc and stuff them with steel wool and get someone to repair the cracks. Our landlords are too lazy/dumb to do that here but I’ll be moving out end of August…