How do I get rid of MICE??

[tinda]

Three weeks ago I moved into a double-wide trailer that is sitting on a full basement. The place is over run with mice

I have a cat so poison is out of the question. She has led a sheltered life and thinks these are her new friends!

I am so scared of the haunta virus ( from mouse droppings) Two women died recently from it -- sweeping droppings out of a garage. I know to spray everything with a bleach solution, sweep up, don't vacuum, and wear a dust mask when doing it.

But -- any ideas of getting rid of the mice would be appreciated.

A very hungry cat or two will solve this problem.

[Rockin'B]

if you can't put Dcon out, you will need to buy a zillion traps and a jar of peanut butter

[susieM]

Mousie glue...put a circle of this on a piece of cardboard and put a dollop of peanut butter in the center. Whack the stuck ones with a stick.

Balance a paint roller on a bucket, smear some peanut butter onto the roller. Put a cardboard tube or a piece of wood up to the roller (don't block the rolling action). Mouse goes up, rolls off roller into the bucket. Water in bucket optional.

[tinda]

I should have mentioned that I have traps loaded with p.butter.which didn't even faze them. I also have one of those battery run traps that electrocutes them. So far the only thing i caught was a big bug. I have one of those ultrasonic things that emits a high pitched noise they can't stand and that seems to be working.

I like the idea of drowning thr little buggers.
Thanks for the input.

tinda

[Pink_Carnation]

They will get used to the ultrasonic things even the ones that change frequency.

I didn't have any luck but one thing I saw suggested elsewhere was a bucket with smooth clean sides, 6 inches of water, fruitloops floating on top, and a ramp for them to walk up. Some people even sprinkled some grated cheese on it so they knew if anything had fallen in.

[Jillis]

I would certainly use both poison baits and glue traps. They have these other traps that the mouse goes in and it snaps shut, killing them instantly and shutting all the mess inside the trap.
You must put the traps along the baseboards of the walls and in cabinets where you hear or see signs of rodent activity.
Mice carry disease and also start fires by chewing on wires.
Put the poison baits in places your cat cannot access. Put them in your cabinets and in your furnace room. Use hook latches and child saftey latches if you need to. The poison will definitely do the best job.
I hate the glue traps because the mouse is usually still alive when you find it and it is very cruel. But to protect my family I will do what I have to. I found that a combination of poison and glue traps with a Hershey's kiss dabbed in peanut butter set in the middle eliminates the mouse situation---especially if the Hanta virus is in your area.

[Obser]

The limiting factor in solving the problem of being overrun with mice is presence of a cat that does not kill mice but by its presence prevents use of poison. Two of the most effective solutions, cat control and Decon control, are thereby eliminated. Replacing the cat or adding one that is a good "mouser" would probably solve the problem -- or make friends with the mice and happily share your dwelling with them.

[HermitJohn]

I can vouch that either poison or 14 cats will do the trick. Its a gamble with the poison and pet around, but back when I just had one elderly cat that would catch a mouse now and again, I finally used poison to good effect. She wasnt interested in sick or already dead mice since she is well fed and wasnt interested in the poison itself. Worst hassle is if mouse dies in wall or something. Get rather nasty odor for couple weeks until it dries up.

As to my 14 cats, very competitive with each other, well except the elderly one, not only not a mouse in the house but not any anywhere near the house. Dont see snakes either since they are mainly around for mice and rats.

[turtlehead]

Put mothballs out wherever the mice are - put them liberally wherever you think mice might be entering or where you know they hang out. It will stink up your house but mice don't like it either and they'll quit coming around.

We had mice and I put mothballs down a hole in the cabinets under our sink where the plumbing went down thorugh the bottom of the cabinets. I also put mothballs in the crawl space under the house and up in the attic. I used 3 big boxes of mothballs. The mice went away.

This is a temporary solution but not too difficult to maintain. Our mice stayed gone for about 7 or 8 months and I just heard one in the attic last week. I need to remember to put more mothballs out in the attic and probably under the house, before they start moving in again. That way I won't have to smell the mothballs again

[MullersLaneFarm]

We had rat problems out in the barn - with cats (and mice-loving poultry) I was afraid of poison. We used it though (where the cats & birds couldn't get at it). Happy to say, no more rats and we didn't lose any critters because of eating poisoned rats.

I vote for poison

[wy_white_wolf]

I've had decient luck with one of these:

Mechanical mouse trap

Caught 14 in 1 night so it will help thin them out a little.

[Cabin Fever]

Make yourself a homemade mouse trap as follows:

1. Drill two 1" holes near the top of a 5-gallon pail

2. Remove the label and both ends out of a metal soup can.

3. Place a 1" wood dowel rod thru the soup can and thru the holes you drilled in the 5-gallon pail.

4. Fill the pail 1/2 full of water

5. Smear peanut butter on the center of the soup can.

6. Place a board or stick from the floor to the edge of the 5-gallon pail.

Here's what happens: The mouse will walk up the wood ramp you made to the top edge of the bucket. He will then venture out on to the dowel rod to get the peanut butter. When he steps on to the soup can, the can will turn and dump the mouse into the water filled bucket. The mouse will drown. When you wake up in the morning, the bucket will be full of dead mice.

[james dilley]

Try this Sprinkle flour around the inside walls. And that way you can see where they are getting in at, And running. Around.. Then you get P V C pipe and put the poison inside if the pipe. about 18" inside. that way the critters .Or kids can't get to it very easy.. Now if you were in the states I would Rent you A rat Cat. His most favotie thing to do is KILL rats/Mice.. He does A good job too.

[SquashNut]

First tie a string around the part of the mouse trap that holds the bait (if it is the metal kind). Then switch to margarine for bait. the mouse will pull on the string and set it off. The margerine does not ball up like the peanut butter so they cann't steal it.
We use the yellow plastic and wood traps they seem to work better.

[Bitsy-Bet]

I saw an article about putting steel wool around all the openings such as pipes or wires that would put holes in walls or floors to prevent them from coming up into the house in those areas or in the cracks in a basement wall or foundation. You might try putting "GOLD BAR" rat and mice poison under the cupboards where kids and pets can't go. Only once or twice should take care of the problem. Then vacuum under the cupboards carefully to get any leftover yuck.

[Gideon]

Poison the heck out of them. I use the little green pellets available at farm supply stores. Have never had a sick cat because of them. Feed the cat well and she will not bother the dying rodents. Go outside your home and check for mouse runs around buildings, rubble,embankments,high grass,etc. Eliminate their hidey holes and they will go elsewhere. If you live in a large city ask the enviormental dept(rat control)for an inspection,hints,and free rat poison. Rat shot in your 22 and patience will take care of some on the outside. Get you a half wild cat for the outside and the rats will disappear soon. And you will have a fat cat that you do not have to feed. Gideon

[Hammer4]

Don't use poison, they will crawl into little holes and up in your walls and ceiling and die...and stink after that. The previous owners of our house used poison, we found little mice corpses on top of the old dishwasher, on top of the oven but under the burners, you name it. God only knows how many crawled in the walls to die.

Get some traps, put peanut butter, and push the baited end of the trap up against the wall, baseboard, under the sink, whatever.

Mice travel along the junction of the wall and the floor mostly. Put the baited end of the traps right up against those areas, and start checking them regularly. When we moved into our house, we had quite a mouse problem. We put traps out positioned like I described above, caught about a dozen mice over a week, then no more problems. We keep traps in place year round now, still catch the occasional mouse, but not very often at all.

I like the newer style gray plastic traps, easier to bait and set.

[PLPP]

We have a 5 ft boa we can send you

Good luck with the critters

[Windy in Kansas]

How soon we forget. A post on here ages ago told of scattering drops of peppermint extract about inside and around the perimeter of the home, in basement, etc. Mice don't like the smell and will vacate.

I recommended it after reading it here and have found no one that it hasn't worked for.

Two or three bottles of the peppermint extract should set you back no more than $10 and hopefully much less. Just remember to renew the odor every so often.