How to keep mice and rats OUT (different issue)

lonelyfarmgirl · #1 02/24/12, 06:07 PM

I didn't want to hijack the other thread about mice, because my issue is a bit different. We are packing some non-essentials to prepare our farm for showing. My only option for a place to put all the things we must remove are either in a barn or in the old house at the new farm that we will be tearing down. I think the risk is good that mice or rats may decide to investigate our belongings.

What can I do to prevent this?
surround the pile of boxes and bags with a circle of traps? (ever see the movie mouse hunt?)
layer our extra linens in sheets of poison?
wash everything in peppermint oil so when we finally do get there and get stuff unpacked we reek of chewing gum for months afterwards?
moth balls? (I think I would puke)

I know there are mice, or were mice in that old house because after we bought the place and went a snooping, we discovered the insulation in the attic actually IS mouse poop!

Chief Cook · #2 02/24/12, 06:20 PM

Sorry to make you gag, but moth balls scattered all around and between your boxes are a pretty good deterant. I know they work on mice, but I don't know if anything short of a quick shotgun will work on rats. Good luck!

Old Vet · #3 02/24/12, 09:16 PM

The only way to remove the mice and rats is to remove anything they can use for food. Any other method will have to be something like moth balls or poison. Neither one is completely effective 100% of the time but they work on most of the problems. If you store it in large plastic containers or even wood containers it will help once it is sealed. I stored fabric in Cardboard barrels for 10 years and nothing got in to it.

lonelyfarmgirl · #4 02/24/12, 09:57 PM

We've been down the mothball road. They don't work. DH put some in and around the engine of a riding mower he stored in the barn. They climbed into the wiring harness and built a nest in the mothballs.

My friend suggested rubbermaid tubs, but they would be awful costly. I am going to see if I can get them somewhere in bulk.

Blackbear · #5 02/24/12, 10:12 PM

fox pee helped deter mice, not perfect solution but it helps.They make rodent repellants

Allen W · #6 02/25/12, 09:47 AM

Maybe make a ply wood lid for a water tank if you have a smaller one or two you could get inside. Or just nail up a couple of big ply wood boxes, probably not any cheaper then totes but you could reuse the ply wood later.

gobug · #7 02/25/12, 10:55 AM

Close the mouse doors. Eliminate their food supply. Otherwise, you are signing up for ongoing warfare against mouse infestations. A mouse only needs 1/4 inch gap to go through at a run. It only needs a nickle sized hole. Rats need a water supply, but not mice.

These suggestions also apply to personal belongings that you will be storing.

lonelyfarmgirl · #8 02/25/12, 11:32 AM

there is no food supply, but that really doesn't matter. linens are attractive for nesting purposes. the glue and varnish on nic-nacs and picture frames attract mice also.

I've been searching, and kmart has 20 gallon american made plastic totes with snap lids for 4$ each plus free shipping. I think I am just going to order some of those and avoid the cardboard boxes all together.
but that still doesn't solve the problem of the furniture we need to store. Alas, mice love to eat cushions.

oneokie · #9 02/25/12, 10:22 PM

Snakes or skunks. Both like a diet of mice and rats.

lonelyfarmgirl · #10 02/25/12, 10:38 PM

I don't think I will be inviting skunks in to guard my things. Snakes, no good there either. The only ones here are little grass snakes. I think its too cold for any more than that. Boy would I love to have a big black or two around here.

parttime · #11 02/26/12, 07:14 AM

Not sure about rats, but ground black pepper works great and also shaved up Irish Spring soap flakes work as well, also if you have electricity the plug in ultra sonic deterrents have worked for me the last 10 years in the house. I use the black pepper to keep them out of my cars, I pepper it into the carpets and engine\cowl area. The ultra sounds plug ins are made by Sun Beam and Black and Decker brands. I purchased them at WalMart.

Dave

nebula5 · #12 02/26/12, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

there is no food supply, but that really doesn't matter. linens are attractive for nesting purposes. the glue and varnish on nic-nacs and picture frames attract mice also.

I've been searching, and kmart has 20 gallon american made plastic totes with snap lids for 4$ each plus free shipping. I think I am just going to order some of those and avoid the cardboard boxes all together.
but that still doesn't solve the problem of the furniture we need to store. Alas, mice love to eat cushions.

Rats can chew through plastic. Metal trash cans would be safer for food.

gobug · #13 02/26/12, 07:45 AM

"no food" but mice there suggests to me that the doors are still open for them
a house mouse will live it's life out in an 8 foot circle if it has food
a deer mouse wants a couple acres to roam, even if food is nearby and abundant
there are many many species of mice
there are many many mouse predators, but mice are still abundant
I agree with Nebula, use metal cans, not plastic

lonelyfarmgirl · #14 02/26/12, 09:32 AM

I never said anything about food. I'm talking non-essentials. Nic nacs, linens extra furniture, kitchenware, books, etc.. I also don't really know if there are still rodents in the old house. It has been empty for at least a year, but if I put things in there, food or not that smell like fresh people, I am sure they will come investigate.

nebula5 · #15 02/26/12, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

I never said anything about food. I'm talking non-essentials. Nic nacs, linens extra furniture, kitchenware, books, etc..

Sorry, my mistake.
Maybe the plastic would work out. Depends on how curious your rodent guests are! Anything that is precious to you I would still bag up and put in a metal can.

Willowynd · #16 02/26/12, 06:40 PM

Peppermint oil- not extract...rats and mice do not like the scent. Helped me to gain hold of the rat issues I was having in my coops/rabbitry along with removing all feed and storing that in the house (except what we fed the rabbits in thier hoppers). Has been 4 months and no signs of rats. No mice back either...though I am kinda hoping to see mice as the last time I saw them was before we got rats....rats move into an area and mice move out. The mice did not bother me so much.