Mouse problem

[FarmerDavid]

Any one have any advice for someone with a mouse problem? Cats aren't an option due to allergies. Got some with traps but still have a big problem.

[TnAndy]

Decon..............

[deaconjim]

I would venture to guess a black snake is out of the question as well, so the best option would be a single dose bait.

[Sanza]

Rat & mouse killer blocks work very well to control them all and I rarely (once in 10 years) find a dried up mouse in the basement. I throw a few into the attic and cellar and have no problem with mice in the house. We also toss them into the trailers and motorhomes to keep them mouse free.
It has difethialone and says it kills warfarin resistant mice.

[ShastaBea]

I agree decon

[FarmerDavid]

Originally Posted by TnAndy

Decon..............

The dead ones going to smell up the house?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Just One Bite mouse bar bait.

[deaconjim]

Poison is effective, but I would stay away from Decon. Warfarin is the active ingredient, but it takes more than one dose to kill. If the mice eat it once and figure out what is making them sick (which they often do), they will avoid it. Look for a single dose bait.

[meanwhile]

Yes - what deaconjim said. The Dcon will not kill in one feeding. But, some rodents won't eat at the solid chunks. My sons worked at four houses now that had serious rat and mice problems. They used both the solid chunks and Dcon. The Dcon will be eaten, and the chunks just nibbled at. But both work.

Set out more than you think needed. Hide them under things and be sure to put it in the attic and under the house. Check regularly and replace immediately if eaten. If the bait gets old and moldy or wet, they won't eat it.

Good luck. It is annoying and expensive. Once you get rid of them, keep up with it.

[Waterwheel Farm]

I don't use the poisons because of the dogs and cats around, but I've been having really good luck with the live traps that you put bait in, like peanut butter, etc.. It's like a galvanized rectangle box with a clear plastic top so you can just glance and see if you've caught anything. When I first started I was catching 3 or 4 a night out of the chicken pen and shed where I store their food. Now I catch one occasionally, but they really work well. Of course you have to deal with them after you catch them but I just call the dogs before I open the lid and they take care of the dirty business. I got them at Tractor Supply, but I'm sure other similar places have them. Works good if poisons aren't a good option for you.....plus they don't crawl off somewhere and die.

[Allen W]

I use the Victor tin cat traps and bait depending on the situation. I'll also join the anti decon group.

[nehimama]

Couple o' Jack Russell Terrorists.

[MushCreek]

I have trouble with mice in the barn. I wiped out a colony of small ones with glue traps, but the larger deerfoot mice could reach the bait in the middle without getting caught. I went to a bucket trap, which works well, and is free and non-toxic if you have the materials laying around.

Take a 5 gallon bucket. Drill two small holes across the top so you can string a taut wire across. Take a soda can and drill a small hole in each end. It is threaded onto the wire so it spins freely. Put water in the bucket, and smear peanut butter on the can. Take a board to make a ramp so the mice can get to the top of the bucket. They walk up the ramp, jump on to the can, which spins, dropping them in to the water, where they drown.

So far, so good. We'll see what happens as the cold weather starts driving them into the barn again.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I have trouble with mice in the barn. I wiped out a colony of small ones with glue traps, but the larger deerfoot mice could reach the bait in the middle without getting caught. I went to a bucket trap, which works well, and is free and non-toxic if you have the materials laying around.

Take a 5 gallon bucket. Drill two small holes across the top so you can string a taut wire across. Take a soda can and drill a small hole in each end. It is threaded onto the wire so it spins freely. Put water in the bucket, and smear peanut butter on the can. Take a board to make a ramp so the mice can get to the top of the bucket. They walk up the ramp, jump on to the can, which spins, dropping them in to the water, where they drown.

So far, so good. We'll see what happens as the cold weather starts driving them into the barn again.

I agree with MushCreek.....

[Big Dave]

Black king snake. Works every time no dead mice no clean up. They get the message real quick and relly do not come back. Did it here under the house and two days the mice had moved out. Have not seen the snake in two years but I do belive it left a smel or something cause mice will not go under the house. Maybe it is still living there but we do not have a mouse or rodent problem.

[wy_white_wolf]

I've used the bucket trap and had good luck.

I've also used one of these and had better luck. once it catches 1 mouse they seem to attrack more.

[farmmom]

Originally Posted by wy_white_wolf

I've used the bucket trap and had good luck.

I've also used one of these and had better luck. once it catches 1 mouse they seem to attrack more.

I had to lol about the description of that trap. "holding pen until they can be released back into the wild". More like released to run back to your house!

[ralph perrello]

Mix something they like with plaster of paris and put around out of the reach of whom should not have it. Mice and ants eat it and plaster solidifies in their stomach. Mouse in mousie heaven.

[ldsparamedic]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Black king snake. Works every time no dead mice no clean up. They get the message real quick and relly do not come back. Did it here under the house and two days the mice had moved out. Have not seen the snake in two years but I do belive it left a smel or something cause mice will not go under the house. Maybe it is still living there but we do not have a mouse or rodent problem.

When we do snake removals on our fire district, I bring the king snakes back to my place and let them go. In addition to cleaning up the mice, they also will kill and eat rattlesnakes.

[Vosey]

Originally Posted by FarmerDavid

The dead ones going to smell up the house?

I'm in the Decon camp when it's a serious problem, nothing else seems to work as quickly and effectively. Just make sure it's tucked into spots no other animals can get to. Never had a problem with smell, the few we found later were all dehydrated! They usually go outside to find water. Worked for a house infested with mice and a workshop full of rats. And they never came back.