Mice! And not in a good way

[Sage Cat]

This will be my 3^rd winter in my house. Previous 2 winters – no mice.

About a month ago I realized a mouse had been getting into my bird seed and trying to get into the bun food in my mud room. I cleaned, put bun food in a hard plastic container, tossed the bird food and rearranged the room – moving the bun supplies further away from where I think mice were getting in.

No more mice.

Until Saturday night – saw a mouse on the kitchen floor.

Sunday night – saw a mouse on the Kitchen Counter! Twice!

We saw the mouse run along the counter, into the grate on the top of the stove, come out from under the stove, go under the bottom of the dishwasher and then heard him in the cabinet under the sink. I found mouse poop in the cabinet under the sink – I keep cleaning supplies there – no food. But there are also pipes that go . . . into the wall, to the basement? to outside? I am not sure yet exactly where the pipes go.

Now, I realize people on this forum have mice as pets. But, is is not the same as finding mice poop on your kitchen counter – found a little under the toaster.

 

So, any advice on how to get rid of mice?

 

PS – Kay & Winston have access to half of the kitchen – the side where our table is, not the side where the cabinets are. The buns don’t like to come off the rug on to the tile.

[sally]

Oooo no I’m with you there, domestic pet mice are totally different, you dont know what they could be carrying, as for getting rid, do you know anyone with a cat that you can lend? Not to kill the mice, but they will sniff them out so you will know where they are coming from. Not great advice but just an idea, Unfortuantley my cat has brought in 2 mice in her lifetime, managed to save one of them, the other not so lucky. circle of life is cruel!

[Desma]

I used to live in a farmhouse in Idaho when my girls were little and I used to have fun watching my kitty cat run after all the mice. I used to even be able to catch the mice with my hand!! It freaked out my mother in law. She had never seen a gal so fast to be able to chase and capture mice. I did put them outside as I didn’t have the heart to even kill them. I don’t even like to squash slugs, I am silly that way. I don’t like the idea of poison because of any other pet accidentally getting into it, with kids also, you never know.

[Sage Cat]

Unfortunately, my husband hates cats. I love them. And yes, I did mention that if we had a cat . . .

My house is a rental – the landlord did tell me that the people that lived here before us, had mice in the winter a few times.

When they first showed up a month ago – I did put some bate in the basement. (I really hate killing them) None of it has been touched. I hope this means that they are not living inside – just coming in for the food.

[Deleted User]

It’s the time of year when the mice get into houses lots. I use traps with peanutbutter. It’s terrible but I kill mice. I rented a mice-infested house once and I never want it to get to that point in my own house now. We even had a squirrel come in through a vent hose under our old stove back at home, it was meant to suck out cooking fumes and let them out through a flap on the ouside of the house wall. I saw a squirrel opening the flap and crawl in.
Cats can be efficient but I prefer traps. It isn’t as cruel as being toyed about by a clawed kitty when you think about it.

[Adalaide]

It’s not terrible at all to kill mice. It’s one thing if it’s a pet, but these are evil little house invading rodents that have got to go. I grew up on a farm, so I’m quite used to spending some significant time each fall trapping the house. Also, if you’re not keen on getting up in the morning to to dead mouse finding, get those new traps that keep the mouse inside so you don’t have to see it. We would set about 5-6 traps at a time in our farmhouse, with at least two in the kitchen. Under the sink is fine, as long at the bait smells good the little buggers are in for it. We used cupboards, even ones with food. A dead mouse in the cupboard is one that isn’t eating your food or pooping on your counter.

A mouse once flopped on it’s trap and touched me, I screamed like a 2 year old, threw it and jumped away. I do NOT touch traps if I can see the mouse and yes, I stand on furniture if I see one in the house. Keep in mind, that while highly unlikely, it is possible that a mouse can carry rabies. Fleas would be another horrid thing they could spread in your house. The faster they’re gone, the better. Besides all that, they’re just creepy.

[Deleted User]

Every once in a while I get one mousey that is crafty enough to snatch bait out of all traps and getting away. With peanutbutter for bait I get them the first time I try.

[Sage Cat]

Well, I got some of those enclosed traps – and peanut butter. I hate these things.

I’m hoping my landlord will help me figure out how they are getting in so we can close up the holes!

[Sonn]

The house I live in is a mouse haven! We have mice all year round. If I can catch them I release them far far away from my house but otherwise my stepfather puts out poison but nowhere my animals can get to or I complain until they move it or I move it myself lol. I don’t like poisoning them because I am a huge softy even to the evil rodents but can’t let them take over the house.

[Monkeybun]

So its settled then, we’ll ship you Sonn and Desma to catch the mice for you

[Elrohwen]

No advice really, but I sympathize! I’ve owned rodents for almost 20 years, but having a mouse in my house that doesn’t belong there does freak me out a little bit.

[babybunsmum]

my mom’s old place had a wee mouse problem. it took a lot of investigation to find all the holes outside that they could squeeze through but eventually they found them all and plugged them with steel wool. examples… weeping holes between bricks and gaps where soffit butts up against the brick at mortar joints. they got into the walls this way and then into the kitchen under the kitchen sink where plumbing pipes went through the cabinet. mom also had all the gaps around those pipes sealed off. wild mice are certainly not clean house guests… good luck!

[Kafrn]

Hi! If you are looking for a safe, natural way to get rid of mice, they HATE Peppermint. the higher the menthol in the peppermint, the more they hate it!
If you get some cotton balls and soak them in peppermint oil, it will repel the mice. put the balls around the kitchen, under the oven etc, and they will be out of there before you know it

[babybunsmum]

oooh good to know about the peppermint! repel mice AND your house will smell like a candy cane

[Sage Cat]

Oh, I LOVE the peppermint idea – thanks Kafrn!!!!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Humane traps that kill are OK imho…like the sticky ones-not cool! But obviously the standard mouse trap is OK. They have the trap and release ones too.

Big time-you will want to santize and ensure food is close (Buy tupperware for cereal and stuff) and look for how they got in. Sometimes it’s around plubming? This may help you http://pestcontrolcanada.com/Rodents/mice.htm

My mom found, when they had mice, that the little buggers were eating cigarette butts, and when she looked into it, they like tabacco-soooo if you know any smokers-you could bait traps with that?

[sally]

Well I 100% sympathise with you now , Sasha my lovely cat seems to have gone on a spree! had 3 brought in in the last week, 2 were dead but managed to save yesterdays little thing!

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