My house is under siege...need suggestions.

Every year around the middle to end of November (whenever it gets cold out). I have a mouse or two get in my house.

I prepare for this by ensuring the house is cleaner than normal (I'm already an OCD type clean freak) there's zero food/crumb around. I clean everything in the kitchen thoroughly before & after every meal using hot soapy water with a little bleach. The dogs eat and drink on a schedule so I can witness that no critter is eating their food. The dog food is in a sealed container (not left in a bag) and there's no water anywhere around the house except in the toilets.

I have multiple glue traps, mouse "house" traps & traditional spring loaded traps. I've used various types of cheese, peanut butter, bread & pet food. I have placed said traps in areas I've seen it...going so far as using gloves so I don't leave my "scent" on the traps.

The little bastard has continued to evade all my efforts. I've avoided using any poisonous material (don't want him to die anywhere I can't reach plus I have dogs) and I don't want a cat.

Short of hiring a professional hit man or painting my face up, donning camo & discharging a firearm in my house I can't think of any other way to kill this little bastard. He's starting to get on my nerves.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

So I had them in the winter as well get into my house in Maryland... used traditional traps with peanut with some luck.

The best trap I used was the Orthomax ones... and I had my best luck trapping mice in the garage and the crawl space of the house. Best of luck... they're a huge pain in the ass and god help you if one dies in the walls.

 

Sounds like you need a cat, still cheaper than hiring a professional plus it will continue to help if this problem persist

 

burn it to the ground and start over. its the only way

 

The only way your going to stop them, is to find out where their getting in. Once one gets in, more will come. They leave a scent trail, for others to follow. I have this same problem with my log vacation home. I spend a day or two every fall, looking and sealing an possible spot where the little bastards can get in. It doesn't matter how clean you keep the place, they'll still get in.

 

X2. My traps have not been needed since we brought a cat home 9 years ago.

 

While I cannot speak to there actual effectiveness, my barber swears by those "sonic" anti-pest devices that only they can hear. if not too cold in Mississippi to drive them outdoors, may be worth a try?

 

I have a cat, so....

But, my parents have always had good luck with wiring a gummy bear to the trap and then smearing it with peanut butter to hide the wire.

Beyond that, I'm afraid I can't offer much assistance. My cat has always taken care of any mice that made it into the house in pretty short order.

 

Common problem we have a small green house that was invaded by mice my wife tried all kinds of traps did not do too badly but never got them all I got the last of them with a small bucket of water and floating sunflower seeds.

 

That makes perfect sense, but I never heard of the water and floating sunflower seeds before.

 

http://youtu.be/BebhGuLVDdM

 

Yea, heading to Lowes for some of the Ortho talked about in post #2. And I think I'll look for the sonic device. The cat is still out.

The bucket if water and sunflower seeds is brilliant...very clever.

My parents are here visiting now and yes, my dad did being up the .22. Not gonna happen. After firing out a window of my house & truck in the past my ears are over it. Let alone the clean up and possible repair. My old man is 45 years older than me and he's still wild as hell.

 

Velociraptor. .. they'll eat anything.

 

Joe, I hope you find a remedy for these mice.



If it comes to it, please invite me over and we can kill them with fire.

 

http://youtu.be/o5wxqFQj76U

 

Haha

And the fire, I'm all about burning & blowing shit up!

 

The little buggers only need a hole the size of a dime to invade...I trap them constantly, cheese, peanut butter, little bits of fat, just about anything edible and I will catch them...


prolly 25 per year at least, maybe more, it goes in cycles, like a family moved in, once you get the whole family, then you have maybe another month mouse free, then they come back...keeping everything cleaned up helps a lot...


little buggers....

 

Very common that a couple come inside when the weather gets cold. But I have never had any problems whatsoever with the plain old spring traps. One year we had several coming in and droppings started showing up. We set the trap beside the fridge and caught one for each of the next several nights. Then no more droppings, no more sightings till the next winter.

Are they getting the bait and the trap doesn't spring? Cheese works well because you can soften and mold it around the trigger so it adheres and drys on there. You probably won't even need new bait between catches.

Only guess I can come up with is maybe it's better to have just one or two traps set out in different locations vs many traps. They will find the one trap for sure in my experience. Possibly seeing new devices all over the place is spooking them but that could be a good thing if it keeps them on the outside.

 

Find a female all black cat with gold eyes...My Sheba caught over thirty Central Mexican mice in about that many days... on my sisters horse ranch. Black cats will bring the mice over to you as gifts and proof of their worth. In Mexico Black cats are considered good luck.

 

I have used this method but it was with an empty soda can with peanut butter smeared on it. I used a 5 gallon bucket filled it to about 8 inches below the top put it the corner as the little bastards like to travel along the wall. I put two lathes of wood one from each wall edge up to the top of the bucket. Caught 3 in a week and was done with it, it did take a me a long time to find where they were coming in from. I had a house with a garage attached the wall facing the garage was doubled fire rated dry wall up in the corner they had chewed into it. I sealed the whole top and sides with alum flashing and done. If you have a crawl space the can dig and tunnel up under it too. I had that problem in TX 3' wide roll of galvanized screen all the way around the foundation covered with DE and then decorative rock and stopped the problem there.

Cypher