Mouse in the House..more like mice in the hice

Steely_Gunz

Steely_Gunz

Got the Khukuri fevah
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OK, I have a dilemma, and I need some expert advice.

My brand new freshly renovated place of business has been taken over by mice:eek: We never had a real problem with them in years past, but i suspect that all the construction left numerous holes for them to get in and bed down before the place was sealed shut.

They are driving me nuts. I can hear them scamper across the ceiling tiles. It's driving the dog nuts because he is part terrier. I came back in this past monday to find a plethora of "mouse cookies" scattered across my desk and the honor system snack box has been ransacked.

I have removed all the food i can think of for them to find, I have set "no kill" traps where I catch the little buggers and dump them out in the field a ways down the road (caught 5 so far).

Any ideas? I hate to kill them if I don't have to. I know they are just trying to eek out a living. HOWEVER, I'm not beyond taking it to the next level. Also, i refuse to use glue traps. Those are just mean as hell. Another thing I don't want is a bunch of rotting mouse corpses in my ceiling tiles.

Grrrr I hate meeces to peaces!:grumpy:
 
I think the non-lethal traps are the way to go. I generally feed the ones I catch to my snakes. I agree 100% on glue traps. If you're gonna kill something do it quickly. Sounds to me like you're doing all you can short of releasing a yellow rat snake into the building.
 
+2 on the glue traps. Grr, they are about the most inhumane thing I've ever seen. :grumpy:

Remember that, although your meeces are just trying to eke out a living, a lot of animals that eat mice need to eke out a living as well. ;) Meow?
 
Steely_Gunz said:
We never had a real problem with them in years past, but i suspect that all the construction left numerous holes for them to get in and bed down before the place was sealed shut.
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Are you sure the place was sealed shut? Have you double checked? Has the dog double checked? If they're pooping, they're eating. If you aren't feeding them, they're dining out.
 
Make sure your neighbors know that you are having a problem. Also, there is only so much humane stuff a guy can do. Mice are breeding machines.

My mom works at a gerocery store and their problem is their neighbors. The store pays big bucks to professionals exterminators, and their neighbors dont care.

So as soon as the issue gets undercontrol, another pack of rats moves in next door and it is back to the same routine.

BTW, the local health inspector was REALLY impressed with the store, the exterminator, and the professionalism of everyone involved. He said that he had never seen any one store do so much to get rid of a problem. Normally the store at hand just trys to cover up the problem.

Also, according to the Health Inspector all gerocery stores have this problem. Just that some are more mindful of it than others.
 
i have plans for a trap that once you set it up, you only have to dump out the (live) or dead mice if you add water and maybe change to fresh bait. all you need is a 5 gallon bucket and a piece of 1/4" plywood big enough to make a disc to fit just inside the lip of the bucket. i can send you the plans if you like.
 
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Thanks for the reply guys:) I would really, really, really prefer to get rid of them the natural way. Like a lot of you, i don't mind them completing the circle of life. I just hate to "waste" them on a trap or poison bate.

I'm thinking about getting a corn/rat snake to release into the ceiling. A couple of problems with that that I foresee: Once I let the snake loose, how do i get it back. Will it just mosey away once it's done if I give it clearance. Also, how warm will i have to keep the building for it to not just curl up and go to sleep? Heat costs money and I keep this place right around 62 degrees max. Finally, my wife is absolutely phobic of snakes. Her dad instilled such fear into her, so if she finds out there is a snake crawling around she might not come in the building again. not a big deal, but i would like for her to bring me lunch from time to time:p

As far as a cat goes. I would be willing to clean up after one (both liter box and mouse guts). However, it would take some convincing to the powers that be (my dad and uncle) who automatically think "cat piss" when they hear about an indoor feline. My wife is also allergic (although she is taking allergy shots to get over it. she loves cats). Maybe i can go adopt one from the humane society and say it was a stray:p

Are there any animals or animal smells that might drive them off? There were supposedly rats in my apartment building that I used to live in. The next door neighbors used to complain about them all the time. However, i never had any problems. I was told that they might have smelt my ferret and steered clear. Thing there is any truth to that? My old ferret would have loved to have gotten the go ahead to run around in the ceiling...not to kill mice mind you. He just liked to get into stuff:D
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Thanks for the reply guys:) I would really, really, really prefer to get rid of them the natural way. Like a lot of you, i don't mind them completing the circle of life. I just hate to "waste" them on a trap or poison bate.

I'm thinking about getting a corn/rat snake to release into the ceiling. A couple of problems with that that I foresee: Once I let the snake loose, how do i get it back. Will it just mosey away once it's done if I give it clearance. Also, how warm will i have to keep the building for it to not just curl up and go to sleep? Heat costs money and I keep this place right around 62 degrees max. Finally, my wife is absolutely phobic of snakes. Her dad instilled such fear into her, so if she finds out there is a snake crawling around she might not come in the building again. not a big deal, but i would like for her to bring me lunch from time to time:p

As far as a cat goes. I would be willing to clean up after one (both liter box and mouse guts). However, it would take some convincing to the powers that be (my dad and uncle) who automatically think "cat piss" when they hear about an indoor feline. My wife is also allergic (although she is taking allergy shots to get over it. she loves cats). Maybe i can go adopt one from the humane society and say it was a stray:p

Are there any animals or animal smells that might drive them off? There were supposedly rats in my apartment building that I used to live in. The next door neighbors used to complain about them all the time. However, i never had any problems. I was told that they might have smelt my ferret and steered clear. Thing there is any truth to that? My old ferret would have loved to have gotten the go ahead to run around in the ceiling...not to kill mice mind you. He just liked to get into stuff:D
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About 70 degrees should be warm enough for the snake. Your terrier might take issue with its presence, and vice-versa. The snake should make its own way out, as long as you give it a way to do so, once the food supply is gone. As long as there are mice around, and it is left alone, the snake will stay there.
 
richard j said:
i have plans for a trap that once you set it up, you only have to dump out the (live) or dead mice if you add water and maybe change to fresh bait. all you need is a 5 gallon bucket and a piece of 1/4" plywood big enough to make a disc to fit just inside the lip of the bucket. i can send you the plans if you like.
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that's a good idea. I know the trap you are talking about. it's the self setting version of what I am using now, i think. I need to make one that can catch more than one a night. Right now, I'm setting up a ramp to a deep trash can with a toilet paper tube baited and balanced on the end. mouse goes in for a snack, tips, and falls into the can. Great set up, but can only catch one a night.

I like your idea:)
 
Snakes are amazing creatures, but I think you'd be better off with a cat.

Snakes will not eat unless they are warm enough, and it seems kinda wasteful to heat up an entire building just to (hopefully) coax a snake into postponing it's hibernation.

Even if it did feel like eating, odds are it's slowed metabolism would only allow it to eat one mouse every week or so- certainly not frequently enough to keep up with mousie multiplication. Cats will kill every mouse they can, whether they're hungry or not.

Snakes do not use litterboxes, so you run the risk of having gooey, rancid rodent remains deposited in your ceiling, between your walls or inside a desk drawer. :barf:
 
MacHete said:
Snakes are amazing creatures, but I think you'd be better off with a cat.

Snakes will not eat unless they are warm enough, and it seems kinda wasteful to heat up an entire building just to (hopefully) coax a snake into postponing it's hibernation.

Even if it did feel like eating, odds are it's slowed metabolism would only allow it to eat one mouse every week or so- certainly not frequently enough to keep up with mousie multiplication. Cats will kill every mouse they can, whether they're hungry or not.

Snakes do not use litterboxes, so you run the risk of having gooey, rancid rodent remains deposited in your ceiling, between your walls or inside a desk drawer. :barf:
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All valid points. I hadn't thought of the season. I'm sure it's colder in Indiana than in SC. During the summer, a big snake (mine's a little over 7 feet) will eat several mice or one large rat in one sitting, but late fall nearing winter makes their metabolism slow down even if the temperature's high enough. MacHete's right, a cat is the way to go.
 
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another thing to consider is a domestic ferret. they can be de-scented (intact males especially STINK if they still have their musk glands) & they're hell on meece. cute little furballs and they can be trained unlike a cat. they also get into everything and fit into cracks and spaces a cat couldn't. they also use litter boxes and can be quite affectionate & cuddly - tho some do bite if they don't like you. they also are very hyper. they have a 6-12 year lifespan. they're quite a popular pet over here in the UK.

mande390wide.jpg

(found this image on google)

British ferret club linky
 
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kronckew said:
another thing to consider is a domestic ferret. they can be de-scented (intact males especially STINK if they still have their musk glands) & they're hell on meece. cute little furballs and they can be trained unlike a cat. they also get into everything and fit into cracks and spaces a cat couldn't. they also use litter boxes and can be quite affectionate & cuddly - tho some do bite if they don't like you. they also are very hyper. they have a 6-12 year lifespan. they're quite a popular pet over here in the UK.

mande390wide.jpg

(found this image on google)

British ferret club linky
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Yep, i'm a huge ferret fan. I just lost mine a couple months ago. I had him for 7 years, and he DID seem to keep the apartment mice away. They aren't a lot of work, but cleaning their cage and that sort of thing is time consuming. I have been told by the wife, who loved our little critter, that we are holding off on another ferret until much later in life;)
 
Poison the little sumbee's. Suffer the short-term odor, if any.

Snakes...just imagine a customer's reaction to ...

Love cats, they aren't on duty all the time. You run a business. Kill the sumbees.

It is the natural way...they just ran into a much more talented predator.
 
Snakes are good, but as has been mentioned, they can only eat every so often, and if you have a lot of mice, they can probably breed faster than the snake can eat them. Your dog will know what to do with the mice, if he can get ahold of them. Terriers are born mice killers. :thumbup:

Ferrets will kill the mice, but they can be destructive, and may cause more of a nuisance than the mice. Barring traps, a cat is probably the best solution. They kill mice for fun, and will kill as many as they can get their paws on. Perhaps you could borrow someone's cat for a while?

I think there's some sort of electronic gizmo that you plug in- it creates some sort of evil noise that drives mice and roaches nuts. I don't know if those work, though.

The best way to get rid of mice is to buy up a bunch of those old-school traps that snap they widdle necks. Bait with peanut butter, and smile whenever you hear the "SNAP!". Mice are pests, they don't deserve your compassion or mercy. Kill 'em all!
 
Fill the five gallon bucket half-way with water. Cover the surface of the water with sunflower seeds/dogfood. Make a ramp up to the side of the bucket with a 2x4. The mice jump in on top of the seeds and downed. Works great. My cousins use to leave a bucket like this in the barn............and it........well it was sick how many it would catch.
 
OK, i'm gonna make a bucket trap tomorrow. I'll see how many i can trap with a set setter in an evening. If i catch one...they get the poison. If I trap 10, well then i guess i have a gaggle and they get the poison. I guess, in other words, the lucky ones are the stupid ones that fall in my bucket. I'll give them a sporting chance out in the wilds. Their friends get the poison.

Found a mouse poop on my keyboard today.......of course you know, this means whar.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Yep, i'm a huge ferret fan. I just lost mine a couple months ago. I had him for 7 years, and he DID seem to keep the apartment mice away. They aren't a lot of work, but cleaning their cage and that sort of thing is time consuming. I have been told by the wife, who loved our little critter, that we are holding off on another ferret until much later in life;)
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Maybe ferret-scented objects would do the trick too? I've got two male ferrets and I could send you a box full of stinky ferret-scented polar fleece. :p
 
I love vermin eradication threads, especially around the holidays. They really leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy, kind of like a... like a.............................little Christmas mouse.

;):rolleyes::D

Eric
 
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