Please help! I am beyond terrified. There is a mouse in my apt.

[Malthus]

You would so not like my cottage.

We have a fieldstone fireplace "under construction" for the last 20 years or so (the rocks placed in position, no cement); last year, troubled by the hordes of mice that were apparently using it as a hide-out, we disassembled those rocks - to find that the mice had created some sort of hidden city in there, with birthing nests, stores of seeds, and even an apparent royal tomb complete with a mummified "mouse Tut".

Unfortunately the mice had not yet invented sewers ...

[TruCelt]

Glue traps are barbaric. Take them up and complain to your landlord. they are horrible. You do not want to experience so much as a cockroach stuck to one of those things. A mouse, fuhgeddaboudit. Even you would be back here like "How am I going to save this poor little mousie?"

And I sincerely doubt little old guy is going to be on call to come collect the desperate little mouse at 3:30am when he gets stuck to the thing.

No, don't let them stay in your place.

The traps you have are the best solution. The landlord needs to address the rest of the building as well though.

[Dogzilla]

This won't help you at all MOL, but at least it may provide some entertainment.

Many years ago, I was a young magazine editor at a magazine where the publisher had just stuck the magazine offices in a corner of a lightning-static discharger factory. We were back by the warehouse, which was chock full of old magazines and promotional materials and other cardboard boxes full of paper. Mice LOVE paper, apparently. So our office was infested. We'd be working along and, Oh look! Mice running through the office. Egad, right? So the boss instructs the maintenance guys to catch/kill said mice and those dudes show up with those goddamn glue traps. I went to lunch. A few weeks later, I'm working away, and I hear this awful, horrified squeaking. I look all around the office, but I can't find the mouse that is probably stuck on a glue trap somewhere. Finally I found him. Under my desk. INCHES away from my feet, screaming and crying and begging for mercy and cheese. I call maintenance, "Oh it'll stop squeaking..." Um no. Get your lazy maintenance asses down here right this goddamn minute and kill this poor mouse. I am not going to sit here and try to work while listening to the death cries of a trapped mouse. It harshes my buzz.

So yeah, they just scooped up the glue trap, tossed it in a plastic bag, knotted the bag closed, and tossed the bag in the dumpster out back. The mouse was still alive, squeaking and struggling the whole time.

:: shudder ::

My 15-year-old Boston terrier caught a mouse in the backyard once, just a few months before she was put down. I was astounded, after I wrestled said critter out of her mouf. I asked her, "How the hell did a mostly deaf, mostly blind, 15-year-old decrepit ass dog manage to catch a mouse? What, did it jump up in your mouth while it was open or something?"

[Dr. Woo]

I was at work laughing my ass off over this thread when a movement outside the window caught my eye. I went over and looked, and lo and behold, there were five big-ass vultures/buzzards/big ugly bird-like objects eating something in the field. The kind of bird that looks like they have intestines or something wrapped around their heads.

You need a couple of those units for your mousie problem. THAT'S the kind of Mouse Eradication System that's fit for a Mean Old Lady.

[MeanOldLady]

Vultures, of course!

[AnalogSignal]

Yes, glue traps are barbaric and disposing of the trapee will not be fun.

On the other hand, the other traps haven't worked so far. MOL has not slept for two days while unsanitary vermin are running around her apartment having a party.

[Joey P]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Vultures, of course!

Or snakes, lots of snakes.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by Eyebrows 0f Doom

I once heard a mouse scurrying under my bed at 2am and killed it by hitting it straight on with the top handle of a broom, as if it were a pool cue! Seriously it was like a perfect shot directly to it's head even though it was running around! Instant death.

Originally Posted by SeaDragonTattoo

I don't want to play pool with you.

Eyebrows 0f Doom is a very good pool player, but from now on I'll just let her win.

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Dogzilla

My 15-year-old Boston terrier caught a mouse in the backyard once, just a few months before she was put down. I was astounded, after I wrestled said critter out of her mouf. I asked her, "How the hell did a mostly deaf, mostly blind, 15-year-old decrepit ass dog manage to catch a mouse? What, did it jump up in your mouth while it was open or something?"

Like this, perhaps? (Poor Claude the Cat. His life never makes sense. )

[Dogzilla]

Originally Posted by Balance

Like this, perhaps? (Poor Claude the Cat. His life never makes sense. )

Exactly like that.

[Trinopus]

Originally Posted by TruCelt

Glue traps are barbaric. . . . Even you would be back here like "How am I going to save this poor little mousie?". . .

The first time (and last, dammit!) I ever used a glue trap, I was horrified by the results. Similar to Dogzilla's story.

I did try to rescue the mousie. Nope. Couldn't be done. I rather broke the wee crittur in my foolish, well-intentioned blundering. Horrid. Ultimately, I crushed the whole mess with a brick, but it was a hideous experience.

Live traps. The Tin Cat. It actually works, and I can sentence the mouse to transportation. The nearby canyon serves as my local Botany Bay.

(Yeah, I know, I'm really just sentencing them to death by owl or rattlesnake. So it goes.)

[TruCelt]

Hideous, yes, that's the word I wanted.

Just to slam the point home, I had the lovely experience of noticing a cockroach squirming on one. His front was stuck to it, and a herd of other cockroaches were lunching on his behind.

Please don't go with the glue traps.

[Nzinga, Seated]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

This thread reminded me of my favorite B. Kliban cartoon.

For reasons I can't pinpoint, this cartoon delights me.

[santosvega]

Just saying that in my experience, Chicago mice are clever. I was living in Ukrainian Village a few years back and there was some kind of mouse epidemic; just before winter started they had knocked down a few nearby buildings and everyone I knew had mice in their apartments. It was a nightmare. I hate mice. They carry disease, they're creepy; they're like larger, smarter faster cockroaches. Hate them.
I had traps everywhere. Nothing. I once actually observed -- from a distance -- a mouse remove the bait from a baited glue trap. He put one paw in, snatched the bait, and then wriggled free.
So in the end I just poisoned them all. Got some D-Con, put it out in a few choice corners, and a couple of days later the mouse threat had ended. By that time of course I had absolutely no qualms about killing every last one of them as they had made my life a living hell for weeks. Some people had claimed that they would die inside the walls and smell up the place, but that didn't happen. I mean, maybe they died in the walls -- probably, even, as I never found any carcasses -- but I never smelled anything.
So I recommend giving it a couple of days for the traps to work, but if that doesn't work get some poison. Poison them all.

[YogSosoth]

Oh man, this thread is hilarious!

[bobkitty]

I've used glue traps, only in situations where I could be monitoring the traps (a mouse was never left on there more than 10 minutes). Mouse-on-trap went into a garbage bin, bin was taken next door to the huge field, a copious amount of vegetable oil was dumped onto the mouse... wait 2-3 minutes (sometimes less), tip garbage bin, out runs mouse. I never lost one- including the one I referred to in the story on page two, who was stuck between the glue trap and my dog's paw.

If you're squeamish, though, or if the trap will be left for long periods, I totally agree- don't use glue.

[Greg Charles]

So what's going on now with the mouse situation? And did the drunken hookup make it all worthwhile?

[The Surb]

I was going to write about the mouse I caught in my office today. I would rather hear about your drunken hookup instead!

[MeanOldLady]

Originally Posted by Greg Charles

So what's going on now with the mouse situation? And did the drunken hookup make it all worthwhile?

Ha ha, there was no drunken hookup. There was drinking (hey, you all know who you're dealing with here), but the minute I laid my head down, it was lights out. I heard "Do you want some extra pillows or anything?" then I said "No, I'm fine" and that was it. Apparently sometime between him asking about pillows by the closet and actually bringing them to me, I fell asleep.

Mickey still lives, unfortunately, as none of my jillion traps has a mouse in it. I'm crashing outside of my place again tonight because this is bullshit, then I have a friend coming in from out of town, which will make things all right. Don't ask me the logic behind this, but I'm less afraid with my friend here.

I'm really screwing this up! I was supposed to return with my Tale of Triumph, but I got nothing!

[The Surb]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

I'm really screwing this up! I was supposed to return with my Tale of Triumph, but I got nothing!

Don't you mean Tail of Triumph?

[MeanOldLady]

Originally Posted by santosvega

Just saying that in my experience, Chicago mice are clever.

Shit. I was hoping, as Midwestern mice, that they'd be polite and die quietly.

So I recommend giving it a couple of days for the traps to work, but if that doesn't work get some poison. Poison them all.

Ideally it would go away forever or die quickly, but if it has to die painfully, so be it. Sorry, mouse lovers. War is ugly.

Originally Posted by The Surb

Don't you mean Tail of Triumph?

Yes, but it would have to be in an opaque plastic bag because looking at it would freak me out.

[Trinopus]

Originally Posted by bobkitty

I've used glue traps, only in situations where I could be monitoring the traps (a mouse was never left on there more than 10 minutes). Mouse-on-trap went into a garbage bin, bin was taken next door to the huge field, a copious amount of vegetable oil was dumped onto the mouse... wait 2-3 minutes (sometimes less), tip garbage bin, out runs mouse. I never lost one . . .

??? Confused. Do you mean the vegetable oil dissolves the glue, so the mouse can get out of it?

[StGermain]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Ha ha, there was no drunken hookup. There was drinking (hey, you all know who you're dealing with here), but the minute I laid my head down, it was lights out. I heard "Do you want some extra pillows or anything?" then I said "No, I'm fine" and that was it. Apparently sometime between him asking about pillows by the closet and actually bringing them to me, I fell asleep.

Mickey still lives, unfortunately, as none of my jillion traps has a mouse in it. I'm crashing outside of my place again tonight because this is bullshit, then I have a friend coming in from out of town, which will make things all right. Don't ask me the logic behind this, but I'm less afraid with my friend here.

I'm really screwing this up! I was supposed to return with my Tale of Triumph, but I got nothing!

Mickey may have moved on, especially if you're made sure all the food is out. He's probably feasting at your neighbor's place.

StG

[davidm]

I don't know if I should tell this mouse story or not. I'll spoiler it and warn you all that it's quite a horror story. You may want to avoid it if inadvertent mouse torture bothers you.

SPOILER:

My mother has a gas stove. One day she turned on a burner, to heat water for tea or something. Suddenly a squealing burning mouse ran out from under the kettle and ran across the counter into the sink. She ran water on it. It died in short order. She says it was a horrible experience. I can only imagine.

[bobkitty]

Originally Posted by Trinopus

??? Confused. Do you mean the vegetable oil dissolves the glue, so the mouse can get out of it?

It does indeed. I always used vegetable oil, but I'd think any of the cooking oils would work, with no long-term effects on the mouse.

[Farmer Jane]

I'm going to laugh if it turns it out it was a really big bug.

[Sudden Kestrel]

Originally Posted by davidm

I don't know if I should tell this mouse story or not. I'll spoiler it and warn you all that it's quite a horror story. You may want to avoid it if inadvertent mouse torture bothers you.

SPOILER:

My mother has a gas stove. One day she turned on a burner, to heat water for tea or something. Suddenly a squealing burning mouse ran out from under the kettle and ran across the counter into the sink. She ran water on it. It died in short order. She says it was a horrible experience. I can only imagine.

My husband had a similar experience but with the toaster. It was a crappy (har) toaster anyway, so we tossed it out and got a new one.

For those of you who have tried to dispose of poor little mouskies on glue traps—yeah, I won't use them either—the best solution is to submerge mouskie and trap in a bucket of water and weight them down. As quick and as humane as possible, considering that you already glued a living creature to a board .

We use snap traps, the new ones that look like plastic clothespins. They work great as long as you remember where you put them.

[bubba jr]

Its a mouse, just a mouse. Its about as big as your thumb and not poisonous.

Just kill it, because once you get one, you get more and more and more, and it never stops. When I was kid once, we had mice in the house so bad. My bedroom was in the attic and when I would wake up in the morning there was a pile of catfood under my pillow. They'd bring it up from downstairs while I was sleeping and stash it under my pillow while I was sleeping. ICK.

Not a fan of glue traps, already been said, you have to deal with it, and finding a chewed off leg just makes you feel bad.

Bait blocks or wedges, at least then you know they are dead and not applying for VA benefits. I'd say 70% of them have the decency to die out in the open, then you can just toss them out back. If they die in the wall, they smell like a dirty diaper for a few days, but at least you KNOW they are dead.

I don't mind a few mice, but when they are everywhere, they have to go.

Here's a pic of what came walking across my desk a few weeks ago at the shop.
Might make you feel better about having a mouse.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7...d736b906_b.jpg

[Dag Otto]

Spiders love Santa Fe Grill burritos.

I used to have a big prickly pear cactus just outside of my bedroom window. Rats love to make a nest under these things, and being rats they also loved to take bits of a nearby cholla cactus into their nests. Now our long hair cat was undeterred by the cactus and occasionally would catch and kill one of these rats. He never brought the rats inside, but what he did bring in were these little bits of cholla spines in on his fur. These little spines always managed to drop off of him in the middle of the room or hallway like little tiny almost invisible calthrops, and goddamn if it I didn't manage to step on them with bare feet every time.

So the rats had to go. I bought a large rat sized snap trap, loaded it with peanut butter, and set it out in the evening. Checking it the next day the peanut butter was gone and the trap was still armed. Clever little (well, not so little) fucker. I decided to give it one more try, and the next morning the trap was gone. No sign of it anywhere. I then reluctantly tried poison bait one time, tossing the cubes well into the rat holes. If it killed any rats, it didn't kill all of them. I gave up.

Fast forward to the winter two years ago, where we had a hard freeze which killed the cactus. I removed it in the summer (even after 6 month of being dead, cactus is still heavy and a bitch to haul off) and when I was digging up the last of it I found the missing trap. The rats took it inside their nest. Cheeky bastards!

[AaronX]

Have you tried contacting your own pest exterminator? I think it'd be better than trying all kinds of methods yourself, having to buy the traps and dispose of them. As many people have said, it's very likely that you've got more mice that you've never seen, though.

[Eyebrows 0f Doom]

Originally Posted by Marley23

Eyebrows 0f Doom is a very good pool player, but from now on I'll just let her win.

I'll have to remember that the next time we play.

I even tried to let it get away alive but it just would. not. leave my room. Sorry mousie. Wham!

Originally Posted by bubba jr

Here's a pic of what came walking across my desk a few weeks ago at the shop.
Might make you feel better about having a mouse.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7...d736b906_b.jpg

(Here I was, laughing at this thread [sorry MOL!] but if I ever saw that... thing appear in my room I don't know what I would do.)

[TruCelt]

Originally Posted by bubba jr

. . . My bedroom was in the attic and when I would wake up in the morning there was a pile of catfood under my pillow. They'd bring it up from downstairs while I was sleeping and stash it under my pillow while I was sleeping. ICK.

I have this vision of a little mousie priest in full regalia hiding behind the dresser and watching you wake. Noting your displeasure he returns to the other mice declaring "Our God is dissatisfied!! We must dedicate ourselves to increasing our offerings!!!"

[Dogzilla]

Originally Posted by bubba jr

Its a mouse, just a mouse. Its about as big as your thumb and not poisonous.
<snip>

What the hell kind of enormous meaty thumbs do you have, mister?

I'm looking at my thumb and I've never seen a mouse that tiny. Please post pix of your thumb next to a mouse.

[Nzinga, Seated]

Originally Posted by bubba jr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7...d736b906_b.jpg

Whatthefuckkillitkillitkillitkillitwithfire.

I like spiders. That isn't a spider. That's a monster.

Also, I will be checking under my pillow for cat food from now on. **shudder**

[Snickers]

Holy hell, bubba jr. I'da died. I'm terrified of those...things, and totally not afraid to admit it. Yeah, it's a phobia, but it's my phobia, and if I want to run screaming, then I can do so. (Luckily El SpouseO is an understanding man and totally my knight in shining armor.)

Kill it. Kill it with fire. Then nuke it from orbit. It's the only way...you know the rest.

[Kaio]

Pshh. Just setting glue traps (which, I agree, are a very cruel method) won't resolve the problem. I'm guessing the landlord's "exterminator" didn't bother to do an apartment inspection to find out how the mouse/mice are getting in, did he? You will need to plug the holes with steel wool (mice can't chew through it). According to what I've read, they can get in through holes as small as a standard pencil. I have no idea HOW they fit through a hole that narrow, but apparently they do.

Before you opt for poison, please do your neighbors the courtesy of asking if they have pets that might chase and eat a dying mouse. Dying mice are easier to catch than a healthy one, obviously, and I'm sure they don't want their cat/dog to get poisoned.

We moved into our new place in May and had/have some issues with mice. Our cat has caught two, though more than a month apart so I wouldn't count on that being the fastest way to get rid of them. I think the second was the last one, though I can't say for sure since I never see them except when the cat is batting his new "toy" around the floor. We did make sure the landlord's maintenance guy plugged the holes/potential entry points we could find, though.

Also, indoor cats are capable of catching mice, but may not realize that mice are edible, and may not actually know how to kill one. The first was dead (probably a snapped neck as it had no visible damage other than a broken tail), but the second was only unconscious. It was clearly too broken to survive (back leg was twisted at an odd angle, I'm guessing it's back was broken, but not high enough to kill it instantly), and I doubt it would have regained consciousness, but a mercy killing on our part was necessary.

[AnalogSignal]

Originally Posted by Sudden Kestrel

For those of you who have tried to dispose of poor little mouskies on glue traps—yeah, I won't use them either—the best solution is to submerge mouskie and trap in a bucket of water and weight them down.

I don't see the point in waterboarding the mice. They probably have little intelligence information that can be exploited.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Kaio

<snip>According to what I've read, they can get in through holes as small as a standard pencil. I have no idea HOW they fit through a hole that narrow, but apparently they do.<snip>

According to this site,

It's this gnawing, along with a relatively soft skull and an already slender, flexible body, that allows the mouse to get through improbably small holes. Any openings in your home that are wider than 6mm (a quarter of an inch) and you're in trouble: through a combination of squeezing and nibbling, the mice could well be moving in.

[Kaio]

It's the "soft skull" part that creeps me out. How can you fit through a hole smaller than your head??! Squeeeeeeesh.

[Crazyhorse]

Originally Posted by Nzinga, Seated

Whatthefuckkillitkillitkillitkillitwithfire.

I like spiders. That isn't a spider. That's a monster.

Also, I will be checking under my pillow for cat food from now on. **shudder**

Cute tarantula. They kind of give me the willies too.

Deep down I know I don't have to worry, because we have these too, and they keep the spiders in check.

[Dogzilla]

Originally Posted by Kaio

It's the "soft skull" part that creeps me out. How can you fit through a hole smaller than your head??! Squeeeeeeesh.

You do at birth you know.

[Cat Whisperer]

"My brain hurts!"

[Mauvaise]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Vultures, of course!

No, not vultures, I believe they are merely carrion eaters. You need to get yourself an owl or a hawk.

[Greg Charles]

We have rats in the garden, but fortunately my wife takes care of both setting and clearing the traps. She lets me open jars for her though, so I still retain the verisimilitude of manhood. (Hey, band name! TVOM for short.) Also, there was a frog sitting on the bathroom floor this morning, and I was able to clear that out, but mostly because it didn't have teeth or fur, and was just over an inch long.

[Asimovian]

Just thought I'd point out that it has been something like 19 hours since we last heard from MOL. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for any giddy posts from new users named "Victorious Rat" or the like.

[MeanOldLady]

Originally Posted by Crazyhorse

Cute tarantula.

Oxymoron.

Originally Posted by Asimovian

Just thought I'd point out that it has been something like 19 hours since we last heard from MOL. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for any giddy posts from new users named "Victorious Rat" or the like.

Still alive. Just got home, slept til something like 11:30 at my friend's place, who I owe big time, by the way. No, not like that, you perverts. Checked the traps, nothing.

St. Germaine suspects the little asshole might have gone away, but that would actually be the worst case scenario for me, as I'd have no way of knowing, and it'd take me a long time before I felt comfortable enough to get a good night's rest again. Grrr! If I don't get it, I will set this whole building on fire, I am not even playing, I will do it.

[Caffeine.addict]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Oxymoron.

Still alive. Just got home, slept til something like 11:30 at my friend's place, who I owe big time, by the way. No, not like that, you perverts. Checked the traps, nothing.

St. Germaine suspects the little asshole might have gone away, but that would actually be the worst case scenario for me, as I'd have no way of knowing, and it'd take me a long time before I felt comfortable enough to get a good night's rest again. Grrr! If I don't get it, I will set this whole building on fire, I am not even playing, I will do it.

It's probably gone. Would it give you some peace of mind to go and seal any possible openings in the wallls where it might have come in? If so, use steel wool as the little fuckers can't get past that.

[AnalogSignal]

Originally Posted by MeanOldLady

Grrr! If I don't get it, I will set this whole building on fire, I am not even playing, I will do it.

The mouse could easily escape a fire. The only surefire method would be detonating a tactical nuclear weapon in your apartment building. Sure there could be some minor collateral damage but war is often a messy business.

[YogSosoth]

Originally Posted by Caffeine.addict

It's probably gone. Would it give you some peace of mind to go and seal any possible openings in the wallls where it might have come in? If so, use steel wool as the little fuckers can't get past that.

Yes, that's what she should do, go around the house reaching under things and behind them, looking for a little hole to stick her fingers into. If she feels anything furry crawling across it, she can just assume its a centipede instead!

Originally Posted by AnalogSignal

The mouse could easily escape a fire. The only surefire method would be detonating a tactical nuclear weapon in your apartment building. Sure there could be some minor collateral damage but war is often a messy business.

Yes, don't be this guy

[elfkin477]

Originally Posted by Dogzilla

What the hell kind of enormous meaty thumbs do you have, mister?

I'm looking at my thumb and I've never seen a mouse that tiny. Please post pix of your thumb next to a mouse.

Wait, are you sure that they're not rats you've seen? I've got really small hands for a grown woman (about 1" shorter than the average), and as long as you exclude the tail, most of the field mice around here aren't a great deal bigger than my thumbs.