# Hey MeanOldLady! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 26, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879 "2012-09-26T13:26:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/1 "2012-09-26T13:26:58Z")
There’s a mouse in my apartment. I was getting ready for work this morning and noticed a seed on my dresser. I picked it up and it wasn’t a seed, it was a mouse poo. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/2 "2012-09-26T13:50:36Z")
As a discussion of mouses and mouse poo vis-a-vis **MeanOldLady** I am scuttling this thread over to MPSIMS, from IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/3 "2012-09-26T14:17:29Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > As a discussion of mouses and mouse poo vis-a-vis **MeanOldLady** I am scuttling this thread over to MPSIMS, from IMHO. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/4 "2012-09-26T14:26:44Z")
Since we are continuing the conversation, mine wasn’t a mouse. :eek: No, no, not a rat either - a chipmunk! Cute little guy, but he had to go. Into the havaheart and then off to the railroad tracks. (a swath of long grass and low bushes down the road a piece - great place for rodents to make a living.) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/5 "2012-09-26T14:30:29Z")
Does **MeanOldLady** come over and pick up poo in these situations? Wow, she’s even nicer than I realized. I’m going to have to start calling her **CleanOldLady**. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/6 "2012-09-26T14:30:50Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Since we are continuing the conversation, mine wasn’t a mouse. :eek: No, no, not a rat either - a chipmunk! > > Cute little guy, but he had to go. Into the havaheart and then off to the railroad tracks. (a swath of long grass and low bushes down the road a piece - great place for rodents to make a living.) Aww, chipy! I’ll give it another day to see if I see any more signs. Hopefully the little intruder made his way out again. If not, I’ll likely set up one of my traps that I used to do when I was little and one of my hamsters escaped. I’d use books to make stairs (with a cheerio on each one for bait) and have them lead up to a bucket. On the bucket I’d lay a sheet of paper with an X cut into the middle and then the hamster would wander out onto the paper, fall through the X and land on the towel inside the bucket. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/7 "2012-09-26T16:18:35Z")
While mouse poo does not leave me shrieking in horror like a tiny little girl, I’d rather not be on poo patrol. If you have some puppies you want me to play with or some bourbon you’d like me to drink or something, I’m game. And I can’t believe you’re so calm about all of this. Why aren’t you living in constant fear, unable to sleep? How scared are you to open your front door, on a scale of 1-10, when you come home, afraid that the mouse will be _RIGHT THERE_? How many of your friends are on call for potential mouse duty? What is your mouse-to-trap ratio? ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/8 "2012-09-26T16:21:10Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > And I can’t believe you’re so calm about all of this. Why aren’t you living in constant fear, unable to sleep? Think about this - while I was sleeping, it was on my dresser, right beside my bed! Who knows, maybe it climbed up on my bed and went mountaineering on my body while I slept! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/9 "2012-09-26T17:40:12Z")
Acck! So MouseGate was over a month ago, going on two months now, and I still have an arsenal of traps lining the walls of my apartment. This is how crazy I am. While I would like to see more panic out of you, please don’t leave traps hanging around months after the ordeal is over. I almost stepped in one. Also, someone needs to let that asshole mouse know it’s not okay to shit on your dresser. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/10 "2012-09-26T17:46:46Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > As a discussion of mouses and mouse poo vis-a-vis **MeanOldLady** I am scuttling this thread over to MPSIMS, from IMHO. Given the thread, you should be scat-ing it over. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/11 "2012-09-26T17:56:17Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Think about this - while I was sleeping, it was on my dresser, right beside my bed! Who knows, maybe it climbed up on my bed and went mountaineering on my body while I slept! And the little turd shot hantavirus straight up your nose! ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/12 "2012-09-27T11:34:43Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > What is your mouse-to-trap ratio? I’m intrigued by this question. How do you calculate this without knowing exactly how many mice you have, and what would be a recommended ratio? Enquiring minds want to know. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/13 "2012-09-27T15:31:51Z")
There’s a complicated guestimaton formula based on the number of mice you’ve seen, overall mouse history, poop volume, and a general feeling you have. The recommended mouse-to-trap ratio, based on my apt, would ideally be something like 1:45. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/14 "2012-09-27T15:43:24Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > What is your mouse-to-trap ratio? I caught and evicted a opossum in my (attached) garage yesterday. Took me two days to catch him, but by golly, I got it. Tough little buggers to get since they scatter as soon as the light turns on, but if I have to have something in there, I’d rather it was a opossum then anything else. They’re nasty looking, but pretty docile. Got it to walk up ramp into a small garbage can, then I pushed it (the garbage can) across the street with a broom and knocked it over. I was getting really sick of it. I only saw it once, but I could hear it out there. Scratching at the (house) door. Knocking things over, running around. Caught a bunch of mice out there too, but those things just walk right into snap traps and die. I really didn’t want a opossum running around with a trap stuck to it’s head. I also just (like, a few minutes ago) caught a mouse at work with a glue trap with only about 2 other people even realizing what was going on. However, I will say, I’d probably go apeshit if a mouse ever made it into my actual house. Never had that happen. My dogs would probably love it though. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/15 "2012-09-27T15:52:02Z")
For some reason, when I worked in the lab, I was the ‘go-to-guy’ for critter infestations. I was the guy who trapped the mice and the possum, and then identified and moved the tiny snake that had made its way inside somehow. Our receptionist went DEFCON 1 when she saw the slithering wonder make its way across our lobby. And who did she call? Yes, Dr. Inexplicable to the rescue. But, \*\*MeanOldLady \*\*(who isn’t really mean or old), I completely understand your aversion to certain creatures. I abhor cockroaches, for one example. Totally irrationally, but real nevertheless. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/16 "2012-09-27T15:57:34Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Think about this - while I was sleeping, it was on my dresser, right beside my bed! Who knows, maybe it climbed up on my bed and went mountaineering on my body while I slept! I mentioned this in another thread; a little while ago at a friend’s ranch house I was sleeping on a bed with a raw cedar log for a headboard. Sometime during the night I was awakened by the unmistakable sound of a mouse right by my head falling off one side and frantically scratching as he went down. Helluva way to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/17 "2012-09-27T16:09:21Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > … I’d use books to make stairs (with a cheerio on each one for bait) and have them lead up to a bucket. On the bucket I’d lay a sheet of paper with an X cut into the middle and then the hamster would wander out onto the paper, fall through the X and land on the towel inside the bucket. That is genius. Pure genius. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/18 "2012-09-27T17:33:20Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > That is genius. Pure genius. 😛 It worked every time, too! My hamsters were always escaping and I’d set up the trap and every morning, there would be a hamster in the bucket. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/19 "2012-09-27T17:51:04Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > It worked every time, too! My hamsters were always escaping and I’d set up the trap and every morning, there would be a hamster in the bucket. 🙂 Maybe they liked the soft-landing ride rather than being incapable of learning. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879/20 "2012-09-28T14:03:57Z")
There was a mouse yesterday in the parking garage when I was at the doctor’s. He started out in the cabinet where the valets kept the keys and when he burst out, all hell broke loose. He ran across the garage, with a car coming! “Mouse! Mouse! Don’t hit the mouse!” they all yelled. Then one of the valets ran over and tried to drive him further from the valet stand. The mouse ran in a hole and the valet came running back saying, “I think he just committed suicide! That hole goes straight down!” Then they all went over to look. Big fun in the parking garage. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-meanoldlady/635879.md?page=2)