# House in the woods has mice. Are removal efforts futile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527 "2012-01-05T18:44:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/81 "2012-01-08T01:16:57Z")
I never had mice in my house until I installed a pet door for the cats. Suddenly my house was infested with mice, rats, lizards, squirrels, chip monks, blue birds, cardinals, quail and probably some others that I’ve forgotten. House cats are rough on natures critters. The main hunting times are dawn and dusk. I started keeping the pet door locked during those times and the POWs being held in my home have decreased dramatically. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/82 "2012-01-08T01:26:27Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > What I’d like to know is how mice get into the DISHWASHER. We were noticing a bad smell in the kitchen during cold blustery weather and finally figured out what it was when we found the droppings in the dishwasher. Apparently, we were regularly washing mice along with our dishes and remains were going down the drain and “scenting” our kitchen by way of the vents. We caught five of them in the dishwasher with traps. > > I do dishes by hand now and miraculously, the smell hasn’t recurred. Yes, we were suitably GROSSED OUT! I would guess through the drain line that leads to the garbage disposal. > [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > The horror of the smell is only balanced by the awesome image of a mouse shouting “yyyiiiippppppppppEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” as he rode the final wave. Doesn’t someone here use a sig similar to: one shouldn’t leave a pretty corpse, one should aim to skid in sideways, chocolate and a glass of Scotch in hand screaming _what a ride_! (actual quote and proper accreditation would be appreciated) It’s mine, see below > [@sbright33](#): > > We’ve got 100’s here in the woods. Been killing them daily in traps. They keep making a home in the car air filters! Seriously, get rid of them, I have seen mice do over $10,000 in damage to a car. I have heard, (no cite) that mice hate dryer sheets. I know people that have had mice problems with their car put drier sheets all over inside the car (uder seats etc) and no more issues. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/83 "2012-01-08T01:32:11Z")
> [@Dufus](#): > > I never had mice in my house until I installed a pet door for the cats. Suddenly my house was infested with mice, rats, lizards, squirrels, chip monks, blue birds, cardinals, quail and probably some others that I’ve forgotten. Are you saying that the cats brought those in, or they came in by themselves thru the new entrance? ---
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/84 "2012-01-08T01:37:22Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Are you saying that the cats brought those in, or they came in by themselves thru the new entrance? The cats brought them in. I never knew there were so many different types of mice. Some of them seem like they would be great pets themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/85 "2012-01-08T02:11:00Z")
At the risk of veering off topic, I think my cats take pleasure in releasing their catch in the house just so they can watch me trying to get it back out. They brought in chip monks a couple of times. Once I was able to throw a blanket over it to catch it. Another one got in the spare bedroom and I couldn’t find him. I had to ask myself what Daniel Boone would have done; I figured he would have used some lexan to build a [trap](http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t205/dennismenace56/IMG_3620a.jpg). All of this is to advise SD’rs who don’t want rodent problems: Don’t install pet doors for your cats!! ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/86 "2012-01-08T03:43:27Z")
I still vote for a fanatical effort to seal the house. We used to have an occasional mouse. After I put tight fitting metal plates around the kitchen sink pipes and maybe som eother stuff. we have seen very few in the last 10-20 years. So who has heard of the old trick of capturing some bees and releasing them to follow them back to their hive. Live trap a bunch. Turn them loose near the house. Go sit quietly in the basement and wait for them. There may only be a few places they are getting in. I once saw a nifty trap at Walmart. It was a small clear plastic box. It had a hinged flap at the entrance slanted out at the top. A mouse could push it up to get in. Once it fell shut behind it, it couldn’t be pushed open. Kind of like a check valve. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/87 "2012-01-08T03:59:52Z")
Here’s a unique, reusable, single-mouse trap with an unusual method and name: [Nooski.](http://www.amazon.com/Nooski-Mouse-Reusable-Cleaner-Easier/dp/tech-data/B003YYYLAO) It snaps a rubber band around the neck. Looks pretty safe for all those of a non-mouse persuasion. ---
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/88 "2012-01-08T20:42:50Z")
There was a neat trap in the barn we bought. It is galvanized sheet metal box with vent holes on one end. There is a sliding metal cover and a tunnel in the side. A crank knob on the side winds a spring. The box is placed next to a wall. Mice run along the wall, get to the box, and have to go around it. They see the tunnel and run through it rather than keep out in the open. The middle of the tunnel has a section that reacts to the weight of the mouse. A paddle spins and the mouse is pushed into the holding area. The trap will function at least 10 times for each winding. I would go out into the middle of our gravel parking area and yell Kitty,Kitty, Kitty. Then I would slide back the cover and dump out the mice. The Great Race would begin as the mice tried to make it to safety before the barn cats got them. The cats always won. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/89 "2012-01-08T20:49:36Z")
> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#): > > I would go out into the middle of our gravel parking area and yell Kitty,Kitty, Kitty. Then I would slide back the cover and dump out the mice. The Great Race would begin as the mice tried to make it to safety before the barn cats got them. The cats always won. Ah, entertainment in a rural area. So fine. All we have is [tractor parades](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRK4HNiDlPg) and [pig wrestling.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3dT2DbBymM&list=UUVNAFD3qIQ9gov0mfJ1124w&index=45&feature=plcp) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/90 "2012-01-08T21:29:50Z")
> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#): > > There was a neat trap in the barn we bought. It is galvanized sheet metal box with vent holes on one end. There is a sliding metal cover and a tunnel in the side. A crank knob on the side winds a spring. > The box is placed next to a wall. Mice run along the wall, get to the box, and have to go around it. They see the tunnel and run through it rather than keep out in the open. The middle of the tunnel has a section that reacts to the weight of the mouse. A paddle spins and the mouse is pushed into the holding area. The trap will function at least 10 times for each winding. > I would go out into the middle of our gravel parking area and yell Kitty,Kitty, Kitty. Then I would slide back the cover and dump out the mice. The Great Race would begin as the mice tried to make it to safety before the barn cats got them. The cats always won. Similar to [this](http://www.amazon.com/Victor-M310-Live-Mouse-Trap/dp/B00004RAMU)? ---
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/91 "2012-01-08T22:01:03Z")
That looks like a modern version of the old one I have. Re: the entertainment factor. When the mice decide they would rather climb up your leg than run, the spectators get to see the Hop Around Leg Kick Dance. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/92 "2012-01-08T23:45:21Z")
> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#): > > Re: the entertainment factor. When the mice decide they would rather climb up your leg than run, the spectators get to see the Hop Around Leg Kick Dance. they know you are big and slow compared to the cats. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/93 "2012-01-09T02:45:51Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > How? Making it smell better, repelling rodents, covering up droppings, or all of the above? All of the above. Mythbusters should test it out. [THis study](http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/45/12/1830.full) noted that Bounce had a significant repellent effect on gnats, although mice are certainly hardier and more determined creatures… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/94 "2012-01-10T05:04:39Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Ah, entertainment in a rural area. So fine. All we have is [tractor parades](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRK4HNiDlPg) and [pig wrestling.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3dT2DbBymM&list=UUVNAFD3qIQ9gov0mfJ1124w&index=45&feature=plcp) All we needed was a six-pack and bug zapper. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/95 "2012-01-10T05:39:32Z")
> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#): > > There was a neat trap in the barn we bought. It is galvanized sheet metal box with vent holes on one end. There is a sliding metal cover and a tunnel in the side. A crank knob on the side winds a spring. > The box is placed next to a wall. Mice run along the wall, get to the box, and have to go around it. They see the tunnel and run through it rather than keep out in the open. The middle of the tunnel has a section that reacts to the weight of the mouse. A paddle spins and the mouse is pushed into the holding area. The trap will function at least 10 times for each winding. > I would go out into the middle of our gravel parking area and yell Kitty,Kitty, Kitty. Then I would slide back the cover and dump out the mice. The Great Race would begin as the mice tried to make it to safety before the barn cats got them. The cats always won. LOL My most recently deceased cat Banzai would have loved that, we could have dumped the trap into the bathrub and dropped him in as a christmas present. [we trained him to take anything he killed into the bathroom and eat it in the tub. Was great, I never rolled over to see a dead mouse staring at me from the pillow beside my head nor stepped off the bed to that distinct squishcrunch of a dead mouse on the floor. Nor have to clean up blood and that funny purplegreen mystery organ from the carpet.] ---
**Author:** ![ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ed)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/96 "2012-01-10T13:46:44Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Similar to [this](http://www.amazon.com/Victor-M310-Live-Mouse-Trap/dp/B00004RAMU)? If you’re skeevish about killing mice, don’t do this. Multiple mice trapped together will cannibalize each other in less time than you think. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527/97 "2012-01-10T14:22:34Z")
I don’t think that victor is a wind up trap - I had to look off amazon to find the product name but I think this [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RA4D/ref=oh\_o00\_s00\_i00\_details](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RA4D/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details) is the more like the wind up trap that was described (although the victor trap does the same thing/is for the same purpose). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-in-the-woods-has-mice-are-removal-efforts-futile/608527.md?page=4)