# How to deal with mice behind a gas stove? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568 "2014-03-12T22:47:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/21 "2014-03-13T14:13:27Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > It’s a mouse. Excellent point. > [@nevadaexile](#): > > “Cruelty” is secondary to ridding your home of vermin. It doesn’t have to be. It really depends on how much of a shit you give. > [@nevadaexile](#): > > Also, snap traps are not “painless”; they often crush the mouses neck and cause it to die rather slowly. Poison bait is usually Warfarin, an anti-coagulant which causes internal bleeding and slow death for the mouse. These would also be excellent points if I’d have mentioned those things or made any claims about them. All I said was “Please don’t use glue traps”. You’re the first to mention poison. I certainly don’t advocate that, either - it’s even less responsible as it can affect other wildlife. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/22 "2014-03-13T17:22:37Z")
**How to deal with mice behind a gas stove?** I suppose you’d first find a very small deck of playing cards. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/23 "2014-03-13T18:02:27Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I can’t believe everyone is missing the obvious! > > Seal the windows and doors with duct tape; leave the gas on full. > > Wait several hours\*. Result! No more mice. > > - DO NOT light up a cigarette while you wait. Pssst . . . turn off the pilots before you turn the gas on high. Still, either way you should have dead mice. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/24 "2014-03-13T18:41:05Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Pssst . . . turn off the pilots before you turn the gas on high. Still, either way you should have dead mice. I really hope no one is taking this suggestion seriously. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/25 "2014-03-13T20:59:04Z")
As I understood it when I had a mouse problem, “live traps” are [not really humane at all](http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/mice/tips/solving_problems_mice.html). They either simply shift the problem to someone else, and/or the mouse is removed from its home base. Mice are territorial and chances are a relocated mouse will be killed or die slowly of starvation and loneliness because it’s removed from its community and familiar habitat. I think that live trapping and relocating wild animals such as mice only makes the human feel better, but actually does no favors to the mouse. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/26 "2014-03-13T21:30:37Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > As I understood it when I had a mouse problem, “live traps” are [not really humane at all](http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/mice/tips/solving_problems_mice.html). They either simply shift the problem to someone else, and/or the mouse is removed from its home base. Mice are territorial and chances are a relocated mouse will be killed or die slowly of starvation and loneliness because it’s removed from its community and familiar habitat. The angst of a lonely mouse wouldn’t be my top concern if I had a mouse infestation. 😉 > [@chiroptera](#): > > I think that live trapping and relocating wild animals such as mice only makes the human feel better, but actually does no favors to the mouse. It makes perfect sense for harmless outdoor animals that happen to be inconvenient for us, like squirrels and raccoons in particular circumstances, especially if they get inside buildings. I once had a raccoon get into the house through the fireplace chimney in the middle of the night and I still recall just standing there sleepily looking at the raccoon while the racoon looked at me, both of us looking equally surprised. I just opened the front door and shooed it out with a broom and went back to bed. If I had something like squirrels actually loose in the attic or wherever else, I’d use live traps for sure. But mice and rats are vermin and in a different category, IMHO. If someone wants to use live traps that’s fine, but I personally wouldn’t bother. I wouldn’t use anything that kills them painfully but snap traps are usually pretty much instantaneous. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/27 "2014-03-13T22:00:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The angst of a lonely mouse wouldn’t be my top concern if I had a mouse infestation. 😉 > > It makes perfect sense for harmless outdoor animals that happen to be inconvenient for us, like squirrels and raccoons in particular circumstances, especially if they get inside buildings. I once had a raccoon get into the house through the fireplace chimney in the middle of the night and I still recall just standing there sleepily looking at the raccoon while the racoon looked at me, both of us looking equally surprised. I just opened the front door and shooed it out with a broom and went back to bed. If I had something like squirrels actually loose in the attic or wherever else, I’d use live traps for sure. > > But mice and rats are vermin and in a different category, IMHO. If someone wants to use live traps that’s fine, but I personally wouldn’t bother. I wouldn’t use anything that kills them painfully but snap traps are usually pretty much instantaneous. Yeah I was vice president of a federally-licensed wildlife rehab and animal rescue group for years and picked up a lot of tips. One of which was: There are mammals and birds that are disruptive, harmful to other ecosystems and sometimes non-native that really won’t be harmed, and other animals may benefit, from their culling. Mice, rats and starlings come to mind. On the other hand, poison and glue traps are, IMHO, needlessly cruel and poisoned vermin can easily kill other animals that hunt or eat them. Most wild animals are harmless, as long as they’re not occupying one’s home, and leaving them be is the wisest and kindest strategy. But rodents (which are essentially incontinent and poop and pee everywhere st will) and bats and skunks and so on can affect humans quite profoundly - as disease carriers, or destroying wiring and AC units, or contributing to nasty odors and fluids if they die in your walls. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/28 "2014-03-13T22:30:06Z")
I have had great success with this— > **[Amazon.com : JT Eaton 421CL Repeater Multiple Catch Mouse Trap with Clear...](https://www.amazon.com/Eaton-Repeater-Multiple-Inspection-Window/dp/B000WZ4KO0)** > > Amazon.com : JT Eaton 421CL Repeater Multiple Catch Mouse Trap with Clear Inspection Window : Rodent Traps : Patio, Lawn & Garden ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/29 "2014-03-13T23:14:22Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Do the mice come out at night and bully you ? Never in my life have I understood how people can be frightened of, or worried by the presence of, mice. They are tiny, charming creatures. > I would live with them. > > O/W hire a couple of cats. If you ever have the experience–as I have, and others on this thread have–of mice taking up residence in your stove insulation, so that the entire kitchen reeks of mice piss and shit, rendering the oven unusable–I cannot wait to read your continuing paean to these “tiny, charming creatures.” We used kill traps to kill them, but one moved to underneath the refrigerator. Our cat finally got that one. Our landlord paid someone to re-insulate the stove and douse it with some kind of intense cleaner, which also smelled horrible for a couple days, but when it was done we could cook in our kitchen again. I can’t believe it was much cheaper than buying a cheapie replacement over, but that’s what they did. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/30 "2014-03-14T00:09:37Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Do the mice come out at night and bully you ? Never in my life have I understood how people can be frightened of, or worried by the presence of, mice. They are tiny, charming creatures. > I would live with them. > > O/W hire a couple of cats. A mouse can chew through your wiring and cost you hundreds of dollars in electrical repairs. Or, if you are unfortunate, they can be electrocuted and their flaming remains will start a fire that might destroy your dwelling or kill you or a loved one. If they bite your children or a friend who they have over, this could cost hundreds or thousands in medical and legal bills (or more, if the if mouse is a banta virus carrier). Also your cat (like my SO’s) may be old and unable to successfully hunt mice. Or they may be receiving more than enough food from you to make hunting mice unappealing. Sorry, but mice are filthy animals and when they infest your home, they do far more harm than possible good. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/31 "2014-03-14T03:07:42Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Or, if you (for some crazy reason) prefer not to introduce an[incredibly harmful bio-accumulative poison](http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/poisons-used-kill-rodents-have-safer-alternatives) into the environment. Honestly didn’t know that. Thanks for the info, if I get mice again I’ll look into something else. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/32 "2014-03-14T03:32:58Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Do the mice come out at night and bully you ? Never in my life have I understood how people can be frightened of, or worried by the presence of, mice. They are tiny, charming creatures. > I would live with them. > > O/W hire a couple of cats. :dubious: cats like to play with their food. Spring traps will usually snap their spine almost cutting them in half in a merciful death. Mice like to hug the wall so get a box like a soda 12-pack and put it in line with the wall next to the stove. Put a standard spring trap in it with peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/33 "2014-03-14T03:49:30Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > As I understood it when I had a mouse problem, “live traps” are [not really humane at all](http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/mice/tips/solving_problems_mice.html). They either simply shift the problem to someone else, and/or the mouse is removed from its home base. Mice are territorial and chances are a relocated mouse will be killed or die slowly of starvation and loneliness because it’s removed from its community and familiar habitat. That depends entirely on what you do with the mice once trapped. If you just walk outside in a residential neighborhood and release them they will become someone else’s problem. If you take them out to a rural area with few houses and lots of woods and fields they will probably live, and die, outdoors. For reference the pertinent quote from that link is: > [@](#): > > Live Trapping > Keep in mind a mouse who comes from generations of mice who have been born and only lived indoors isn’t likely to do well outdoors. There is every reason to believe that the chances that a live-trapped indoor mouse will survive outdoors are very low. There is also every reason to believe a natural born wild mouse will not survive long outdoors. It’s still not the zero percent chance of killing it outright, nor is it any less humane than letting a spider, squirrel, etc. go free instead of killing it despite it having a worse chance of survival outdoors than inside. I guess the title of the OP is ambiguous since 99% of the replies are about ways to trap or kill mice but that isn’t even the issue at hand anyway. They have already been using live traps. The question is about getting the remaining stink out of an apparently unmovable oven. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_Merton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Frank\_Merton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_Merton)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/34 "2014-03-14T03:50:26Z")
Yea I endorse having cats; if you think cats are cruel you should spend a few hours in a mouse trap not dead but in intense pain, or consume some of those poisons that kill you slowly enough that you don’t die in an inopportune place. The real advantage of cats is the mice detect their presence and leave – at least those with any sense do. And cats add other benefits. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/35 "2014-03-14T04:06:58Z")
Welcome to the Dope, **Frank Merton**. I’m a real cat lover myself. Some cats are great mousers, some are not. Mice aren’t really smart, either. Back when I lived in a place with mice, I figured it out because I found mice poop in the cat dish. Which was about 4 feet from the litter box and about 6 feet from the foot of the bed where the cats slept. They do have many other benefits, though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/36 "2014-03-14T04:14:34Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Mice aren’t really smart, either. Back when I lived in a place with mice, I figured it out because I found mice poop in the cat dish. Which was about 4 feet from the litter box and about 6 feet from the foot of the bed where the cats slept. [Toxoplasma gondii’s](http://www.nature.com/news/parasite-makes-mice-lose-fear-of-cats-permanently-1.13777) gotta make a living too. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/37 "2014-03-15T04:32:34Z")
:eek::eek::eek: I knew that the life cycle for liver flukes in cows includes ants that climb grass so they will be eaten, but to think that mammals can also be programed like that. Pretty scary. If you will excuse me, I’ll just go over there and hide in the closet. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/38 "2014-03-15T14:49:54Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > :dubious: cats like to play with their food. Spring traps will usually snap their spine almost cutting them in half in a merciful death. > > Mice like to hug the wall so get a box like a soda 12-pack and put it in line with the wall next to the stove. Put a standard spring trap in it with peanut butter. put the snap trap perpendicular with the trigger towards the wall. they will then set it off from either direction either feeding or in transit. ---
**Author:** ![mm72112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mm72112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mm72112)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/39 "2014-03-15T15:10:41Z")
First of all, don’t worry about causing a mouse pain. Its a mouse. Secondly, every house has a mouse on occasion. I don’t care who you are or where you live. Third, bait and set traps. If you’re scared of traps then buy sticky traps and put a dab of peanut butter or cheese in the middle. Lastly, the pee smell can be cleaned with a bleach water solution. If ya wanna prevent the problem in the future, call an externinator. However, you’ll still have an occasional mouse. Especially when it gets real cold out. Don’t freak out. Its just a little animal that’s trying to find a nice warm spot. Most mice don’t carry diseases. Humans carry more diseases than mice! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568/40 "2014-03-15T15:25:34Z")
> [@Frank\_Merton](#): > > Yea I endorse having cats; if you think cats are cruel you should spend a few hours in a mouse trap not dead but in intense pain, or consume some of those poisons that kill you slowly enough that you don’t die in an inopportune place. > > The real advantage of cats is the mice detect their presence and leave – at least those with any sense do. And cats add other benefits. I’ve killed 4 mice over the years with a basic trap. They were assuredly dead on impact. the springs are strong enough to crush their skulls or sever their spinal cords and crush internal organs. I’ve had cats. Mice don’t appear to be smart enough to avoid them. Or dogs for that matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-deal-with-mice-behind-a-gas-stove/683568.md?page=3)