# I'm being tormented by a mouse. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761 "2015-09-12T00:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/41 "2015-09-15T02:43:22Z")
Reportedly\*, mice do not travel more than ten feet from where they enter a room, and traps should be set accordingly. \*I think I heard it on “Wait, wait, don’t tell me!” > [@ryobserver](#): > > … (they’re thigmotaxic, if you want the technical term). > … > Cats only work if they’re good at mousing; not all cats are. Who knew there’d be a word for that? Thank you. And most hungry cats are decent mousers. (Of course, no-one who uses only live traps will let a cat go hungry, so that’s probably immaterial.) > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Nuke them from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure. Thank you. > [@CerebrAl](#): > > So this mouse friend of yours decided to…ignore all of his instincts, overcame an innate fear of the ultimate predator…come within arms distance…and ask you for a snack? > > b.s. > > Did you watch the “Green Mile” recently? What Ultimate Predator? Is FloatyGimpy a house-cat? I’ve seen plenty of vermin mice stop, stare, and chatter at a human - usually when crossing an open space, like the middle of a living room, oddly enough. It seems to me that a lot of city wild life just isn’t that afraid of humans - raccoons, possums, skunks will stop and stare for a moment or two before meandering on their way. Mice might be the same. (Coyotes and feral cats stay hidden, though - I’ve seen one of the several feral cats in the neighborhood only once, and I’ve never seen a coyote.) ---
**Author:** ![chowching](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/42 "2015-09-15T16:05:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Were they dead the next day? I like the odds of sticky paper working compared to the tiny trigger on a trap. But will I find a pissed off and very much alive mouse or rat stuck on that paper the next day? If so, then what? Whack it with a 2x4? I will if needed. I hate rats. Well I set the trap the night before. Next day there were five of them in it. They were very much alive. These creatures don’t just die. I did not whack them though. I just kind of rolled the paper trap and then threw it in the trash. Not a quick death for them. But a quick getting rid of them for me. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/43 "2015-09-15T18:28:19Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > . He’s not afraid of me anymore and will sit and stare at me from 5 feet away. I say “Mouse! Get in the damn traps!” but he won’t listen. He has a crooked tail and if I snap my fingers at him, he twitches his tail like he’s mad. [Pellet gun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_%28air_gun%29). Practice target shooting until you are accurate at the 5-10 foot range, wait until he is out and laughing at you and pop. If I am outside I plink vermin with a classic .22 Remmington vermin gun, inside pellets are the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/44 "2015-09-15T19:58:57Z")
You can just step on them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/45 "2015-09-15T20:09:57Z")
A deer mouse was getting into my sock drawer at night, so I put a trap in the sock drawer and caught him. I rescued a mouse from the cat and took him outside to the garden. Just as I got to the steps, I saw the mouse run under the house, he almost beat me back. ---
**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 16, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/46 "2015-09-16T00:22:21Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I rescued a mouse from the cat and took him outside to the garden. Just as I got to the steps, I saw the mouse run under the house, he almost beat me back. 🙂 My lovely old retriever cross used to catch live mouse in the field when we were out for a walk, and carry them all the way back home, alive, in her mouth. When we’d get to the door I’d say “ok let it go now” and she’d drop a drooly but perfectly fine mouse out of her mouth and off it would run. ---
**Author:** ![CerebrAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@CerebrAl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CerebrAl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/47 "2015-09-16T01:02:26Z")
> [@](#): > > You’ve never seen a raccoon, crow, seagull, squirrel or chipmunk looking for a handout? Seagull maybe… but only because they have a much more efficient escape mechanism and have been hand fed or otherwise conditioned to associate humans…DIRECTLY with food. > [@](#): > > What Ultimate Predator? Is FloatyGimpy a house-cat? > I’ve seen plenty of vermin mice stop, stare, and chatter at a human - usually when crossing an open space, like the middle of a living room, oddly enough. The “ultimate predator” is man…not a house cat. I have never seen a mouse do this I have dispatched dozens of mice and rats, but I have never tried to befriend one. I suspect that if you sit perfectly still, it could happen. But not while running a vacuum cleaner or shortly after having done so… > [@](#): > > It seems to me that a lot of city wild life just isn’t that afraid of humans - raccoons, possums, skunks will stop and stare for a moment or two before meandering on their way. Mice might be the same. It’s my experience that a mouse or a rat will run for cover, or a known escape route, at the first sight of human, when in a enclosed space with same. I suspect they may act differently in the wild or outdoors but…never, ever have I seen any wild animal approach a human…unless trained or otherwise conditioned to do so. Although i no longer choose to do so, I have lived in urban areas. > [@](#): > > ``` > My lovely old retriever cross used to catch live mouse in the field when we were out for a walk, and carry them all the way back home, alive, in her mouth. When we'd get to the door I'd say "ok let it go now" and she'd drop a drooly but perfectly fine mouse out of her mouth and off it would run. > > ``` OH… OK… and how often did this happen? Dogs will grab a rodent by the back and shake it violently until it ceases to move. Then, a dog either consume it, or drop it and sniff the carcass until it losses interest. I’ve seen it dozens of times. No self respecting dog will expose the soft, vulnerable, inside of it’s mouth to a live rodent (any more than you would) in order to provide safe transportation. No rodent would not bite the inside of a predators mouth…given the opportunity. Your life is a Disney movie…I understand now. Please continue. Disregard my advice on dealing with your rodent. It seemed like you were seriously considering a solution.The thread is yours, I apologize for injecting my reality here. ---
**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 16, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/48 "2015-09-16T01:33:25Z")
> [@CerebrAl](#): > > Seagull maybe… but only because they have a much more efficient escape mechanism and have been hand fed or otherwise conditioned to associate humans…DIRECTLY with food. > > The “ultimate predator” is man…not a house cat. > I have never seen a mouse do this I have dispatched dozens of mice and rats, but I have never tried to befriend one. I suspect that if you sit perfectly still, it could happen. But not while running a vacuum cleaner or shortly after having done so… > > It’s my experience that a mouse or a rat will run for cover, or a known escape route, at the first sight of human, when in a enclosed space with same. I suspect they may act differently in the wild or outdoors but…never, ever have I seen any wild animal approach a human…unless trained or otherwise conditioned to do so. Although i no longer choose to do so, I have lived in urban areas. > > OH… OK… and how often did this happen? > Dogs will grab a rodent by the back and shake it violently until it ceases to move. Then, a dog either consume it, or drop it and sniff the carcass until it losses interest. I’ve seen it dozens of times. No self respecting dog will expose the soft, vulnerable, inside of it’s mouth to a live rodent (any more than you would) in order to provide safe transportation. No rodent would not bite the inside of a predators mouth…given the opportunity. > > Your life is a Disney movie…I understand now. > Please continue. Disregard my advice on dealing with your rodent. It seemed like you were seriously considering a solution.The thread is yours, I apologize for injecting my reality here. You seem to know very little about animals. My dog used to do that on almost every walk. Over and over and over. Have you seriously never seen videos of dogs nursing cats, cats being friends with birds, whales coming to humans for help when they’re tangled in nets?? The mouse is less than 4 feet away from me, right now as I type this. I use to work at a wild life refuge where a blind bald eagle would hang out with the cats and chickens. We had a baby seal who hated water and I had to keep putting him back in his pool. Wild animals would come out of the surrounding woods and decide, on their own, to live there. In Kananaskis Park wild Grey Jays will fly out of the trees, land on your plate and eat your food. Growing up I had a pet crow who used to ride on my bike handle bars. Just because your “reality” of animals always means death, fear and violence doesn’t mean it’s actual reality. But thank you for leaving the thread. Buh bye! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/49 "2015-09-16T02:17:40Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Just because your “reality” of animals always means death, fear and violence doesn’t mean it’s actual reality. But, you know, in this case it might have to be. Mice ARE vermin, and spread disease and what is somewhat euphemistically referred to as “filth”. It’s not healthy. ---
**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 16, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/50 "2015-09-16T02:30:22Z")
> [@j666](#): > > But, you know, in this case it might have to be. Mice ARE vermin, and spread disease and what is somewhat euphemistically referred to as “filth”. It’s not healthy. I agree. I’ve decided that as long as it’s just the one, I’ll keep baiting the live traps. If I see two, or one that’s obviously not him, I will have to switch to something lethal. I’ve found a good snap trap that has a little tube that they enter and it’s made so that they have to go head first towards the snap. It’s supposed to stop things like having a tail or foot get caught and them thrashing around. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/51 "2015-09-16T02:31:36Z")
House mice will tame down quite easily if they start out getting handouts when they are young. I had a mouse at work that would join me for lunch every evening at my desk. I could scratch his head and he would ride on my shoulder. I have had plenty of rats in commercial buildings I have worked nights at that got very tame as far as taking handout from the hand. I would just befirend the little guy and call him my roommate. ---
**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 16, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/52 "2015-09-16T03:02:04Z")
He was in the trap!! I thought “got him!” and I watched and waited but the door didn’t close and after he ate all the peanut butter and veggie-dog, he ran out. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/53 "2015-09-16T03:24:05Z")
What kind of trap do you have? Maybe you need a better mousetrap. I’ve used one like this: [http://www.amazon.com/Kness-Tip-Trap-109-0-001-Live-Capture-Mouse/dp/B00004RA4G/ref=sr\_1\_33?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1442373954&sr=1-33&keywords=mousetrap](http://www.amazon.com/Kness-Tip-Trap-109-0-001-Live-Capture-Mouse/dp/B00004RA4G/ref=sr_1_33?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1442373954&sr=1-33&keywords=mousetrap). I’m not sure if it’s the same brand I have, but it works really well. The door snaps shut when the mouse goes in, and the mouse can’t get back out. I’ve used a couple of other live traps, and this is my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Archeonomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Archeonomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archeonomist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/54 "2015-09-16T03:32:20Z")
You could always give up and call it a pet. Maybe it’s a reincarnated forefather of yours who wants to keep an eye on you. ---
**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 16, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/55 "2015-09-16T03:57:09Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > What kind of trap do you have? Maybe you need a better mousetrap. I’ve used one like this: [Amazon.com : Kness Tip-Trap 109-0-001 Live-Capture Mouse Trap : Home Pest Control Traps : Patio, Lawn & Garden](http://www.amazon.com/Kness-Tip-Trap-109-0-001-Live-Capture-Mouse/dp/B00004RA4G/ref=sr_1_33?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1442373954&sr=1-33&keywords=mousetrap). I’m not sure if it’s the same brand I have, but it works really well. The door snaps shut when the mouse goes in, and the mouse can’t get back out. I’ve used a couple of other live traps, and this is my favorite. That’s exactly the one he was in. Maybe because it’s set on carpet? I don’t know but I re-baited it and put it back. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/56 "2015-09-16T05:46:08Z")
> [@CerebrAl](#): > > Your life is a Disney movie…I understand now. > Please continue. Disregard my advice on dealing with your rodent. It seemed like you were seriously considering a solution.The thread is yours, I apologize for injecting my reality here. You’re coming awfully close to threadshitting here and the tone is getting fairly snarky/insulting. If all you have to offer are posts like this one, you’re better off doing it somewhere else (like, the BBQ Pit). ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/57 "2015-09-16T11:29:34Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > That’s exactly the one he was in. Maybe because it’s set on carpet? I don’t know but I re-baited it and put it back. The carpet might be the problem. Maybe you could put a piece of cardboard under it. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/58 "2015-09-16T12:40:58Z")
Maybe the reason he’s not afraid, and might me associating you with food, is because he’s someone’s escaped pet. Put on some gloves, and see if he’ll let you pick him up. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/59 "2015-09-16T13:35:56Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > House mice will tame down quite easily if they start out getting handouts when they are young. I had a mouse at work that would join me for lunch every evening at my desk. I could scratch his head and he would ride on my shoulder. I have had plenty of rats in commercial buildings I have worked nights at that got very tame as far as taking handout from the hand. I would just befirend the little guy and call him my roommate. 🙂 ---
**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 17, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761/60 "2015-09-17T13:14:50Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > The carpet might be the problem. Maybe you could put a piece of cardboard under it. I put cardboard under it and I GOT HIM! I got up to use the washroom at 3:15 and the trap was sprung. I live in a sketchy neighbourhood so I didn’t want to go far at all in the middle of the night. I live on the top floor on the south side of the building and I put him outside on the opposite side of the street on the north side. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-tormented-by-a-mouse/730761.md?page=4)