# I'm petrified (mouse) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647 "2016-07-11T12:46:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scared\_stiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Scared\_stiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scared_stiff)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/1 "2016-07-11T12:46:07Z")
I’m totally petrified and afraid of mice, like [this lady](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=660390), I have a cat, there was lots of noise I was sitting on my couch with feet on floor, when a mouse came from under couch and walked across my foot, I thought it was my cat till I saw the long tail,I screamed, I live in a apartment building I’m imaculate and clean, but there are some tenants who are filthy,and that’s why there’s mice, broad daylight they run down my hallway looking for openings under entry doors to each apartment, to enter I have towel tucked tightly under seeing this under mine, I called caretaker and nothing ever gets done, I so afraid I stood on kitchen table yesterday screaming and it didn’t scare mouse away,my husband passed away 2 years ago and I had to move into apartment, I have no family and a heart murmur, can’t afford a exterminater to come in, PLEASE HELP ME! I can’t sleep or eat scared to walk on floor won’t even go in bedroom I’m pleading for help Scared stiff ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/2 "2016-07-11T12:51:41Z")
**Scared stiff** , welcome to the Straight Dope. In order to not to reawaken someone else’s terror from four years ago, I’ve split your post off into it’s own thread (with a link referencing back to the original thread). Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/3 "2016-07-11T13:02:33Z")
“Its.” (A moderator should know better.) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/4 "2016-07-11T13:28:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > “Its.” (A moderator should know better.) I’m paid by the apostrophe. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/5 "2016-07-11T17:13:47Z")
Most grocery stores sell mouse traps. Or you could hope your cat catches it. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/6 "2016-07-11T18:23:51Z")
> [@Scared\_stiff](#): > > I live in a apartment building I’m imaculate and clean, but there are some tenants who are filthy,and that’s why there’s mice, No. There’s mice because you live in an urban environment and mice are part of the local fauna, along with stray cats & dogs, raccoons, possums, foxes, very small snakes, roaches, pigeons, rats, crows, and coyotes. They’re in your house because they’re itty bitty little things and they gnaw through the wood. Your relative immaculateness doesn’t enter into it, although, I can’t help but point out, you’re the one with mice romping around your living room, so maybe put that stone down before you break something. I understand not wanting wildlife in one’s house but I don’t know what to say to someone who’s actually afraid of mice. Oh - your cat’s unlikely to care, if he’s mellow and well-fed. Or might go all mighty-hunter. You never can tell with cats. Personally, I hate when cats kill mice because they only ever eat half of it. I prefer my cats to just leave it to me. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/7 "2016-07-11T19:06:12Z")
Traps are an obvious suggestion. I suggest the sticky traps as they’re easier to use, they seem to work better in my experience, and they’re less messy. If you have problems handling dead or trapped mice, get a bunch of paper sandwich bags. Lay them down on their side on the floor and place the trap inside. This way if you catch a mouse, you can just close up the bag and throw the whole bag out. Another possibility is something I’ve mentioned before: peppermint. Get a bottle of peppermint oil (not peppermint extract, which is much weaker). Sprinkle a few drops in every room of your apartment. You want it to be strong enough that you can smell it. Mice hate the smell and they’ll avoid your apartment. But be warned your cat may also be upset by the peppermint smell. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/8 "2016-07-11T19:13:39Z")
Yes, traps. The snap traps might hurt your cat instead. I’ll quote a short section of Mike McGrath’s long essay on mice. > [@](#): > > Basic snap traps work well. Wear gloves while you handle the traps to disguise your scent, bait them with peanut butter (the universal malicious mammal attractant), and place them right along the walls in rooms you’ve seen evidence of mouse action. Check them regularly; and if you make a catch, keep the traps in place for a while. There’s rarely a single mouse a foot. > Some ingenious devices get around the ‘ick’ factor of snap traps by capturing mice alive. I tried a grey plastic one, but didn’t like it because you couldn’t tell just by looking whether it had caught anything or not; and I got tired of picking it up and shaking it around. “The Mice Cube” is much better; its made of clear plastic, so you can tell at a glance if it has a mouse inside or not. McGrath warns against poisoning the mice. If one dies in your house in some place you can’t get to, the stink of a single dead mouse is unspeakably bad and long-lasting. On the other hand, if your cat gets hold of a poisoned mouse, you’ll have a dead or very sick cat. If the varmint gets outside, you could kill an owl or hawk. Amazon, for example, has the Mice Cube and several other kinds. [https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb\_sb\_ss\_fb\_1\_9?url=search-alias%3Dlawngarden&field-keywords=mice+cube&sprefix=mice+cube%2Caps%2C182](https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_9?url=search-alias%3Dlawngarden&field-keywords=mice+cube&sprefix=mice+cube%2Caps%2C182) [http://www.gardensalive.com/product/keep-mice-out-of-your-mulchand-your-mansion](http://www.gardensalive.com/product/keep-mice-out-of-your-mulchand-your-mansion) ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/9 "2016-07-11T19:23:04Z")
The exterminator I called because of _my_ mouse-phobia recommended baiting the snap traps with peanut butter _inside a cotton ball_. He said that mice are often able to lick the peanut butter off a snap trap without triggering it; if they have to root around in the cotton ball, they’ll set it off for sure. Also, a towel tucked tightly under a door probably isn’t doing anything to prevent a mouse from getting through. They can squeeze through incredibly tight spaces. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/10 "2016-07-11T19:28:23Z")
Another vote for the sticky traps, but get the ones that are flat paper, not the lipped, plastic ones(let the dollar store be your friend) Bait with peanut butter or chocolate(I lost 50 bucks worth of baking chocolate once to a little Topo Gigio) Nix on any poisons, if the mouse eats it and scurries off behind a wall to die, there’s no way of getting it, and the smell is pretty bad. Change the location of the traps every few days, unless you’re having spectacular success in one area. If you want to scope out your entire living quarters, do so, making note of places mice could enter(all they need is a hole the size of a quarter, I’m guessing less, to enter your place) If you have a lot of potential entrances, get a can of the expanding foam insulation and plug those babies up. Don’t leave ANYTHING edible on countertops or in an unsecured pantry or cabinets. Candy,cereal, crackers, bread, pasta, bags of flour and sugar, hell, mice’ll eat just about anything. Refrigerate what you can, for the rest use RIGID plastic containers. Forget storing food in an oven, it is not a closed system(I found out to my utter dismay, 12 dozen pizzelles lost) It’s disgusting and creepy to have them, but oh so satisfying when you see one of those li’l darlings velcro’d and hyperventilating on a glue trap. :o ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/11 "2016-07-11T23:47:42Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > It’s disgusting and creepy to have them, but oh so satisfying when you see one of those li’l darlings velcro’d and hyperventilating on a glue trap. :o Please don’t use glue traps. It’s very inhumane. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/12 "2016-07-11T23:50:59Z")
I have to vote against glue traps, as they are a pretty horrible way to kill a mouse. Live traps, such as Victor’s “Tin Cat” are not very expensive, and they really do work. A little bait – raisins are good – and the cute li’l mousie tips himself right into the cage. You – or a brave friend – take him outdoors somewhere and let him go. (Yeah, I know: you’re just feeding him to the owls…) As for the fear, I know about phobias. They can be overpowering. Do you have a friend you can get to help? If my next-door-neighbor had this problem, I’d be happy to help out. Maybe you’ve got a friend or relative who can work the problem for you? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/13 "2016-07-12T00:54:55Z")
Yep, another vote against glue traps. Awful, awful way to die. If you’re in an apartment, isn’t that what a landlord is for, to call the exterminator? StG ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/14 "2016-07-12T02:48:41Z")
They sell these little devices that put out ultrasound that supposedly repels mice at most stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. Put one in each room and hopefully they will plague your neighbors instead. Glue traps are totally inhumane so don’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/15 "2016-07-12T19:01:40Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > They sell these little devices that put out ultrasound that supposedly repels mice at most stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. Put one in each room and hopefully they will plague your neighbors instead. The effectiveness of ultrasonic devices on mice/rats is [dubious](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_pest_control) at best: > [@](#): > > Effects on rodents > Rodents adjust to the ultrasound (or any new sound) and eventually ignore it. At best, ultrasonic waves have only a partial or temporary effect on rodents. Numerous studies have rejected ultrasonic sound as a practical means of rodent control.[citation needed] Tests of commercial ultrasonic devices have indicated that rodents may be repelled from the immediate area of the ultrasound device for a few minutes to a few days, but they will nearly always return and resume normal activities. Other tests have shown that the degree of repellance depends on the frequency, intensity, and pre-existing condition of the rodent infestation. The intensity of such sounds must be so great that damage to humans or domestic animals would also be likely; commercial ultrasonic pest control devices do not produce sounds of such intensity.[11] ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/16 "2016-07-12T20:16:46Z")
and if the cat decides to go after the mouse on the glue trap its a mess ive had to shave cats pretty much and after a couple of incidents with one my cat loves an occasional bath ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/17 "2016-07-12T22:07:08Z")
Are you allowed to have a dog? Terriers are awesome mousers, even better than cats. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/18 "2016-07-12T22:15:42Z")
Purchase a pet mouse and take care of it until you have overcome your fear. ---
**Author:** ![Jules27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@Jules27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules27)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/19 "2016-07-12T23:20:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Traps are an obvious suggestion. I suggest the sticky traps as they’re easier to use, they seem to work better in my experience, and they’re less messy. Terrible, awful advice. Glue traps are torture traps. They should be outlawed. “Less messy” LMFAO. The animal will chew their own leg off if left on for too long, or a whole patch of skin, etc. Last time I saw a glue trap in use, a mouse had its eye dangling out and its jaw dislocated… and it was still alive. How on earth can you say supergluing an animal on plastic is “less messy”? For goodness sake. > [@quiltguy](#): > > It’s disgusting and creepy to have them, but oh so satisfying when you see one of those li’l darlings velcro’d and hyperventilating on a glue trap. :o I think we know what the disgusting thing is here - and it ain’t the mice. It amazes me people still use these things when there are other alternatives. Stop torturing animals, please. You don’t have to do that to kill/get rid of mice. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647/20 "2016-07-12T23:21:01Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Purchase a pet mouse and take care of it until you have overcome your fear. And promise to hug it and pet it and stroke it and name it George. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-petrified-mouse/759647.md?page=2)