# It's war, I tells ya, war **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722 "2014-11-26T23:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/21 "2014-11-28T21:57:56Z")
**Baker** , thanks for that image. It’ll stick with me for a while.:eek: I once trapped a mouse in a room I didn’t use much during the winter. Come spring I started cleaning and found a nice little freeze-dried mousie in a trap on a shelf. I picked up the trap, mousie stuck out straight from it, except for the part of his tail that had flipped over the edge of the shelf as mousie gave up the ghost. Nice permanent right angle, which made me giggle for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/22 "2014-11-28T22:00:13Z")
> [@ryobserver](#): > > Snap traps and gummi bears, or gumdrops, have always been my weapons of choice. Mice love sweets, and a sticky sweet will adhere to the trap and their teeth juust long enough. I’m willing to donate the gumdrop flavors I don’t like to the cause, but the rest of the bag is mine. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/23 "2014-11-29T01:52:26Z")
Pardon my ignorance, but what are these electronic traps under discussion? We had mice in the garage, but we started letting Piper Cat 1 and Piper Cat 2 out in the garage now and then, and the problem seems solved. But, am interested in a non-spring trap option as an alternative. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/24 "2014-11-29T02:59:22Z")
The neighbors have a huge naval orange tree which straddles the fence. I was working near the tree when I heard a rustling noise from the tree. “Noisy squirrel” was my thought. Until a medium-sized rat plopped down in front of me. It was just the size of the sole of my shoe, and I was quicker than it. Spot fertilization. Another saw the mosquito-eating fish sunning themselves in the 2’ of water over the top step. It jumped in (of course, the fish were gone before it landed). It then had the problem of climbing a smooth, vertical surface. I used the leaf-skimmer to pin it against the wall below the water line. For smaller vermin, I use poisons - with luck, they will live long enough for the stuff to circulate throughout their bodies, so any other vermin eating their corpses will get the effect as well. But there IS a certain pleasure to hearing that “snap”, isn’t there? ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/25 "2014-11-30T14:43:59Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > If the mouse is still alive when you find it, hold the trap over a garbage can outdoors, and pour vegetable oil on it. DO NOT pour the oil before you are where you want the mouse to drop because the stickum dissolves almost instantly. Mickey licks himself clean then takes a ride to a nice garbage dump in the country and your wife has a clean conscience. I wish I had known this earlier this summer. The exterminator put glue traps around my shop, but all it caught was some bugs and a [Blue Tailed Skink.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CQ3g415tSTs/maxresdefault.jpg) It took me over 30 minutes with tiny tools and picks to free his tiny legs, torso, and tail from the glue, and even then I suspect he didn’t survive after I put him back outside. FTR, I have had an electronic mouse trap for years, and never caught a thing. I put plain old snap-traps next to it, and get mice every time.:smack: With the cold snap we’ve had lately, the rodents have returned, but between the cat and 2 Dachsunds, the pantry is safe. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/26 "2014-11-30T14:48:57Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > But there IS a certain pleasure to hearing that “snap”, isn’t there? Call be bloodthirsty, but yes there is. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/27 "2014-12-01T03:43:32Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Call be bloodthirsty, but yes there is. Oh, yes. Especially when accompanied by an evil cackle and rubbing one’s hands together.😃 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/28 "2014-12-02T00:53:49Z")
The snap is particularly satisfying (and dramatic) when the trap is in your attic and it catches one of the damned things that has been running around up there. It snapped at 2 a.m. right above my head! I even enjoyed the thrashing and clattering that went on for several seconds afterwards. Stupid rats. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/29 "2014-12-02T13:45:17Z")
Only had to deal with a mouse once. When I was a kid, a mouse got brought in with some firewood. Mom spotted it hopping along the wall from the hearth to behind to TV and determeined to do something about it. Some days later , I was up later than I should have been (Trying to watch the scrambled adult channel). When I heard the SNAP a few feet away, I jumped out of my skin. Turned on the light and looked behind the TV just in time to see the light go out in mousies eyes. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/30 "2014-12-02T14:57:21Z")
Why is the “Catch, carry, and release” particularly cruel? If it’s because some other animal is going to have a mouse-attizer… well, eaters gotta eat, right? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/31 "2014-12-02T16:28:33Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > I was rummaging around in my wreck room, looking for the fake grass mat I use with my dollhouses. Found it, tipped the tube to get the mat out, and ended up with a large pile of sunflower seeds, white and **brown rice**.:eek: I hate to tell you, but that probably wasn’t [brown rice](https://www.google.com/search?q=mouse+droppings)! :eek::eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/32 "2014-12-03T03:55:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Why is the “Catch, carry, and release” particularly cruel? If it’s because some other animal is going to have a mouse-attizer… well, eaters gotta eat, right? I’ve done the catch/carry/release (kinda). It’s just that the little bastard was stuck to a pad of glue, that’s all… ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/33 "2014-12-03T14:36:21Z")
After nearly two weeks with no activity in the traps, I was ready to declare victory. Then I found two mice in the first-floor traps, two _moles_ in the basement traps, and had another trap snap just I was getting ready for bed. Bastards. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/34 "2014-12-03T14:44:43Z")
Hmm, after some googling it appears I may have caught two shrews, not moles. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/35 "2014-12-03T15:12:45Z")
Can you tame them? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/36 "2014-12-03T18:33:40Z")
They’re pretty tame, what with the broken necks and all. Not very obedient, however, with the one notable exception of “play dead”, to which their performance not even the most artistically gifted opossum could aspire. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722/37 "2014-12-03T21:07:18Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I hate to tell you, but that probably wasn’t [brown rice](https://www.google.com/search?q=mouse+droppings)! :eek::eek::eek: I think perhaps you are referring to the meandering trails of carraway seeds usually found in proximity to mousie pawprints in the miniature Zen garden.😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722.md?page=1)