I mean I had gotten so used to not seeing mice anymore that when I saw the mouse I thought I was dreaming. Look how long I lived here without seeing any mice? For starters the building has pest control come out three times since I moved in which was 6/16, 10/16 and 2/17. Plus there is no trash room in the basement at all and we take our trash outside. I never seen any evidence of any mice nowhere in the apt since last May, nowhere on the kitchen counter top or the floor so I am very shocked tonight.
And that one of the things I loved about living here that It was no mice issues at all. I stayed bragging about how I don’t have a rodent issue but that all ended tonight.
Sticky traps are the most effective. I caught 11 in 2015. Only 2 in 2016. They can only be used once. Put in a bag and toss into the outside can.
My pest control guy put rat bait in the attic.
I haven’t heard them scratching in the attic since last year or seen any in my living spaces.
I still have several sticky traps set out just in case.
The big ones will lift up the trap. You’ll hear a whap, whap, whap from the other room. The trap bouncing off the floor. I used a brick to euthanize them quickly.
I know this is anecdotal as hell, but we placed several devices similar to these throughout the house many years ago and have not seen a single mouse since.
mmm
Based on the emails I’m guessing another pest control is scheduled for the end of the month. I always thought mice came out when it was dark and quiet. Not when it was lights on and the TV is blasting.
But when you haven’t had to use anything at all since you moved in Last May it’s kind of hard to start buying mouse traps. I plan to contact the rental office to ask when is the next scheduled pest control.
Please bear in mind that mice are mammals with a complex nervous system. They may be pests, but glue traps are just about the most inhumane method imaginable to kill them.
Some glue-trap manufacturers even recommend that live mice trapped on these boards should just be thrown in the trash. That’s disgusting, gratuitous cruelty. If you must use these traps, it is your responsibility to kill any trapped mouse quickly.
Spring traps cost no more money, and are far more humane, usually breaking the rodent’s neck and causing instant death provided that they are set correctly.
That’s why I euthanize caught mice before throwing out the trap. I don’t want them to suffer a prolonged death. A hit on the head is all it takes.
A spring trap often hits their head or neck. Not much different than the way I kill them with a brick. I hit just hard enough to get the job done. I don’t bash them.
I tried a live and let live approach for awhile. I heard them in the attic for a couple years. Then they started invading my living space. That’s when I had to do something about it. They carry fleas and other health hazards. They can’t be allowed to get in cabinets and on countertops.
My preferred method is the electronic trap—mice venture inside, are electrocuted when they step on a metal plate, and an LED blinks to alert you that there’s a dead victim inside. Those are a little pricey, though.
The old-timey snap traps are by far the most reliable option, and they’re cheap. If you’re squeamish, there are fully-enclosed, single-use snap traps available.
Anyone with pets can’t use spring traps or poison.
I had a bad scare with my dog. I heard the trap snap and a yelp. She just barely jumped back in time. I threw them away. It’s not worth getting her hurt.
She got into one of the sticky traps. That was a mess getting that glue off her fur. But at least it didn’t hurt her.
I’ve used snap traps with a dog in the house and never had a problem. I placed the traps in areas where mice are likely to run (such as along walls) but inaccessible to the dog—behind a furnace or other appliance, under the sink, in the basement, etc. If a trap is really needed in a more open area, you can put it inside a box or use one of the fully-enclosed trap designs.
Poison can also be used in places the pet can’t reach (such as inside a plastic “bait station”), but I generally avoid poison because you end up with mice dying inside your walls.
Female here, slightly squeamish. Had a mouse in February 2016. I knew it traveled from under the sink to the silverware drawer, evidenced by droppings. I emptied out the silverware drawer and set traps in the drawer and under the sink. It took 2 weeks (and me being away for a week) to catch the bugger. Came home from my trip, checked under the sink, put on the rubber gloves, and scooped trap and rodent in plastic bag. Haven’t seen one since, but I also now have a cat.
Just get a shoe box, a wooden spool, name it Mr Jingles, and train it to preform at mousville.
plastic trapdoor live trap, peanut butter, drop the little guy off in the woods down the road, he will figure it out from there.
Then have the management figure out how they are getting in.
Some mice are braver than others. We have three cats yet the occasional mouse still ventured out from under the fridge and/or stove. None of them were ever brave enough to go after our food, though.
The property manager had an exterminator stop by and put mouse bait in the big hole behind the fridge. The goal being to get mice to nibble off a piece of the bait then return to their nest to die. Couple weeks later, the property manager had the hole sealed up.
