Hantavirus is really only a concern in the high deserts of the Southwest, up to Idaho. If you don’t live in that area, don’t worry about it (or course, I do live there).
As for mice getting in - they are crafty buggers, and can get in through a hole the size of a dime, or a slot the size of two nickels stacked flat.
I’ve used the old snap traps but they’re kind of a pain. Now, I get these Tomcat press and set traps. The mouse has to mount the spring platform to even get to the bait. Plus, they’ve got these cool looking “jaws” on them. Setting is really easy with no risk to fingers and less chance of accidental triggering.
This.
Also, you only need traps where the mice are. When we get mice, i put a trap next to wherever i saw droppings. Kill a mouse or three, and then i usually don’t see them for a few years.
The old fashioned traps are the best. I use peanut butter. I think the glue traps are inhumane and the snap ones cause a much quicker and (usually) clean death. It sounds like you just had a rogue visitor and I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you start to observe droppings or more mice, then set traps. Exterminators are way too expensive for something easily dealt with.
I have one of those in the rat size set on the water heater stand in the garage. Also on the stand is a Victor board-style spring trap, also rat sized. The Tomcat catches more rats - probably 4:1 - but getting your finger caught in the Tomcat hurts WAY more than the old fashioned spring trap!
If you’re getting your finger caught, you’re not doing it right.
Yeah? Tell me something I don’t know! 
There’s a lot of things I don’t do right, all of it accidentally, and some of it hurts like hell!
Great come back. 
“To err is human…”
As regards sealing up entry points, remember that mice can squeeze into incredibly tiny openings. That’s one area where an exterminator might be useful.
Another vote for old-fashioned wooden snap traps. They pretty much assure a quick kill, unlike the plastic traps, which use less force and may just injure or “catch” the head of the mouse, which then tries to flee the area, making clattering sounds (don’t ask me how I know). Peanut butter is a good bait.
Having mice in the house may well attract snakes. Again, I speak from experience.
Heh. I was gonna mention the snake/rat thing. But psychobunny is already freaked.
It also happens if Squirrel mom decides to have her babies in your garage rafters. Squirrel mom screams at 11pm are alarming.
Yep. Experiences. Grand, ain’t they?
I catch 30-40 mice in my basement per year. Years ago, I was unable to find their OUTSIDE entry point(s), but I’m pretty sure where the INSIDE path is, and it’s on a shelf where I can put 3 or 4 baited spring traps side-by-side.
They may defeat or bypass #1 or 2, but get caught by #3 or 4. Having the traps all in line minimalizes the spread of tiny turdlets and makes it easy to monitor the mangled mouse mortuary.
My mouse season runs from September thru the following year. September marks the start of cooler weather, so they are looking for a warmer place. By next April, the number caught will begin to diminish.
I use spring traps for several reasons. They’re quick and effective. I take the mousey corpses and put them in my ground-level bird feeder, where they are gobbled up by foxes at night, crows and blue jays in the day (I have used video cameras to detect this). Corpses cannot easily be recycled from glue traps. Using a live trap means I would have to transport them far away to release, so…no.
I’m not in the market to rehome mice. It’s not likely they will ever be endangered.
I get it. I don’t like hurting critters, unnecessarily. But it can turn into a mousey warzone in alarmingly quick time if not mitigated.
Yes, keep out the mice you can. Don’t use poison unless there’s a health reason(hanta). Use traps if there’s an occasional sighting. Live traps are not a thing I’d use. I don’t see the appeal. My problem doesn’t need to be someone else’s problem, down the road.
I have been told cats only become good mousers if they are taught by momma cat to hunt mice.
Otherwise, a mouse is just something of interest and maybe worth batting around a bit for fun (and not likely to kill it).
I’m told that about half of kittens will kill prey without being taught, and almost all will if they are taught. One of our cats was hand-reared and was certainly never taught to hunt, but he’s killed a few mice in the house. Whenever he kills one, i praise him and tell him he’s a good cat.
If mice could fly my cats might care a bit. Stuff flitting around in the air seems to get them worked up.
Well this has been discouraging. It seems that the consensus is that I need to use the snap traps which is what I did the last time. As noted, I caught a mouse, presumably the one I had seen but then kept the traps out and attracted super intelligent mice and possibly rats that were able to lick the peanut butter out of the cups without setting off the traps.I worry that the same thing will happen. I will catch a few mice then keep the traps out for months which means I can never have anyone over and will be afraid to walk barefoot or reach into any of my cabinets and will also continue to worry about the super intelligent mice.
Meanwhile, the bad news is that I found another dead mouse, this time on the first floor so it is definitely an infestation. Apparently, the only way to prevent them getting in is to seal up any holes but since they can fit through impossibly small holes this seems like an impossible task. I don’t think I can physically crawl on the ground looking for tiny little holes to patch. I really don’t see how people do it. I have also been looking for droppings or signs of nests but I haven’t found any. I’m not super eager to go prodding around in the bases of all my dark cabinets.
A cat is now out of the question because both mice I found were dead so I am worried that they are finding some sort of poison and coming to my house to die. This of course makes me paranoid that they are dying in the walls and I swear I smell dead mice everywhere and every shadow looks like another dead mouse.Luckily, my cleaning guy is coming tomorrow and I will ask him to check all the drawers and cabinets and boxes for signs of mice and Amazon is sending me a pallet of wooden snap traps which are thankfully cheap. I just need peanut butter and maybe chocolate. Apparently the mice like Reese’s? My house will soon by thoroughly booby trapped.
I never put traps where i might step on them. Mice usually like to be right next to walls, not in the middle of the floor.
Do you see droppings anywhere? Are they even in your home? Or have you just seen them in a common area? Have you asked building maintenance if they are poisoning the mice?
I suspect they may be from a neighbors extermination. I’d ask around.
2 mice do not make an infestation.
If it is truly disruptive, do think about calling a pro in.
Your wallet may be thinner but your peace of mind will make up for it.
Your call.
Yep. Don’t put traps where they might be stepped on. Think, behind the fridge or on very top of cupboards. Under stairs. Utility closet.
…what? Why does having traps mean you can’t have anyone over? The traps are not sitting in the middle of the floor where people walk, they should be along the walls, in corners, etc. The idea that traps means no one can come into my house or I can’t walk barefoot is just astonishing to me.
And speaking of, there was a mouse in one of my electronic traps just this morning! Nothing for two weeks, I read this thread and then there it is!
When I lived in the woods, in a modern house, I never had a mouse problem because there was no way for them to get in (poured foundation, 30 inches above grade, thank you very much). Despite the fact that my shed was constantly full of mouse poop.
Now I live in the city in a 100 year old house, and they are a constant headache. But don’t overthink it.
Agree with the zap traps- they work great, and you just dump it into the trash. No handling. But that said, respirator? Come now.
If you really want to do something, you can hire someone to go around the outside looking for entry points and closing them. Copper wool is excellent for this, as they can’t chew through it and it doesn’t rust. Terminix offers this service, but I’m sure there are locals as well.