# We have mice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059 "2015-10-29T04:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/1 "2015-10-29T04:08:48Z")
We currently have at least two mice running around in the house. (Probably of course there are multiple families of them, though I’ll note we’ve been in the house for nine months and only first saw one two days ago.) We bought a Tomcat III poison bait trap and they don’t seem to be going for it. Not a single nibble on the bait brick (which, btw, smells delicious). We need to set out traps that actually work, but which are also safe considering we’ve got a couple of three year olds running around the house. What has worked for you? ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/2 "2015-10-29T04:25:38Z")
A real cat. Not to sound like a jackass…but it’s been the best way in my experience. Mine are outdoor cats, and the mice were in the garage. Mice are common around here. The neighbors have an indoor/outdoor cat that got rid of their mice problem in their basement. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/3 "2015-10-29T04:35:36Z")
I’ve mentioned this before. I had mice problems and I read that peppermint oil works. Mice have a strong sense of smell and the odor is apparently too much for them. So get a bottle of peppermint oil (which is stronger than peppermint extract) and sprinkle it around the house. Sprinkle enough around that you can smell it and renew it every few days to keep it fresh. Your house will smell like peppermint but my experience was that it drove the mice out. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/4 "2015-10-29T04:39:43Z")
Old fashioned mousetrap with peanut butter as bait, placed in places the meeces are going looking for food and the kids can’t get to. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/5 "2015-10-29T04:41:46Z")
The three-year-olds would be a problem (for any kind of trap or bait station), but [Jawz](http://www.amazon.com/Eaton-Plastic-Mouse-Solid-Liquid/dp/B015L2J0XO/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1446093564&sr=1-1&keywords=jawz) traps are very effective and easy to set. Peanut butter is a good bait. IME, a lot of cats really don’t care much about mice, so if you go that route, you’ll need to find a cat that is already a mouser. Small dogs, especially terriers, often delight in hunting mice, but again it depends on the specific animal; I used to have a dog who really didn’t care if the mice ran around right in front of her. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/6 "2015-10-29T04:49:14Z")
Sorry about your problem. I share my place with a lot of critters. But, mice and cockroaches I have no need for. When I have a mice problem, I borrow the neighbor’s cat. Works every time. Everyone is happy. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/7 "2015-10-29T05:28:09Z")
Old fashioned snap traps behind the fridge, under the sink, and anywhere else the kid can’t reach. There is a reason why the same old design is still popular. And a ‘known mouser’ (feral are almost always good) cat is the best. My (fixed female) Maine Coon will play with her toy mouses (sue me) on occasion, but seems more interested in feathered toys. Yes, she IS indoor-only. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/8 "2015-10-29T05:46:09Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Old fashioned mousetrap with peanut butter as bait, placed in places the meeces are going looking for food and the kids can’t get to. Yes. This worked for me. I caught my mouse in a non-lethal trap baited with peanut butter and released it far from home. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/9 "2015-10-29T06:26:35Z")
Victor “Tin Cat.” Live trap. It really does work. The inquisitive little boogers fall right into it, and can’t get out. You can then drown 'em, or, if you’re a softie like I am, take 'em out into the boonies and let 'em go. (So the owls can eat 'em. So it goes!) Yes, regular snap-traps work. But, ew! Mouse guts. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-mice/736059/10 "2015-10-29T18:16:40Z")
House mice a trap shy, meaning you’re not likely to get more than one or two. They quickly learn and the only way to effectivelly use traps is to remove the mouse, as soon as the trap snaps. If another mouse sees their comrade dead, they’ll avoid it. Glue traps also work for a mouse or two but mice quickly avoid these. Poison does work for most. D-Con is effective but can take about four days. You want to make sure you remove all food, so the mice will eat the bait. You can throw some dry food, like peanuts in with the bait. Don’t over do the D-Con. Mice hoard, so only put out a few tablespoons in various places. Cats control mice but as someone who grew up on a farm, they won’t get shed of them all, unless you get a lethal cat. It’s hard to find them, even good micers need to be not fed in order to mouse properly. The biggest and hardest thing you need to do is find the holes they’re coming in through. This can be a royal pain, cause mice can squeeze through holes smaller than your thumbnail.