please tell me your mouse stories . . .

[kratsayra]

I know there was a humorous thread about mice a while ago, but this is serious.

I have a mouse, and I am just horrified. It's disgusting, and I'm convinced I'm going to die of hanta-virus. I just bought traps and cleaned and I even bought some things you plug in that are supposed to drive the mice away with a high-pitched sound (who knows if that will work, but I figured I'd try).

Anyway . . . anyone have any successful (or unsuccessful) stories about getting rid of mice? I mostly just need the encouragement that not all is lost. I've just moved in to my apartment about two weeks ago, and I've been very clean, so it is very depressing.

[Virgil]

Hi Kratsy. I think the Bubonic plague is no longer a worry. Let me know if those high pitched noise things work. I never had the heart to kill mice. But I guess one must. Those sticky traps work well, but makes the poor mice suffer. The swinging trap are instaneous but leave a bloody mess.

[stlukesguild]

I do have one (mildly?) amusing mouse tale (tail?). Several years ago while finishing my studies for my teaching license (in other words while working 40 hours at my job and then spending another 40+ on my studies with very little sleep at all) my wife woke me up from my much-needed slumber screaming about the biggest mouse she had ever seen hiding behind the couch. Being the dutiful husband I went to check it out, armed (just in case) with a broom. As I leaned over the back of the couch my wife cried out, "Do you see it? The tail is enormous!" And sure enough... there it was... dark gray and about as big as my forearm... a long tubular bit of Styrofoam insulation that had fallen from around the air-conditioning. I asked her what was she thinking, we had an 8-foot mouse? and then staggered back to bed. But the mouse tale didn't stop there. My wife continued to swear that she had seen mice running through the house while sitting up late watching TV. She even swore that she felt one run over the sheets while we were in bed. I never saw any of this and was certain she was nuts until late one night I saw not one, nor two, but three mice go running by on my book shelves. As I went to investigate I discovered (horror or all horrors!!) that the little beasts had been doing their business on my books! This, of course, meant immediate war. Traps, poison, anything until my library was once again a secure and dropping-free sanctuary.

[kratsayra]

haha, thanks for that story Stlukes. three mice at once! and your books! I'm glad you won.

[metal134]

My cat has caught a couple of mice and I'll tell you, she's friggin' sadistic. She will not kill the mouse, she just screws with it. She'll trap in in her paws, then slap it around some and let it go, only to let it run about 3 feet and pounce on it again. The mouse looks terrified, like it's heart can't take anymore, but she'll do this for hours. Sometimes, the mouse will get away and hide in a shoe or under a box or something, then she'll just look at me and cry, like I should do something about it. The only thing that really amazes me is that the whole time, my dogs won't even pay notice. I would think that if they were to see a mouse, they'd try to get it. But they just leave her be. Eventually, she will kill the thing, but only after torturing it for a good 2-3 hours.

[kilted exile]

Probably not workable with you being in NJ, but one of the best ways to get rid of mice is by letting a bat fly around your house one night. I believe it works by the high pitch noise of the bat scaring away the mouse.

[Riesa]

Probably not workable with you being in NJ, but one of the best ways to get rid of mice is by letting a bat fly around your house one night. I believe it works by the high pitch noise of the bat scaring away the mouse.

a mouse underfoot or a bat overhead....


A few years ago I was sitting outside when my three year old daughter began to scream a most terrified, blood-curdling scream. My first thought was that one of the boys had fallen off of the bunk-bed and broken their neck, (not a nice image for a mother) but when I went indoors to inquire as to her distress, I could hear her screaming, "RACCOOOOONNNNNN!!!!! Raccoon! Raccoon!" I was like...holy ****! how in the hell did a raccoon get into our house! but as I opened the door to her room I see this miniature mouse running frantically into her closet. (talk about high-pitched noises scaring mice)

anyway, we introduced our cat Molly to the mouse and she made fast friends with it, poor thing. I still laugh when I think of that mouse and Daphne's grandiose image of it.

[kratsayra]

Probably not workable with you being in NJ, but one of the best ways to get rid of mice is by letting a bat fly around your house one night. I believe it works by the high pitch noise of the bat scaring away the mouse.

I am hoping that my plugged in high pitched noises are working. I do not think I'd enjoy a bat! I spent a summer in Indiana, and there were bats in our dorm once in a while. I was like . . . eek! Although people who were more familiar with them didn't really mind.

I kind of wish I could have a cat - that is perhaps the best way, but my room is too small.

[manolia]

I kind of wish I could have a cat - that is perhaps the best way, but my room is too small.

Bah!! I have three cats and they NEVER chase mice. Perhaps i over feed them...

Do try the bat. Bats are nice

EDIT

The funnier mouse story i have heard is about a mouse living in a printer. Printer works fine by the way..

[kilted exile]

Erm, just to clarify things - you dont actually keep the bat, only get someone to fly it through your house one night while you stay at a friends or a hotel or something like that. Mouse leaves, Bat gets taken away, nice rodent free house.

[papayahed]

ack!! My new place is overrun with mice. OK ya'll know I'm dramatic, it's not really overrun we have a few. ick. In fact I was sitting at my desk when one of those little bastards darted from the copy room into the hallway, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Currently we use glue traps, those seem kinda wrong is there anything better?

[kilted exile]

A lot of pest control companies will offer a live trap. It is pretty efficient and gives the option if you want of not killed the tim'rous beastie.

[B-Mental]

OK, this is true. My father's nickname was Mouse. He owned a bar called the Mousetrap. I have been hired by complete strangers to remove mice from a house. It is very simple. I prefer to use the live traps, I hate to kill them. These traps will shut when the mouse goes all the way in to get the bait.

First the bait.... I use cheese, and peanut butter. mix 2 parts cheese to 1 part peanut butter. Mix these together by hand, and smear a little more peanut butter on the piece (peanut butter is the aromatice attractant, cheese is the binding agent). Don't wash your hands until you have set the trap. The smell of peanut butter is stronger than the smell of human, and will mask your presence. Set a small sample piece aside for later...see below

Then take this small 1cmx1cm piece and set it all the way to the back of the trap, press it into a corner of the back of the trap. Place the trap near the edge of a wall, that has some droppings...this means they are using it as a travel route, and feel secure about leaving droppings.

Then place the little sample piece just outside the trap by an inch or two. This is a preliminary lure. It will bring the mouse in, and the big piece in the back of the trap will be too good to resist.

Ok...you've got your mouse now what. You should scout a field that doesn't have cats in it all of the time, and is not too close to other houses. Once you catch the mouse, gently move the trap, the mouse will be terrified. Anyways, release the mouse on the edge of a field and forested area...it will choose its next home. Good luck.

[stephofthenight]

i have 16 pet mice...but they are small...and will stay that way... there about half the size of my pinkie full grown...there realy cute, we mutated them in Ag... lol we manganed to breed them like that there adorable...rats are gross...but mice are cute.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Anyway . . . anyone have any successful (or unsuccessful) stories about getting rid of mice?

Well, I suppose an ordinary mousetrap works best...

But I do have a few stories This is one of them: One particular mouse suffered from a very bad stroke of luck as it came in through our open door one summer day. I just happened to be inside using the .... vacuum cleaner It scurried right past me, and I reacted without thinking: Slurp! The thought of a mouse in the vacuum cleaner did not appeal to me however, so I went outside, opened it up and emptied the bag, Sure enough, a very tattered looking mouse fell out, and zipped away as fast as it knew how.

My wife still does not know about that one

/Claes