a_t_rain ([info]a_t_rain) wrote,
@ 2009-01-07 22:07:00
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A murine menace
I returned home to find that my apartment has become Infested By Mice. This is not good. They seem to be living in the stove, and a little Googling reveals that this is really not good, and if they start nesting in the insulation, you're sunk. (Googling also suggests that they hate the smell of peppermint. I guess I'll be washing everything in the house in Dr. Bronner's over the weekend.) Aargh.

I bought one of those humane traps (yes, I am a sap who can't bear to kill them, and there are lots of nice fields around where they can do their mousy thing without hurting anybody), but none of them have entrapped themselves yet. I think they are probably far too clever.

I am seriously considering borrowing my colleague's rat terrier. (As I said, I don't want to kill them myself, but natural predation is another thing altogether.)

Are there any other good home remedies I should know about?

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[info]mrstater
2009-01-08 05:13 am UTC (link)
Yes, I'd borrow the rat terrier...or adopt a cat or two! Eek! Hope that problem clears up soon!

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[info]a_t_rain
2009-01-08 05:20 am UTC (link)
The only problem with adopting a cat is that you then have the cat for, like, fifteen years, and I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to that. But I may come to it anyway.

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[info]mincot
2009-01-08 01:18 pm UTC (link)
I know someone with some kittens .... your other option is to have a rat snake move in. She or he will take care of the mouse problem for you. Then you have the snake. Since you're in an apartment, not good.

Since you are in an apaprtment, have you contacted the landlord?

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[info]a_t_rain
2009-01-08 06:34 pm UTC (link)
I kind of like the idea of a pet snake! Unfortunately, I'm not sure the apartment manager would...

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[info]lilacsigil
2009-01-08 05:40 am UTC (link)
Go for the rat terrier! Some cats never learn to be predators - my oldest cat is a ferocious hunter (so we don't let her outside often, or at night) and she brought back a live bird for the younger, indoor cats to play with. We got home to find one of the younger cats hunting and chasing, under instruction, but the other young cat was hiding behind the tv in terror of the tiny wattlebird!

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[info]nineveh_uk
2009-01-08 10:01 am UTC (link)
How annoying. One thing you must do is discovered where they are getting in and stop them, or you'll just get re-infested.

Crunchie bars (chocolate-coated cinder toffee) make excellent bait.

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[info]a_t_rain
2009-01-08 03:20 pm UTC (link)
Hmm, I think the closest thing we have on this side of the pond is a Heath Bar. I've been using peanuts, but no luck luring them into the trap (they did, however, chew through the packet with the leftover peanuts and ransack it for booty!)

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Peanut butter
[info]kulfold
2009-01-09 05:25 pm UTC (link)
because if the traps you are using are the ones that rock back and close then peanuts are too easy to get and get out but peanut butter is sticky and they move around more trying to eat it in situ.. works (as necessary) in my old victorian house although the cat works better...

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[info]tree_and_leaf
2009-01-09 10:49 pm UTC (link)
They like chocolate generally. The one time I had a mouse problem they ate all my chocolate caramel biscuits. They also ate half a packet of tea.

... don't bother with cheese, but sometimes they go for bacon.

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[info]keestone
2009-01-08 10:11 am UTC (link)
I've been told that those ultrasonic repellers work well. They should carry them in the hardware store.

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[info]amelia_eve
2009-01-08 11:23 am UTC (link)
I have had no success at all with the ultrasonic anti-pest device. I threw it away when I saw a roach crawling on it. The peppermint thing for mice requires constant renewal, even with full-strength natural peppermint oil. Only a stop-gap, really. I've never managed to catch a mouse in a trap and only have real success with poisoning. D-con (warfarin) is my weapon of choice.

Mice are endemic in my neighborhood. There is usually a lot of activity when the temperature first drops or the rains begin.

Good luck.

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[info]keestone
2009-01-09 09:14 am UTC (link)
The ultrasonic repeller that I bought specifically stated it was for rodents, not insects. I don't have positive proof that it works, as the previous occupant of the flat also had one and the flat wasn't infested when I moved in, but I haven't seen a mouse or rat although I haven't been too tidy lately and I left my front door open for hours on end during the summer. There's an estimated 4:1 rat to human ratio where I live. I can sometimes hear the one my next door neighbor has chirping and that's annoying enough. If I could hear it the way small animals do, I'd book it out of there and not come back till it was turned off.

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[info]lareinenoire
2009-01-08 04:32 pm UTC (link)
I'd go with the rat terrier, personally. It does mean you'll have to clean up mouse corpses, but that's surely better than having to kill them yourself.

My dog would be useless. She'd think the mice were toys and/or scary. So would my old cat, actually, but he's dumb as a box of rocks.

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[info]lavenderdusk
2009-01-09 05:18 am UTC (link)
When I had a mouse incident a few years ago I used peanut butter to bait my humane trap. Of course I only had once mouse (my cat brought it inside and then let it go, poor dear). If the peppermint oil lets you down, it's worth a shot.

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