I really need help on this one. I have a mouse with an attitude. I put out plastic lids with potato flakes, as was recommended here. THE MOUSE STOLE THE ENTIRE LID. I filled all the holes under the kitchen sink with steel wool, as was recommended. HE PULLED THE STEEL WOOL OUT OF THE HOLES. I saw him under the sink. Late at night, he prances around just on the other side of the grill in the heating vent in the bathroom and BACK TALKS ME! I cannot believe it. He is driving the cats and I crazy. Not to mention the smell. I was afraid to turn on the furnace when it snowed because of this. However, I finally had too. What would happen if I removed the coverings on the cold air returns and the heating vents and let the cats go after him. I do not want my cats to end up in the furnace. I really hate to resort to D-Con. Any other ideas?

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), September 26, 2000

Answers

Well you could do what my husbnad did the other night when faced with a back talking troublesome critter-get out the bb gun! He really did. It worked, but I would not recommend it...it could be dangerous....in from the movie of a few years back,called A Christmas Story..You'll shoot your eye out!

I would resort to a skilled cat...if you have one, and if all else fails traps or D-con. :)

-- Sarah (heartsong85@juno.com), September 26, 2000.

Hi,

Yikes !!

If the bugger is getting on the counters you might try this. Get a smooth-walled, deep container (like a garbage can) and put Mr Kritter's goodies in the bottom. It must be deep enough that it can't jump out of. Put it next to a counter or shelf that it visits. He will eventually 'take a dive' to get to the good stuff. At that point he's caught. How you deal with him is up to you.

I once caught six mice in a 5-gallon bucket that had previously contained peanuts. Funny thing was there was only the smell; there were no peanuts in the bucket.

Best of Luck.

j

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), September 26, 2000.

here is my 2 cents worth both very inhumane but worked. One the bucket trick but with water in the bottom They can only swim for so long. The secound is a rat or mouse trap with cheese tied to the bait stand and the rat trap nailed to a piece of wood . The wood is for the smart mice that will drag that trap off some were. ( yes actually had that happen )

-- Becky (Joel681@webtv.net), September 26, 2000.

I've had similar problems with mice in the heating ducts -- don't do the D-Con thing, if they die in there the smell is HORRIBLE and you'll have to take all the duct work apart to find the dead thing. Lacking a cat, I removed the grill the mice frequented, and covered it with a large, clear plastic container, and a piece of cardboard at the ready. Then, I sat and waited like the cat. When the curious mouse climbed out into the container (clear so I could see when it was in) I slid the cardboard between container and grill opening (held it there while I waited). With mouse in container, I took it out to the woods to rejoin the foodchain where it belonged. It took a maximum of MAYBE 15 minutes to get rid of that way and no stink.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), September 26, 2000.

Oh. Another thought. There is also a thing called a Tin Cat mousetrap that I use a lot, but I don't know if it would fit inside your ducts and I'm not sure you want to let the mouse OUT first. It live traps the mice who can go in through a little trapdoor, but not out again. I put food and water in a jar cap inside to keep the critter(s -- it has caught up to 4 at a time) alive until I go dump them in the woods. Dead mouse smell really gags me and altho the drowning works, I've had that really smell as well...

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), September 26, 2000.

The TinCat traps cost about $18 (at garden stores -- might be cheaper at a farm store, like FleetFarm or Farm & Fleet).

-- Julie's sister (dragnfly@chorus.net), September 26, 2000.

It's that time again .We have had problems in the past but since we don't have vent ducts don't know how to solve that one .My uncle the great white hunter also did the bb gun thing and it worked .We had one in the microwave and we put traps in and still couldn't catch it .The kids wanted to zap him , mom said NO as I would have to clean it .Finally hubby put the cat in there too !

I think you need new cats , I got one i could spare .Mine even get weasels .Good luck and try peanut butter on the traps it's a little harder to get off.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 26, 2000.

My husband shot a rat in the house with a twenty-two rifle once -- my mother did the same on the back porch one time. I don't know that I would recommend it in all situations, but it sure worked!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 26, 2000.

Cheryl: UGH! I just hate those things, and unfortunately, this is the time of year they seem to get inside. Saw an article on the news once about them, and they can compress their bodies to get through the smallest space. I even had one in my washing machine! How it got there, I don't know. I thought it was a leaf, and reached in to remove it...when it moved, I nearly jumped through the ceiling. You probably heard the scream:)! They do have those sticky pad mouse traps, which I guess aren't too humane, but with those things, I really don't care. YUK. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), September 26, 2000.

Good quality moustrap, peanut butter for bait. GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), September 26, 2000.

We have a horrible mouse problem this time of year, the regular traps don't work, for one thing there are too many mice, we tried the glue traps, they figured out how to chew their way off of those, we resorted to D-Con then had the problem already mentioned. We had a tornado close by a few weeks ago, strange for September but it was bad enough we decided to sleep in our basement when we opened the bedroom door that awful dead mouse odor hit us, it's so strong that getting rid of the body didn't help, we layed there for a few moments then I said, "I'd rather brave a tornado than spend one more minute breathing this stench." Up the stairs we went! So, I wonder if cats might be the best way to go.

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), September 26, 2000.

Your story reminded me of a friend that was attacked by ninja chipmunks....they attacked her! Occassionally I have a varmit that will lick off the peanut butter and leave the trap upsnapped. For these sorts, I tie on a piece of cereal...the sort with a hole in the middle (like Cheerios, any that are round like a tiny doughnut, since it is easier to run the thread thru the hole in the middle). Tie that cereal bit on with a strong thread, and THEN spread on the peanut butter. Set the trap (you'll notice it is a bit harder to set now, a bit more hair-trigger), and go to bed. It works for us--seems the little extra tug the mouse uses to bit the cereal will set off the trap. Good hunting!!!!!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), September 26, 2000.

Countryside forum folks helped me out last year, with 'Help, the mice are winning post'. Lots of great suggestions there. To name a few, now, (as you know) is when to "get'em" once they get established inside, you're in trouble! Glue traps, buckets of water, amonina poured around the outside of the house-worked for me. We caught only 6 or so 'inside' all winter/spring/summer. The glue traps may seem inhumane to some people, but to weigh my families health and peace of mind, to that of the life of a shrew or a mouse....well, I'll deal with the glue traps. Good Luck!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), September 26, 2000.

I've heard of using the glue traps for Rats instead of the ones intended for mice to control mouse or shrew problems (we get mainly shrews instead of mice up here). The rat glue traps are a lot sturdier than the ones for mice and should prevent the mice from chewing their way out of it....... Worked for me anyway....

Dave

-- Dave (AK) (daveh@ecosse.net), September 26, 2000.

Cheryl, ya can give them a tunafish can with some pepsi in it the little suckers can't burp & they die!!! But then again you have the smell if ya can't get to them! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), September 26, 2000.

I stand in solidarity with my brethren and sistern of the rodent world. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), September 27, 2000.

Gerbil, stay out of the pepsi, honey!!!!!!! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), September 27, 2000.

We had Houdini mice. They escaped every trap! Finally we twist tied a cereal O to the do hicky that sets the trap off. Filled the hole in the O with peanut butter and set the trap and waited! We caught 5 mice with this method when all else failed. Good luck.

-- Alison Proteau (aproteau@istar.ca), September 27, 2000.

Cheryl, when we had cats and mice came to visit~~"Miss Wiggins"(our very old cat) would lift the grate off the duct work and go in after them. The only thing wrong was she hunted us down to "give" us her PRESENT(which I did not really care for!)We have an electir heat pump and never had any problems but don't know about a furnace. Good luck with the "hunt".

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), September 27, 2000.

When the thundermutts started moving the furniture around looking for furry snack I decided that I had to do something. Peanut butter didnt work for me and it took too long to rebait when waiting for cheez wiz to dry. I discovered the magic of Sweedish Fish. Mice and rats prefer the cherry ones, you eat the rest (of the fish not the mice).

-- William in WI (thetoebes@webtv.net), September 27, 2000.

This works I promise you but then again you have to find them when they die. Mix a little corn meal with portland cement and set out where they frequent. Sets up concrete in their innards and they die! They like the corn meal but will get some of the cement when they are mixed.

-- bwilliams (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), September 27, 2000.

I use peanut butter bait on the trigger of a regular mouse trap, backed up with a pellet pistol. Some really smart and agile mice can eat the peanut butter off a hair-trigger mousetrap without tripping it, but they can't do that when someone is waiting and shoots at them with a pellet pistol while they're licking the trigger. ;)

-- Noah Simoneaux (noaj@yournet.com), September 28, 2000.

I am still being bad but after reading your original post and the strength of your mouse maybe you need to check to make sure your vitamens are not being eaten. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), September 30, 2000.

Just remember, if you see one, there are at least 10 that you don't!

-- Michael W. Smith (kirklbb@penn.com), October 01, 2000.

I have used peanut butter and ground up styrofoam cup mixed together as a bait.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), October 01, 2000.

It gives me comfort to know that I am not alone in the Great War with Mice. Here in Ontario woodlands, the battle rages continuously. I have won a few skimishes, but think the mice have been triumphant in many more.

Some of the weopenry used has ranged from snap traps to live traps to seed-style poisons. I agree with the people that don't like the poisons, as my dying opponents' last act of defiance has been to drag their ailing bodies into the walls, there where odiferous decay robs me of any fleeting sense of victory.

The deep container method works well at times, but make sure that the container is at least 3 feet deep. We had an athletic mouse fall into a 5-gallon bucket in our trailer one night, and as I headed out into the night to banish the little varmint deep in the woods, he performed an olympian-style leap over the side of the bucket and disappeared under the trailer with lightening speed, racing back under the trailer in a dash that would have made any competitor at Sydney proud.

Our diminutive little deermice have a knack of avoiding being demolished by the bar of the snaptraps, though the white-footed mice are often caught. I've found that cheese is NOT their favourtie food. When they do decide to eat it, they can deftly remove it from the trigger piece without setting off the trap. Something more palatable and difficult to remove is a more useful bait--raisins are especially effective. Squashed into that little curl of metal, it takes some effort on the mouse's part to remove it. As others have mentioned, peanut butter often works well. Their favourite snack seems to be chocolate, a little chocolate syrup drizzled on the trigger is often irresistable to the mice.

Modern household conveniences can even be a useful tool in deterring mice. Bounce fabric sheets placed in strategic places often offend the sensitive little noses. We put them in the drawers of the cottages during the winter, and into crevices in the trailer. Keep in mind, though, that if you use them in living quarters, these sheets can fill the air with a strong perfumed smell, best not to be breathed in on a regular basis. Be sure to use namebrand fabric sheets, we tried a generic brand and it didn't work nearly as well.

Another health consideration in dealing with the wee beasties is the possibility of contracting diseases such as Hanta virus. It is rather rare, but cases have been known in areas all over the continent, especially the desert southwest. Even in Ontario there have been a couple cases reported. So do be careful when cleaning up the little "calling cards" left behind".

Whatever method you use, as a fellow comrade-in-arms, I wish you luck!

-Chelsea

-- Rose-Marie Burke (rmbehr@istar.ca), October 03, 2000.

I'm sorry I don't have an answer. I, myself, am in a state of panic because I just vacuumed a bunch of shredded material and droppings from a box that had all of my dollhouse parts in it. I got it out from the garage wanting to work on it over Christmas vacation. We live in a newly developed area in S.W. Missouri and all of the field mice from a vacant lot came to our garage when they started building. I just read that the WRONG thing to do is vacuum it up, since the Hanta Virus is airborne and the dust from vacuuming stirs it all up. I also read that bleach water kills the virus and exposing it to UV light helps. I have been assured over and over that deermice in desert regions and not field mice in Missouri pastureland cause the virus, but I'm not at all comforted. So whatever you do in cleaning up after your varmints, don't vacuum and wear protective gloves, at least! With bleach water! - Jennifer R.

-- Jennifer Richardson (mcsquish@msn.com), January 01, 2001.

I have had mice in the house(rented). Now I hear a constant "scratching" noise coming from one of the ch/a vents. Is it still mice? What do I tell the landlord?

-- J. Klein (klein@cookeville.total-web.net), January 06, 2001.

Just as I think I have won the war on the little creatures, I hear the ever-annoying scratching and running around in the attic above my bedroom at night. I swear that they know where my room is, and intentionally scratch and play above it, just to spite me. I have tried the traps, and yes, they work, to a degree. They catch one here and there, but never enough to make the infestation go away completely. I think that as long as it takes for one to be caught in a trap, another one has found it's way inside the house. I have tried letting my neighbor's cat loose in the attic, basement, and garage. He will hunt for as long as a cat's attention span is, but that isn't long enough to get them all! I have finally resorted to poison. It was my last option, and I have decided that putting up with the smell for a few days, or weeks, is better that constantly living in war with the mice. Besides, as morbid as it sounds, maybe future mice who try to enter my house, will be scared away by finding the corpses of relatives in the walls. What a sick mind these mice have driven me to developing!

-- Jered Fournier (JFtoU@aol.com), March 19, 2001.

Does D-Con really work?

-- Lou Hensl (llh81@hotmail.com), September 09, 2001.

D-CON covered plastic spring-loaded mousetraps baited with a mixture of peanut butter and a little bit of granola is an excellent choice. The peanut butter acts as a paste and the granola gives them something to hold onto and wrestle with so that they trigger the snap even if it's just a little mouse. Since getting 2 covered traps we have killed about 24 mice since October (a disturbing number of mice in a small apartment, but at least they're dead). The other day I even got 2 in the same trap killed at the same time and lying next to each other! Make sure that you do not touch the traps at any time with your bare hands, as the oils on your fingers will become recognizable to the mice and they will avoid the traps. A paper towel or rubber gloves works well. Bait them with something disposeable; a wooden chopstick works very well.

-- Sarah C. (lil_so@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002.