Mice in house

[Blayze]

Recently moved into a rent house and everything has been fine for about a month. It has gotten warmer outside and I noticed something run across the kitchen floor in the dark two nights ago. I didn't get a good look at whatever it was, and basically just went on about my business. Last night there were three small mice in the kitchen. They basically ran under the dishwasher, and disappeared.

Called the landlord today and he was as upset as I am that there are mice in the house. An exterminator showed up about an hour later, and went under the house. I guess he put some poison or something under there. He also told me he was making a list of several things the landlord needed to fix (door under the house, etc...) to make sure no more get in the house. He is supposed to call/send this information to my landlord. He suggested I get some type of traps and put inside the house as well.

I haven't seen anything all day, but set the traps up around 10 tonight. About 10 minutes later I walked though the house to get a drink and noticed a head peaking out from under the cabinet near the dishwasher. When it saw me it ran. I looked in the cabinet, and drawers near the cabinet, and didn't see any way he could have gotten in. I'm guessing the hole or whatever is under the dishwasher. I also didn't notice any droppings, so I don't think its living in there. I could be wrong though.

When I moved in the end of January I did notice that there were a few packs of rat poison that were left unopened in the laundry room. I just threw them away and didn't think anything about it. I guess the people that lived here before me (they lived here for 16 years and sold the house to my landlord.) had problems too.

Anyway I want them gone ASAP. Knowing these things are in the house is completely freaking me out. I have no way to move for a few months, so I'm stuck here. I can't have any pets either, so getting a cat as a suggestion just want work.

Is there anything I can do? There isn't any food lying around either.

Cliffs...

1. Recently moved to rent house
2. Fine for a month now mice in kitchen
3. Exterminator came today and put stuff under house
4. I set traps in kitchen
5. Still have mice
6. Help

 

[schneiderguy]

Set traps in your air conditioner, they like to hide in there :thumbsup:

 

[Gilligansdingy]

Burn house down

/thread

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
Set traps in your air conditioner, they like to hide in there :thumbsup:

 

[nightowl]

Cat?

 

[Blayze]

Originally posted by: nightowl
Cat?

Can't have any pets inside (part of the lease agreement), and I'm allergic to cats.

One of them is gone now thanks to the traps. I just don't know how many more I'm dealing with.

I haven't thought about the air conditioner. We have central air, so I guess set a trap near the vents?

 

[montanafan]

Mouse traps + peanut butter.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: Blayze

Originally posted by: nightowl
Cat?

Can't have any pets inside (part of the lease agreement), and I'm allergic to cats.

One of them is gone now thanks to the traps. I just don't know how many more I'm dealing with.

I haven't thought about the air conditioner. We have central air, so I guess set a trap near the vents?

Definitely set a trap near the air conditioner. I would set one inside each of the vents in the ducts. Then set several outside of the unit itself. You're sure to catch something then.

 

[daniel49]

don't leave food laying around and set traps in areas they frequent you will have every one of them within a week
wait six months lather rinse and repeat.
I have real good luck using a small piece of cheese.
We live in the country so fieldmice are common.

 

[Rubycon]

Think like a mouse.

 

[oynaz]

Cats are by far the most efficient way to get rid of mice. Maybe you could borrow a cat for 2-3 days? If it is a skilled hunter, it will have caught all the mice by then. You might be able to make a deal with your landlord, and even if you are allergic, it is only for 2-3 days.
This may sound like a crazy idea, but traps and poison take forever.

 

[lozina]

My boss was telling me about a great technique...

get a 5 gallon bucket- like one used for joint compound. Fill it 1/4 of the way with water.

punch small holes opposite eachother through the sides of the bucket near the top

get a cardboard roll, like from a depleted tissue paper roll but paper towel works better since it is longer. You have you to cut it a bit so it fits horizontally inside the bucket.

snake a wire or metal clothes hangar through a hole in the bucket, through the middle of the roll and then through the hole in the opposite end, securing the roll so it is basically suspended along the top of the bucket.

dab some peanut butter along the middle of the roll, and leave this overnight

wake up next day and collect the floaters

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: montanafan
Mouse traps + peanut butter.

+++++++

This will get them quickly. I got 3 mice in our warehouse in less than 1 hr. I baited one trap and set it. As I went to another spot to set the second trap, the first one went off. Threw that mouse in the dumpster. Set the trap, set the second trap. As I started to go, the second trap went. Next to the dumpster. It took another 30 minutes to catch the last one.

Squirrels like peanut butter too. Captured 4 last week in my Hav-a-Hart as we do not like them in our attic.

 

[40Hands]

I never understood why people get so freaked out about mice. Sure, you want to get rid of them but it's a tiny furry animal. Nothing scary about it.

We had a few but my Rat hunting, Bat killing calico keeps all living things out of our house.

 

[Kelemvor]

That's just mean. At least in most traps they die quickly. Causing them to drown isn't right.

I too would go the cat route. Maybe borrowing one like someone said and see what happens. Plus it's fun for the cat.

Otherwise just traps all over the place I guess.

 

[Aquaman]

Sticky trap & snap trap worked for me......... but that was in the garage

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
That's just mean. At least in most traps they die quickly. Causing them to drown isn't right.

I too would go the cat route. Maybe borrowing one like someone said and see what happens. Plus it's fun for the cat.

Otherwise just traps all over the place I guess.

I'd probably rather drown than get mauled and tossed around by a viscous predator.

Have you ever watched a cat hunt mice? I had a cat and watched it bring injured rodents into my backyard and play with them, like toss them in the air, let the rodent run a bit before pouncing it again with maybe another bite. it dies slowly and in alot of pain.

So complaining about them drowning is odd...

 

[I Saw OJ]

Whos that member with the supreme rodent killing machine of a cat? Maybe you could borrow his cat for a couple days?

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: lozina
My boss was telling me about a great technique...

get a 5 gallon bucket- like one used for joint compound. Fill it 1/4 of the way with water.

punch small holes opposite eachother through the sides of the bucket near the top

get a cardboard roll, like from a depleted tissue paper roll but paper towel works better since it is longer. You have you to cut it a bit so it fits horizontally inside the bucket.

snake a wire or metal clothes hangar through a hole in the bucket, through the middle of the roll and then through the hole in the opposite end, securing the roll so it is basically suspended along the top of the bucket.

dab some peanut butter along the middle of the roll, and leave this overnight

wake up next day and collect the floaters

QFT

Either this or a cat. A cat will the place out fast.

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: lozina

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
That's just mean. At least in most traps they die quickly. Causing them to drown isn't right.

I too would go the cat route. Maybe borrowing one like someone said and see what happens. Plus it's fun for the cat.

Otherwise just traps all over the place I guess.

I'd probably rather drown than get mauled and tossed around by a viscous predator.

Have you ever watched a cat hunt mice? I had a cat and watched it bring injured rodents into my backyard and play with them, like toss them in the air, let the rodent run a bit before pouncing it again with maybe another bite. it dies slowly and in alot of pain.

So complaining about them drowning is odd...

haha yeah, cats arent exactly nice to their prey. One of my cats kept a mouse alive for several hours while it found different ways of torturing it. That was until my dog scared the sh!t out of my cat and took the mouse from him and ate it.

 

[Tiamat]

Bucket of water + wood rod across the diameter of the bucket + peanut butter dab on the center of the wood rod = bucket of drowned mice.

Edit:Beat to the post

 

[43st]

I just use the old spring mouse traps. Sometimes they need a string on them so the mouse doesn't drag it out of reach. Be sure to place them along walls near access holes, never out in the open. I have one behind our washing machine, where the pipes lead up from the basement, that one is a mouse gold mine.

I also use some quality Trader Joe's peanut butter. They love that stuff and I'm happy to give them a good last meal.

 

[Blayze]

I would do the cat route, but honestly in less than a day I'll be sick. My allergies are horrible. I take daily medicine for them, but if I visit someone with a cat my nose will completely stop up and eyes water. If I stay it only gets worse.

Anyway the traps are working. All three went off last night, but only caught two. I have a feeling I have far more than the 3 I saw.

 

[43st]

Originally posted by: Blayze
I would do the cat route, but honestly in less than a day I'll be sick. My allergies are horrible. I take daily medicine for them, but if I visit someone with a cat my nose will completely stop up and eyes water. If I stay it only gets worse.

Anyway the traps are working. All three went off last night, but only caught two. I have a feeling I have far more than the 3 I saw.

We moved into our home in December. I started trapping in January. We got 10 so far this season, almost all of them were in the first week of trapping.

 

[randym431]

I had a roomate years and years ago that used roach motels (sticky), then put the stuck mouse, usually still alive, in the freezer. He didnt last long (the roomate that is). Nothing like going for the ice cream and finding frozen mouse instead.