Safe and Humane Mouse Eradication

[Gary Brown]

Hi,

We have a serious mouse and ant infestations this year. We usually get a few mice as winter approaches but this summer has been terrible. So far we've trapped 10 of the little pests with more still running around the kitchen. Our cat can't be bothered - and its his food that they are mostly after!

Before my wife calls any exterminator is there a safe and humane way of ridding ourselves of these pests? (Safe to us, our cat, and the chipmunks and squirrels that share our land.)

Thanks, Gary

[bobl]

If your cat does'nt catch and eat mice then I would recommend poison. I have all of the above creatures in our crawl space and barn and I hide a dozen of the poison cubes and no more mice for 6 months. The chipmunks and squirrels appear to not eat it as they are all over the barn now. Our dogs eat only fresh mice from the field and don't touch dead ones so it has worked well in our environment.

Bob

[HeyBub]

Another cat. The one you have is defective.

Or is taking bribes.

One cat, Towser, during her life caught 29,899 mice. Plus a few rats and the odd rabbit.

[F. H.]

Your post reminded me that I wanted to find a strategy for fending off my neighbors cat who thinks my flower bed is his personal shit box. I stumbled across this site:

[Shadowz]

Stop feeding the cat food

[Doug Miller]

Stop feeding the cat.

[jah213]

I have seen live traps for mice but have had poor luck with them. There is one that has been recommended here before, called "The Tin Cat," that looks like it might do the trick. Of course, you have to, #1, take any mice caught FAR away before releasing them, or they will just beeline it back into your house; #2, figure out where they are getting in and fix it, or others will take advantage once you've removed the early adopters.

I once had a cat that wouldn't catch mice and asked a hardware store man for help finding a live trap. I explained that I wanted to make sure it was something that wouldn't hurt my cat. He looked at me blankly, and then said, "You have a cat AND you have mice? Lady, you need to be at home talking to your cat, not here talking to me!"

Jo Ann PS: BTW, the poster who said not to feed the cat is wr> Hi,

[Lawrence]

I have an outrageously bad problem with mice where I live. I trapped hundreds before i gave up on trapping. Now I have two cats and they are good hunters. the shelters are full of good mousers.

Nevertheless, If you call an exterminator they will use poison. Poison is by far the cheapest and most effective way to kill them. that said, poison is dangerouse in the way you say. Poison has a way of getting into the food chain which is rather undesirable. Besides, poison is just plain mean.

I do still use poison, anyway in addition, to the cats. My cats just kill mice, they don't eat them, so i dno't expect they will be poisoned. I only use the poison inside the outbuildings anyway which can be locked up to keep out the cats.

[hallerb]

First you MUST find their entry holes and plug them good. Metal plate is one possible solution, metal shavings down hole etc.

Once ypou plug the entry minimize food sources laying around. all extra dry cat food in sealed metal container. cat food dish to new location far from original local//

then get a live mouse trap, put along walls, not open area. mice have learned open areas lead to death.

Then some peanut butter in trap empty at least twice a day. mice freak when trapped all but the oldest will survive trapping.

Now before you complain I released mine about 50 feet from the house.

Most arent coming and going knowing the way in, their mom snuck in somehow, and they were born, most probably live out their entire life in your home....

warm dry food source, they dont go to the beach:(

The live trap WORKS, One time I evicted over 38 mice:( were mouse free today near as I can tell....

when we remodeled the kitchen I cemented around all openings to the basement since the mice appeared to use too large holes around water lines as expressway.

give the live trap a chance, at least reduce the number you poision.

LIVE TRAP WORKS!

[Bob]

I tried poison once. I put a couple squares out to see if they would eat it. Next day I checked on it they not only ate all the squares but they also ripped open the box that contained the rest of the poison and ate that too. The basterds didn't show up again after that.

[Gary Brown]

LOL. Snowy is too spoiled and lazy to mouse. He nailed a few one winter but soon lost interest. Our dear Abby, who died much too young, was a phenomenal mouser.

Gary

[jimmyDahGeek]

Get a rat zapper. You can get them on ebay. They go inside and zap they're dead. Then you just pick it up and take them out to the trash. I had problems with mice and tried all kinds of stuff and I've found that the rat zapper works the best.

[Doug Miller]

Nonsense. A well-fed cat doesn't have any motivation to eat mice.

[Dark1]

bah, my, well fed cat completely eliminated mice here before she was 6mo old.. and never ate a one... actually was bringing them to us, and then next to the trash once she saw where they went.. it's not about food, it's a sport.. sat back and watched her tease one for a half hour once, cornering it, giving it an opening, then pouncing and cornering again... she had quite a good time.. I've actually considered buying some and letting them loose here for her now that they're gone.. she enjoyed the hunt so much..hehe

[_______]

You have a serious mouse problem, they are probably doing lots of damage in your home.

Yet, you want to be HUMANE ???????

I'll be humane with dogs, cats, birds, horses, goats, sheep, cattle, even raccoons, but mice and rats get anhilated, beheaded, chopped to bits, poisoned, shot, exploded, burned, drownded, trapped, beaten, run over with the lawn mower, poured on with acid, and anything else I can do to kill them. They are destructive rodents who only serve one purpose in life. They provide us with something to destroy and release our aggressions in the process.

[Jim Elbrecht]

Sure they do. Sport. One of my former [well fed] cats would only catch the outdoor critters-- mice, chipmunks, an occasional squirrel, a few rabbits, and even a mink one Mother's Day. But he would never touch the indoor mice. When we threw out 'his' old chair it was stuffed with about 10 lbs of cat food. Apparently they had a truce of some kind.

Jim

[sky]

Get rid of the food!

Let the cat fend for itself.....That's what cats do.

[Grandpa]

You'd probably like my favorite trap:

[HeyBub]

Which has nothing to do with "catching" mice, same as the catch-and-release fishermen and big game hunters.

It's the hunt that's important -- to cats or Teddy Roosevelt.

Do you think cats chase mice for food? Well, then, here's a tip that can literally save your life.

When confronted with a large cat in the wild (cougar, lion, etc.), DON'T RUN. Running triggers the cat's chase reflex. If you don't run, you may or may not be attacked, but you will be killed, for sure, if you DO run.

No, it's the chase that's fun for the cat. We have a device we call the "Cat Exerciser." It's a simple laser pointer and the kitties will chase the dot for hours. They love it. Evidently.

[Norminn]

Let's drop the "humane". Don't torture meese, but please consider the fact that they are creatures that can bring disease into the home. Clean everything like mad (crumbs in cupboards and under the fridge, etc.). Feed pets once or twice a day, but don't leave food down on the floor, at least until mice are gone. Plug every minute opening that you can find - around hose bibs, dryer vents, gaps in siding, etc. Meese like warmth - gas appliance pilot, fridge motor. My favorite places for mouse traps, which usually kill instantly, are behind stove and fridge, where pets can't get to them. Put all cereal and grain (pet food, too) in hard containers with tight closure. If you have clothing and pet food stored in garage, it is likely they have set up housekeeping there

- very cozy. Trash cans in garage with tight-fitting lid? If a mouse has the misfortune to be caught in trap and not die immediately, it is less of a misfortune than pets or family getting something that mice or their fleas carry.