Mice
Comments
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Subject: Re: Mice
daveb wrote: [quote=lirio]What do you do about mice? Ever since I moved back to the city, I've been waiting to see my first roach and instead I saw a mouse today. Squealed like a little girl and jumped on my bed, phone in hand to call the property manager. He said someone would come tomorrow to put down a glue trap but that I'd have to remove the mouse myself. Called my dad and he said I should go buy them myself tonight. Or get a cat! Sorry to be all girlie and shit but I can't pick up a dead animal. I can barely crush bugs beneath wads and wads of tissues. Yuck.
Glue traps are traumatic. I came home once and when I walked in, I heard high-pitched screaming coming from my stove. I lifted the top off and found an ancient glue trap with two mice fused to it. One of them had chewed one of it's limbs off. It was highly disturbing. I didn't really want to kill them, just get rid of them. Separating them from the trap would've ripped them in half, so after reenacting that scene from Silence of the Lambs where Buffalo Bill does the whole lotion in the basket and screams along with the girl (had to do it), I regrettably killed them by breaking their necks. I figured they'd suffered enough.
After that fiasco, I went to the hardware store and got this spray can of foam sealant. You spray it into cracks and it fills, sets and hardens in it. I went all over my apartment, sealing every single crack, making sure to hit areas like the cracks where the pipes come in and where the gas pipe for the stove is. That was something like 5 months ago and I haven't seen a mouse since, nor a cockroach (I have a neighbor underneath me who's disgusting and his massive roach infestation was filtering up into my apt.). I'd suggest giving that try because it seems to work well for me.
Well no news from me is good news. The super came and closed up a big hole under my sink and stuffed steel wool around the pipes. I'll check out that foam stuff anyway though because I'm not entirely impressed with the super's job. So far no squealing or limbless mice in my glue traps and I will be throwing them out as soon as I can stop sleeping with the light on. -
boaty wrote: I've never seen a mouse in my apartment and I've been living here for over 3 years. But, I hear them in the walls.
The worst is SQUIRRELS in the walls - I don't see many squirrels around here, but where I used to live you could hear them in the walls. They make a lot more noise than mice. -
arielbl wrote: [quote=boaty]I've never seen a mouse in my apartment and I've been living here for over 3 years. But, I hear them in the walls.
The worst is SQUIRRELS in the walls - I don't see many squirrels around here, but where I used to live you could hear them in the walls. They make a lot more noise than mice.I had a squirrel in one of my previous apartments. The super would have to set traps in the attic. -
Oh god, we used to get those in our attic upstate. Sounded like little children running around in the ceiling. Once my stepdad caught one in a big metal no-kill trap and it was TERRIFYING...that thing was so angry.
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back in the day, i was rudely awoken by what sounded like burgalars in my kitchen. and since there was a rash of crackhead break-ins up at the university i was attending, i made kevin get up and go take care of it. so he got the baseball bat and went out in the kitchen fully expecting to encounter a half crazed crackhead. what he did find was much worse, a troop of aggressive squirrels who were running amok in my kitchen, eating the food left out by the slob roomie. these little beats in no way feared him, nor the name louisville slugger, and it took him over 5 minutes to get them to leave.
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Oho--my parents get squirrels in their attic, who then encounter the resident 6-foot blacksnake. The noise of their rumbles is intense.
For the record, the snake always wins. -
Subject: c'mon... glue traps are horrible.
c'mon people! when do we all get so species- elitist? who determines which species is better than another? who determines what is a "pest?" seems to me humans have done a pretty good job of ruining the planet thus far...
i have not read all 66 replies! wow.... so maybe someone else is in line with my way of thinking. but ... glue traps are horrific! they are torturous and the exact wrong thing to use.
you can buy at tarzian or through peta 'humane' traps which you then release the guy or gal into the park or somewhere else.
that's my advice. good luck! i do know someone who befriended the mice in her apartment. i had a mouse for a little while and only saw it once and we co-existed for awhile and then it disappeared. -
i will second the idea about the no-kill traps, they take a bit of delicacy to set, but they work. but as for co-existing with mice, not my cuppa.
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As far as I'm concerned, disease-ridden creatures are pests and I frankly don't care how it gets removed from my home as long as it gets the fuck out.
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Subject: huh?
who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible? -
Subject: Re: huh?
cat wrote: who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible?
That's it! I'm killing a kitten. :evil: -
Subject: Re: huh?
cat wrote: who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible?
No, I couldn't take a few more moments. I was distraught, needed an immediate solution, and followed the advice I received. Nobody's going to take care of this shit but me, and I'm learning as I go. -
Subject: Re: huh?
cat wrote: who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible?
well the mice can be harmful to one's pets (our former uninvited guest, mickey, scared the hell out of our vicious little girliebird who spent her evenings trying to threaten, peck, maim, and otherwise hunt down and kill him like a dog in the street. except her nightvision is appalling and she ended up getting hurt) its possible they will carry fleas, and poison bait from other apartments into your apartment. -
Subject: Re: huh?
cat wrote: who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible?
Snap traps are the way to go. "Humane" traps just release the vermin to get into someone else's apartment. Rodents have always been a scourge on humanity and you should have absolutely no second thoughts about killing them (although there's no reason to make them suffer). From Yersinia pestis (bubonic plague) which wiped out half of Europe's population to modern-day hantavirus, rodent vector-bourne disease is a real phenomenon that should not be underestimated. -
Subject: Re: huh?
Carnivore wrote: [quote=cat]who told you they were 'disease-ridden?' such intolerance and impatience and this kind of 'zero tolerance' attitude is what makes our world so in- tolerable at times. it's so pervasive it's incredible. i'm just stunned at your last post. you can't take a few more moments to find a more humane solution...? plus, trust me from what i've heard, you will NOT like dealing with a glue trap. set a humane trap, find a friend to help you, and release. voila! was that so terrible?
Snap traps are the way to go. "Humane" traps just release the vermin to get into someone else's apartment. Rodents have always been a scourge on humanity and you should have absolutely no second thoughts about killing them (although there's no reason to make them suffer). From Yersinia pestis (bubonic plague) which wiped out half of Europe's population to modern-day hantavirus, rodent vector-bourne disease is a real phenomenon that should not be underestimated.i'm naively hoping there's no next time, but snap traps it is then. -
Subject: Re: Less painful alternative
minnie wrote: [quote=Goldie]I highly recommend getting an Ultrasound Pest Repellent (e.g. http://www.victorpest.com/mousesonicfaqs.htm). There are many different brands. You just plug this thing into an outlet, and it sends these sounds that only pests can hear (it's pretty much like you or I hearing someone scratching a blackboard over and over again). The noise disturbs the pests and they run away to bother someone else. I live in an old building and had issues with bugs, and these things really help. From what the guy at the hardware store told me, they work particularly well with rodents. Most hardware stores have them. Good luck!
These were recommended to me but when we tried them the mice came back anyway. I agree they are trying to come to get away from the cold weather.
The FTC went after several makers of ultrasonic pest-control devices for false or deceptive advertising. The unfounded claims:
* Eliminates rodent infestations;
* Repels insects;
* Serves as an effective alternative to conventional pest-control products;
* Increases or assists the effectiveness of other pest-control methods;
* Eliminates fleas on dogs or cats; and
* Scientific tests prove product effectiveness.
FTC warning, more at Washington State.
Research shows that mice lead normal lives living in cages next to these devices. Device makers now sell units that modulate frequency (like a car alarm, rather than a smoke detector), but I can't find a single example of public research that shows that these things work. How long would a car alarm keep you away from a $100 bill on the sidewalk?
*off to bait some traps* -
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vanilla wrote: SMALL ANIMAL EUTHANASIA AT HOME, humane?
My grandfather was a doctor who raised Bull Mastiffs (really big dogs). When they became too ill or old to function or eat, he would put them to sleep with a shot of club soda into an artery. He loved his dogs more than people so I'm certain what he was doing was intended to put them to sleep with minimal or no discomfort.
http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/ -
Qtrain - thanks for the info about the FTC warning regarding ultrasonic devices. I forwarded the site to my Mom (who lives in the country). She has planted several of them outdoors in attempt to prevent critters from eating her bulbs. One device is not even "ultrasonic" cause I can hear it! Next time I'm there I'm gonna yank it from her garden. Drives me nuts...
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mc wrote: Qtrain - thanks for the info about the FTC warning regarding ultrasonic devices. I forwarded the site to my Mom (who lives in the country). She has planted several of them outdoors in attempt to prevent critters from eating her bulbs. One device is not even "ultrasonic" cause I can hear it! Next time I'm there I'm gonna yank it from her garden. Drives me nuts...
Ooh, like when the TV is left on mute, but you can still hear that electronic whine?
HATE IT.
Yeah, thanks for the official backup on calling those things bogus. I knew it. You've made my brother-in-law a very happy man. -
I just saw a TV ad for a D-Con "no view, no touch" mouse trap. No idea whether or not it's effective, but maybe they've been reading this thread...
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Subject: Suggestions
Girl I feel for you - mice are the worst, you feel violated having them in your home. I put D-Con all over in the corners, because they tend to stick by the walls, in the back of the stove and under the sink (two of their favorite places). I am a fan of poison over glue traps because the mice go back into the walls to die, and not to be gross, they're so small that they don't smell for that long - moth balls can help with the smell. My landlord also put tracking powder, which worked really well, but you have to have a license for it, and can't use it if you have small kids and or pets.
For a more permenant solution, I would recommend getting your landlord to pack all of the cracks with steel wool and then to put molding over it. I say this because I tried the foam stuff, and they just ended up scratching through it. Mice can get through any crack that you can fit a pencil in.
In my opinion, it would be great to find a human way to get rid of mice, but they carry disease such as salmonella, so they have to go!
Good luck! -
Subject: Re: Suggestions
lokigirl wrote: Girl I feel for you - mice are the worst, you feel violated having them in your home...Good luck!
Thank you for the support. The mouse is long long gone but there's plenty of exposed steel wool. I might need some spackle. Spackle anyone? :twisted: -
Subject: Re: Suggestions
lirio wrote: [quote=lokigirl]Girl I feel for you - mice are the worst, you feel violated having them in your home...Good luck!
Thank you for the support. The mouse is long long gone but there's plenty of exposed steel wool. I might need some spackle. Spackle anyone? :twisted:
I have extra spackle
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My mouse left when the Halloween candy ran out.
I noticed a tiny scrap of foil the other day under one of the burners on the stove -- when I checked under, I found five mini-chocolate wrappers (some carefully unfolded). Apparently, the little guy was dragging chocolate bars out of my candy dish and enjoying them at his leisure. -
qtrain wrote: My mouse left when the Halloween candy ran out.
:shock:
I noticed a tiny scrap of foil the other day under one of the burners on the stove -- when I checked under, I found five mini-chocolate wrappers (some carefully unfolded). Apparently, the little guy was dragging chocolate bars out of my candy dish and enjoying them at his leisure. -
in my old apartment on crazy lane, i had a squirrel who used to come in to my bedroom from the window (there was a fire escape) and steal chocolate. i woke up one morning to the sound of crinkling and thought, half asleep, "why the hell does the cat have to be so annoying!?" - and then realized I DON'T HAVE A CAT. when i sat up, the little fucker was sitting on my desk, on top of my computer, tearing the wrappers off of hershey's kisses he was pulling out of a bag. i was really afraid that if i got up, he'd run in the wrong direction and go into the apartment, but i managed to chase him out the window. i never left chocolate in my room after that, though.
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I really ought to scan the photos of a squirrel being chased around one of my old apartments. If you can make out more than just a blur of tail, I will post. Funny thing is, prior to this incident, I used to be afraid to let any of my limbs hang over the edge of the bed, for fear that one of these creatures would nibble on my fingers and toes in the middle of the night. I have a much taller bed now.
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Subject: somebody
I kept seeing this mouse flitting across the floor in my livingroom while I was watching TV, but he would always disappear through some mysterious, invisible hole before I could catch him.
Then one day I came home from work to find a mouse in the kitchen sink -- he was trying to jump out but the sink was too deep and he kept sliding back down. When I approached, he made himself tiny and curled up in the little drain stopper. He was awfully cute actually, so I managed to slide him onto a plate and tossed him onto the fire escape. Haven't seen any mice since. (Though I can sometimes hear things crawling around behind the walls - gross!) -
Subject: Re: somebody
ana.log wrote: I kept seeing this mouse flitting across the floor in my livingroom while I was watching TV, but he would always disappear through some mysterious, invisible hole before I could catch him.
Yeah, the one mouse we ever had in this apartment was so freakin' adorable that my first instinct was actually "Awww!" Then he ran into the cat's bowl, picked up a piece of food, and sat there nibbling it right in front of me. Semi-reluctantly, I chased him back in the hole and plugged it. I know they carry disease and poop all over and therefore can't be tolerated, but they bother me a hell of a lot less than roaches, I'll give them that.
Then one day I came home from work to find a mouse in the kitchen sink -- he was trying to jump out but the sink was too deep and he kept sliding back down. When I approached, he made himself tiny and curled up in the little drain stopper. He was awfully cute actually, so I managed to slide him onto a plate and tossed him onto the fire escape. Haven't seen any mice since. (Though I can sometimes hear things crawling around behind the walls - gross!)
Oh! And once when I was in high school, my mom was doing the dishes and went to get the grease jar to pour some pan drippings in. THERE WAS A MOUSE SWIMMING IN IT! After a lot of screeching, we fished it out, put it in a shoebox, and took it to a park down the road so it wouldn't just come right back in. Though that was only semi-humane, since night + grease-covered mouse + woods = owl snack for sure.
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