Mice

Snap traps and steel wool or aluminum foil where you think they are coming in. Keep cat food in a airtight container. Don't spend the money on an exterminator. I called a few and they told me they can leave the box traps but because mice can come into the smallest holes or open doors they couldn't help find where they were coming from. I found where mine were coming in . Used the snap traps with peanut butter and used the aluminum foil to cover the wholes.

We too had a problem....except they fell in the wall and died! It was sooo gross! We were able to find where they came in and stuffed it with steel wool. I guess mice HATE steel wool. My husband then put a little caulk over it. You need to do this in any hole you can stick your pinky finger in. we havn't had a problem since. Good luck!

I know this sounds weird, but a friend of mine swears by dryer sheets to keep mice away. Put them anywhere you might think they are getting in. She swears they completely solved a mouse problem in her mom's house...
We are having mice issues as well and I plan on trying it before I try anything toxic. HTH

A.

I would call in a professional, mainly because mouse poop can be a problem, especially because you're pregnant. (S)He, will hopefully be able to get rid of the poop in addition to the mice. I know it's expensive, and I don't mean to worry you, but I really want your family to be healthy! I guess it comes with being a doula...www.birthfirstdoula.vpweb.com

Hi M.,

I had an issue with mice last year after I inadvertently brought them in with a box I had in the garage. I tried everything!! The best thing for me was this little box that you can buy at Walmart or Home Depot. It's about $20, but worth it.

I don't know exactly what it's called, but you put 4 AA batteries in one side and a smear of peanut butter in the other. The mice were lined up to get in there. It electrocutes the mice quickly, doesn't torture them like a glue trap, and there's no mess like the snap traps.

It's also much cleaner because the whole thing is self contained. There's a light on top that blinks when you've caught one. You just take it out to the trash and open the door and the mouse falls out, you don't even have to replace the bait. It's also safe for kids and pets.

Good Luck!

D.

We had a rodent problem when I was little. My mom quit putting food out for the cat. The mice come out at night and the cat was up to see it. When she quit putting out cat food, the mouse problem started to diminish and eventually went away. (Cat got a "pay-raise" when the mice were gone by no longer having to earn her food.)

First off dont be embarrassed, those little buggers are sneaky and get into the best kept houses. I am deathly afraid of mice, to the point I cant sleep if I know one is in the house. I tried the trap thing and was so freaked out when I caught one I couldnt bring myself to touch the trap I had to call my mom to come do it. We tried the sticky trap thing and caught a mouse but when it got it's nose stuck it started screaming and it was horrible. We ended up having to put the mouse out of its misery with a shovel. I was tramatized from that encounter. We finally called Terminex and they came out and put these little black boxes around the house. They will ask if you have pets and small children and then based on your answers will put the boxes in the appropriate places. They will also inspect your house and fill any holes that the little monsters may have chewed to get into your house. They also plug the holes on the outside of your house by air conditioner, dryer vent etc. I think we paid $100 every three months but that also includes spraying for spiders and hornets nests. I would recommend at least 2 visits to make sure all of the beasts are dead. It's a little pricey but really effective. Make sure if you have a dog or cat that you store the food in a thick plastic container with a tight lid. Hope this information helps.

What are you using as bait on the traps? We used peanut butter. We had a really bad mouse problem last winter...we caught 7 mice with snappy traps. I tried at first to use the live animal trap, but the little buggars stole the food and never got caught. These mice were bold, they would sneak past the dog and under her nose steal the food from the traps. Grrr. So I finally gave in got the snappy traps and got so many! I was so surprised there were so many. So...peanut butter!

I know this sounds gross and inhumane, we use the sticky
mouse traps with a piece of dog food in the middle. We
catch them every time. The problem is they don't die.
Make sure all you cat food, bird seed, grass seed is in
a container that they can't get into. Sorry, like I said
its gross.....we just caught three last week! YUK!

Hey M.!
I had the same issue when I lived in the mountains. I think those plug in things is a great suggestion. We also put a little peanut butter on the mouse traps. That way they had to work at removing the food and hopefully, get trapped.
At this point, I would work on your mouse mitigation. The questions you should be asking yourself, is what is luring them in? How do you store your recycling/trash, and how often does it get emptied? Also, we put our dog food into an air tight container purchased at a pet store. They love pet food. Clean your countertops, dining room table, highchair/booster seat, and dishes every night. Also, clean up any spilled food or juice immediately. Where do you store your food? Is there a cupboard up high you could put your food? Maybe consider putting rice and pasta in an inaccesible place and solely putting canned foods lower.
If you know where they are getting in, you could put steel wool in the holes. The mice aren't able to chew through steel wool. We also put poison outside the house where the mice were getting in. If your cats an outdoor cat, I wouldn't suggest this.
Good luck!