Author Topic: Getting rid of mice (Read 4347 times)

drudgep · « **on:** July 01, 2018, 01:33:04 PM »

We now live in the country and during the winter we had mice problems inside the house we have sent put down glue traps both inside and in the garage but we still see mice running by our house on the outside and occasionally in the garage.

What recommendations would you guys have for a Frugal way and effective to get rid of mice. We are out in the country so we're assuming that they are field mice they are black and slim. I am thinking of getting a few bait stations with mice poison in them. However they seem to be a little pricey I am not so much worried about other animals because we do not have any pets. Can anyone recommend some good brands that they have used I see some of the reviews are Hit or Miss depending on the bait station or the actual bait used thanks!

Cgbg · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2018, 02:14:33 PM »

Consider adopting some barn cats.

The indoor/outdoor house cats take care of most of the ones around here. Owls and raccoons do their part too. I know we have a few garter snakes too and they eat some too.

drudgep · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2018, 03:23:07 PM »

Thanks! Yeah, thought about it, but we have little ones with allergies. Also we live in a country duplex. So can't really let them roam free. Might not be the most frugal option?

Also not all cats can kill mice, and we find them a lot in the garage, not sure if I just want to dump the cats in the garage overnight and see how they do lol

tralfamadorian · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2018, 03:34:17 PM »

I’ve used this site for ants and roaches and have been very pleased with the results and price vs buying retail or buying a pest control company. https://www.domyown.com/mice-c-21_218.html

pecunia · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2018, 05:32:03 PM »

Patch every hole that you can find. They can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime.

I've had several of these ultrasonic things and they don't work. The poisoned bait works well, but they crawl into a wall and die.

Here's what they used where I used to work.

https://www.google.com/search?q=antifreeze+can+mouse+trap&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=JQyAMAhJhnsqDM%253A%252CwrU3aEJND-25fM%252C_&usg=__8ShZFKAMIYu3DbElQ2LeOpGpUEU%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii5KGfh__bAhWK6oMKHWsjDeQQ9QEIazAB#imgrc=JQyAMAhJhnsqDM:

The cost was low. Peanut butter, antifreeze, some scrap parts and a bucket. We used to call it, "The Ramp To Mouse Hell."

Hellohi · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2018, 07:10:47 PM »

I’ve had good luck with the cheap old school mouse traps. A piece of dog food hot glue gunned to the trap as bait.

Reynolds531 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2018, 08:13:49 PM »

Google five gallon bucket trap. I've caught dozens.

red_pill · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2018, 08:35:35 PM »

The bucket trap works like a hot damn. We cleared out a barn that was INFESTED that way. I wouldn’t recommend poison - depending on where the mouse dies you could be trading a mouse problem for a decomposing flesh problem. Plus if an owl eats a poisoned mouse it can kill them and that will just make the rodent problem worse.

JAYSLOL · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2018, 08:47:51 PM »

Quote from: Reynolds531 on July 01, 2018, 08:13:49 PM

Google five gallon bucket trap. I've caught dozens.

This. Country dweller with a mouse problem here. Put a long metal or wood rod through each side of the top of a 5 gallon bucket, skewer a plastic coke bottle with that rod so it rolls freely over the middle of the bucket. Fill bucket 1/3 with water (use winter-rated windshield washer fluid in winter/freezing temps. Do not use antifreeze, it can poison other animals). Put peanut butter all over the pop bottle and get ready to scoop out mice every morning. I'll post a photo of my set up if you want. I use 2 of these ( one in shop and one in the garage) and have killed hundreds of mice. Don't try to "trap" mice with an empty bucket, they can jump out no problem

Syonyk · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2018, 09:16:12 PM »

Posting to follow. It's been an awful year for mice out where we live as well - insane numbers of deer mice, mostly, and they are in everything. I'd never heard of the 5 gallon trap but I'm sure going to try it out! Need a few more buckets anyway.

I've been using sticky traps in the trash trailer, and was planning to put some under the house, but that 5 gallon design looks far more useful, and just enough redneck to be awesome.

JAYSLOL · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2018, 09:34:04 PM »

Quote from: Syonyk on July 01, 2018, 09:16:12 PM

...just enough redneck to be awesome.

I think I should make that my motto!

ltt · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2018, 09:38:57 PM »

We've usually just used a plain old mouse trap (the ones with the V on them--I think Victor) and put peanut butter in the trap. Works like a charm. We used to have more, but now we have them occasionally.

i_have_so_much_to_learn · « **Reply #12 on:** July 02, 2018, 01:32:32 AM »

I agree with the victor wooden traps. They are reusable if you clean them off and are relatively cheap. I recommend AGAINST and sticky trap since it's torturous for the mice and they can also walk away with it.

The best way to get rid of them is to also seal any holes from the exterior.

i_have_so_much_to_learn · « **Reply #13 on:** July 02, 2018, 01:34:40 AM »

Oh, and a particularly gross but effective method that my friend used:

Fill a deep bucket (like a home depot bucket) with water half way and then with sunflower seeds. Give the mice a way to get in the bucket. They will not be able to climb out.

But again, best way is to seal holes so there is no bloodshed :).

TheWifeHalf · « **Reply #14 on:** July 02, 2018, 11:19:19 AM »

Every winter we catch 6-7 in the house. We used the kind of trap that snaps their neck.

I read, and it proved true, that peanut butter is the bait to use, cheese is worthless. We got rid of them in 3 days, and don't see any until the next winter (when they want to move in)

If you are opposed to these kind of traps, I have no suggestions.

ZMonet · « **Reply #15 on:** July 02, 2018, 11:29:41 AM »

If you want to go the humane route, I've used these and peanut butter with great success. They are reusable, although you'll likely have to wash out the mouse urine/droppings after each use. You'll also need to drive the mouse someplace else for release.

https://www.amazon.com/Mice-Cube-Pk-Reusable-Humane/dp/B000WB13QC

Dee · « **Reply #16 on:** July 02, 2018, 01:12:41 PM »

Just curious about the 5-gallon pail solution... how do the mice drown? I watched a youtube video, showing each mouse falling into the water and, eventually, 11 mice floating in the water, dead. What I don't get is why it isn't a bunch of mice swimming around in circles. I don't expect they die immediately upon falling into the water, and, my understanding is that mice can swim, so I'm just unclear about how/why they die in the water?

i_have_so_much_to_learn · « **Reply #17 on:** July 02, 2018, 01:14:02 PM »

They can't climb out and drown. :-/

Syonyk · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2018, 02:35:44 PM »

Quote from: Dee on July 02, 2018, 01:12:41 PM

Just curious about the 5-gallon pail solution... how do the mice drown? I watched a youtube video, showing each mouse falling into the water and, eventually, 11 mice floating in the water, dead. What I don't get is why it isn't a bunch of mice swimming around in circles. I don't expect they die immediately upon falling into the water, and, my understanding is that mice can swim, so I'm just unclear about how/why they die in the water?

Can you swim? Great! So if I drop you in the middle of the ocean, you'll be able to swim to shore?

They can't get food, can't get out, so eventually die of exhaustion (or drowning when they can't keep swimming).

Question on the bucket solution: Assuming you don't put anything but water in the bucket, is it safe to toss the carcasses out for other critters to find them? I'd probably just empty the buckets down my hillside and wait for them to decompose or get eaten (which, I suppose, is really just a difference in the size of things eating them...).

i_have_so_much_to_learn · « **Reply #19 on:** July 02, 2018, 02:43:26 PM »

Yes, it is safe to put them for other animals to eat, but I would do it sufficiently far from your house.

I really don't like to hurt things unless necessary, which is why sealing holes is really important here - but this method, though gruesome, gets the job done.

Dee · « **Reply #20 on:** July 02, 2018, 02:56:05 PM »

I guess I was just unclear on how long it takes them in the bucket to... kick the bucket, so to speak.

Specifically, I was surprised that there were no survivors after one night, thinking those little buggers are hardy creatures who would keep swimming for... well, I don't know how long, but long enough that if you checked in the morning, you wouldn't necessarily find nothing but corpses.

I think some people add poison to the water to make a quicker death?

The method does seem effective, but less than ideal in terms of offering as close to a quick, painless death as possible.

I live in a rural enough area that an intruder or two every fall usually manage to sneak in. But, luckily, no infestations. In fact, the tip to get rid of any tiny openings is a good one. Since my spouse found a possible place these sneaks were getting in and patched it up, we had no intruders at all last fall. We keep loaded traps on a few strategic place, just in case.

i_have_so_much_to_learn · « **Reply #21 on:** July 02, 2018, 02:58:05 PM »

I wouldn't add any poison. Poison will trickle up to animals that will eat the mice and poison the entire food chain.

Generally if you place the bucket out one afternoon, just check it every morning. I don't know how long it will take for the mice to expire. If you don't catch anything, I would change the water and seeds every other day or so to prevent mold.

Syonyk · « **Reply #22 on:** July 02, 2018, 03:01:06 PM »

Quote from: i_have_so_much_to_learn on July 02, 2018, 02:43:26 PM

Yes, it is safe to put them for other animals to eat, but I would do it sufficiently far from your house.

Sounds reasonable - that's what I was planning to do. Toss them down in the weeds out beyond our firebreaks.

Quote

I really don't like to hurt things unless necessary, which is why sealing holes is really important here - but this method, though gruesome, gets the job done.

Depending on the critters and what damage they're doing, I'm a bit less forgiving. We've chased multiple deer mice out of our car now. I'm really, really not OK with them in there, given that they tend to carry disease and we have two kids in carseats in the back. So I'm happy to capture any in the general area and get rid of them. There is plenty of non-occupied hillside they can live on and I don't care, but when they're chewing on wires and stuff in the car, destroying stuff in storage bins... I care. :)

Arbitrage · « **Reply #23 on:** July 03, 2018, 02:28:53 PM »

We had a problem with rats in the garage. Not pleasant. Snap traps with peanut butter did the trick (rat traps; they would've shrugged off the mouse traps).

For mice, which we had in the house, snap traps worked ok at first, but we had a few instances where they were actually able to eat the peanut butter off without triggering the trap, even on the most sensitive setting. I also found that the anticipation of hearing the snap was keeping me up at night. Found out later that there were some extra-tiny mice in the infestation. Glue traps eventually got them. I kind of put both out when I have a suspicion of invaders, but that 5 gallon trap looks like something worth trying.

heybro · « **Reply #24 on:** July 03, 2018, 06:07:55 PM »

Quote from: ltt on July 01, 2018, 09:38:57 PM

We've usually just used a plain old mouse trap (the ones with the V on them--I think Victor) and put peanut butter in the trap. Works like a charm. We used to have more, but now we have them occasionally.

Victor is the only trap that works! Metal and wood! And peanut butter!

Do not use cheese. Do not use anything with plastic (including the Victor plastic ones). I have used poison, sticky traps, houses, and plastic traps. NONE OF THEM WORK!

JAYSLOL · « **Reply #25 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:32:50 PM »

Yep, those Victor wood and metal standard mouse traps are what I use in the house. In the out buildings that can't be sealed up (they could, but not by me, I'm renting so I'm not going to spend a bunch to fix up old garages) I use the bucket traps. I also had a problem with mice getting in my car, they were storing apricot pits everywhere - engine air filter box, above the headliner, under the centre console and under the seats just to name a few. I keep a couple Victor traps set in the trunk now and that seems to stop the problem.
I had one mouse in my house that refused to get caught in a trap, I saw it in the kitchen a few nights in a row even though I had lots of traps out with fresh peanut butter he wouldn't take it, so one night I spent about 20 min laying on the kitchen floor in the dark waiting with a flashlight and a BB gun - heard him - turned light on - he froze - I fired - end of that story.

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:41:14 AM »

Butter is a good bait for those of us who never have peanut butter in the house. I get voles every fall and this works just fine with the snap traps.

drudgep · « **Reply #27 on:** July 04, 2018, 06:04:40 PM »

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies. We are going with the 5 Gallon Buckets tonight- let's see what happens. Seems economical and efficient. Unfortunately, I am not concerned with their final fate, as they carry disease and this winter when we moved in they were running through our kitchen. I have little kids.

We can got them mostly out of the house with Glue traps- but still catch a few in the garage- and see them in the lawn and outside. In fact, I ran one over with the lawnmower a few weeks ago. Want to prevent an infestation once the weather turns cold.

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Author Topic: Getting rid of mice (Read 4347 times)