Mice and Common Household Traps

Mice are often nighttime movers and shakers, and have more activity at night, so it is not surprising if you have mice in your home, to find them in tall wastebaskets, buckets or toilets. They sometimes are searching for water, and end up going in the most unusual of places. It is a good thing to always have a plan to capture and evict your mouse population, but if you notice flies are everywhere, and a strong offensive smell, you could have some dead mice in your walls or rafters. In order to avoid having to tear down your walls or ceiling, it is better to have them leave or come to you.

Mouse Traps Can be a Tall Bucket or Wastebasket

With a simple large pickle or food bucket, you can capture most of your curious mice, with a board across the top, and another that allows them to climb up to that board. Then, place some food in the bottom, and you will capture some mice in the evening. The concept is that they can get in, but with the slippery and tall sides, they will not be able to get out. The bucket has to be tall, or it will not work.

We had a tall wastebasket that worked all by itself, when it was empty. We emptied the garbage, and left it alone one night, and caught a mouse in this standing container, with no food. The basket must have been a frequent food site, as they could get in, eat, and then with the liner's help, leave and do it again. One little guy was so used to his food source center, just forgot to use his nose, and got stuck. Catch and release my friends!

Your Toilet can Be a Mouse Trap

Mice need water more than they need food, and can only live for a few hours without clean fresh water. Most mice use your toilet for this resource, but they will use a hanging cleaning basket in the bowl to escape. If you have a scenario, where there is a nice wicker or textured clothes hamper or wastebasket near the toilet, and a hanging cleaning device in the toilet, they are all set. They do not mind the chemical as much as they enjoy the ability to get in and out of the toilet. Most mice will see the toilet as an obstacle they cannot retreat from, but if you have a large mouse population, and water is scarce, leaving the toilet up and open, can capture some mice.

Hiding in your Cushions is Not a Good Mouse Trap

If you need a reason to set your mouse trap plan into action, think about all the poop and urine that your mice are leaving in your home. In the kitchen cupboards, while they search for food and water, they are leaving a little trail of pee everywhere! It is a mouse highway of sorts, and they use this to find their way back and forth. Not only that, but if they find a nice warm and humid spot in the kitchen, probably near the water pipes, they can use the condensation off the pipes, to keep hydrated, and raise a family. Your pee and poop trail will only grow.

What about the living room? After a long day at work, who wants to end up sitting in a couch that is a mouse house? They are big creatures of comfort, so a couch is a perfect place to hang out, raise a family, and eat an use the bathroom in. If you see mouse scat in your home, do not take it lightly, as it is not fun to replace walls, furniture and other items because of a rodent infestation.

Food is Their Motivator

Mice have little that they will not do for food. They love to hang around our agricultural areas, the grocery stores, and our homes, waiting for us to go to bed. They are masters of laziness, never doing anything to provide for themselves, other than hunt down the smell of food.

Keep your food in containers that they can not get into, and you will have no mice. All your food. No pizza boxes left out at night, chips or dip, or any cereal in the original boxes. You will go farther with some great snap top lid containers, and a plan of keeping all food contained.

Even pet food needs to be considered. Of all the areas, this can be the hardest, but if you have cracks that allow them to sneak into your home, you need to contain the pet food. Buy some containers, and see the problem become much more of a quiet non-problem.

It is cheaper in the long run, as they have many people they can investigate and use as a resource. The mouse is like the house guest who will never leave!

10 Rodent Signs

If you think you have mice, here are some signs that will confirm your suspicions!

1. Fecal Pellets
2. Chewing damage
3. Channels from the house to the yard
4. Mouse sized footprints
5. Mouse Highways in kitchen or food areas
6. Greasy marked areas
7. Urine tracks
8. Dead or Alive Sightings
9. Noise or scurrying at night
10. A musky smell in the dark areas they may be nesting.

Further confirmation can be made with a black light or UV light, as they generally will pee as they run!

Mice eat Your Wires

One of the most frustrating things about Mice or a Rodent Infestation, is the fact they like to eat through wiring! Imagine, you have a nice new home, and your lights do not work in one room. It just goes out one day. And, there are some flies and evidence of mouse poop near the room.

Here are some diy pest control tips for you to consider:

You can use a series of electronic pest control devices in this case. Do the round-up, and get rid of them by placing the devices in this room, and then turn the lights on, and leave them on if you can, at night. The combination of noise, and light is going to make them batty!

Then, they will decide to evacuate to other parts of the home. So, pick a spot on the same level as the problem room, and place traps there. In essence what you are doing is making the mice move to the happier spot further away from the room they were living, and supplying food in un-set traps. The migration, and the food, will get them all in one spot, and then on the 5th night, set those traps!

This weird combination of the ultrasonic devices, the lights, and the baited traps, really works. Sometimes, you can get the entire group in a few nights. Continue to vary your baiting and setting of traps until you get no more evidence from the mice, or produce any dead mice.

You now need to remove access to your home, and that requires preventative steps of caulk. That is a great story in itself!

Mice Love to Hide

Mice will often be very wary to venture outside of their den during the day. If you have some signs of mice, and have yet to see one, chances are they are there, but are just making the best of your nice place, and are enjoying the hospitality.

If you are looking for them, stop bending over, and wondering. Just do the following, and it will confirm your mouse problem. Get some snap traps, and bait then in areas where you have seen the poop, or the food being chewed on. Use some peanut butter, and do not set the traps. Then, go to bed.

In the morning, if your bait is eaten, you have confirmed your worst nightmare. Keep up this pattern for at least 3 nights, and then set your traps. If you do it for more nights, you will have better success, but if you are impatient, give it a try.

Since they have been hiding, and coming out when all is quiet and dark, you are going to have 40 day process of catching and killing those mice with traps.

If this all seems so icky, there are better traps, and advice. Be sure to visit our other sites listed on this site for more advice.

Mice and Poisons

If you think you can get rid of your mouse population by feeding them poison, you surely will be mistaken. Think of it this way, if poison was the way to remove mice, then, why are they still a problem? It would be easy, and every home, office and farm would have poison baits around. The reasons are varied, but it has to do with how a mouse eats.

Mice like to drag their food back to their dens, and eat near the baby nest. They will take the entire poison box with them if they can get it there! The mouse you are working with will want to store the mouse poison in a safe spot, as it seems like great food. They do not have the ability to smell the poisons in the food bait, so that is a good thing for us, but they will take the entire baited food, and protect it with a fierce determination.

This means, your aggressive mouse will have lots of poison to himself. And, when he dies in the walls, his friends will do the same. All the while, this problem is growing, as the others are reproducing, and you have maybe removed a mouse a week.

Not only that, the poison option is a very painful death. It is inhumane to poison any living creature, and mice literally bleed to death, die in your walls, hidden corners or ceiling. When you have 4 new dead mice in that month, more flies will grow, the smell will start, and you will have over 50 new mouse babies ready to take their spots.

Mice Leave Tell Tale Signs

There can be signs of gnawing, of waste and excrement, and also dead animals. If you catch a mouse, do not touch it with your hands. There are often lice, fleas, and other mange-related pests that live on a mouse. Especially, if the population is large, because they are not nutritionally sound, and they have immunity issues.

The best way to handle a mouse is to use plastic gloves, tongs, and a garbage bag to encase the dead mouse. The vermin on the dead mouse will then be trapped on your dead mouse, and will not infect you or your pets.

Mice and Rats

You might need some information on rats, and mice, and how they are different. They are, but both are rodents, smart and intelligent problem solvers. One thing that is very different from mice, rats need people to live. Mice can live in nature, on grains and other found seeds, bugs, and other found dead proteins. They are fine in a field, and will try to keep in an area where they can stay warm and nested safely. Rats, are now completely adapted to our food production creation, and our agricultural abilities, that, if a disaster were to occur, many scientists believe much of the rat population would have a challenge adapting back to natural food harbor and hunting skills.

The rat is a very close pest to our way of life, and the Norway Rat, sometimes referred to as the brown rat, the gray rat or the sewer rat, is the species that you see most often in close quarters with humans. They can be distinguished by a shorter tail than the long body.

Another rat, the roof rat, is a household rat species, and the responsible member of the rat population that killed over 25 million people in the dark ages. Imagine the confusion and pain that this rat has caused over the years. The very fact that we are still befuddled by them, speaks to their intelligence and dedication to survival.

Do not be hasty in your pest control efforts when it comes to mice and rats. They need to be first, understood, and then a plan needs to be put together for their removal. It is a matter of health, wellness, and peace of mind.

Mice carry some pretty icky Diseases

If you have a mouse infestation, it is very important that you remove yourself from your home, if you have any respiratory, or auto-immunity illnesses. A home with more than 100 mice can be a breeding ground for bacteria, salmonella, and even the deadly Hantavirus. The mice your home are leaving fecal and urine everywhere, and the dead mice can create a plague of flies, and other bugs within your walls. There have even been causes of fire, due to the mice chewing on the wires in your home.

Do not think one mouse is not a big deal, as you need to remove the population quickly. They can grow rapidly within your walls, as long as there is adequate food and water. And, if one female mouse is breeding, her offspring can produce within 6 weeks, a litter of her own.

That is why trapping should be a process, and prevention of tightening the cracks and areas of entry into your home a priority. Keep your family safe, and remove the mice as soon as you see them!

Mixed Feelings on Mice

The mouse is often a pet, and a nuisance pest. The amazing thing, we as humans have the ability to love this little creature, and try to enjoy its many curious habits. And, when we see it as a pest, we can equally hate it with gusto, and trap and kill it as much as we can keep it in a cage.

The word mouse comes from Sanskrit, Musha, which means, to steal. It might be a good name for your next pet mouse! They are the stealer population of the world, expecting others to plant, grow, tend, and then remove the food from the ground. They have been the freeloaders, ever since they hopped aboard a sailing vessel, in china, and ended back in India. From there, on the spice trail, mice tagged along, even becoming pets of slaves and other migratory workers, until they ended up in Europe. The European migration happened not because Mice picked up their bags and moved, but because they used People to get there.

Mice are true lazy bone animals, and use their intelligence to let others do the hard work. They are our supervisors, and we are their staff. That may be why cats hate them so much!

Do Mice Like Cheese?

Mice are either sweet or salty eaters, and prefer some kind of nutty food, or a sugary food in most instances. I have had great luck with the goober grape peanut butter, as it has a grape jelly and a peanut butter together. It is what mice really like!

It is easy to cut up some cheese and stick it on a trap, but they are usually not as happy with a dried out piece of cheese. The messy peanut butter and jelly is really what they want! Try it and let me know what you think!

Mice are Smart And Enjoy a Challenge

The most annoying thing about Mice is they are so smart! You can really find some great ways to trap them, and catch some of them, but there are those who will just be smarter than you ever thought possible.

The thing to do, is be patient. The most prolific and positive mouse hunt starts with knowledge, and then runs on patience. You can learn the tricks on how to ensure a successful hunt, and capture, but often you will need patience to capture those last few smart mice. They are the ones that will make you earn your keep. So, be sure to set out your baited traps, make some interesting new ways to get to them, and do not set any traps until you have seen them eating, and then set your traps the next night.

Sometimes they need some surprise in their day, as that may be the only way you can capture a mouse like your smart mouse. They usually are waiting for you to show them some initiative, after all.

Mice and Cats

I hear it all the time, I have just found a mouse, and I will just get a cat! What a bad idea, unless you really were looking for a pet to love, and it was just a simple twist of fate that the two events were happening at once.

Cats are not just mousers, but are great companions, and often will not be able to handle the mice that you do not see or see evidence of. Often, they are nested far from you, and are in the walls and attic areas. Cats can only watch and wait for the braver mouse populations to rear their busy little faces.

It is a great idea to get a cat if you are looking for a pet, because they are so sweet and they are great at playing with mice when they do come out. But, a real pest control option is to trap, bait, and do it with a plan. Be sure to check out my page on this at Http://www.meetyourmouse.com

Mice are busy under the snow

Have you seen some underground activity under your bird feeders, around your wood piles, or near the kitchen? The rodent does not hibernate, and has a way of keeping very busy during times where they need to stay warm. The increased cold creates a food frenzy of sorts, so you can trust your mouse population is huddled warm in their nest with your peanut, bird food, or pet's dinner in their nest.

To avoid any problems with mice, keep all your food in snap top food containers, and try to toss out food as soon as you are finished with it. A pizza box left on the coffee table, can be a mouse invitation!

We had so many mice under our bird feeders until we upgraded to more squirrel proof feeders! They are not always so great at keeping the mice away perfectly, as no feeder is 100% squirrel proof, but, it does a great job of keeping the situation more under control. Our bird food is stored in metal containers in the yard, and we have our wood on the outer edges of our yard.

These are great options for keeping your birds happy and fed, and the mice less than satisfied. Keep on top of your food, and you will be more inclined to have less mice and a healthy environment.

Mice are coming indoors!

This time of year, mice are very busy! They are feeling the cold, and will be active to finding a warm spot to nest and eat. Do not let them find your home! They will be active with eating your food, the corners, and peeing and pooping all along the way.

If you live in an urban setting, the holidays can bring in lots of rodents. There are more packages being shipped, and new populations arrive from all over the world! The shipping containers have many mice and rodent populations ready to move in. Be vigilance, and watch and listen for new arrivals in your building or around your area.

Be sure to check any openings, and prevent them from coming in, and if they do get in, try to trap them in the most humane way you can. They are living creatures too, and should be treated with a level of respect. After all, they found your space very interesting. Very smart little mouse!

Ultrasonic Works Well to Keep Mice Out!

Mice are happy to move right in!

Do you have little low covering bushes around your home?  What about a deck or over grown series of plants that make for great rodent cover?  Any wood stacked against the house?

Stop it!  You are creating a little gangway of soldier mice tunnels right to your house.  Think of them like the marine version of a mouse, crawling all low and sneaky towards your home, with their buddies right behind them.  Looking for that crack, the hole, the upturned siding that you were going to get to someday soon...

They look for things like this!  It is important to get down on mouse level, and see if you can find them running along some highways in and out of your home.  Many times, older homes are seen as the mouse house, and it is not because of the age of the home, but the neglect of its landscape.  Be sure to take care of your outside areas around your home.  It is a great preventative step!

Mice In a Bucket

If you have gone out to the barn, shed or garage and found a bucket with a dead mouse in it, chances are your little friend was very curious and fell in, and without water and food just passed away.  They can not last long without either, so it can be a good experience for you if you are trying to trap and remove mice.

A large tall bucket can be used in the home, with a tricky mechanism to ensure that the mice are challenged in some way.  They are glad to use their smell and scent capabilities to look into the bucket, and if there is a special treat at the bottom, they will take the dive gladly to find the source of that tasty smell, and to resolve their natural curiosity.

I believe their are two kinds of Mice, those that love a good challenge and those that just will watch and wait.  They have benefits on both accounts, as the risk takers often eat better, but the safe path takers often live longer.  You may have both in your home, and the safe mice are going to be the hardest to catch.  However, a tall bucket can work with both, as they often find this isn't too threatening and very attractive to them in the long run.

Develop a great bucket trap with a tall bucket, some good smelly food, and a way to get to the top.  Make a ramp, a pile of books, and a drop down lever into the bucket, and you have a great trap!

Mice are Happy to Help

I have a great story for you!  We had a bunch of mice in our kitchen and our pantry.  It is in the middle of summer, hot as the dickens.  There are lots of birds, and squirrels outside, and they are eating our bird food which is far from the house.  And, we have a mouse problem. 

I believe the reason this happened was the food was at one time, in cereal boxes and such.  We converted all of our food to snap top lids, and contained everything.  Everything except the chocolate bar, I had bought for smores. 

We were going to have a camp fire, and roast some marshmallows, and make smores.  For some reason, I forgot to put the chocolates in the snap top lid containers.  I had been busy that day, and just did not follow through.  It was one of those things, during the course of running chores at the grocery, I ended up forgetting the chocolate.  Then, when I went back to the store to get the chocolate bars, I then forgot to get them safely stored away.

I put them in the kitchen on the counter, and turned out the lights, and went down stairs to watch some TV.  Sound familiar?  Such busy days are so glad to help you with any food you leave sitting there. They are happy to help out!

In the morning, all of my chocolate bars were ruined!  We had a shock and surprise, as the mice had peed and pooped everywhere.  They were hungry, and had eaten every since edge of the candy bars.  Wow.   I had to get some traps and some more chocolate bars.

This is how you learn about mice.  They do these little sneaky things to you, until you wise up and catch them.  Hide your food, and catch those buggers.  They need to find an evacuation plan soon.  Best wishes!

Mice Are Nighttime Creatures

Why are mice always running around at night?  What is the reason for that?  It is because they have evolved a great sense of smell, have excellent hearing, but poor sight.  The reasons for this evolution are they often are burrowing creatures, and being in dark and underground areas, they use their sense of sight less and less.  They have very keen reactions to light, so during the day, it is not usual for a homeowner to see a mouse.  If you often see a mouse during the day, chances are you have a large mouse population.

And, if you have a pet mouse, they will need dark areas in their habitat, in order to survive.  Too much light, will be a difficulty for a pet mouse.  Do not place them in a well lit area, in front of a window, or in direct sunlight.  They need a darker corner, as that will be kinder on their sensitive eyes.

You can use this sensitivity to light to your advantage if you are in a pest mouse hunt.  You can light areas of your home that are normally dark, even during the day and night.  The mouse population in your home will hate you for it, and it will start an exodus to darker internal areas of your home, and if the population is large, create quite a dramatic effect on the nest.  They are always volleying for the best areas of the home, and will be fighting amount themselves for great nesting areas.

You should try to keep the area where you hope to capture them, dark.  They will naturally migrate to this room, and you can set up trapping there.  Use ultrasonic emitters in areas you do not want them in, and peppermint as well.  Your bedroom areas should all have Ultrasonic Devices, so you do not herd them into your sleeping areas.

Keep your hunt going, by changing the lights you leave on, and trapping in different areas.  You are driving them out, and eventually you will have captured all of your mice.  Have great luck on your hunt!