Mouse in the House......................

[mike boss]

So the other day I go downstairs to get a jar of my home made pasta sauce.
I notice on the jar a mouse turd. I go upstairs, mention to the mother in law who suggests I go back and investigate.
The sauce was in the pantry area in my basement.
Upon investigation I noticed one box of sauce (the top box) had a turd on two of the jars, and perhaps two or three other turds in the box.
Looking at my shelves I saw nothing, nor did I see any box damage to things like Kraft Dinner, or packages of pasta.
I placed down 4 sticky traps days ago, and nothing.
I then baited them with peanut butter, but nothing...............YET !

So today I'm in the kitchen, and in the cupboard that contains my garbage I find evidence of mice.
I noticed that we also MISSED the garbage pail one day leaving a feats of bread and cereal.
So now it is all clean and I've added some snap traps.

I investigated a few other cupboards and found nothing. But under the stove more droppings, and when cleaning out the stove drawer I found more droppings.
It has been cleaned and again a trap placed there.

I AM FREAKING OUT ! ---------------- I don't know how long this issue has been here, I have no idea how many mice.....I'm simply going nutts.

I want to go out and buy some ultrasonic devices, but I was wondering, if I drive the mice from my kitchen will I simply drive them to other areas of the house ?

I saw a thing called RIDDEX which is available on Ebay rather cheap.

Over and above that as noted I wanted to pick up a 4 pack of Victor ultrasonic rodent repellent devices, perhaps placing one in the basement, kitchen and garage. But again the fear is that I drive the b@stards to other areas of the house.

Any ideas or feedback would be welcome.

Thank you

[Generic Eric]

Sticky traps.  Get some of those. Those ultrasonic things are supposed to scramble their brains.  Get one for each room. 

Or get a cat.

[mike boss]

I'm not even a cat guy, and the amount of stress I have felt all day makes me want a cat !
Mind you my dog might feel otherwise.

I did however end up catching one mouse tonight in the basement with a sticky trap.

I'll check the others in the morning.

I have no point of reference, but the amount of poop I found overall has me kinda freaked out.

Lets see what the morning holds.

[yotsuya]

And here I thought you picked up a Mappy...

[mike boss]

Lol................no arcade games!

I wish it were something I liked.
I'm still up looking into options here.
I had heard about some poison that would turn a mouse to dust. (IE - no smell when they die, should the die in the walls, etc)
No luck finding the info tho.

[PL1]

I had heard about some poison that would turn a mouse to dust. (IE - no smell when they die, should the die in the walls, etc)
No luck finding the info tho.

The company is d-CON, check out the "Mouse Bait", "Wedge Baits", and similar dessicant (water absorbing) bait products at the link -- not recommended if there are kids or pets in the room.

Mice tend to stay close to the wall so place your bait and/or traps accordingly.

Also remember to check the traps that you place at least every few days.

My old boss forgot about a glue trap he left in the base of a large rolling toolbox.

Several weeks later, there was a terrible stench eminating whenever someone opened one of the toolbox drawers.

Suffice it to say, it is far better to find a trapped mouse BEFORE it liquifies.   

Rodents are known carriers of hantavirus (mostly in the southwestern U.S.) and other diseases so take basic precautions when disposing of the remains such as nitrile gloves or at least putting a plastic bag turned inside out over your hand to pick up the trap then pull the bag right-side out.

After you've cleared out the mice, you will probably want to use clorox wipes to wipe down the shelves and remaining food containers since mice tend to urinate frequently all over the place.


Scott

[ChadTower]

Wait, why are you totally stressed out by a couple mice?  Sounds like there is something else going on.  Mice coming into houses this time of year is inevitable.  Older the house the more likely it is. 

You can freak out about hantavirus and mousavirus and rodentvirus but I have probably cleaned out 75 mouse traps over the years.  Pick it up with a newspaper and then wash your hands well.  That's all you have to do. 

My best advice is to get a cat.  That would solve the problem completely.  Barring that set some traps, check them every few days, and stop stressing so much about a couple mice.

EDIT:  typos

[pbj]

I give it two weeks before he's bottling his urine and wearing kleenex boxes for shoes.

Nah, but seriously.  If it's a flat surface, people have had sex on it.  There's probably somebody buried underneath you.  Everything is coated in poop.  And your house has always had mice in it.

 

[AzureKnight]

Mice will travel a lot through a house.  As was previously mentioned they prefer to run along a wall or a surface, they don't see very well and keep their whiskers touching the wall as they travel as a guide.

I have a friend who is an exterminator, he recommends buying bait stations and placing them in potential traffic areas.  In my house I use a bait that kills the rodent in a day or two after making them incredibly thirsty.  Generally they eat the bait, get thirsty, leave the house to go get a drink outside and die out there.  I have about 8 stations in my basement/attic/garage.  I check them every few months for activity but generally only see action in the spring and fall. 

Also, I would recommend you check your house for means of entry.  Look underneath the siding, where a chimney meets the walls, pipes coming in, the foundation underneath doorways.  Somewhere there is a gap and they don't need much room to get in.  There are a variety of ways to plug those holes up depending on where it is.  Great Stuff now has a foam that is bitter to the taste to discourage rodents chewing through it.  You can also stuff rough steel wool into the gap, they can't chew through that.  Those are good options I've found for around pipes and such.

As for the droppings, mouse poop will last a REALLY long time.  Cleaning it up and seeing how long it takes to reappear will help you determine how much activity you really have.

As PBJ stated, there are mice everywhere, part of life.

[knave]

I've never liked the sticky traps or poison. Snap traps all the way with a variety of bait...check daily. Peanut butter usually works well.

[pbj]

The sticky traps work pretty well, but I always felt compelled to mercy kill the mice.  Keep a brick next to the trashcan.  Ugh.

After many days spent looking for holes in the house, it turned out they were crawling in alongside the drain line on the washing machine - there was a gap about the size of a quarter.  Never saw a mouse in that place again and thus ended my mom yelling "MOUSE PATROL!" at 5am when she discovered one of the poor critters that had found her damned glued traps.

[PL1]

I've never liked the sticky traps or poison. Snap traps all the way with a variety of bait...check daily. Peanut butter usually works well.

One good way to increase the odds of triggering snap traps is to roll a pinch of cotton from a Q-tiip and jam it into the bait holder then smear the peanut butter into the cotton fibers.

Makes it a lot harder for them to steal the bait without triggering the trap.


Scott

[mike boss]

I'm very much a neat freak, and I think some of my issue stems from me being a new dad.
My lil one is almost a year and a half...........and she is all over the place.
I think the idea of the house being dirty freaks me out (for her).
I also think I have read so much that I have freaked myself out.

Today I picked up a trash bin with lid for outside, and a plastic trash bin with lid for under my sink. I still need to get something for food waste (compost) in the kitchen.

Wife picked up two large storage bins today and I'll be putting all the food in my pantry into them. Cleaning the shelves with Clorox wipes and moving them looking for more sings.

Did a walk around the outside of the house today. Anything that leads inside seems to be sealed well. But I want to seek the advice of my father in law. I also want to put some metal mesh over two pipes...........I dont know what the pipes are. I'm by no means a handy guy. (for what it is worth I have an all brick house)

I've done a good clean around the areas where I noticed the most activity , so this will certainly help to find out if the problem is still there. But I would really like to find the entry point.

With a dog, a cat is not an option.......I am however tempted !

My mom gave me some poison that I plan on putting in the garage. However reading online most people seem to slam this, saying they (the mice) enjoy it and get fatter.

I'll try this bait and see if I notice less droppings in the garage. If I do perhaps I'll place some in the attic.

[ark_ader]

I have them a lot as I live up a mountain.  I'm on a new record with 18 confirmed kills and one I caught by the tail and threw outside to be eaten by a large bird.

I use sticky traps on the runners of the house, inside cupboards, bookcases.  Rule of thumb is not to keep food lying around, and vacume up crumbs.

The new gadget is a mouse trap that spins the little buggers  to death. They walk in smelling peanut butter then get an E ticket ride.   

[mike boss]

I was thinking to add an ultrasonic device also.
Walmart (in Canada) has a 4 room one for $35/40.
My concern was does this simply steer them to other areas in the house ?
The frustration is killing me !

My mother in law does advise me that today no NEW signs show up.
She cleaned my stove and a cubbord that I had not done yet (no evidence of mice in it).
And the two traps I set upstairs one under the sink (where I found signs) and one under the stove  (where I found signs) show nothing new.

[Generic Eric]

With a dog, a cat is not an option.......I am however tempted !

I think you worry too much.  There are literally, tens of pictures like these:




For outside, until you get freezing temperatures you can try putting a rock in a bucket, filling up the bucket, half way with water, covering the water in a layer of sunflower seed bird seeds.  Prop a ramp up to the side of the bucket, mouse, chipmunk (in my case it was a chipmunk) jumps in thinking it has found a bucket full of seeds and finds out he is wrong.

[mike boss]

I may try the bucket trick......I like  that.
Will the actually jump into the bucket for the seeds ?

One issue I can see with the cat is the issue is downstairs (basement is both finished and unfinished in the laundy area......where I caught the mouse). We are not often downstairs, and the door is often closed as I have a little one. Is it not cruel to keep a cat down there ?

[pbj]

That little mouse crawls all over you while you sleep.

[mike boss]

That little mouse crawls all over you while you sleep.

I'm pi$$ed as is.........I dont even wanna think where the Fokers have been !

[Generic Eric]

I may try the bucket trick......I like  that.
Will the actually jump into the bucket for the seeds ?

One issue I can see with the cat is the issue is downstairs (basement is both finished and unfinished in the laundy area......where I caught the mouse). We are not often downstairs, and the door is often closed as I have a little one. Is it not cruel to keep a cat down there ?

I dunno. The seeds act as a distraction.  The trapper is supposed to layer enough that it covers the water but looks dry on top.  So fill it with water, lay your ramp, then pour in the seeds.  Don't move it.  I think that was part of my problem. I had it set up for 10 minutes and caught a chipmunk.  I was away when it jumped in.  I think the ramp is critical and I forgot to tell the neighbor about it and hers didn't work.  I saw another variation on youtube where the trapper set up a hollowed soda can, smeared with peanut butter.  The idea was that it would run and roll off the can into the water.  No seeds necessary.

Also, the mouse may be anywhere.  I appreciate your apparent intent to separate the dog and cat, but you want the cat to have free reign and sniff out the turd droppers.   You'll want to have a litter box downstairs if you intend to keep the cat down there.  Also, keep food & water, but in a separate area.

Do not leave papers out on your counters.  Our cat has been chewing on a stack of papers in the basement.  Also, your cat will walk everywhere, but that is the idea.  So on shelves, behind TVs and computers.

[knave]

That little mouse crawls all over you while you sleep.

I'm pi$$ed as is.........I dont even wanna think where the Fokers have been !

LoL, and mice pretty much piss all over everything as they walk...hehe

But really, you can take care of the problem w/o a cat but if you "do" want a cat I've had dogs and cats together most of my life...only if your dog is a cat killer is there an issue...even cat chasers get used to it after a while and get tired of being swatted on the nose and or put outside.

Just so you know not all cats are good mousers...

[Generic Eric]

Just so you know not all cats are good mousers...

QFT

I did not intend to suggest every cat is a mouser.  Knave gets it though.

[SavannahLion]

Remove the panel under the dishwasher and/or stove and look there. That's where ours like to hide. Many cabinets also don't sit flush against the wall so there's always a nice tiny hallway for mice to traverse.

But yeah, we find some big damn animals in our houses. The biggest I found was a possum. Couldn't figure out where all the cat took off to until I walked into the computer room and there was the possum. Swung open the door and smashed his furry little ass against the wall. End of that story.

Aat my mother's house we found everything including mice, rats, bats, chipmunks, squirrels, quail, and my mom even found a beaver in the house. Got pretty hairy with a bear cub one year when momma decided to hang out underneath deck. But forest rangers took care of them.

[mike boss]

I'll check the dishwasher area. That makes sense as it was the cabinet next to the dishwasher we found evidence of mice.

I guess however all efforts are in vain if I do not find the entry point.

I ordered the Ultrasonic device tonight.............all these steps I had better be mouse free.

[Le Chuck]

If you give a mouse a cookie he's bound to want a glass of milk. 

It's a fiendish slippery slope, be wary. 

[ChadTower]

Just so you know not all cats are good mousers...

QFT

I did not intend to suggest every cat is a mouser.  Knave gets it though.

Every hungry cat is a mouser.  Every... single... one.  I'm not saying starve a cat, but you know, even a cat has to earn its keep now and then.

[jaharr01]

okay Mike I live out in the country and had many a mouse over the years. I have always managed to get rid of them.Mouse traps don't work half the time.If there is plenty to eat rat poisoning won't work either.The one food that mice can't resist is peanut butter. Get 4 sticky traps tape the bottoms together to make a big square. then put about a teaspoon of peanut butter right smack dab in the middle put it where you see the most turds and I promise you will catch the little booger.And when you catch him it will sound like all hell has broke loose because lots of times only a couple of limbs get caught and they drag those sticky traps all over hell and back.

 Jay

[jaharr01]

And BTW as a medical professional, you are not likely to catch anything from the mice. You should always wash your hands good.It's the best medicine. Also, do you know why they are thirsty after they eat rat bait.Because the main ingredient is Warfarin. What Warfarin does is it neutralizes the bloods clotting factors and the mice eventually bleed to death.The reason they are thirsty is because they are bleeding to death internally.Interesting fact about Warfarin is it's the EXACT same drug that people take when they get blood clots or are in atrial fibrillation. Probably 40% of people over the age of 75 take the drug it.The drug is fairly safe but it has to be monitored closely.So if you grandma runs out of coumadin for her atrial fibrillation, get her some Decon.No don't really do that.

Jay

[ChadTower]

^^^That was some weird ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

[mike boss]

I came home today, I was feeling slightly better.
Nothing caught in the kitchen, nothing caught downstairs.
No evidence of turds....could it be I had one little guy ?

Wife and I packed up the dry goods (cereal, pasta, stove top, KD, etc) into some large plastic bins.
They were readily available, so it made sense, I am aware metal is better.

So anyway I'm home, feeling better, and I'm getting ready to go to the kitchen when what do I hear coming from the attic in the master closet ?
A TON of noise ! F**K ME, I can not win !

So now I know I have something FOR SURE in the attic.

[ed12]

Warfarin is in fact a blood thinner and rat poision
it is used for the exact 2 reasons posted >for humans<,
and yes the test is twice a week blood test to chk your :inr:
which stands for :international blood ratio:
ie how thin your blood is..
i know first hand about that crap

ed

[mike boss]

I just want to know what is the best bait I can use in the attic.
Something that would drive them out and eliminate a smell should some die inside the attic would be ideal.
Lastly is it available in Canada.

[jaharr01]

Warfarin is in fact a blood thinner and rat poision
it is used for the exact 2 reasons posted >for humans<,
and yes the test is twice a week blood test to chk your :inr:
which stands for :international blood ratio:
ie how thin your blood is..
i know first hand about that crap

ed

You go Dog

Warfarin impairs the creation of one of the significant blood clotting factors, prothrombin. Vitamin K is an important factor in the synthesis of prothrombin clotting factors in the blood. Because of this, Vitamin K is considered an "antidote" for warfarin overdose. If a child or pet inadvertently consumes a warfarin-based rodenticide, the usual treatment is injections of Vitamin K. This is simplified greatly because the actual effects of the warfarin can be measured fairly accurately by measuring the blood clotting rate. This "prothrombin clotting time" or "protime" measurement is necessary for anyone on warfarin prophylaxis therapy. Tests may be done as frequently as daily to as infrequently as monthly

Source http://www.flounder.com/warfarin.htm

[2600]

I just want to know what is the best bait I can use in the attic.
Something that would drive them out and eliminate a smell should some die inside the attic would be ideal.
Lastly is it available in Canada.

Mice will usually go up in the attic via the pipes.  Throw some(a lot) of these up there. Bait Packs  Throw them near where the pipes come up in the attic and then where you have heard noises.  Don't worry about the smell as they are small and dry up.  Only use the bait packs up in the attic as your little one won't be in the attic.

Now, walk around your house and see if you can spot where they might of gotten in and caulk it up.  A lot of people will say Mice can get in to really small holes and that you will never be able to prevent them from coming in, blah blah blah.  You can prevent them or at least make it harder for them to get in.  Look for any possible entrance holes, space under Door Threshold, around pipe and cable entrances into the house.  Also, look for turds around your door entry to see if you have any activity outside.  If so, buy some of the TOMCAT outdoor traps to put outside and place them up against a wall or in a corner.  I think the outdoor traps may be called Rat traps and they are sealed so your little one won't be able to open them.

[pbj]

And BTW as a medical professional, you are not likely to catch anything from the mice.

Right.  I'll remember that the next time I'm capped, gowned, and gloved in an animal lab.

 

[mike boss]

Today I did a walk around the house and plugged any area I could with some steel wool. All be it most holes looked well sealed as it was. I cleaned out the vent for the dryer, but I was told the covering on the vent is all that is required.

I got a new waste basket with lid for my kitchen , and a new pail for outside with lid.

I placed some poison blocks outside in the garage, didnt use bait stations as the dog and lil one would not be inside there.

As for the attic I went to my local Home Depot (Canada). They had some biat, but it says they need to feed on that and that only for 3 days. I'll look to locally buy DCON.

[AzureKnight]

You mentioned a finished basement, does it have a drop ceiling?  If so you might want to poke around up in there too.

Do you have a lot of trees or bushes near the house/roofline?  It is also possible for them to climb and jump to the roof/soffits for entry. 

[knave]

Don't worry about the smell as they are small and dry up. 

Word.

unless you live in a really moist environment...you won't smell em in the attic. Plus you are going to check your traps right.

[mike boss]

House is an all brick home, about 8 years old.
I'm the only owner.
Basement is finished, but not drop ceiling.
Prior to finishing the basement I had never seen signs of a mouse down there.
Really this has come on like gang busters in the last week.
I've actually felt sick since Sunday......no lie.
The stress I feel is unreal !!!
Not to mention the wife freaking out.

This attic noise really set me off! It has me SOOOOOOOOOOOO UPSET.
I live in Ajax, Ontario, east of Toronto. Right now the temperature is about 10 most days.
The house has no real large trees around, so I suspect they might get up thru drain pipes ?

I'm checking my traps daily. When I get to the attic I'd suspect I'll check that every other day or so.

I'll check another local Hardware store franchise for a different poision. The PC @ work is too slow, so I have been unable to see if/where I can get D-CON stuff in Canada.

[DaOld Man]

DeCon in the attic is the way to go. They will smell for a few days after they perish, but the smell will go away (usually takes longer in the winter when house is shut up.)
You said you have a basement, does it cover the whole house, or is there a crawl space that will have vents in the foundation, close to the ground? If you have any of these vents, look closely at them. They have a screen behind the shutter. Make sure there isn't a hole in one of them.
The noise you are hearing in the attic is probably the mice crawling and chewing on the sheetrock. DeCon now! They will eventually eat through the sheetrock, but it will take a mouse a pretty good while to do it.
They are also separating the insulation from the sheetrock when they crawl between the two, which can leave air spaces, cutting down on your insulation R value.
Here is a funny (but true) story from  my past.
We lived in a rental house that was at least 25 years old and this was in the mid 70's. No insulation at all in the attic.
Momma kept complaining about hearing scratching noises in the living room. We just laughed and told her she was hearing things.
Then one day while we were all watching TV, sheetrock dust fell from the ceiling next to the front door, and a hole appeared in the ceiling.
A hole about the size of a half dollar coin.
We all got up and walked closer to it, and suddenly a snout with teeth stuck through. It was a squirrel!
We grabbed some wasp spray and sprayed his nose the next time he stuck it through the hole. You could hear him running like crazy across the ceiling.
Next day we set out some decon in the attic, dont know if it works for squirrels but what the hey?
I also went up in the attic and two squirrels were in the corner but ran when I shined the flashlight on them.
They ran out through a piece of siding that was loose, but was hard to see from outside.
We patched the siding and the hole in the sheetrock and that was an end to that adventure.
We still had the occasional mouse, but the decon usually took care of them after a day or two.
Now rats are something that I cannot and will not live with. Even if it means moving.
But all animals are wanting in your house where it is safe from predators and the environment.
You have to find where they are coming in, fix it, then set poison or traps or both.
BTW, the dishwasher: I have installed several of these in my lifetime, and we used to bore a hole in the floor in the back of the dishwasher for the wire (usually 12/2 W ground romex cable) to come up from the crawlspace or basement to power the dishwasher. If you can get to it from the basement, check to see if there is any caulking around the cable, if not put some silicone caulking around it to stop up an entry point to under your dishwasher. If the supply and drain water lines come through the floor, check those too. Might want to check water lines to your sinks too.