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Ask Annie: Mitigating Mice
Dear Annie
I have mice and they are multiplying fast. I hear them in the walls and I sometimes even find them in the bathtub in the morning! Help! —
Karen, MI
Dear Karen
I have mice, too, and have tried everything non-toxic under the sun. I tried sonic mice “chasers,” which give off a pulse that is supposed to drive mice away; herbal repellents, the blend of which I got right one time, so perfectly, that the mice chewed their way through the screen doors in their desperation to escape the smell but I have never been able to replicate; every imaginable kind of live mice trap only to learn that unless you drive the live mice more than 6 miles away they will find their way “home.” Even then, they might still return.
I’ve also tried just living with them, and their population exploded. They don’t seem to respond when I ask them to leave.
So, what to do, short of poisons?
The only effective solution I discovered, finally, was to find out where they entered the house and to block them.
I carefully perused my basement and found what I suspect many of us share, space under the door. Since mice can squeeze through amazingly small spaces, I know they must come through the space under my door in droves. The solution for me, given the door is a bit askew and would be very expensive to fix, was to buy an adjustable threshold and door sweep. The combination makes an airtight seal.
The adjustable threshold I bought adjusts from 5/8” to 1 1/8” above the floor. It has an adjusting bar to close the gap and will make a perfect seal whether the gaps is even or uneven.
There are a number of different types of door sweeps. I bought one that had a very firm rubber sweep.
I feel good putting this apparatus up now, in the spring, because the mice are leaving the house and it will be a preventative of their return in the fall.
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7 comments
add your comment »There is a wonderful product called 'Mice Cubes' (available at the dreaded Wal-Mart, in the pesticide section). These are rectangular plastic boxes, about 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 3" with a hinged end that will only swing inward. I had a terrible mouse problem when I moved into my house. I got the Mice Cubes, baited them with the peanut butter-filled pretzels (also at W-M) and sometimes, if I checked 30 minutes later, would have 2 to 3 mice in one cube! You can throw the whole thing away, but I couldn't do that. Instead, I got a 5 gallon bucket, put about 6" of gerbil litter in it, along with some mouse food,and cut a 6" diameter flap in the middle of the lid.I learned after the first attempt to 'evict' a mouse from the cube into the bucket that I needed a 'release tool'. A one foot length of straightened wire coat hanger with a curl twisted into the ends worked great. Into the bucket, and at the end of the day, a quick trip to the country. (Full disclosure...a couple of times I did give the neighbor's cats a treat. There was no poison involved, just peanut butter!) In less than 3 weeks, I had NO MORE MICE!!!
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When my cats and dog and I returned from Florida on May 2nd this year, it was still cold here by Lake Erie in Northwest Ohio. The mice had taken advantage of our absence to move in. I discovered this by finding their little bodies in the morning. I'm not sure which pet is killing them, but it is having an effect. It's FINALLY gatting warm here, and the mice are finding safer places to live! However,unless you can find a proven mouser to adopt, brass scrubbies stuffed into the holes around all pipes and other wall penetrations works best. A determined mouse can chew through almost anything else, including rubber. This is why we always had barn cats. By the way, I'm not sure of the techniques the pets use, but there are never any wounds on the mice. I suspect it's the quick shake to break the neck, which is far more humane than any trap I've ever seen. As you have noticed, either they have really good homing insticts, or new ones move in as soon as current residents are "deported"!
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I remember seeing a documentary on a zoo in Arizona (I think?)and they started putting out small bait boxes of caynne pepper, mice don't seem to like that. If you are going to be using it indoors you would have to make sure that your indoor pets/children do not have access to the baits.
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mice don't like peppermint oil at all, so I put it on cotton balls in the cupboards and things. cats are better, but peppermint will get you through times of no cats.
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Cats are great at keeping the mice away. Just make sure that the strays you take in are fixed! Or, you may end up with another problem on your hands(or your neighbor's). Oh, and if they are catching mice, make sure they are seeing a vet to take care of worms and other diseases. Cats are excellent at keeping the mice away and make great pets. Adopt one from a local shelter. Just keep in mind that they aren't just a disposable mouse trap, if you know what I mean...
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I'm with Sian J. - our home is a rental and we were limited on what we could do to try getting rid of the mice. Finally (after nearly 3 years) I got permission to adopt a cat - and haven't seen evidence of a mouse since.
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My cat keeps the mice away in my household and if you choose a stray to give a home to it helps you and them.
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I know that this isn't really an alternative to getting rid of the pests forever but I found a humane mouse trap on WWW.GREENHOME.COM
http://www.greenhome.com/products/pest_control/household_pests/rod000001
its kind of neat cause its reusable and t doesn't harm the animal before you are able to release it back into their natural environment.
Just thought I'd share!
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