Okay, I am officially delerious (don't ask me how to spell it because I am too much of it to know right now). I know I'm a pest, but I can't help it. I have spent yet another sleepfree night sitting at the computer. it's the rucking fodents again/still.
Again it had been a few days without any action but yesterday I thought I heard something in my bookcases (which are right behind me here clear on the other side of the house from where my first sighting/trap was). I told myself I was imagining things.
About midnight I went to do something and wham...rodent spotted running from my office all the way into the kitchen and under the fridge. More poison bait, move the electronic trap. Anyway, I am totally freaked out and a nervous mess now. This is two days in a row without sleep because I am so jumpy. Ebony is totally useless it appears as she doesn't even seem to be aware even when one is scampering in front of her.
So, now I know it's more than possible they are near me. I thought crocs were neat until it dawned on me there was a mouse running around and I have holes in my shoes. Good thing I have a shelf to keep my feet on, but that gets uncomfortable after 5 or 6 hours let me tell you.
So to my question. Option 1: I called some exterminators first thing. Some can't come for a month, some can come in a week or two. I can't go without sleep that long but that's beside the point.. maybe...I don't know anymore. They cost $225 + materials and they all leave baited traps where the mouse is poisoned, goes in the wall and dries up (so no smell). this does not impress me too much since years ago I got that promise and nearly stepped on the poor dead thing who had not gone in a wall at all but was right beside my bed (hence my not going to sleep as , well, you can imagine why that makes me nervous now). As well they will point out areas where the mice might come in, but they don't fill or fix them.
The advantage is a trained set of eyes and chances are knowing how to deal with a place that is so full of boxes. The disadvantage is price and time as at this rate this house could have a much larger population in a couple of weeks.
Option 2 is to go to one of their stores, pick up the poison (which of course they tell me is more effective than the stuff I bought), more bait traps and carry on myself. The upside is it can be done today and is cheaper. The downside is my efforts so far apparently aren't very effective so I could still end up needing them to come and have to spend the money anyway.
I'm not normally a particularly nervous person but after being around these mice, I am getting totally jumpy with every noise or movement. I need them gone, permanently.
So, which option would you choose? I am ready to go sleep in the car. I hate this.
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that comes in a solid waxy kind of a cake, I can't remember the brand name, but you cut a piece off it and jam it into the mousehole. That way, if the mouse eats the obstruction to get back in, he poisons himself in the process. Kind of like killing two mice with the same stone -- nah, I mean, killing the mouse twice -- uhn uhn , that isn't right either -- killing the mouse once while also at the same time -- well, never mind. That's the trouble with cliches.
Re bats, we had one a few years ago, and we used to snap him with a towel, then throw him outside while he was still dazed. If you have a locker-room mentality, it's kind of fun. I'm better at it than DH.
After the snake in the cellar got his big toss and I flew up the ladder without touching a single rung, I realized that I needed to get him out of the cellar for good, so back down I went with a flashlight this time, and spotted him cowering under a shelving unit full of paint pails. So I stuffed him into the cat carrier and drove him to Presqu'ile Provincial Park. He sat in the carrier, quiet as a -- erm, never mind -- very quietly, until we were going through Wellington, and then for some reason he went bat ****. I nearly drove my car through the IGA and I did go through a red light...no cops around, which was just as well, would have been hard to explain.Plus I had had a drink to steady my nerves and it was 9:30 am...anyway, I opened the carrier when we got to the park entrance and the poor snake shot through the door and ran into the park. I thought he looked as if he was limping a little in his slither...hope he was OK...no recurrences so I guess he was single...
That butterfly catcher sounds like it could be very handy for a few pests.
Plug with steel wool....they hate the stuff!!!
We had them all over our last house, (2 on each floor) as we had a bat problem. It was quite hilarious, it looked like some mad badminton game, with my DH on one side of the house and me on the other, wildly flailing at the swooping target. After catching 15 of them, we finally figured out it was the same one each time, apparently loving our home as much as we did. I finally researched and realized our batty little friend kept coming "home", so I called the bat ladies, and they gave him a home over the winter and released him in the spring. He never came back after that! (that we know of :rolleyes: )
In this house, it's birds in the chimney! In the year and a half we've been here, there have been 4. Obviously, one of us (not ME) ;) has to scale the roof, and put some kind of screen over the chimney. I have to say, though, I am very proficient with said butterfly net....if you have unwanted "friends" in the house, it's a great thing to have!
Apparently if you do plug holes and there is a mouse who is used to using it, the plug will get eaten out (unless it's metal of some sort). they know exactly where they holes/doors to their inside lives exist. I was told plugging will only save me from mice who are not familiar with the house (how's that for feeling safe...not). So the plugging is more a preventative with the hopes that all my resident mice are dead.
That butterfly catcher sounds like it could be very handy for a few pests.
A butterfly net is very handy for things that must be kept further away than an arm's length. I keep one in my broom closet for when bees and wasps get in. Lord I do hope I never need it to chase a mouse, but it would be handy. With its long handle, the captured thing is almost 8' away, which is good. Then just make your way to the nearest door, toss butterfly net with captured party, and SLAM THE DOOR SHUT! (retreive net once it's empty)
I sincerely hope this is the only mouse, but in case it is not, don't plug any inside holes. At least you won't have them enter from new holes they could chew through anywhere if fhere are more.
You know, if I had an armour, I probaby would have been stretched out on top of it. Loft beds suddenly seem like a very good idea.
I tried most of the night to think of a way to put the poor thing out of it's misery but just couldn't come up with anything I could see myself doing and the idea of lifting that box even for a moment which might allow escape prevented a few ideas.
I had to pass out by 7 this morning and figured with the mouse in the LR I may as well try the bedroom. At least I got some sleep alhtough I think I had one ear open the whole time.
The mouse died which I verified a little bit ago by opening the end of the box before lifting it. If nothing else it looked very peaceful but I sure felt badly for that mouse and what it had to go through. For now, it's in the box, duct taped shut and secured in a garbage bag outside. Rather than contaminating anything I have or having to touch the thing I made a loose duct tape ring and picked it up that way.
I sure hope that was the only one left but can't stop scanning the room. None of the other bait or traps have been touched at this point. My plans to go plug holes is on hold again. It was supposed to be warm today but instead it's cold and raining. the patching stuff I have needs higher temps than this.
Meanwhile I get to touch up my hair today. Somehow a lot of grey appeared and we can't have that. I also need to go and find some good spray disinfectant after some reading I did last night.
tomorrow I get to go the home show. That will make a nice change from this place.
by now -- either that, or you're passed out on top of the armoire, an empty bottle of Jack still clutched in your nerveless fingers... :laugh:
But if the mouse stayed still and let you clap a box down over his head, he must have been into the warfarin and is probably dead by now. Or at least comatose enough that you can lift the box, get him in the dustpan and flush him down the can. Boy, those warfarin people should be sued for false advertising -- they really portray that the mice somehow just tidily vanish, no suffering, no nasty messes -- BS. We use it, along with Viceroy traps, but there are some horrible after-effects with either one sometimes...it's a cruel business, but you have to keep them down, number-wise...steel yourself, dbd.
Hilarious to read -- but no fun for you. Hope those erectile hairs have gone down. If they stay up more than 4 hours, you should consult a physician :biglol: :biglol: :biglol:
Well there the type of icons I need except the eyes and mouth would have to be wide open.
Now the fire dept is a thought. I like moustaches although I just noticed the first 4 letters of that word... call me ultra sensitive to certain word associations. Now let's see, how would that go? I have some ideas but when it comes to rigid things and blowing smoke and boxes it may not be appropriate for family viewing.
So this smoke...I know second hand smoke can cause some damage, but is it that quick? What is it that is supposed to be so bad...polyester, nylon, it's in planes and causes very bad gases when set on fire?
I've been considering if it's time for a new vacuum cleaner tonight. I have a wing ding one that is 4 years old that I really don't like but haven't had a good enough excuse to get rid of it. It occurred to me that I could fire the thing up, take the beater bar off, open the top of the box, and just suck the contents out. Now the problem is that you are not supposed to vacuum mouse anything for fear it has the hanta virus which would then be dispursed but I'm thinking I could move the box closer to the door and put the machine part outside.
The other bonus is I could do the same at the back door (the area we just cleared) then do the mouse (in case it gets stuck somewhere in the hose better to do it last), walk the vacuum out to the garbage, put a note on it that it is contaminated, and walk away. Three problems solved and I could go shopping for a vacuum that doesn't bring out the profanity in me.
As for my mouse in a box watch, there hasn't been any noises lately but Ebony has been sniffing around the box for some reason. I guess if it's not dead it could well be bored to death by now. Here's hoping it hasn't knawed it's way through my hardwood and escaped. Now there's a good reason to buy the thicker flooring.
So I figure I have until the sun is up again to decide what to do. I'll be watching for ideas. the only long thin hard things I can think of around here that are the right size for that box are my old LP's and no way as they are now 'vintage'.
:) You are absolutely hilarious...I think you should start writinga book on buying an older home.
Seriously when uou are calmer...think..do you have a thin piece of wood/rigid plastic you can slid under the box near an exit door. Place all this outside and please do not worry about a cat getting it. They are smart enough not to touch a mouse in distress. If all else fails make a hole in the box and blow lots of smoke in it. I can now see you on the floor blowing smoke in the box and that makes me chuckle even more. Give me a minute I am trying to come up with some toxic in a spray, failing that then attached the garden hose to the car exhaust and start the car with hose end in that hole. or drop more poison in the hole.
Whack the box with the back of a garden spade or call the fire dept. The handsome hunks will look after it pronto witha fire distinguisher, unless you have one handy. :bliss: :bliss: :bliss:
Oh poor you and that poor mouse...it's warafin that they keep saying just has the mouse go away. Guess you have the same box I do but boy, how awful when you find something like that. Bad for both the mouse and you.
I am feeling so sorry for that mouse in the box and wish I could figure out a way to give it a swift end. I can't just throw it outside for fear the cats (that aren't supposed to be outside anyway) around here get at it. Also, if it is just slow rather than poisoned, it will come back in short order. I really need to know it's dead and taken care of so it doesn't cause anything any harm. I feel bad enough killing the mouse that I couldn't take knowing I caused something else to suffer too.
BTW, hairs still on end, sweater on and still shivering. Boy is sucks when you needto go hide under the duvet and are too afraid there may be a rodent nearby to do it. I need a mouse proof sleeping bag that zips right over my head and is big enough for me and the dog. OH and has eye holes so I can still watch TV.
What about sliding the box towards an exit ,then quickly lifting the box off and flinging the little begger into the street with the dustpan? Not glamerous, but possibly effective :D I had the same heebie-jeebies when I had to remove the still warm- but definately dead- mole from under my kitchen table, while trying to keep the cats and dog at bay with my feet. I was gaging and doing the little dance that goes along with the heebie- jeebies. After I got the poor thing onto the dustpan and out into the garbage can it took a while (like a couple of hours) for the body shivers and feelings of utter disgust to go away.
I think it was a better experience than finding a dead mouse on my laundry room floor last year though. DH put some warfarin in the crawl space for them (they were infesting our walls etc.) It was so gross, the poison makes them bleed internally so this guy was stuck to the floor by his back end :hurl: :hurl: :hurl:
I so wasn't about to clean it up!
Well best of luck ridding your home of the vermin! I hope your brother and neighbour are helpful :)
If I'm awake everyone has to be awake. That's the rule right?
Now that dustpan thing is a great idea...if one has a standard dustpan, which I don't. Mine is on a long handle and is smaller than the box. so if mouse has any get up and go, it would get up and go and it could fall on my foot or something and then I'd be the one dying on the floor and the dog would have eaten my nose before anyone found me.
Holy cow. even if you aren't bothered by something, having one dangling and touching you going into a cellar would really cause the willies.
I would imagine taking trips to that cellar took on a new character after that.
OMG...DBD...you provide my humor for the nite...LOL...take a dustpan...and slide it under the tropicana box and carry it out like that...know what i mean?...LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL....just what i need to read before i go to bed....LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
[b]OH CRAP!!!!OH CRAP!!!!OH CRAP!!!!JENJEN I NEED YOU HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!!![/b] Where the *ell is the icon that runs back and forth in circles hysterically?
breathe, breathe....trying to type while shaking like a leaf is harder than I thought it would be. Ithought I was bad before, but I now know what a wuss I can be. Jack Daniels is definitly appealling right now only I am afraid I will do something stupid.
My brother came over tonight and we cleared away my cove of the boxes and such that were in where the first mouse was. No mouse dead or alive but there had definitly been some action in there. All the stuff is outside or in the garage. Then we came in and had some pop and talked about a plan for the bait. I saw him to the car, came in and right smack in the middle of my livingroom, sitting there just taking a break is a mouse. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR THE NERVY LITTLE BAG OF BUGS!
That's when I started running in circles. My brother is only just gone and barely down the block, I have no idea what I did with his cell number and I'm flipping out. I grabbed the hammer - bad idea. I grabbed a broom - bad idea as it's not a big broom or heavy enough to kill a fly. Circle and circle some more until I noticed a big costco tropicana juice box (gee sometimes I am so glad I am not a neat freak as I just stack that kind of stuff until garbage day), fold the top back and slammed it over the mouse (who is still just sauntering around like an arrogant little creep). Of course Ebony is more than interested so I am trying to keep her back through all of this. Anyone with a dog knows how that goes when they are not on a leash and see something that has their attention.
So the box is down and the screaming starts (me and the mouse but the mouse more so). Screams and more screams which of course looks like a great game to Ebony who things she has a new squeaky toy and this is one of the developmental games we play so she is trying to push the box around while I am pushing it to the floor and trying to figure out what I do next.
So far I put some heavy books on the box and that's where I sit. I have not one idea of how I am going to get the mouse and box out of here. I called one person I know who lives a couple of doors down for ideas who suggested I just let it go (NOT!!!) and hope it ate some poison (which would explain why it was slow enough for me to catch). Her SO is out right now but hopefuly he'll have a brilliant idea and come and help.
Crap. I had no idea the little hairs on my arms could stay standing so long.I am still all goose bumps and chills. Ebony is sleeping about a foot from the box now and I can only hear an occassional squeak. I can tell you I went and spread that poison without any hesitation as soon as that box was weighted down. This house is pretty much covered now as I spared nothing.
This "oh, poison them and they vanish" just never works out for me and now not only is it finding grizzly remains, I guess now I get to sit here while my boxed mouse dies a slow death. Pay back I suppose and I can't stand it.
I wish I could figure out a way to cut the air off to that box. At least that would be a faster death and more certain. I don't want to tape a garbage bag to the wood floor particularly but I just might have to do that.
I am open for ideas and for sure I am up all night so don't hesitate to post. GAds I wish I knew where I left my cool head sitting because I sure need it right now.
OMG....i woulda passed out....lol...ewwwwww
kipper is right DBD...it will end...just remember you're bigger than them...they can pretty much get thru a hole the size of a pin head...one time doing laundry i noticed this pinky thing on the floor so i grabbed my dust pan and lil broom and swept it up...got a close look...and HOLY SH!T!!!!...it was a newborn...and i mean newborn mouse...it couldn't have been bigger than a dime...that was nasty...like i've said before i once caught 18 in one weekend...i prefer using the old fashion traps i would use a screwdriver to pop them out and put them in a bag then ''whack'' the bag against the brick to confirm death...put on my cheese set it up...put it in place...stand and wait...that weekend there was no point in sittin' down...but about 4 months later they were pretty much gone..maybe one or two on occasion
We were able to buy my grandparents' house which had been sold out of the family after they died. The new owners were from the city and didn't get out to the farm very often, so there had been mice and whatever...it was a big mess and it took quite a while to clean up. DH had two little kids and we had not been together very long, the little boy was quite mischievous. I decided to go down into the cellar (cellar, not basement) one day looking for jam jars and the little guy was up top. As I went down the stairs in the dark, I felt a rope-like thing keep hitting my head, I figured it was the little scamp trying to freak me out, so I grabbed up quick and threw the biggest snake I have ever seen clear across the cellar. That was in 1982, so if anyone of you heard an ungodly screech round about then, that was me. I think in all fairness that if snakes could screech, though, he would have joined in :p
i had one die of dehydration from the poison under my dishwasher...yea not good...dead mouse and heat....took me 3 days to figure out what the god awful stench was...mice don't bother me...but...if i see a snake...a scream...cry and run..in that order!...but if the kids are around i grab a rake and kick the everloving crap outta of it...sorry if you think that's inhuman...but i hate them...boots and belts are all they're good for!
On the freak out side, in the two hours I was gone a mouse visited my bathroom and left some deposits on my TP.
Well, at least they're being conscientious. They've got the correct room and the right idea.
hehe, I'm not helping am I?
I really am sorry for you. My last house was infested with spiders. Giant ones that could eat small children. Spring was the most stressful season to do laundry. Often you'd spend 2-3 minutes scoping out the basement before going down, only find you were trapped down there because they were hiding on the risers and you'd have to risk your life to go back up the stairs again.
I truly feel your pain. Once this is over (and with your new poison, it will be soon) you can stuff steel wool into all crevices outside the house that can't be caulked or filled because of cold weather. That will be the end of it, and you can relax again.
May that day come VERY soon.
Well I had a nap and hit the exterminator's store. I now have a bucket of poison and am down another $40. I did learn some interesting concepts though.
Apparently this poison is sort of like opening a bakery. That is it smells so good the mice will come looking for it. So, instead of putting it where you know the mice have been running, you put it where you want them to go. So, knowing I have at least one in the kitchen I can put some under the fridge etc. but also will put some in the basement to attract them down there instead. In the garage I will put them on the opposite end from my leather furniture to draw them away from that and have them eat and die where they can't hurt as much.
Oh yes, this type will not hurt the dog even if she eats it directly. She may get ill, but nothing to hit emergency about.
I was also told that this year is a record year for mice here. Since we had such a mild winter the population exploded (as did rabbits and squirrels and because of all the food those things provide, the coyotes)
For people bugged by bunnies and squirrels, it seems exterminator stores have fox and other urine in bottles to mark your gardens and such. I had heard that was a good deterant but never knew where to get it before.
On the freak out side, in the two hours I was gone a mouse visited my bathroom and left some deposits on my TP. Now I am worried as there is just lath in there around the bathtub and I swear if one of those little creeps pops it's head out of the wall while I'm in the bath I might just lose it completely.
I hope they all enjoy the new delicious meals I am leaving for them. Thanks for the advice and putting up with me and my mice.
These are the exact type we use ( with the yelloe plastic addition) and every mouse was dead in the traps, not maimed and struggling which would gross me out. These can be placed in a safe place away from pets.
We have a few get in every fall and the system that worked for us was ordinary wooden traps baited with peanut butter and a crushed rat poison pellet mixed in. If the trap missed them and they just nibbled the bait, the poison pellet /peanut butter got to them as they went outside for water and died, We have also used the poison seed with the peanut butter.
I lift up the trap with the mouse using a wire coat hanger uncoiled and drop mouse+trap in a plastic bag and into the garbage.
It has worked every time and I place the traps where the pets could not get to them. I hate the job, but hate more the pests that they are.
1. If the garage is tight, so no pests can enter, move as many boxes in there as possible. You need them out of the way. Get your brother's help to do this if he's willing. If they are taped shut and without holes, you can know you are not spreading a problem to the garage.
2. Use extreme caution with bait. Someone I know who had mice in their cabin told me the mice actually MOVED the bait. She put all her cutlery in old mayonnaise jars until she got rid of the problem. I worry about pets when bait is used, especially since you can't know when the mice may move the bait. If I had to use bait, I'd think of having someone else keep my pet for a while.
3. Locate points of entry INSIDE the home, and DON'T seal immediately. Knowing where the are getting in is helpful. If there is a hole under/behind the fridge, move the fridge from the wall and totally barricade the area in front of the hole with 2 rows of traps they can't jump. I'm sure disposal is nasty, but it's necessary. Get yourself a long handled shovel, a garbage pail with a double bag liner, and a cheap bucket and mop that you can TOSS when this is over. (to use for this specific clean-up only) Look for holes in all areas of the house so you can deal with all of them at once. Thoroughly inspect all walls, ceilings (including inside closets), and floors. If you have rugs that are loose anywhere around the edges, you need to look under them too.
I feel for you. When we had mice in the house I grew up in, nobody believed me when I annouced that I'd seen a mouse in my sock drawer. For some strange reason this drawer was a small night table beside the stove in our kitchen. (which makes no sense, but that was my mother!) We went on a road trip across the border that day, and only because I ranted the entire trip in the car the drawer was examined when we got home. There was a hole chewn in the back of the night table, and another one in the wall behind that. I was so upset during this time I just wanted to move. One other thing I remember from that time is seeing my father stomp his foot on a bump that was moving under our LR rug. I was totally grossed out at the thought of a squished mouse under our rug, and I ran from the room screaming. I think he flushed it down the toilet.
Hi there. Here is what I know as I'm sure everyone else may or may not know either. Sorry in advance for any repeat.
1, mice will squeeze through ANYTHING!! Fix any holes you may have including dryer/duck vents, and door weather stripping. if the mice are climbing on your house, I'm not sure what you could do to prevent them from doing so if they are accessing your chimmney stack or any other vent on your roof that leads access to your attic. I guess your best bet to help eliminate that is If you have alot of shubs or hiding places around your house, you could lay traps in this area once they are cleaned out. As harsh as this sounds, any neighbouring animals will learn real fast not to touch the mouse traps. If you let your cat out, leave him/her inside until the mice problem stops.
2. a female cat works wonders!
3. you could temporaily stuff tinfoil in any visiable hole that you have until they are fixed. They don't like tin foil. We did this at my parents new house when they first move to an acerage and we saw a mouse coming from the bottom cupboards.
4. My inlaws always put mothballs in their cellar in the fall....they live out of town too. This is providing you can put up with the smell or you could place these around you house as an alternative to laying traps. I haven't known any animals to eat these as I don't think they like the smell either.
5. if you haven't tried peanut butter, try it, it works way better than cheese. We used to have a real bad mice problem in the fall time when I worked in a old, old theater years ago. The worst was when all was quiet and you could here them scratching inside the walls! Peanut butter and a mouse trap worked well as I don't think there was a exterminator in the town and my boss was too cheap to spend the money on one anyway, lol.
6. The exterminator.... we had managed apartment buildings for some time a few years back and of course with various tenants, you never really know what they are bringing into the apartment building let alone leaving building doors and windows without screen open. We had to get the exterminator out to this one building we had. They came in an layed out the poision in traps as you had mention above and the traps were great because no kid or animals could open them. Only the exterminator could with a special key which they do or did in my case come back and check the traps after a week or so to see if the mice had nibbled on the poision. We did have a mouse come out barely alive and dehydrated but that was only once throught the rest of the building. While it maybe gross or shocking to see this, you are fixing the problem. Another way to think about it too is is which is a better way for you to discard the dead/dying mouse? Another thing i wanted to mention is the issue about the animals eating a dying poisioned mouse. I had one tenant that wouldn't have the traps in her apt because she had cats an was afraid that her cats too would eat a poisioned mouse. It was pointless on her part as the mice could still travel via the heating pipes. This is where you need to confirm for sure just how safe/unsafe this is for the cat by speaking to the extermiators as the poision is their product and who would know better? I guess you could have a guaruntee in writing from them just in case you do end up having an unexpected vet bill.
If I remeber anything else, i will let you know! Good luck :)
I'm that way about earwigs -- there's something just fricking horrible about them...I guess we all have our phobias...
I had a Mercury Sable for years, and it had a car phone, the old kind that was wired in...when I traded it, I took it to the car-phone place to get the phone taken out, and when the guy was rooting around in the wheel-well in the trunk, he ran across a whole nest of mice that I never even knew were living there...they were very well-traveled -- had been to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and went to work in Belleville every day ;)
It's funny how we all react differently to different things. Years ago, we had a couple of mice in my parents house. The first time I heard them, they were in the vanity in the upstairs bathroom. Then I would hear them in the ceiling in the basement at night when I was watching TV. It never really bothered me or scared me, and I had no trouble sleeping :)
Meanwhile, the first time I saw a house centipede, I just about dropped a load in my pants -- it scared the CRAP out of me. I cannot stand those things. They are grotesque and repulsive and hideous and squicky and just BLECH :hurl: :eek:
If you want to see what a house centipede looks like, Google it -- I can't even handle looking a a picture of one!!
Sorry DBD, this doesn't really help solve your mouse problem. But maybe now you don't feel so alone in yout fear of little creatures :)
I keep telling myself to be a grown up and really this is not typical of me. but this time it is getting me for some reason. Maybe I need some vitamins or Jack Daniels.
The thing I would worry about with a cat at the moment is that the bait I have been using can be a problem for anything that might eat a mouse who had eaten the poison. They tell me the dehydrating stuff isn't a problem in that regard and that is the stuff I could pick up today but meanwhile, I would really worry about what could happen with a mouse who may have already eaten the other stuff.
The exterminator's poison also is deadly to the mouse the first time they eat it so that seems like a bonus to me. I guess they die the same day which at least also means they don't suffer too long. As much as I hate the things, I don't want to cause more suffering than need be.
I have been watching Ebony like a hawk (and luckily she is a real barnacle so isn't ever far from me) to make sure she doesn't happen to get one. Also there is no way for her to get any bait as it's all been totally blocked off from her...well until now. Now I am obviously going to have to expand the measures which means the special bait traps she can't get into. It's going to be something to find something the mice can get that she can't if I have to put them all over the house now.
I do have to get outside with my stuff and seal some holes. yesterday was too cold for the stuff I have and today is supposed to be warm enough. Last week it was just raining too hard to do anything out there.
According to the folks I spoke with this morning, my stucco house means they can climb to the roof. It's those high areas I can't do anything about myself so that could be a problem.
I've also called my brother who is coming over after work to help me haul stuff out to the garage. I am so worried about nests and babies as that would be a nightmare being as then they reproduce and so on and so on.
Chea I don't think I could deal with a snap trap. You are braver than me. I was pretty freaked out with the zapper trap I have and it's supposed to be the least icky to deal with. Meanwhile I don't want to go paying for a bunch of those zap things or I will be broke. I'd also worry about whether curious dogs could get injured in the snaps.
hm..it's light out now. Wonder if I can catch a nap on the sofa safely. they are supposed to hide during the day.I need an hour or so at least so I can drive. I wouldn't trust myself on the road at the moment and the more I'm thinking about it, the more I need to go get some poison and traps now. Guess I'll try and block off the kitchen so a dog can't get in there and maybe a mouse can't get out. That might help me relax enough to nap.
Keep the suggestions coming please. I just want this over so I can stop feeling my skin crawl.
Tune me out right away -- I will understand. These are just little animals that are trying to get into a nice warm place for the winter -- they are not great white sharks. Get a grip, DBD. I know they are dirty and I understand that you want to get rid of them but you are letting the situation freak you out totally. If you can borrow a female cat (dunno why the males are so lazy but they are -- no parallels to humans being drawn here -- well, perhaps by inference), that will clear the situation up PDQ, but they will crunch and munch horribly on the mice's little heads -- steel yourself. The other way is lots and lots of old-fashioned traps, baited with peanut butter or cheddar cheese (we tried smoked gouda once and they were not going there). Then you will have to remove the corpse or buy yourself a new trap. As soon as the cold weather hits, no more problem. My experience, they can squeeze in thru anything so there is no way to be 100% mouse proof. You just have to deal with the invasion every fall.
Lecture over, no offense meant. Hope it all works out.