[stlrman]

six or seven have been dealt with with cheap traps. Is there a better way? Poison? Exterminator ?
Thanks!

[milford3]

Get a cat.

[FullRangeMan]

I would suggest a couple of cats.
A female will accompany the male.

[randytsuch]

I would not poison, you might end up with dead mice in your walls or something.

Traps and get rid of the food source (I know it's easier said then done)

Good luck.

Oh, I've seen gizmo's that use sound, you can let us know if they work 

[stlrman]

Thanks guys! Got three sound sources, total bunk!

[charmerci]

Or just borrow a cat. A couple of nights should get 'em.

[Bob in St. Louis]

The bad thing about poison, is they'll end up dying somewhere in the house... inside the house (walls)... where you can't get to their rotting body.
Trust me on this when I say that a rotting mouse will smell for about two weeks. 

I've since started using glue traps. It's a LOT less humane, if you care about such things. But the BIG advantage, is you can haul them out of the house before they rot/stink.
Traps aren't always any more humane than a glue trap (again... if you care). but they're "stuck" where the trap is set and don't carry it off and die where you can't get them.
One more added benefit about using glue traps, is that if you have insects, they get caught in the glue as well.   

I live in the country, and mice have been an issue in the mancave. They eat wires and insulation. It's that whole issue with burning the house down that concerns me the most. Unfortunately, I've opted for the most inhumane way of capturing mice, but certainly the most effective.

Not all cats care enough about mice that they'll bother getting off their butt and chase one. The assumption that "Tom and Jerry" will happen in your house is a wives tale. So the "get a cat" comment isn't a guarantee for success.

I've also been using the ultra-sonic electronic  gizmos that are supposed to chase away any and all rodents and insects. I've only been using them for a few months. Not sure if I'm ready to say, unequivocally, that they work. I think they make a difference, but they aren't 100% against all "pests". Not sure how many I'm using in my house (two levels of 1800 square feet on each level) but there's about six or eight. Mostly on the lower (ground) level.

[Elizabeth]

I had mice coming inot my apartment for about five years. Seasonally. The management was useless. Though the manager was pissed when I would glue dead mice to his door.

I killed 30+ mice. Caught two live by accident. One in cereal box it ran into. The other 'froze' crossing open floor. So I kept it eyeballed, and picked it up with a paper towel.
The glue is the most inhumane way to trap them. Slow death. I used the glue, and found several dead on it. One was stull alive, which I drowned.
It is true the poison will leave you with some in walls etc. The smell is like rotting cabbage. Only really noticeable for a few days. Then tapers off.

I got rid of them TOTALLY by sealing off the ways they came in.
Once the walls were fully sealed. No more mice.

If you have wood floors, the edges may be really poorly finished. And any spot with an small opening is a chew through highway. Mice can squeeze through a really flat opening. Under doors, wall trim. I used aluminum roofing trim.
Check the cabinets, particularly where they join together and the floor. usually the wood under is not fully sealed. So a entrance for the mice.

At one point I just made a blocked off pathway across the floor 3" tall, with a gap at the edge. Put a EMPTY mousetrap in the gap. Caught four mice with it.

[mav52]

Find a friend that has a Boa, the rats/mice will be gone in a few days. 

[JakeJ]

Yeah...OK, speaking from experience poison is not the way to go unless there is a shed or barn on the property.  I tried it in my rental and the little bugger died on top of the water heater which was under a counter.  Stunk the place up for months until the water heater died too then I pulled the counter out and eww!  Skeletal, mummified remains.  Jeez, make me nauseous just thinkin' about it.

A cat is not the best solution for everyone but this little gal has been a great companion and I have been rodent free for more than 10 years



She's a shelter pet and she knows which side of the bread her butter is on.

That said, and exterminator is likely your best bet.  Unless you know one personally and they will sell (or give) you glue boards.  Yup, they make these nifty things that are about the size  of a standard sheet of paper (8.5 x 11) ans it has this viscous glue that nothing can escape.  If you get some or an exterminator uses them you may wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a glue board flapping around on the floor but that just means it is doing it's job.  You can then just throw it in the trash and done!

Well, with the ones inside.  Elizabeth is correct you must find out how they are entering the building and seal it off.

That's my .02.

[dB Cooper]

Mice can squeeze through a really flat opening. Under doors, wall trim.

Any hole their head can pass through, they can pass through.

[Armaegis]

If you have wood floors, the edges may be really poorly finished. And any spot with an small opening is a chew through highway. Mice can squeeze through a really flat opening. Under doors, wall trim. I used aluminum roofing trim.

In awkward spots, shoving in steel wool can also work.

[JLM]

I used to work for the Michigan Department of Public Health.  Vermin are drawn to shelter (dark, small, hard to get to) and food (by smell).  If you see one count on there being 100 around.

Yes, seal up all the openings the diameter of a pencil or larger.  Check all exterior door seals.  Make sure the P traps on all drains are kept wet.  Do a through cleaning of the home (the hardest places to clean is the best harborage for vermin).  I found a mouse nest last summer in a plastic cover for our patio grill that had been pulled off and piled in the corner of our deck. 

Also seal up all foods.  Don't leave fruit or vegetables out.  Keep everything in refrigerator/freezer, in original packaging, or in Tupperware.

Keep the lawn mowed (if applicable). 

Contact your local environmental health department for more ideas and to find out if your area has a high vermin population.

[GT Audio Works]

A better mouse trap   https://youtu.be/6SIlYiiCGLI
Click the link below the video to buy on ebay, you supply the bucket.

[lokie]

I fought mice for years w various traps etc..

Finally got a cat... problem solved! No more mice.

[kclark0395]

We had a mouse problem years ago and used various traps with little effect. Then we adopted a 1 year old German Shepherd and never saw another mouse again.

[twitch54]

Find a friend that has a Boa, the rats/mice will be gone in a few days.

mav, nothing like a 'stinger', yours ? a real '67 BB ?

as fro the mice, I concur get a cat.

[mcgsxr]

I agree that some cats won't get excited about mice.

All 3 of mine would.  2 are forced to be kept indoors, but the indoor/outdoor one is a true killer.

He has brought back rats the size of Coke cans. 

I know not everyone wants a cat, but I won't ever be without at least one.  I just love their arrogance!  And their love if you can earn it.

[mikeeastman]

My house is properly sealed but I have problems with mice and pack rat in my out buildings and our cars. They did over $1000 worth of damage to my wife car, they like to chew the wiring and fuel lines. We use these traps, they more humane if you care and easier to use.  Here is link  http://www.victorpest.com/rat-zapper-ultra-rat-trap-brzu001promo?gclid=CMmomuTS3dICFY-2wAod-BsFrg

[randytsuch]

A DIY version of the bucket mouse trap

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/interior-projects/a21053/how-to-build-a-better-mousetrap/