Can't catch mice

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I've never had a mouse problem before, but I've seen evidence that I have them now. I bought a live catch trap at the hardware store, but it's been a week now and they eat the bait and don't get caught. Then I tried my own device - a styrofoam tray like you get hamburg in the store, place bait on one end and carefully balance it on the edge of the counter. Under that is a deep trash receptacle. Theory - mouse will walk out onto the tray to get bait. Its weight will topple the tray into the trash can carrying the mouse with it. Today the tray was in the trash can but not the bait or the mouse.

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Anyone have any tips on how to live catch mice? Apparently my cats are not going to help me with this.
 

Why would you want to "live" catch these pests? You will still have to find some way to dispose of them even if you do manage to capture any. The old method of a spring loaded trap, baited with a small piece of cheese is the surest way to get rid of these things. The mice will quickly find it, then the disposal is easy.
 
Don M. said:
Why would you want to "live" catch these pests? You will still have to find some way to dispose of them even if you do manage to capture any. The old method of a spring loaded trap, baited with a small piece of cheese is the surest way to get rid of these things. The mice will quickly find it, then the disposal is easy.
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I agree. I HATE mice. You have one or two and pretty soon you have a zillion of them. I had a problem with mice year before last and it took me forever to catch 'em all. Nothing works for me but the old spring traps, but I use peanut butter instead of cheese. It was very frustrating, and I had to be SO careful not to place traps where dogs could get into them and get hurt.

THEN, I had to GI my entire kitchen because of mouse droppings and so on. YUCK! Mice can carry diseases, such as rabies, bubonic plague (yes, we still have the occasional case in New Mexico) and the deadly Hanta virus. I HATE 'em!
 
I stopped using the mouse traps when I got my kitten several years ago, I didn't want him getting hurt in one of them. He's killed at least one mouse as an adult on the back porch, and he guides us to them in the garage. I heard that Peppermint Oil on cotton balls was a good deterrent, but haven't tried it yet. I need a whole gallon of peppermint oil for my storage shed out back, good thing I don't need anything from there, it's overrun with mice, spiders and even a snake or two....grossed me out to go in there. My husband will be tearing the whole thing down in the future and replacing it.
 
As most of you know I have a soft spot for rodents. I think the tray idea is very good. Also making sure you scout out holes they might be coming through. I cleaned out my daughter's room a few weeks ago. In the back of the closet was a floor section open maybe a good six inches. Might as well have a Welcome Inside banner. They can fit through the tiny spaces, a whole pack could come in with that much room. If you can find a good feline mouser might be your only hope. Four cats, two dogs...a house full of predators...and only one dog and one cat will touch a mouse.
 
I use the traps that they walk inside to get the bait then it snaps, so you don't have to see them. No blood and guts. They can sure make a mess and there's always a chance you could get sick from their feces. They could mate and then you have more! Good luck with that, hope you get them!
 
Your tray/trash can idea is clever! I understand your feelings about not wanting to kill the mice, as I have a big heart for any kind of critter and mice are just so darn cute! But as others have said, they can carry disease, they multiply like crazy, and their feces is a disgusting thing to find on your kitchen counter...or anywhere really. I couldn't deal with the snap type traps and couldn't use them around my dogs anyway, so I bought an electronic trap. Google "Victor Electronic Mouse Trap". It's very effective, and you don't even have to see the dead mouse. Well worth the $18 or so that they cost.
 
I did try live traps some years ago when I had a mouse in the house. It did not work and I had no choice but to use the spring traps. They do work. I used peanut butter as bate and they seemed to love it. Well, until the trap sprung! :( Also remember that many small animals have homing instincts and it would surprise you how they can find their way home once released.

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Slightly off topic. I'll never forget, some years ago, when I still lived in London. I opened my back door one morning to enjoy the first coffee of the day in the garden. And there on my patio were the corpses of three little mice laid out in perfect alignment. I've no idea how they got there. Or what the purpose was of placing them so precisely and neatly.
I know it wasn't my cat, because he stayed in overnight.
 
Caught one - with a modified tilt trap. I taped a construction paper tunnel on the bait end (to keep the mouse from jumping off) and put the tray on a lower shelf so it wouldn't have a big gap between counter edge and the top of the trash can giving the mouse room to maneuver. It looks fat and healthy enough - it should after all the peanut butter and cheese I've fed it. Scooped it up in a cottage cheese container and took it for a ride out in the woods and released it. I believe in giving living small mammals a fighting chance.

trap2.jpgAug mse 1.jpg
 
Debodun--how big is this critter? Looks almost like a rat, but it might be the angle. Good luck, hope you get all of them.
 
It just looked bigger and the snout a bit pointy but it's probably a mouse. Either way, he's gone, right?
 
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