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mathmama
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Unfortunately, we seem to have a mouse in our kitchen. We discovered it yesterday AM. Dh cleaned up all the evidence (there wasn't much of it, thankfully) and set 8 traps last night. Well, this AM we find that the 2 traps that he put in the spots where we knew there had been activity had been wiped clean without being tripped. How is that possible? We did test it with a straw and although it did trip Dh had to push on it a bit. Could this be a tiny and smart mouse? What can we do to increase our success? I am sick about this and just want to move  We baited the traps with Sunbutter (we are a peanut free home because of allergies). Is it possible that cheap peanut butter would work better for some reason? Is it possible that Dh did not put enough bait on the trap? The best I can tell is that he put a smear on as opposed to a dollop (I am such a wimp, I won't get close to the traps!). Right now I hate to go into my kitchen and have considered giving up eating all together. Dh starts back to work on Mon and if this mouse isn't gone by then I don't know if I can be in the house alone all day with that thing. Any suggestions??
Thanks!!
Beth
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Mackfam
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mathmama wrote:
| Right now I hate to go into my kitchen and have considered giving up eating all together |
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Not laughing at your expense, Beth! But, it is funny!
Butter isn't sticky enough for most mice - head to the store for the cheapest, smallest jar of peanut butter you can find. Put a nice dollop on the end. You should have a mouse on the end soon.
Be glad you don't live here! My children would insist on a live catch and release increasing the headache exponentially! 
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mathmama
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| Posted: Aug 22 2008 at 6:29am | IP Logged
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I know it sounds extreme but I am starving right now and can't bring myself to go out there. Poor Dh is busy getting the food for the girls. I did heat up leftovers for dinner last night and actually sat out there to eat. The girls and I were out all day yesterday and I plan the same thing for today.
We weren't using "butter" but sunbutter, which is sunflower seed butter. But it is all natural and definitely is not as sticky as something like Jif. Dh really doesn't want to bring the pb into the house because of DD#2's allergy, but I think it is much better than the alternatives (poison or infestation).
Thanks.
Beth
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aussieannie
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Ratsack? As long as it is in an obsure, hidden place that children can't access (like, behind a fridge)
My dh has used a little bit of white flour and found it successful.
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chrisv664
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A friend of mine says a chocolate chip on the the trap works, but I am skeptical. We have found evidence of a visitor in several places, but he hasn't been trapped, yet. They seem to be capable of outsmarting the traditional types of traps. My husband has had success lining several traps along the wall. Mice tend to run along the edges of the room, with several traps in a row, one is bound to catch the little guy. If you can find where they are getting in, stuff the opening with steel wool, that works at deterring them.
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mom2mpr
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We moved here to a huge field in Ohio and had a lot of extra family members for awhile too! It drove me totally crazy.
We did find some holes and put steel wool in them. It has helped a lot. We used the old fashioned traps, with peanut butter, cheese, and bubble gum. Sometimes they do clean them off, we just continued to be persistent and set them.
We have come to a sort of truce and the mice do get into the garage--we still set traps out there, but I have come to terms with that There is no way to mend all the holes and cracks out there with the garage door. As long as they are not in the house!
It is getting cool and they are starting to get active to look for a nice warm home for the winter. I just mentioned to dh he needed to set the additional traps as it was cooling down.
Having a pet seems to help too. When we got our dog they seemed less likely to find their way in.
You could set the traps in a paper lunch bag and just peek and toss the whole mess if the trap is sprung.
Hope that helps. I have heard here that mice are a fact of life out here. I can't believe it but I have gotten used to it and it is better since implementing "the plan." At least it isn't snakes living in my attic. An older neighbor in VA told me she had a black snake in her attic and she left it living there to eat the mice--YUCK!! At least mice are somewhat....mmmmm...cute??
Anne
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Vanna
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Almond butter would probably work. It's stickyish (I don't think that's a word).
I feel your pain! When we moved into our house it had been vacant for almost 2 years, plus it's in the middle of a field. Oh my. For the first year, there was a mouse every time I turned around. I am TERRIFIED of mice so I would spend most of my time in the kitchen on top of chairs. Seriously. I would arrange the kitchen chairs so that I could walk around up there without having to touch the ground. 
Good luck!
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crusermom
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I feel your pain. I know what I would be getting....meow, meow, meow.
Mary
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mathmama
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Vanna wrote:
Almond butter would probably work. It's stickyish (I don't think that's a word).
I feel your pain! When we moved into our house it had been vacant for almost 2 years, plus it's in the middle of a field. Oh my. For the first year, there was a mouse every time I turned around. I am TERRIFIED of mice so I would spend most of my time in the kitchen on top of chairs. Seriously. I would arrange the kitchen chairs so that I could walk around up there without having to touch the ground.
Good luck! |
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I am convinced it is going to nibble my toes while I am chopping veggies! I was standing on a stool last night. If I can't look at my feet then I am on top of something!
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dollylima
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Ah, the joys of country living!
We go through a battle with the mice every year...in fact, it's almost that time of year again.
We bait with poison.,..well, it's actually warfarin sodium or coumadin which is a blood-thinner. I dont know how old your little ones are, but if you put out that type of bait at night and take it up in the morning, making sure there is nothing else left around for the mice to eat instead of the bait, you would be safe as far as knowing your kids were not getting into it.
They also make those traps that are a black box and the mouse goes inside to get the food and meets his demise there. I think there would be less of a chance the mouse would get away with the bait if you use that sort of trap.
I think they are more expensive but maybe worth it if you have extra-specially-smart-bait-stealing mice. :-)
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mathmama
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crusermom wrote:
I feel your pain. I know what I would be getting....meow, meow, meow.
Mary |
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I have had this suggested several times in the last 24hrs, but unfortunately I am horribly allergic and I wouldn't be surprised if DD#2 is as well.
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MarieC
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mathmama wrote:
Vanna wrote:
Almond butter would probably work. It's stickyish (I don't think that's a word).
I feel your pain! When we moved into our house it had been vacant for almost 2 years, plus it's in the middle of a field. Oh my. For the first year, there was a mouse every time I turned around. I am TERRIFIED of mice so I would spend most of my time in the kitchen on top of chairs. Seriously. I would arrange the kitchen chairs so that I could walk around up there without having to touch the ground.
Good luck! |
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I am convinced it is going to nibble my toes while I am chopping veggies! I was standing on a stool last night. If I can't look at my feet then I am on top of something!
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I'm right there with you! We had a mouse (mice?) in an apartment years ago and I was terrified. I spotted one while on the phone with my mom and I started shouting such terrible, vile things VERY LOUDLY...my mom was panicked that the neighbors would think I was shouting at my husband and call the police!
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Vanna
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LOL Marie
I just start screaming at the top of my lungs. My son calls it "Mom-just-saw-a-mouse-scream". DS and DH could be outside and hear that scream and know what just happened. LOL
Oh AND I actually had a mouse run across my foot while standing at the stove cooking. Oh my goodness. Just thinking about it give me the skeevies. I was wearing flip flops...shudder. I threw those away immediately. I don't think I've ever quite recovered from that incident. I'm going to go throw up now. lol
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Matilda
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We have had a total of 7 little field mice in the past couple of years. First of all, know that these little critters are skittish and more scared of you than you are of them. They don't like noise and they typically don't come out into the open during the day when people are making lots of noise. All of ours have been caught at night and the only time we have seen them is in the early morning. Have someone go in there and make a lot of noise before you go in. Peanut butter always works in our traps but sometimes a sunflower seed jammed in on top of the peanut butter seals the deal.
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Cay Gibson
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We've had mice problems as has two of our hsing friends. It's that time of year.
We've placed peanut butter and pecans on ours and sometimes they are licked clean and other times we've caught a thief. Garrett is in charge of dispensing the little rodents. I can't stand to look at it much less touch it.
But don't bother with the cat. Ours just plays with them. Get a rat terrier instead. They were bred for this sort of thing. Even at 14 yrs of age (98 years in human years) our rat terrier is quicker than the cat. Ask me how I know. 
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JodieLyn
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even peanut butter can be snitched.. there should be a little hole/loop something like that on the baited part of the trap.. be sure and smear your sunflower seed butter so that it's not just sitting on top of the trap but is in the nooks and crannies of it.. greedy little things they are.. that usually works.. less bait and harder to get it.. gives the trap time to work.
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jackiemomof7
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My dh always has good luck with cheese. He some how gets it wedge in there so they have a hard time getting it out.
I too am scared of them. My children know the "mom saw a mouse" yell also. One day I was going to our basement to the extra fridge and when I open the door there was a mouse coming up the stairs, We both stopped and stared at each other then I scream and ran up and he turn and ran down. My kids fell down laughing at the sight of us.
best of luck catching the critter!
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Kristie 4
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We use a live trap- animal lover husband drops them off at the park. We caught 4 small mice in 3 days a couple of weeks ago.
We have lived off grid with armies of mice and I didn't have a problem- but city mice seem to make my skin crawl!
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CrunchyMom
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jackiemomof7 wrote:
My dh always has good luck with cheese. He some how gets it wedge in there so they have a hard time getting it out.
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I think the peanutbutter works because of the smell AND stickiness. If you want a stronger smell to lure them with the cheese, my mom always wedged the cheese and then put bacon grease on it.
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mathmama
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Well, last night Dh set up traps in the 2 places that the mouse had appeared the previous 2 nights. We had 4 traps in a row in each location. The 2 middle traps had bait, the outer ones did not. On the baited traps Dh put pb with a mini marshmallow. I am happy to report that it did the trick. Of course, we will keep the remaining traps out for a while just to make sure this mouse was working alone, but from the evidence that we saw it really seemed like just one renegade mouse. I am now fanatical about making sure the outside door is not left open as that is how we think it got in. We had been away for 3 weeks and the mouse showed up the day after we got home. It really seems like he got in while we were bringing our stuff back in. He certainly wasn't in the house the 3 weeks we were gone.
Anyway, thanks everyone for your help and for letting me come here and vent my fears. No one made me feel ridiculous although I know I was acting ridiculous Some good has come out of this and that is we all pitch in after dinner to get all the toys off the floor and the kitchen cleaned up. It is nice to come down in the AM and not see the house in total disarray.
Beth
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: eeek! a mouse--update!!
