BeBop Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 A friend of mine bought a house. It's in a semi-rural area. There are mice. I've never dealt with mice before. She'd prefer to just keep them away, and there appear to be 'repellents' for this purpose, both chemical and electronic. Any experiences or opinions out there? Anything appreciated. Quote
Free For All Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 Ah yes. The Fried Piper of Ramblin'. Quote
BeBop Posted October 2, 2005 Author Report Posted October 2, 2005 Hey, this is a friend. I'm not playing the G-Man in her new house. I'm forming the impression that the electronic deterrents are mainly hokum. Quote
patricia Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) =Free For All,Oct 1 2005, 09:53 PM] ← Thank you Free For All. Nothing is better than a cat. If your first cat isn't up to the task, get a second one...............but no more. More than 2 cats labells you as "that weirdo with a houseful of cats". The advantage of having a cat to free your domain of rodents is that when it's not doing that it's a fine companion. Poisons and sprays are dangerous and you still have to get rid of the corpse, or corpses. Cats, if they are good mousers, eat their prey. So, get a cat. BTW, is that your tortoise-shell Free For All? It's a beauty. Edited October 2, 2005 by patricia Quote
Free For All Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 You could call him/her Kitty G. Quote
patricia Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 =Free For All,Oct 1 2005, 10:14 PM] You could call him/her Kitty G. ← Is that because she/he can hold the same high note seemingly forever? Quote
Free For All Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 BTW, is that your calico, Free For All. It's a beauty. ← No cats here. We're dog people. Just tryin' ta help. Quote
J Larsen Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 I third the cat recommendation. When I first took in my cat (he was a stray), I was living in a totally disgusting mouse and roach infested apartment (it's tough living in NYC on a grad school stipend). I had tried the electronic devices and the poisons - neither had an appreciable effect. After I started keeping the cat, any mouse that came into the apartment was nearly instantaneously consumed. I was astonished by the cat's ability to sense the presence of a mouse, and I was grateful to see that he didn't leave a mess. There was literally nothing to clean up. Not only did he eliminate the mouse problem, he made a noticable dent in the roach problem. He didn't eat the roaches, but he'd kill them either by swatting them with a paw or by chewing them and spitting them out. Fortunately for me, I have been out of that place for over a year now and live in a completely pest-free apartment. But I think my cat misses the mice. Quote
jlhoots Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 The electronic repellents don't work. You might as well hit the mice with the device. Cats are cool. Things that the mice stick to seem inhumane. Bait stations work but you might need a service to maintain them. Also probably not good if you have little kids around. Quote
patricia Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) =jlhoots,Oct 1 2005, 11:09 PM] The electronic repellents don't work. You might as well hit the mice with the device. Cats are cool. Things that the mice stick to seem inhumane. Bait stations work but you might need a service to maintain them. Also probably not good if you have little kids around. ← Exactly. And electronic repellents, poisons and sticky-on-the-feet things don't purr, or have nice fur to pet. And they are dangerous if you have kids, or a dog or other pets. A cat [or two cats, but no more]. Period. And Free For All, if you ever got a cat, the dog would take second place on the totem pole, no matter how long the dog has been there. Interesting the way that happens. Edited October 2, 2005 by patricia Quote
Jim R Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 BTW, is that your calico, Free For All. It's a beauty. ← No cats here. We're dog people. Just tryin' ta help. ← Dogs rule. Our German Shepherd catches a lot of rodents in our yard (we currently have a local rat problem, unfortunately). The only thing is, I have to pick them up and dispose of them- and hopefully I find the carcass within the first day or so. I didn't know cats consumed the mice they kill. I guess that's a good thing... but with rats there's disease to worry about. Our dog almost died last month. It was mysterious, but we're pretty sure it was leptospirosis (known to be carried by rats). But I digress. There doesn't seem to be a highly reliable as well as convenient method of rodent control. Poisons make me nervous (our next door neighbor is using some), and those traps seem like a big and ultimately ineffective hassle, from what I've heard. Quote
Bright Moments Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) GA Students Build A Better Mousetrap Each year, Widener University's School of Engineering holds a road rally designed to challenge the mathematical skill and creativity of high school students. Students must successfully traverse a given course with a mousetrap powered vehicle. The snap of the mousetrap provides the energy to make the "car" go. The specifications change annually - this year's theme is titled "A Twisted Tail" - but the task remains the same-- problem solving in a team environment. This fall Nick Jones '04, Sean White '04 and Craig Cramer '04 represented GA with their custom designed "It's a Trap" car. GA submitted the only car with an active steering system, a feature greatly admired by the other teams. The GA team was thrilled to make it to the finals in this competition with 65 teams from all over the mid-Atlantic region, many of which integrate the competition into their curriculum. Nick Jones reports: "Everything came together in just a few hours. Sean came up with the idea of using strings to activate the steering - a solution to the challenge presented by the 90 degree turn. The string mechanism allowed us to modify the trajectory to any course. We used a rollerblade wheel because of its friction reducing ball bearings. Like most other entrants, we chose cdroms as the back wheels. We are all interested in engineering and it was really nice to be able to apply our interests in a design competition." Advisor John Millar commented that he had a really great time, "surrounded by all the math and engineering nerds you could possibly want." Bliss. Edited October 2, 2005 by Bright Moments Quote
Soul Stream Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 I used to live on my grandfather's farm in Oklahoma during summer school breaks when I was growing up. Mouse traps worked then and continue to work today I'd imagine. I think rodents are just an inevitable part of living in the open, exposed to all elements. Make your peace with them now and learn to live with them is what I think you basically have to do. Quote
Free For All Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 Make your peace with them now and learn to live with them is what I think you basically have to do. ← When they stop leaving those little turds everywhere I'll think about it. Quote
Eric Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) Make your peace with them now and learn to live with them is what I think you basically have to do. ← When they stop leaving those little turds everywhere I'll think about it. ← No kidding ... when I first see those things I say to myself "please be a poppyseed, please be a poppyseed". I think Soul Stream is correct. In this case best best defense is a strong defense I've owned three older houses and had mice in all of them. Mouse traps, loaded with peanut butter, do the trick every time. I have never caught more than 3-4 at once (say over a week period), which suggests I have a "small" problem versus infestation, which is always my real fear ... Edited October 2, 2005 by Eric Quote
Dan Gould Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 I grew up in rural CT. When we first moved in, my sister and brother were disturbed by the sounds of mice in the walls. Poison was used and as I recall, the problem went away pretty quickly. Every once in a while there would be a nasty stink for a day or two from the rotting corpse though. But as far as cats go ... within about two years we had a Russian Blue that was quite the killer cat. But he never killed anything inside, and he sure as hell didn't eat them. He brought them to the front door and left them as offerings. Quote
rostasi Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) Right now I'm looking at the tail end of a rat that's sticking out of my trusty "Victor Electronic Rat Trap - Model M240". The night before, it had chewed thru two brand new window screens and left its little darling droppings between the screen and the slinding window. If we had that window open - even slightly, (like we did some others - with little locking mechs on them) - he would've been in the house. Since we live right off of a creek, there's a problem every 18 months or so. Mama was tending to 2 babies in a flower box (much to our surprise and disgust). The babies have grown and all three have been electrocuted. Yes, you have to dump the contents of the box, but when I use to try traps, they'd just all be snapped with nothing to show. Bait under a deck where no other creatures can get to it may have worked some - don't know really...the pellets were gone and I understand that it induces major thirst that never can be satisfied, so maybe... Like most everyone has said - cats are the best for this (and sweet companionship). Our sweetheart was around for nearly 25 years and we haven't had the heart yet to get another... Edited October 2, 2005 by rostasi Quote
Eric Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) Right now I'm looking at the tail end of a rat that's sticking out of my trusty "Victor Electronic Rat Trap - Model M240". The night before, it had chewed thru two brand new window screens and left its little darling droppings between the screen and the slinding window. If we had that window open - even slightly, (like we did some others - with little locking mechs on them) - he would've been in the house. Since we live right off of a creek, there's a problem every 18 months or so. Mama was tending to 2 babies in a flower box (much to our surprise and disgust). The babies have grown and all three have been electrocuted. Yes, you have to dump the contents of the box, but when I use to try traps, they'd just all be snapped with nothing to show. Bait under a deck where no other creatures can get to it may have worked some - don't know really...the pellets were gone and I understand that it induces major thirst that never can be satisfied, so maybe... Like most everyone has said - cats are the best for this (and sweet companionship). Our sweetheart was around for nearly 25 years and we haven't had the heart yet to get another... ← Rats ... they are a whole different story ... nasty, yellow-toothed b*st*rds!!! Found one in the garbage can in the garage one day (a detached garage thank God) ... the can was empty and it was jumping up and down ... when I lifted the lid I damn near peed my pants. Still mice & (maybe) rats are better than snakes ... found a couple of them in the house over the years (same "living next to a creek issue"). Edited October 2, 2005 by Eric Quote
rostasi Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 Well, our rats are not those big Willard size things, but just a little bigger than a mouse. This box could be their little mouse house too. (now, where's that peanut butter...) Quote
patricia Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) =Dan Gould,Oct 2 2005, 09:13 AM] But as far as cats go ... within about two years we had a Russian Blue that was quite the killer cat. But he never killed anything inside, and he sure as hell didn't eat them. He brought them to the front door and left them as offerings. ← My best mouser, Morris, always ate the mice he caught. But he loved and admired me and used to bring dead birds, from time to time, into the house as gifts, leaving them on the mat in front of the kitchen sink. They had no visiable "kill" marks on them, so I guess I only got the nicest ones. So, a cat who is a true mouser will eat their kill. I think having to dispose of corpses would prevent me from using poison or traps, no matter how effective they may be. Rats are a whole different ballgame. They are smart and resourceful, which may be why they, along with cockroaches, will be here long after we've managed to extinct ouselves, IMO. And Eric, just because you've only caught a couple of mice doesn't mean that there are not dozens of them around. Their litters are HUGE. And they reproduce quickly, like any other rodent. Rabbits are not the only ones which do that in the rodent family. Edited October 2, 2005 by patricia Quote
rostasi Posted October 2, 2005 Report Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) Also, Sunbeam makes an ultrasonic/electromagnetic pest repeller that's suppose to work on mice, roaches, etc that you just plug in. I didn't notice that it did very much. (but I have used it for creating pieces of music!) Edited October 2, 2005 by rostasi Quote
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