Getting rid of mice?

We live across the road from a large field and in the winter we start having trouble with mice. I have heard if you put peppermint oil out the mice will not come around. Any one know about this or know of something else that will work. Don't want to put out poison because I have a small grandson and have dogs.

Sami

We have a field adjacent to our property also and always have these uninvited guests at this time of the year. We have tried many folk remedies and none worked. It's just peanut butter on mouse traps and we check and reset daily until they are all gone. Lou

I agree, mouse traps are the way to go. However you can put some interesting twists on the word trap. There are deep containers with swinging lids like trash cans which are baited with grains, etc. and to which a nice piece of small mesh wire is attached on the outside and just a few inches into the inside. The mice climb up the wire and over into the container. They will drop down into the container and can't get back out. The container needs to be about 24" tall at the very least. There is the multimouse catching type of 'humane' traps that catch them alive also. Those work on a revolving trap door type thing and use the already caught mixe to attract the others. What you do with the mice after catching them is the problem for most people. Personally I use to take them back out side and turn them loose.

Baits are not only dangerous to other animal(tho we have often been forced to use them because the mice were too smart to be lured into any kind of trap)but the mice often go into inaccessable places to die and then smell horrible while decaying.

Please do NOT use the sticky board. No animal deserves to die like that. You absolutely cannot free the poor creatures without tearing them to pieces alive.

thanks for the replies. I diffently want use the sticky traps. I hate to even use traps. I thought I might be able to use something that would just keep them from coming my way. I think I will try the pepperment scent and see if that works first and then if not will try something else.

Sami

If you are talking an enclosed area: Mothballs. The mothballs transpirate and will disappear, when they do add more. Keeps skunks out of the barn but they do stink. (Not as bad as skunk) I use traps too. On a cold winter night nothing gets your attention like chewing in the cieling while you try to sleep.

Yeah know what you mean Frankay when we had our last home in Moyock Nc you could hear them running in the attic. We finally had to get an exterminator. I just want to keep them from getting bad here. We only had problems with them getting into the shed where the dogs are last year but don't want themt to start coming into the house. I wonder if i sprinkle moth crystals around the perimeter of the house would that keep them away from the house and would the odor get into the house from the crystals.

Sami

We live in the 'burbs, and still have mice and 4" rats come in. During this last episode, we caught 2 in traps, but the third bugger just wouldn't be lured into any kind of a trap. We removed all fruit from the shelves, locked up everything and tried to starve him into going for the traps. No luck. Then, last Friday, my 17 YO DD and I were finishing up eating dinner by ourselves. DD went into the kitchen and reached down to put her plate into the dishwasher. While she was getting back up, she met eye to eye with the rat on the counter! That girl started yelling and screaming, "Mama!! Mama!! There a rat on the counter!!!" on and on. She scared that rat so bad that it stayed there frozen on the counter! I went to get a large plastic bowl from under the stove, held it by its bottom, and quickly slammed it down on the rat so that I had it captured! I got its tail and it was bleeding on the counter. Yuck! DD now starts crying, "Mama, you've hurt the poor thing's tail. Will it be alright?" Between the two of us, we slid aluminum foil under the bowl to seal it up and I drove it about a mile away to a wooded area. (Needless to say, the bowl was thrown away.)

Oh my that is a scary story. I don't want to come face to face with a rat. I just would like them from coming in the house at all. Maybe I will just let them stay in the shed and maybe they want come into the house. LOL

Sami

i have cats. which their insticts are kicking in on my female kittens so hopefully i wont have any.


we used to though. that decon stuff is good too.

Moth Balls are not a good idea. They are not only foul smelling but a health hazard for animals and humans. Can cause liver damage.
Fortunately, my dog is a great mouser. A few years ago the city was cleaning and dredging a stream 2 blocks away from here. Sarah had her best year, 10 mice and 2 moles.
Andy P

This message was edited Oct 23, 2005 1:26 PM

Ok Moth Crystal are out. I guess I will just have to set some traps.

Sami

HOO HA! = Pins, your story is leaving me in stitches! HOO HA!

We have a terrible problem at church with rats. They live in the shed near the dumpster, and I am in that darned shed all the time as my garden tools are in there. I tried rat chew bars, but now we are going to resort to the "big guns"...I'm getting the black rat boxes, these are good because other creatures can't get inside. I'm spreading those darned bars with peanut butter and we are closing the food kitchen for a little holiday....that means no food trash to live off of...should get rid of those little *())*#&

GGG

hehehe :) I have to giggle :)

My daughter has two PET rats :) They are the nicest pets of the rodents (or so they say)... They NEVER bite, and they're very social... though, I admit I fear them escaping... I fear it with a PASSION!

The other day I was helping my friend clean a rental unit she was contracted to do. There was a shop vac there, so we decided we could use it to vacuum the vents and drawers/cupboards and such. When I picked up the hose to use it, a mouse came flying out of the end!!! Scared the both of us! Even worse, my friend was in the shower stall scrubbing at that moment, and the mouse ran right into it! I should say he catapulted into it, as he shot out of the hose like a cannonball, at a full run! She danced around, and he ran around her feet for a few minutes... it was more than a little exciting for both of us! lol :)

She said "Well, find it!" I said, "Oh, sure, and then WHAT?!" LOL her response was priceless... she said, "I don't know... vacuum it back up?" LOL EWWW!

We never saw our little visitor again the rest of the day... but I will NOT be going back to help ;)

I think it's funny that I coddle my daughter's pets, and a regular mouse scares me... sheesh, I'm silly :)

Sarah

I believe that extract of peppermint oil works! Our cabin historically hosts many mice for the winter. Spring clean up is not fun. I had dh put some peppermint on cotton balls around where the mice like to go last fall. The only signs of mice that we had this spring were old signs, places where we hadn't cleaned for a few years. I have purchased several bottles of the oil to give to others with mice problem. I hope your success is as good as ours is.

Thanks epasota I will give it a try. I had heard that it was suppose to work. I heard the mice do not like the smell of it so they stay away.
Will let you know later if it works

Sami

Sami....when we moved her...to raw land...the mice were bad the first year...then Carl got some of the foam spray...and sprayed it around every plumbing opening and electrical opening. WE were "mouseless" until this year....and I think they come in the doggie door!!

I have tried the humane traps...not a one caught...but the old fashioned kind with a little peanut butter did fine.

I had a trap set under a low bottomed end table and when I went to look for the trap it had vanished...finally found it....empty...about 3 feet away under the TV console. Didn't find the mouse for ages...until it started to smell...it had crawled into the back of the sofa and died...YUCK! what a time getting rid of the smell. Good luck, friend! Jo

I too like little furry creatures. We've had pet rats, mice, gerbils, hampsters, and now have 2 female degus. I don't like the damage wild mice do but have nothing against them other than that. I even caught a deer/wood mouse the other day and held it for a couple minutes before releasing it. I've never met up with a live wild rat. Don't really think I want to either.

We had a rat settle into the crawl space and gnaw our heat pump wires. It cost us $200 in repairs. They can cause a lot of grief.