# mouse chews



## Guspuppy (Jan 16, 2018)

I know this has been talked about before in the forum, but i wanted to post about something I found interesting. I've had soap curing on a table in my basement since March 2016 with no problems. This winter however, has already been so cold that it has driven a mouse (or mice) into my basement. i discovered this when I went down to get a few bars of soap to send to a cousin. What was interesting was _which_ bars had been chewed and which ones hadn't been touched! The salt bars, not touched. (i think that's pretty obvious why, since they are at 75% salt by weight). The shea butter, not touched. The 100% CO bars, also not touched. The 100% Olive oil castille, tested but not really enjoyed. All the lard bars, no matter the scent, thoroughly enjoyed, except the ones with the heavy black mica coloring. Those were just nibbled once or twice and left alone. Some of the other lard bars were also highly colored but not black, and they were chewed. Just thought that was interesting!

Also, I have started feeding the mice on the soap table, so they stay in the basement, and don't have to eat soap. The dog was HIGHLY concerned about why I was taking one of his cookies down there the other day! :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:


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## Obsidian (Jan 16, 2018)

Hate to tell you but all feeding them in the basement will do is encourage them to breed due to a increase in available food. Best thing to do is set out traps before they get worse. I've had a terrible mice problem this year, they seem to like my higher OO soaps with castile being the worst hit.


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## toxikon (Jan 16, 2018)

We brought in some field mice in our Christmas decorations boxes from the garage and they had a nice feast on some of my soaps too. Mainly the high olive oil ones!

I'm an animal lover so we always use live traps to get rid of unwanted rodents. The Walmart close to us doesn't sell them anymore, so I bought a very tall garbage can that we turned into a live trap (we had another mousy visitor this year) by running a piece of string across the top with a toilet paper tube strung through with a smidge of peanut butter on the bottom of the tube. Mousey fell into the garbage can quickly then we took him for a nice drive to the countryside.


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## dibbles (Jan 16, 2018)

We occasionally get mice in the basement. Just the nature of where we live. I have had them get into soap once - when I first started, but not since that one time. It/they chewed on both an espresso soap with coffee grounds, and a vanilla FO scented soap. There were just a couple of (wrapped) bars sitting on a shelf, and both were fully discolored brown. The soaps that had been boxed up for storage weren't touched.

No way would I feed a mouse intruder. They can live outside, but once in the house I want them gone. They poop everywhere. Even if they don't carry disease, you won't convince me that they don't.


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## Kittish (Jan 16, 2018)

Feeding them is a REALLY bad idea, they'll eat whatever you've put out for them AND your soaps. Plus, it'll draw in even more of them, plus encourage them to breed as has been mentioned and next thing you know your basement is overrun with mice and they're invading the house as well. Oh, and mouse pee and poop and mouse hair everywhere, including all over your soaps.


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## Guspuppy (Jan 18, 2018)

toxikon said:


> We brought in some field mice in our Christmas decorations boxes from the garage and they had a nice feast on some of my soaps too. Mainly the high olive oil ones!
> 
> I'm an animal lover so we always use live traps to get rid of unwanted rodents. The Walmart close to us doesn't sell them anymore, so I bought a very tall garbage can that we turned into a live trap (we had another mousy visitor this year) by running a piece of string across the top with a toilet paper tube strung through with a smidge of peanut butter on the bottom of the tube. Mousey fell into the garbage can quickly then we took him for a nice drive to the countryside.



What a great idea Toxicon! I was actually looking for live traps the other day and couldn't find them anywhere, so thank you for this!!


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## Dahila (Jan 18, 2018)

I would not do anything to mouse in my garden even they feed on my so much loved flowers.   In house, no , it is no.  I would throw all soaps that mouse touched cause they are contaminated God knows with what, Toxoplasmosis and a lot of other bacteria, urine ..........


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## toxikon (Jan 18, 2018)

Guspuppy said:


> What a great idea Toxicon! I was actually looking for live traps the other day and couldn't find them anywhere, so thank you for this!!


You're welcome! I was pleasantly surprised on how effective it was.


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## SunRiseArts (Jan 18, 2018)

I am going to seem heartless, but rats and snakes are better dead in my world.


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## toxikon (Jan 18, 2018)

SunRiseArts said:


> I am going to seem heartless, but rats and snakes are better dead in my world.


I had about 5 or 6 domestic rats growing up. They were such sweet, smart little guys with big personalities. They learned their names and loved to play and they'd snuggle in bed with me tucked under my neck!

I know wild rats aren't nearly as cute, but I could never intentionally harm them!

Similarly, my fiance has grown up with lots of reptile pets and love snakes, hah!


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## Kittish (Jan 18, 2018)

I'd rather deal with snakes than rodents. Snakes EAT rodents, so that makes them a little ok. Though a venomous snake that decides in my house, or even too close to it, is the place to be is courting sudden death by shovel.

We have two cats and a dog, so it's either a really desperate or a suicidaly stupid rodent that would venture into the house. Never seen any signs of them inside in the almost 8 years I've lived here, though there is at least one kangaroo rat that has a den on the west side of the house outside. That cheeky little fellow has almost run over my feet once or twice on his way to and fro.


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## amd (Jan 19, 2018)

Note to self: leave soap lab door open to encourage the cats to periodically do a mouse inspection.

We currently have 2 cats, our third cat passed away last summer. I miss her quite a bit. She liked to come into the soap lab with me and poke around the corners to make sure all was good before settling in an out of the way spot to watch me work. The other cats are jerks who only care about feeding times and getting the good spot on the couch.


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## dixiedragon (Jan 19, 2018)

SunRiseArts said:


> I am going to seem heartless, but rats and snakes are better dead in my world.


 
But snakes eat rats. No snakes = lots of rats.


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## jules92207 (Jan 19, 2018)

Mice must be prevalent this year, we even had an issue with them getting in our office. I had a few weeks I’d have to hunt for mouse poop on my desk every morning. No fun.


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## Kittish (Jan 19, 2018)

amd said:


> Note to self: leave soap lab door open to encourage the cats to periodically do a mouse inspection.
> 
> We currently have 2 cats, our third cat passed away last summer. I miss her quite a bit. She liked to come into the soap lab with me and poke around the corners to make sure all was good before settling in an out of the way spot to watch me work. The other cats are jerks who only care about feeding times and getting the good spot on the couch.



Your third cat sounds like my Mister Kitteh. He likes to perch either on the washing machine or on top of the fridge to watch me work. Either spot gives him a good view of my main work area in the kitchen, while keeping him out of the way so I don't step on him or fuss at him. I don't (yet) have a dedicated soap kitchen, but I hope to one day.


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## Obsidian (Jan 22, 2018)

Yes, they are really bad this year. Everyone here is having issues with them. I thought I finally got them all then bam! they are back.


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## Lin19687 (Feb 6, 2018)

The 100% Olive oil castille, tested but not really enjoyed. ... made me laugh out loud !


I agree, no mice should be inside as they will just keep breeding.

If you don't like bate traps, get an electric ZAP one.

Works great.  I got rid of 3 chipmunks this way outside !  and obviously I don't have anything inside as it never caught anything for a year.


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## HowieRoll (Feb 6, 2018)

Lin19687 said:


> The 100% Olive oil castille, tested but not really enjoyed. ... made me laugh out loud !
> 
> 
> I agree, no mice should be inside as they will just keep breeding.
> ...



I'm  just curious...  why are you killing animals outside, living in their natural habitat?


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## earlene (Feb 6, 2018)

HowieRoll said:


> I'm  just curious...  why are you killing animals outside, living in their natural habitat?


I am not Lin, but I have lived in areas where rodent control was necessary due to damage they would cause to human living structures.  Catch and release is often not recommended when certain rodents, not only are prone to carry disease (even chipmunks), but are also abundant in the area and causing structural damage.  In addition to that, when small children live in the neighborhood, those bites, even if it's not your own child, can happen on your property and that can be pretty upsetting.


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## Lin19687 (Feb 7, 2018)

What Earlene said. Plus if I had one of those beautiful thin rock walls, they ruin those behind it.  I had that years ago at another house.

But specifically for me I have Chickens and Koi Fish.  Chipmunks were in the Coop eating the ORGANIC FEED (which is $$$).  They were also making tunnels under the Koi pond which is NOT good.

If it was not for those 2 things, and if I lived on a big farm I would not care   They ARE cute and were fine to live here when I didn't have the 2 others.
They are allowed in the front garden, I am even ok with that since it is not a crop that I am selling or anything.

AND, HowieRoll,  I use the Electric traps so that OTHER wildlife is not killed by eating a Poisoned dead mouse/chipmunk/rat.  I had a Dane that ate a dead mouse in a field because someone had poisoned it.


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## HowieRoll (Feb 7, 2018)

As someone who has worked with sick and injured wildlife for 8 years, I can appreciate not all species of  animals are everyone's cup of tea. And population sprawl has forced wildlife to live more and more closely with humans.  But there are humane measures that can be taken to discourage them from getting too close and personal, and your local wildlife rehabilitator will often be able to provide tips and guidance on that end. Chipmunks, in particular, are territorial and if you kill one, it won't be long until another one takes its place.  Unless one is prepared to annihilate all of them in a large territory, that is not a practical long term solution (or legal, in many cases). I would encourage people to find better, more compassionate, and humane ways to live harmoniously with our wild neighbors, which play a vital role in our ecosystem.

I didn't mean to derail your thread, Guspuppy, so that is all I will say about that.  But I had enjoyed your review of the culinary palate of your mouse!


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## toxikon (Feb 7, 2018)

HowieRoll said:


> As someone who has worked with sick and injured wildlife for 8 years, I can appreciate not all species of  animals are everyone's cup of tea. And population sprawl has forced wildlife to live more and more closely with humans.  But there are humane measures that can be taken to discourage them from getting too close and personal, and your local wildlife rehabilitator will often be able to provide tips and guidance on that end. Chipmunks, in particular, are territorial and if you kill one, it won't be long until another one takes its place.  Unless one is prepared to annihilate all of them in a large territory, that is not a practical long term solution (or legal, in many cases). I would encourage people to find better, more compassionate, and humane ways to live harmoniously with our wild neighbors, which play a vital role in our ecosystem.
> 
> I didn't mean to derail your thread, Guspuppy, so that is all I will say about that.  But I had enjoyed your review of the culinary palate of your mouse!


Killing chipmunks would be pretty much unheard of where I live in Northern Ontario! We love the lil' guys. We have a family who lives in our backyard. They like to tease our dog, she can never catch them. A lot of them around here are tame and will sit on your shoulder or eat peanuts from your hand. I'm definitely a rodent (and general animal) lover as well.


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## Lin19687 (Feb 7, 2018)

And for 10 + years I have worked with Domesticated animals @ Animal Hospital and Rescue groups (healthy, sick , injured and Dying).  I usually try to not say much to people on forums that breed dogs (cuz really WHY do you NEED to do that.. $$ )
I get trying to find a way but if they interfere with your Livelihood or can threaten what you have on your property then .....   
I think the Humane thing to do it the Electric trap, no poison that makes them feel sick for days-weeks OR infects other animals.
NO Wildlife Rehabilitation person is going to come to everyone's house to capture some rodents, at least not around here and not in TX country side.
I could have let the chickens KILL it themselves but that would have been awful for the chipmunk and I don't want my ORGANIC Chickens eating it .

So let us just leave it at that.


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## Soapmaker123 (Feb 8, 2018)

During the summer, I watched a pair of small field mice in the garden, who kept climbing a tall stalk of grass (over 2 feet high).  Their weight at the top of the grass stalk caused it to bend over to the ground -- at which point they let go and the grass stem went back to vertical.  Then they climbed it again, repeating, again, again.  Really just doing it for fun.

(I still use traps indoors.)


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## ReddWing (Feb 8, 2018)

Yes,  both carry disease.  Also both dribble urine everywhere as they have no "on & off" switches-only on "on".
1 female rat can birth 15,000 babies every year. 
1 female mouse can birth 40 babies every year.  
That's not counting how many the babies,  the babies are having,  the damage to your house due to having to chew to sharpen and wear down their teeth.  Just imagine 15000 chewing up your walls,  roof, and other parts of your house.  There's some 12000 house fires every year due to rodents chewing on live wires. 
Anything that can harm my home or loved ones inside it, have no business living in my home.  I know many of you are going to "yell" at me.  But have you ever had to get rabies shots?  The new 3 in the arm type or the old 10 in the belly?  I've had to have both-and you don't want to have either!


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## Lin19687 (Feb 8, 2018)

FYI, Rabies is still 4 (now I just checked but it was 3 2 years ago)  separate shots, and at 3 additional  days and the amount of shots depends on your WEIGHT !  NO THANK YOU !!

Have your house checked for Termites too!  I think every one should do this, whether it is something that you have in your area or not.

I lived in TX at a house rental.  I offered to redo the kitchen in lieu of lesser rent.

When I took out the old cabinets and had to take out some dry wall.... The studs were 1/2 GONE ~~!!
I told the LL and they didn't care.  I couldn't afford to move, I just had moved in there.  I swear I could hear them chewing through out the night  ewwww


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