MICE! Grrr

[TashaBird]

Little ... I’m going to blame a few things. I blame: cold weather, that I stopped filling the bird feeder outside, and this (less preferable) new tallow that has a scent. The soap is unscented and uncolored, but my previous %100 tallow “naked” soap didn’t get munched. This new tallow has more scent to it. So far none of my soaps with EOs have been munched. I have one other unscented soap, but it’s a blend of oils. Still I moved that batch.
I can NOT abide nice!!! I lived in a house with an infestation once and I’m scarred for life.
I set the one trap I have near the munched tallow soap. I’ll go buy more traps today. My soaps are in the garage, high up off the floor.
omg I hate mice!!!
Please give me all your vermin killing and repelling techniques that you’ve used that WORK.
Ack!!!

 

[GemstonePony]

My preferred bait is pine nuts stuck on by peanut-butter. Cheese can be easier to carefully steal, but it can work as well.
Whether you use dead traps or live ones is up to you, but I don't recommend going half-way with sticky-traps; they'll struggle and suffer for hours on average before you find them, and you'll never get them out so you'll have to look into their terrified eyes as you kill them. Yes, sticky traps are a little harder for the mouse to avoid, but I don't personally consider their slightly increased trapping efficiency worth the suffering.
I hate poison because I don't like the smell of decaying mouse coming from the walls.

Set more traps than you think you'll need, because the mouse/mice will get used to them faster if there are more of them.

And of course, figure out how they got in. Mice can chew through drywall, lightweight plastic, and original Great Stuff. For interior holes, steel wool can be a nice way to block openings and see what gets moved so you don't trap a mouse inside the wall and either get another hole in your wall or a dead mouse in your wall (see point about stench). For outside holes, block by leaning a heavy-ish item against a flat item, and check periodically to see if it gets moved. That way if the hole doesn't connect to the interior, the mouse can get out, but nothing can get in if the mouse has another escape route.

I grew up in an old farm house that was frequently under construction, and we had mice and bats.

 

[Megan]

My preferred bait is pine nuts stuck on by peanut-butter. Cheese can be easier to carefully steal, but it can work as well.
Whether you use dead traps or live ones is up to you, but I don't recommend going half-way with sticky-traps; they'll struggle and suffer for hours on average before you find them, and you'll never get them out so you'll have to look into their terrified eyes as you kill them. Yes, sticky traps are a little harder for the mouse to avoid, but I don't personally consider their slightly increased trapping efficiency worth the suffering.
I hate poison because I don't like the smell of decaying mouse coming from the walls.

Set more traps than you think you'll need, because the mouse/mice will get used to them faster if there are more of them.

And of course, figure out how they got in. Mice can chew through drywall, lightweight plastic, and original Great Stuff. For interior holes, steel wool can be a nice way to block openings and see what gets moved so you don't trap a mouse inside the wall and either get another hole in your wall or a dead mouse in your wall (see point about stench). For outside holes, block by leaning a heavy-ish item against a flat item, and check periodically to see if it gets moved. That way if the hole doesn't connect to the interior, the mouse can get out, but nothing can get in if the mouse has another escape route.

I grew up in an old farm house that was frequently under construction, and we had mice and bats.

Do you have any advice for mice that can steal anything off of the snap traps? I've tried seeds (too easy), peanut butter (I really thought this was going to work), cheese...they act like it's nothing! I also tried making a bucket trap and they don't fall for that either! Luckily I haven't seen any (damage or droppings) for a while in my house, but I just know they are still in the basement.

as for what I've done in the house that is working...for now: poison (not ideal but again, they will not set off the snap traps no matter what I try), and those ultrasonic plugs.

 

[KimW]

Oh no! I'm so sorry - I too hate mice for a similar reason. Nothing like living in a place where you have to jiggle the silver ware drawer before opening it so that the mice will be scurried out before you reach in. Yeeeaah...anyWHO... Until you're able to remedy how they're getting in, my preferred bait is also peanut butter, and my preferred method is also mouse traps for the same reasons as GemStone.

One deterrent that I've found works pretty good for a small area - like a room or box where soaps are stored - is a mixture of peppermint and cinnamon oil. 8 oz sprayer formula: 10 drops each EO, 1 drop dishwashing detergent - detergent, not soap - (to help with suspending the EOs), remaining water. Give it a good shake before each use, spray around where they might be getting in, on door thresholds, and then around anything you want to protect. Do this once a day. Of course, the bad part is that then everything smells like peppermint and cinnamon, and the sprayer is pretty much ruined for use with anything else.

Steel wool is the only thing we found that deters them from getting in through their favorite holes, but eventually they get through that as well.

ETA - Just saw Megan's reply. We also use ultrasonic plugs with great success in open areas. Even in our shed, the little critters will still get into things that are in a closet, for example, but the ultrasonic devices do appear to keep them out of open areas. I'm also convinced the ultrasonic device in our entry area (laundry room off the garage) is why we have yet to have mice or voles in our house even though we're in the country.

 

[GemstonePony]

Do you have any advice for mice that can steal anything off of the snap traps? I've tried seeds (too easy), peanut butter (I really thought this was going to work), cheese...they act like it's nothing! I also tried making a bucket trap and they don't fall for that either! Luckily I haven't seen any (damage or droppings) for a while in my house, but I just know they are still in the basement.

as for what I've done in the house that is working...for now: poison (not ideal but again, they will not set off the snap traps no matter what I try), and those ultrasonic plugs.

Try playing toddler's cartoons 24/7 to lower the IQ of your mice. J/K! Smart mice are definitely irritating, though.
Have you tried different brands of mousetraps? Sometimes if they're used to the sensitivity of one, you have to switch to another brand/mechanism type.

 

[Megan]

Try playing toddler's cartoons 24/7 to lower the IQ of your mice. J/K! Smart mice are definitely irritating, though.
Have you tried different brands of mousetraps? Sometimes if they're used to the sensitivity of one, you have to switch to another brand/mechanism type.

I didn't know there was such a difference in sensitivity...I'll pick up some new to see if it makes a difference. I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it is to go down to check traps to find that they have cleaned the bait holder of all of the peanut butter...like I'm talking it looked like it hadn't even been loaded! I couldn't even clean it that well that if I tried!

 

[TashaBird]

I haven’t set traps in the garage in awhile because I thought they were gone. I won’t use poison because we have a lot of raptors and predators in our area and I don’t want it in the food chain. I’m going to go buy some more traps and put them everywhere. Last time I used the sunflower seeds that the birds outside were eating, but they didn’t touch it. I don’t think it’s possible to block all the entry points, but will revisit that idea. Thank goodness they don’t come upstairs!!! Yet... I just can’t have them in my soap.
So, I’ll set more traps, I’ll spray some peppermint, because I don’t have the cinnamon, and I’ll buy a ultrasonic repeller. Any brand recommended?

 

[KimW]

We have these hanging in our shed because it has no power, but the batteries only last 2-3 months in the winter months up here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072H60MG/
The plug in type we have are brand "PestZilla", but looks like they've been discontinued. Sorry! Given that, maybe just find one with the most and highest reviews on Amazon.

 

[Ford]

Only hit my batches with lard. So far. I live in the woods so mice happen.

I was told seeds work best in snap traps. They have to pull at them. I swear they sit and lick peanut butter off trap. Good luck.

 

[KimW]

Sorry - I know this is very serious, but having watched this recently, I couldn't resist... Stupid mice!

 

[The_Phoenix]

Thought I’d offer input seeing at I have a pet mouse. Our Jorge’s favorite food is Ritz crackers. My suggestion is to put a small amount of peanut butter on the trap and stick a small bit of cracker embedded in the pb.

 

[Susie]

Sorry to go against the kind instant kill approach, but while our two invaders merrily ignored all 12 snap traps located all around their favorite haunts, glue traps with peanut butter took care of them. I know they struggle, and my daughter now hates me for making her kill the one that she found (we were hours from getting off work), but they work. They work. Period.

 

[TashaBird]

Sorry to go against the kind instant kill approach, but while our two invaders merrily ignored all 12 snap traps located all around their favorite haunts, glue traps with peanut butter took care of them. I know they struggle, and my daughter now hates me for making her kill the one that she found (we were hours from getting off work), but they work. They work. Period.

If I do t get some better luck with these snap traps I’d consider glue. I’d be able to check them a few times a day and have no issue with dispatching post haste.

 

[bookreader451]

I have a cat.

 

[GemstonePony]

I have a cat.

Not always an effective solution: we had a cat when we lived the infested farm house, and she preferred to sit and watch the mice.

 

[KimW]

I have a cat.

Your reply made me chuckle! I recently helped a local-ish church out and cleaned their parsonage before arrival of a new pastor. Little sprinkles everywhere, though I never saw the critters. I thought everyone was ignoring me because no one seemed phased or set any traps. A few days later, the lady in charge called me in a panic because the pastor was arriving early. When I told her it was no problem she added, "Oh yeah, and there'll be a cat in the house overnight tonight starting at 6pm, so you might want to try and be out of there by then." Problem solved!

 

[TheGecko]

Dip cotton balls into peanut butter and place on traps. Don't use a full cotton ball as you don't want the other mice getting to it and then dying somewhere in your house.

 

[Catscankim]

I moved into a house a long time ago that had mice. I got two cats. My guy turned out to be a fat lazy cat that would sit and watch them scurry along "hey ma, gonna get that?". My girl exterminated the house single-handedly. In the beginning it was like a smorgasbord. She would catch one and run outside with it, come back and get another one. I don't know where she put them. I kind of think that once they were dead, the fun was over and she came back for another. It took about a month if I remember correctly.

I'm really squeamish, so setting traps and then disposing of them was pretty much out of the question for me. Although I will share a suggestion that I got from a friend...put traps in paper bags so you don't have to look at them LOL. But I guess that wouldn't work for smart mice.

 

[bookreader451]

One of mine left me a present in the living room once. That made for a delightful morning.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

Can you adopt a barn cat to live in your garage? The feral cat rescues and even some local shelters will have cats that can't live inside a house but are good for patrolling barns, sheds, and garages for mice and rats. If you do go with ultrasonic repellers it helps to have more than one to overlap. I use a JT Eaton Repeater Multiple Catch Mouse Trap to catch the mice in my chicken coop. You can bait it with some peanut butter and once the mice go in they can't get out. Now they are alive when you catch them so you then will have to kill them or take them 20 miles away and release them although if you know someone who raises raptors you can usually give them some mice for their birds. I've caught up to 15 mice in one night. And if you have a rat issue the Ratinator rat trap is good for multiple catches. I caught 27 rats in one night and over a period of 6 months I caught 150 rats.