Best way to get rid of a mouse/mice

  • walleyebuster5
    Central MN
    Posts: 3916
    #1283528

    So,,built a house 4 years ago and the first mouse sighting occurred this morning. Assuming we have more than just the one critter what have you found as the best way to get rid of them?? I assume that there’s something better than the old wooden spring traps (but maybe not). Keep in mind I have some kids so poison may not be the best idea. Any help is appreciated!!

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1194075

    Someone has a link to the 5 gallon bucket of water trap.

    Works GREAT!

    iowa roger
    North central Iowa
    Posts: 259
    #1194076

    Get a spring loaded windup mouse trap. Maybe put a little oatmeal in it for bait.
    It will repeat and catch several. Best to leave one in there and it will attract others.

    wimwuen
    LaCrosse, WI
    Posts: 1960
    #1194077

    Glue traps are certainly not the answer, I can tell you that for sure. I went around the entire perimeter of my old house stuffing any nook with steel wool. I even went to the sporting goods store and bought a bottle of fox urine, and sprinkled that outside around a few suspect areas.

    Once I killed the last of them, I never had another issue.

    iowa roger
    North central Iowa
    Posts: 259
    #1194079

    Another way is to live trap one, put a plug in it’s butt and turn it loose.
    It will get so miserable from on passing that all the others will leave.

    That is the old timers way I been told.

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1194081

    The cute deer mice (not to be confused with field mice) in our house would travel up the gas line to the kitchen and hang out around the appliances on the same side. I set traps with peanut butter in between them where only the mice could get to. We killed one every night for about 6-7 days straight, including a few doubles.

    I’d go with the classic. Its cheap, affective and humane. Plus, with poison you might end up having to open up a wall to dig out the rotting corpses.

    belletaine
    Nevis, MN
    Posts: 5116
    #1194085

    Quote:


    Another way is to live trap one, put a plug in it’s butt and turn it loose.
    It will get so miserable from on passing that all the others will leave.

    That is the old timers way I been told.


    “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

    Sharon
    Moderator
    SE Metro
    Posts: 5443
    #1194087

    Has anyone ever tried those ultrasonic mouse repellents that you plug into an outlet? I’ve been wondering about them for up at the in-law’s cabin, but I don’t know anyone who’s actually used them before.

    Art Green
    Brookfield,WI
    Posts: 733
    #1194088

    Quote:


    Someone has a link to the 5 gallon bucket of water trap.

    Works GREAT!


    Oh yes! The Bucket o’ Death! Works on mice,squirrels, chipmunks and any other seed eating vermin. Just change the water regularly and give it a fresh handful of sunflower seeds. I like my vermin to walk the plank and lean a board from the floor to the bucket rim for a little help.

    tracker2
    Bloomington
    Posts: 19
    #1194089

    Get a cat

    suzuki
    Woodbury, Mn
    Posts: 18564
    #1194090

    For a small problem the plastic “Better Mousetrap” style works fine. Every few years we get one in our basement and it takes no time at all to trap it. Easy. Use peanut butter and put the trap where you know he is. I bet you have him within a day. I even use the same traps outside on my porch in the fall/winter as a front line defense and they are deadly.

    TheFamousGrouse
    St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 11545
    #1194093

    Quote:


    Get a cat


    Totally true. Mainly, I think just the scent of the cat drives mice away.

    Beyond that, I go old school with traps and peanut butter. The oil in peanut butter puts out a terrific scent cone that just brings the mice running. A while back, I actually had trap #1 go “snap” while I was setting trap #3 on the other side of the garage.

    Grouse

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1194095

    Quote:


    Totally true. Mainly, I think just the scent of the cat drives mice away.


    Not necessarily. We had 3 cats.

    Dale Rueber
    Red Wing, MN
    Posts: 233
    #1194096

    Quote:


    Has anyone ever tried those ultrasonic mouse repellents that you plug into an outlet? I’ve been wondering about them for up at the in-law’s cabin, but I don’t know anyone who’s actually used them before.


    Ultrasonic repellents do not work well if at all. My favorite traps are the disposable spin traps. Fleet Farm has them click here.

    tgruenke
    IGH, MN/Holcombe, WI
    Posts: 587
    #1194097

    We had mice a few years ago. We were told to put out the poison, because if you use a trap and you kill a parent mouse the babies would die in side your walls. The poison seemed to have gotten rid of them as well as finding holes and putting steel wool in them.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1194098

    Quote:


    Has anyone ever tried those ultrasonic mouse repellents that you plug into an outlet?


    Sharon, save your money. My BIL has one and he’s trapping mice and munks all the time.

    jerry b
    western WI
    Posts: 1506
    #1194099

    Quote:


    Someone has a link to the 5 gallon bucket of water trap.

    Works GREAT!


    Here ya go-solder a couple cans together. Poke holes close to the center of each end. Run a piece of 1/8″ rod thru the cans. Leave the rod long enough to go thru the sides of the bucket. Peanut butter at the middle of the cans and maybe 4″ water in the bottom of the pail. The stick is a ramp for easier access to the rim of the bucket. jerr

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1194101

    Could have used a cleaner bucket Jer.

    jerry b
    western WI
    Posts: 1506
    #1194102

    Quote:


    Has anyone ever tried those ultrasonic mouse repellents that you plug into an outlet? I’ve been wondering about them for up at the in-law’s cabin, but I don’t know anyone who’s actually used them before.




    I found mouse poop right next to mine. Same with dryer sheets in the 5th wheel. I swear they wipe their little heinies on the dryer sheets jerr

    jerry b
    western WI
    Posts: 1506
    #1194109

    Quote:


    Could have used a cleaner bucket Jer.



    They don’t care, no complaints so farjerr

    rod-man
    Pine City, MN.
    Posts: 1279
    #1194112

    Fresh cab worked GREAT in my camper stored in a barn last winter. the other guys used mothballs or nothing and had LOTS of damage

    Earthkind Fresh Cab EPAC-1 Botanical Rodent Repellent –
    4 pk

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1194113

    Quote:


    We had mice a few years ago. We were told to put out the poison, because if you use a trap and you kill a parent mouse the babies would die in side your walls.



    Um, won’t they die in the walls anyway when mom croaks of poisoning?

    nhamm
    Inactive
    Robbinsdale
    Posts: 7348
    #1194127

    I stuffed the radiator holes with steel wool and then filled it with expandable foam and the mice ate right through it. I was told to use vulcem and stuff razor blades into it when wet, lil buggers won’t chew through that!!

    jonboy
    Wausau, WI
    Posts: 445
    #1194131

    I usually use traditional traps (snap) with peanut butter.
    last winter I had a baby mouse in the house and he/she would lick off those traps clean and never snap them!
    So, I bought a glue trap (folds into a triangle shape), put a dab of peanut butter on it and caught that tiny mouse within a couple hours!

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1194139

    The glue traps work well in the summer months. When it gets cooler the glue isn’t as sticky and the only sign of a meece is a little hair on the glue.

    Even in the warm temps there are times when the glue board is moved because the moose had to legs free and kept on peddling. One advantage to the GB’s is they will catch bugs though.

    slipbobnick
    MN
    Posts: 115
    #1194147

    I’ve heard fabric softenere sheets help anyone ever stuff those in there fish houses?

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1194149

    Quote:


    I stuffed the radiator holes with steel wool and then filled it with expandable foam and the mice ate right through it. I was told to use vulcem and stuff razor blades into it when wet, lil buggers won’t chew through that!!


    I put the foam in the hole for the gas line that lead out to the central ac unit. That’s where the mice were getting in I believe. The foam had something in it that was supposed to deter chewing and it seemed to work.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1194153

    Quote:


    I’ve heard fabric softenere sheets help anyone ever stuff those in there fish houses?


    After using the the first year in my camper I swore by those sheets. After the second year I swore at them.

    The plus side was that all my drawers and closets smelled Downy fresh.

    My FIL was a believer in mothballs. Well, that was until his boat seat cushion was chewed up with mbs all around it.

    Traps, pail traps, Iron cat traps, glue boards to some extent and closing areas of entry are the best way, IMHO.

    I’m an armchair mouse expert.

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1194155

    Or do it the organic and safe way and release a couple of snakes that can smell them out and get into the places cats and traps can’t.

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