seeking advice on mice

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:34pm

So...the place i'm living at has got some serious problems with rodents. Anyone have ideas/suggestions for long-term solutions?

I was thinking about getting a cat. =)

Any other ideas?

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:35pm

Whatever you do, do not use glue traps. You'll wake up in the middle of the night hearing those things SCREAMING.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:36pm

A cat is the best solution.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:37pm

yeah, too late, we already tried the sticky traps. I've lost sleep the last few days over those. Well, and the occasional mouse-lovin' noises I hear. I'm not kiddin'. They like it here.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:38pm

RodneyK will sare them away Updated On: 10/20/04 at 09:38 PM

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:44pm

How about those things that you plug into the wall? Friends I know that use them say they really work.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:48pm

Boobs, haven't you had enough warnings from the ASPCA?? You CANNOT plug cats into the wall!!

[NoDayButToday2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:56pm

I saw this commercial the other day of these rodent traps where the things crawl into these containers, eat poison, then die. I'm not sure how well they work but it's one of the few traps where you don't have to look at or touch them which is a major plus

A cat might not solve all of your problems... you could just end up getting a chewed dead rat as a gift as opposed to a live one

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 9:58pm

NoDay, my experience has been as soon as a cat enters the apartment, you don't see another rodent. They can sense the cat and leave for good. No chewed-up anything is necessary.

[NoDayButToday2]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:00pm

Hmmm well if you think it will work then go for it! I don't know much about how effective cats are, as I've never had a rodent problem and am allergic to cats... More power to you!

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:01pm

"Boobs, haven't you had enough warnings from the ASPCA?? You CANNOT plug cats into the wall!! "

Come on Rath..I just changed my underwear from the Grandma comment, now I have to go change them again.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:01pm

We have a different kind of poison trap- I think it does something like making the rodents so thirsty they venture outside for water and die. I could be completely wrong, though. :)

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:02pm

I tried that once, Plum, and found a flat dehydrated dead mouse behind my trash can. No lie. It was gross.

Boobs - sorry. I'll try to behave for the rest of the evening.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:05pm

I have to say one of my most hilarious college experiences was when one of my hallmates insisted on getting mousetraps for her room, then screamed and freaked out anytime they actually worked. In the end one of our neighbors just took her traps and never let her touch them again. He was sick of disposing of the mice for her.

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:08pm

Plum, that reminds me--there is a very funny Alan Ball one-act about that very thing, three roommates pondering what to do with a mouse caught in a trap.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:11pm

I'll have to read that sometime. It was one of the ongoing dilemmas in our hall last year. :P

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:19pm

Whatever you do, DON'T get the kind with the poison and hope they wander outside for water. Someone at work did that, and it somehow got in their wall and wound up dying in there. From what I heard, it was not a pretty smell. Your best bet would probably be a cat.

Updated On: 10/20/04 at 10:19 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:23pm

It worked in my house. *shrug* And considering my dad hates pets and my mom's allergic to them, it was our best choice. You can only drive to the park to dispose of scrabbling mice in the middle of the night so many times.

[fae]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 11:21pm

put all food in plastic containers. dont leave any water sources open (like a dripping shower or faucet)
get a few of those plug in things (they really do work)

make friends with them (didn't you see The Secret Of Nimh?)

[Mamie]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 12:46am

A good cat or two is your safest and best bet. Just be sure you get a mouser from the pound and have her checked thoroughly by the vet. Mousers can sometimes pick up some nasty parasites from the fleas on the mice they've caught. These can be easily treated by the vet. The vet also needs to make sure the cats have all their shots so they don't catch anything from their new 'catches'.

The reason I say get your cat from the pound is twofold. 1. Those are the animals that need adoption the most, and 2. Most of the time house-bred and raised cats have no interest in mice (beyond curiosity). I've seen house cats that couldn't be less interested in mice when they've come face to face with the rodents. A good mouser (who hasn't always lived with a human and an unending supply of cat chow) knows exactly what to do with the little squealers!

[Plum]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 12:57am

Actually, one of my friend's house cats turned out to be an excellent mouser. And when she didn't have mice, she'd bring in other animals. I remember finding a rabbit she'd killed in the basement one time. Lovely memory, really. :)

However, it's worth noting that of my friend's two other cats, one was fat and lazy and sunned itself all day and the other was actually scared of rodents to the point where it would run away from her hamsters if they were out of their cages.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 3:00am

"We have a different kind of poison trap- I think it does something like making the rodents so thirsty they venture outside for water and die."

Does this trap involve the use of ecstacy?

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 3:04am

i think that one is sold separately for people who want to make their rodents enjoy house music.