I have mice

[fairlight]

And no it is not a thing to be proud of. A week ago the cat was having a blast in the house. Running and jumping and loving every minute of it. Turns out that the cat had a baby mouse. DH killed the mouse and we were hoping that this was the end of it. Last night the cat was running and jumping again but I did not see anything. Later in the evening dh and I were in the living room talking and dh jumped up and said he saw a mouse go in back of the couch. We move the couch, found mouse droppings and put down some spring loaded traps. Dh also put down a couple of these round traps in the garage last week in which the mouse runs into it, the door closes and the mouse can't get out. Sure enough yesterday dh said that something smelled funky in the garage. I thought it was the dogs because it was raining and nasty out. Nope...a dead mouse in the round trap. Now this morning I went into the pantry closet and found droppings that were INSIDE a box of flavored oatmeal packets.

We do free feed out dogs. Looks like this is going to have to stop. It could be the weather because it is turning colder.....it could be because we started ripping the walls in the attached garage down . We also sit on a pier and beam structure (no foundation) so the little varments could be coming from under the house. Is there anything out there such as a poison that we could put down but is animal friendly? I know they have the granuels that if a mouse eats this poison that in a short period of time the mouse will die. I am afraid that if there are mice under the house and they eat these granuels that while the mice are still alive my dogs might play with the mouse/mice and eat them. Then I will have a poisoned dog/s on my hands.

Any help out there???

[~WelshStump~]

Well let me just add, Have fun with this! Last month every morning I ended up sanitizing EVERYTHING because the D**** Creatures were all over every counter top, pee and droppings everywhere! We tried to seal every opening and it was still out and about. Our solution? Glue traps, which I would not recommend to cat owners. I slide two behind the Hoosier cabinet on ether side, and the next morning it was dead in the rat sized one.
Although I was glad to be mouse free for the time, we sadly have droppings again. At this point, I'm hoping its just old falling off pulled out boxes from the closet, but we glue trapped the area just in case. In our house, they get in through the basement via old stone foundation.

A tip for you, go around the house inside and out with a Dime, and if you find a hole that size or lager seal them up! The best way for larger holes we've found is "Great stuff" expanding foam or steal wool.

[fairlight]

I have never had mice before but this is a PITA!!!! I don't want those glue traps either. I guess I will have to go with those mouse houses that we had before. We are going to the tractor store to pick up dog food so maybe they can help me. Thanks so much Welsh for trying to help me out. Will let you know if I find anything that works.

[borzoimom]

We do not use the dicon etc that would be seriously harmful if a dog ate a dead mouse. We just use the spring loaded traps but found they are more drawn with peanut butter than anything else.

[golden&hovawart]

cheese works well,too!.
Food in the garage is a disaster cos mice and rats can smell it from far and once,they know food is there!.You're in serious trouble!.

[fairlight]

Well, I just took apart the free feeder. I don't know how I am going to work this out with Orson but I will find a way. We did hit the tractor store and we bought a certain types of traps plus these bags of a type of mouse poisioning in them. The man said that the dogs would have to eat 1/3 of their body weight of this stuff in order for the dogs to get sick. With my size dogs they would have to eat at least 30, 40, or 50 pounds of this stuff.

If I had pet mice it would be one thing, but I do NOT need or want outside vermin coming into this house. I don't need mouse fleas, mouse poop, mouse whatever!

Now I am paranoid. Eveything I see move in this house I think it is a mouse.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by fairlight

Well, I just took apart the free feeder. I don't know how I am going to work this out with Orson but I will find a way. We did hit the tractor store and we bought a certain types of traps plus these bags of a type of mouse poisioning in them. The man said that the dogs would have to eat 1/3 of their body weight of this stuff in order for the dogs to get sick. With my size dogs they would have to eat at least 30, 40, or 50 pounds of this stuff.

If I had pet mice it would be one thing, but I do NOT need or want outside vermin coming into this house. I don't need mouse fleas, mouse poop, mouse whatever!

Now I am paranoid. Eveything I see move in this house I think it is a mouse.

Buy a terrier, we lost our cairn last year, and nothing beats a psychotic murderer loose in the house, and yard to keep the mice out.
Unfortunately our replacement terrier is a new age hippie, and does not kill mice, or rats.

[alimel]

My husband checked with his partner, there really is not any type of pest control you can use that would not be harmful to the dogs if they somehow got a hold of the product or the mouse that ate the product. Mouse traps may be your only option.

[fairlight]

Originally Posted by alimel

My husband checked with his partner, there really is not any type of pest control you can use that would not be harmful to the dogs if they somehow got a hold of the product or the mouse that ate the product. Mouse traps may be your only option.

Thanks Ali. I appreciate you checking. All of the spring traps that I bought I bated with cheese and peanut butter last week and they are still standing. Not a snap, not one mouse. Yet the trap in the garage (it looks like a black hockey puck with a hole in it for the mouse to get in, once the mouse is in the door closes.) That trap caught a mouse. Dh also bought "house stickies" it looks like a box, the mouse runs in, gets stuck and squeals in the sticky house. I told Welsh there was no way I would get those stickies, but DH wanted to give them a try. With that, I am not pleased.

[alimel]

Originally Posted by fairlight

Thanks Ali. I appreciate you checking. All of the spring traps that I bought I bated with cheese and peanut butter last week and they are still standing. Not a snap, not one mouse. Yet the trap in the garage (it looks like a black hockey puck with a hole in it for the mouse to get in, once the mouse is in the door closes.) That trap caught a mouse. Dh also bought "house stickies" it looks like a box, the mouse runs in, gets stuck and squeals in the sticky house. I told Welsh there was no way I would get those stickies, but DH wanted to give them a try. With that, I am not pleased.

Be careful of these boxes, some of the less expensive boxes can be torn apart by a dog.