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Old 12-31-2007, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Chicago's burbs
1,016 posts, read 4,529,302 times
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About 3 months ago, we moved into a new house. Soon after we moved in, we noticed a few mice in our basement, so we set up traps. We caught a few and didn't notice any for a while, so we thought the problem was solved. A couple days ago, we found a mouse in our living room (this was the first one we found in the main living area of the house.) We set up traps and caught him. Last night we found a mouse in one of the bedrooms upstairs! So these nasty little critters are throughout my whole house now! I have to assume there are many more than the few we have found. I don't know what else to do. We set up traps through the whole house and we have two cats. Our house was new construction so I don't know if they came in while the house was under construction or how they are getting in, but I want to get rid of them a.s.a.p.! Any tips?
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Old 12-31-2007, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
2,336 posts, read 7,758,054 times
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First of all, kudos on going the trap route! I been dealing with a mice problem in my apartment...which is frustrating because you only have control over the cleanliness of your place...not your neighbors who live in the same building. I saw 4 mice over the course of 2 years. The first two were found within 3 days of each other (in different rooms). They were already dead. Then 8 months passed, and I found a "smushed" one under my microwave cart (was probably dead for a while...and was shriveled...gross). Then one night I was sitting in my living room and then saw one hop into the garbage can by my desk. Strangely, I never found that mouse (and the wastebasket wasn't that big). I ran right to Home Depot and looked at the arsenal. I settled on getting an electronic sonic thing that emits some sort of high frequency sound (not audible to us) that will keep them off. Somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to buy a trap and deal with yet more dead mice bodies. I didn't really expect it to work, but in the year of using it, I have not seen one mouse!

It was pretty cheap too...like $8 or something.
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Old 12-31-2007, 01:40 PM
 
Location: Ocean Shores, WA
5,092 posts, read 14,776,067 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sbd78 View Post
...So these nasty little critters are throughout my whole house now...and we have two cats...
You are obviously feeding the cats too well.
Cut down on their rations and make the lazy bums get to work.
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Old 12-31-2007, 01:47 PM
 
1,408 posts, read 8,002,046 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sbd78 View Post
About 3 months ago, we moved into a new house. Soon after we moved in, we noticed a few mice in our basement, so we set up traps. We caught a few and didn't notice any for a while, so we thought the problem was solved. A couple days ago, we found a mouse in our living room (this was the first one we found in the main living area of the house.) We set up traps and caught him. Last night we found a mouse in one of the bedrooms upstairs! So these nasty little critters are throughout my whole house now! I have to assume there are many more than the few we have found. I don't know what else to do. We set up traps through the whole house and we have two cats. Our house was new construction so I don't know if they came in while the house was under construction or how they are getting in, but I want to get rid of them a.s.a.p.! Any tips?
you need to figure out how they are getting in to the house. a space in the roof maybe. new construction doesn't mean the house is air tight. oh and if you see one mouse you have 20. set a LOT of traps (10 at least). I second fat freddy's suggestion cut down on feeding the cats.
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Old 12-31-2007, 02:55 PM
 
Location: South Dakota
733 posts, read 4,643,425 times
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Mice can get in through little tiny spaces. Years ago I had who had a post-graduate degree in cereal chemistry. His master's thesis was on rodent control in grain storage. If I remember correctly a space about 3/8" high and 3/4" wide would admit mice.

So, (1) button things up and (2) put the cats on a diet so they get hunting!
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Old 12-31-2007, 03:03 PM
 
Location: DC Area, for now
3,517 posts, read 13,229,734 times
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Mice can get in a dime sized hole so it is really hard to find every single hole. They can crawl up inside of walls along the insulation and get into the attic. They can also chew holes for their access. If you can find the holes, stuff them with steel wool because mice will just chew thru anything else.

If the cats aren't hunters, feeding them less won't help. If they are hunters, feeding them plenty won't matter because felines have told me over and over that the tastiest food in the universe is a fresh mouse. And they're such fun to hunt!

Many more traps, or poison if the cats are incompetent. Mice tend to move along barriers like walls, so that's your best placement for traps. Check them often.
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Old 12-31-2007, 03:06 PM
 
Location: The #1 sunshine state, Arizona.
12,169 posts, read 17,589,623 times
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Stuff steel wool in to any cracks and crevices. Looks like you have field mice who hunkered down for the winter. You cat may be too domesticated to hunt and sees the mouse as a play toy. Good luck.
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Old 12-31-2007, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Chicago's burbs
1,016 posts, read 4,529,302 times
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Thanks everyone, for your suggestions.

The cats are interested in the mice. (That's how we found the mouse in the living room, the cats were both by the couch looking under it.) But they do seem to use them as a play toy more than something to hunt. One cat got ahold of the mouse and batted it between her paws but didn't kill it and it got away. We have many traps around the house. I've been afraid to get the poison because of our cats and because we have a toddler. I'm worried the poison could harm the child and the cats if they get ahold of it. My Mom told me we should hire an exterminator. Does anyone have any idea how much one would cost? We don't exactly have tons of cash lying around since we just moved into a new house.
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Old 12-31-2007, 04:56 PM
 
Location: Da Parish
1,127 posts, read 4,993,817 times
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Sbd78, 2006, was the year of the rat in the New Orleans area. They were everywhere; in the abandonded houses, in the rebuilt houses, in the yards, in the trailers, in the streets... We had rats in the trailer and could hear them in the kitchen cabinents knocking over the cans. It was so bad that the government gave out free rat poision. We all joked that the rats ate the stuff for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a midnight snack and then asked for more.

Anywhoo, what I'm trying to say is that we had a HUGE rat problem, and the poison didn't seem to work. Out of desparation we purchased one of those electronic devices, (like MissShona talked about). It was called the Pesticator, and while it didn't work right away, (about 2-3 wks) it did work. I'll swear by the thing to my dying day, and it's safer than having poison laying around the house for the cats to get into.

PS. Grrr, those Bears of yours out played us on Sunday, but just wait 'till next year!

Last edited by Drouzin; 12-31-2007 at 05:07 PM..
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Old 12-31-2007, 07:48 PM
 
Location: Chicago's burbs
1,016 posts, read 4,529,302 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drouzin View Post
PS. Grrr, those Bears of yours out played us on Sunday, but just wait 'till next year!
Thanks for the recommendation. I will have to give it a try, 'cause I am not a fan of rodents!

Yeah, of course we start kicking butt after we've blown our chances at the playoffs. Better luck next year!
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