Birdsafe mouse control?

[thickwig]

I'm constantly sweeping and vacuuming up after my macaw (and my parrotlet to a much lesser degree), but it's not enough to keep the mice from coming to investigate! Does anyone who has had a similar problem have any advice as to how to handle the mouse population?

I'm wary about kill traps and poisons that could hurt a curious bird who flies somewhere he shouldn't and gets himself in trouble in the moment before I can retrieve him. I've been using glue traps, but it's upsetting to me to have to dispose of live, trapped, struggling mice. I saw there are electronic devices that sound a frequency that repels mice, but I have no idea if that same frequency would agitate my boys as well. I also saw mice repellent satchets with a lot of peppermint and cinnamon oil, and am unsure if this would irritate the birds, as well.

Please help!

 

[Dartman]

Been using peppermint oil, it hasn't bothered Dobby and MAY have cut down on the mice investigating under his cage for munchies. We use the small plastic snap traps in the hidden corners and they work very well and Dobby will never find them. Occasionally a mouse will get lucky and just get grabbed by them so we just take them outside and let them go and hopefully they remember our house is not safe. Most of the time it's a quick kill and they are gone before they know what happened. We also have started spray foaming all the little cracks and holes we know they have discovered and come in from and that has helped a lot so you might want to get a few cans of large openings spray expanding foam and some steel wool has they hate chewing it. The other good thing about filling all the holes with insulation is the house has less drafts and stays warmer saving a tiny bit on the heat bill. We had a HUGE hole under the sink the plumber who setup the kitchen sink pipes made and it was all the way to under the house and cold air was sucked in every time the furnace ran and the mice loved it, No more cold air or mice so far since I foamed it closed.

 

[thickwig]

Thank you! I think I will try the sachets in combination with more traps. Glad to hear the strong peppermint doesn't bother your birds. I will also look into filling any gaps, but my apartment honestly has a LOT of gaps!