Mice are BACK! Is fresh peppermint safe in dresser drawers around CAG?

[Snowghost]

Hey ladies!!!

I have an idea. Now maybe I'm off my rocker, but 3 years ago when I had Bugsy my Amazon, there were no cats in the house. Just dogs, now the dogs were put down 2 days before Bugs was, (trust me not a good week) Now there is a resident cat in the living room, I'm wondering if the cat somehow is scaring the mice into my room? Not literally chasing them but the mice know there is no cat in my room. We have had mice in the kitchen but we trap them.

 

[Shezbug]

I'd pull everything out of the dresser and keep it empty till you get rid of the mice- they are possibly breeding in there.

Mice will not care what animals are present in rooms, they are after a food and water source and bedding materials to breed, so, they will not actively avoid rooms because of pets... they walk over my dogs bed and her if she is on it, they used to run through my outdoor ferret cage searching for food even with the ferrets in it, they will eat from cat food bowls if they are left out. They are in your room as it is supplying them with the right conditions- food, water, bedding and a hidden cozy place for breeding.

Edit: I am rather disappointed in this dog I shelter and feed! She earns her keep in no way shape or form lol. She is so gentle she actually moved aside once to allow a mouse to get in her food dish Thankfully we only have outside mouse problems- I would be crazy if they were in my home, I would not rest till I caught and killed them all.

 

[Snowghost]

I'd pull everything out of the dresser and keep it empty till you get rid of the mice- they are possibly breeding in there.

Mice will not care what animals are present in rooms, they are after a food and water source and bedding materials to breed, so, they will not actively avoid rooms because of pets... they walk over my dogs bed and her if she is on it, they used to run through my outdoor ferret cage searching for food even with the ferrets in it, they will eat from cat food bowls if they are left out. They are in your room as it is supplying them with the right conditions- food, water, bedding and a hidden cozy place for breeding.

Edit: I am rather disappointed in this dog I shelter and feed! She earns her keep in no way shape or form lol. She is so gentle she actually moved aside once to allow a mouse to get in her food dish Thankfully we only have outside mouse problems- I would be crazy if they were in my home, I would not rest till I caught and killed them all.

Thank you, yes, I have cleaned the drawers out and picked up any nesting material. I don't like to kill an animal, however these are destructive creatures, and I had mice as pets as a kid. Paco's cage and floor will be kept food free as much as possible, no water source. I will nip this in the bud right now! We had a Border Collie that was a great mouser.

 

[rocky'smom]

Peanut butter works great on snap traps i have also had success with sticky pads. We have signs of mice off and over the last year have caught 5.
We finally found how they are getting in they have eaten through the mortar between brickwork at the back of the house.
Its surprising how little a hole they need to get in.

Do Not use sticky traps of any kind they are inhumane. But most gets stuck on it and it's not totally adhered it will chew up its own legs I've seen it happen . don't use sticky traps

 

[rocky'smom]

Do Not use sticky traps of any kind they are inhumane. But most gets stuck on it and it's not totally adhered it will chew up its own legs I've seen it happen . don't use sticky traps

That should be MICE NOT MOST

 

[Pat H]

This is quite a mystery. The room is in the back of the house. There is a bathroom next to it. A few months ago I found mice in the closet, the bathroom is on the other side of the wall. They chewed up every thing. The thing is when we cleaned out the closet we found chew marks on the dry wall, they were trying to chew their way out. If they could in, why couldn't they get out? I will not use oils as I read they are dangerous. So its traps, Irish Spring and keeping an eye out for them. I've been here 11 years and for 7 years had an Amazon and a Cockatiel it the same room, why do I have a mouse problem now?

Q-- Has anything changed in the neighborhood? [building torn down/ new neighbors/ etc]?
We use the sonic noise electronic repellant devices in the ceiling panels. Even tho we do get the occassional mouse [after all, we're almost in the country], between the sonic things and bait and mouse snap traps... they don't stay around very long!
FYI-- We also have been instructed, that when using mouse poison bait, to use the cubes TIED DOWN, and not the small pellets, since mice will take extra along w/ for a later meal.

 

[Snowghost]

That should be MICE NOT MOST

No I refuse to use sticky traps. I hate even killing them but they can't live with me.

 

[Kassiani]

They are a terror once they get inside! I wish you every bit of luck! I don’t like killing them either. I’ve been on my hands and knees crawling around looking for pipes and other gaps to seal with that expanding foam sealer.

 

[Pat H]

Since mice can and will chew thru the expanding foam material...
Has anyone suggested putting/ packing in pieces of steel or copper pot scrubbies 1st? They can't chew thru that, [but very well may attempt to still chew at the edges of the hole..

 

[Snowghost]

The owner of the house took a high power flash light and pulled back the carpet, looked outside the house, windows, walls, the closet we cannot find out how they are getting in. Caught 2 in trap, put mint in drawers, no mice yet, not sure if one is eating peanut butter off trap in closet.

 

[Shezbug]

They are a terror once they get inside! I wish you every bit of luck! I don’t like killing them either. I’ve been on my hands and knees crawling around looking for pipes and other gaps to seal with that expanding foam sealer.

We won't use that to seal any gaps mice can get to simply because they can chew through it and will chew through it and then use it for bedding lol.

 

[Xoetix]

I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but please please PLEASE y’all don’t use glue/sticky traps. They’re cruel as all get out and anything can get stuck. Creatures die from starvation and/or dehydration on those, they’re just hateful.

Also something to keep in mind regarding poison - If the rodent eats the poison and then goes back outside, ANYTHING THAT EATS THE RODENT CAN ALSO GET SICK AND DIE. That means hawks, owls, snakes, etc.


We’ve seen a number of raptors brought in due to rodent poison. Trying to stomach pump a juvenile bald eagle was not a good time.

 

[Xoetix]

She is so gentle she actually moved aside once to allow a mouse to get in her food dish

This is my dog Watson. He’s a freaking dachshund mix. They’re supposed to *hunt rodents.*

I literally watched him watch a mouse toodle over to his kibble, grab a piece, and run off. Then this “hunting dog” looks at me like “Dang did you see that?”

 

[Shezbug]

This is my dog Watson. He’s a freaking dachshund mix. They’re supposed to *hunt rodents.*

I literally watched him watch a mouse toodle over to his kibble, grab a piece, and run off. Then this “hunting dog” looks at me like “Dang did you see that?”

My dog is from parent dogs who are well known hunting dogs in the area and all her litter mates are also well known hunting dogs, most of them have very insane looking custom made chest plates and other protective gear as they are generally used to hunt wild pigs... then there is Suzie (my dog) who gets beaten up by a free roaming cat who entered our yard and panicked because she discovered it and was trying to love it and snuggle with it

 

[Pat H]

I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but please please PLEASE y’all don’t use glue/sticky traps. They’re cruel as all get out and anything can get stuck. Creatures die from starvation and/or dehydration on those, they’re just hateful.

Also something to keep in mind regarding poison - If the rodent eats the poison and then goes back outside, ANYTHING THAT EATS THE RODENT CAN ALSO GET SICK AND DIE. That means hawks, owls, snakes, etc.


We’ve seen a number of raptors brought in due to rodent poison. Trying to stomach pump a juvenile bald eagle was not a good time.

I've seen one too [raptor poisoned].. . We invested extra $ into buying 'quick kill' poison... so they eat less and die more quickly. Also look for products that don't do secondary kill... [won't kill other thean the mouse]... not sure they work tho.

 

[Snowghost]

I've seen one too [raptor poisoned].. . We invested extra $ into buying 'quick kill' poison... so they eat less and die more quickly. Also look for products that don't do secondary kill... [won't kill other thean the mouse]... not sure they work tho.

I never use either one of these. I did have a friend send me the following recipe, 1T of red pepper flake, 1 T clove and a cinnamon stick and place in a mesh bag and tie it. I have one in my dresser and one in closet. Will see if it helps.

 

[Aviphile]

Do you live in a brick house? They can come through the weep holes in the bricks. From there they are on their way into the attic or inside the house by any little crack or crevice they can find. They actually sell ss weep hole covers but you can just buy some steel wool and cut it and stick it in the weep holes, its a lot cheaper. It will keep out mice, scorpions and other creepy crawlers out of your house! Traps are the best inside the house any poison you run the risk of them dying somewhere you can't find but can still smell.

 

[Snowghost]

So far no mice, I thought I saw one but I couldn't swear by it. Keeping food up, everything clean and checking hiding spaces. I guess it will be a continues battle til it gets warm.

 

[Pat H]

I never use either one of these. I did have a friend send me the following recipe, 1T of red pepper flake, 1 T clove and a cinnamon stick and place in a mesh bag and tie it. I have one in my dresser and one in closet. Will see if it helps.

We use Irish Spring bar soap outside in a mesh [onion] bag to repell cats, etc from their pathways outside... not sure if they'd work for mice indoors?

 

[NEVRM0RE_]

This.... is going to be unpopular and I apologize for it. My partner used to work out of town jobs where they spent 21 days away from home and one MAGICAL DAY in october (prime mouse season where we live) he was literally walking out the door for a 21 day stretch and he said- btw i saw some mice in the basement w my winter gear. And I was......upset. lol This was my first mouse in my HOME situation I had ever encountered.Whenever I had mice at work- I was always the person who brought live traps and drove the mice out to the country to set them free - anyhow, 3 weeks yeilded me 0 mice and bait stolen from traps only (dog kibble was supreme!!) When my partner was home he was like....since your fear is watching them suffer lets try - "kill vaults" its a type of "humane" kill trap that stops the the setter from having to SEE the mouse.... remnants...anyway kill vaults were fine (however as so much time had passed with my humane attempts we had....quite a mouse...challenge) kill vaults seemed like the perfect solution until one day - when I was re-upping our bait on the traps that hadn't been triggered - when the grocery bag that had 1 untriggered trap in it, began shaking off of my counter. I thought I was just losing my marbles (right now, this seems like a stretch but being home with the kids dealing with mice made it feel possible) the bag shook itself all the way onto the floor - still not convinced, i picked it up - and opened it up while it shook to see a very injured baby mouse inside which resulted in me throwing the trap screaming, I knew the baby mouse was going to die and I couldnt....cope with it so I ran outside screaming and threw the whole trap into the bin (my neighbors, the ones who are already not my biggest fans due to my affinity for feeding dumpster birdz were outside and as I screamed I said IM SO SORRY WE HAVE MICEEE and they rolled their eyes)..ANYHOW NEVER in my life did I think I would be a sticky trap person- until that fateful day. I called my dad bawling and he showed up with sticky traps much to my dismay and we caught no less than 15 mice from my basement in 2 weeks. He came and dealt with the traps daily because after my vault baby experience I.... couldn't. I didn't even go into my basement for over a year afterwards. We filled our potential entry sites with steel wool, and I set the terrible forbidden sticky traps every year in Sept and we have been mouse less ever since.