Peppermint oil - yea or nay?

[bosh]

Sorry if these seem like silly or neurotic questions - I just want to make sure I'm being as safe as possible.

So, despite keeping a clean house, and not being able to find any nooks or crannies where it could have gotten in, it seems a mouse has gotten into my house. I had taken my ekkie boy on a quick weekend to visit my parents, and when I came back, I found evidence in my office closet that a mouse had been there(ie, a few droppings). Then, last night, I saw it run across the floor of my living room as I was headed to bed.

I went to the local hardware store today to try to find some supplies to flush the little guy out, and saw these mint-scented "repeller packs" there:

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The package states that each of the five pouches is 28 g in weight, with the active ingredients being 96.30% corn cob, and peppermint oil being 3.70%.

Is peppermint oil safe to use in any capacity in a house with a parrot? I would not place any of these in the room where my boy's cage is. If safe to do so, I was considering placing one outside my front door on my porch(20+ feet from his cage), outside the door between my bedroom and the garage(complete opposite end of the house), one behind the fridge in the kitchen(another 15-20 feet from the cage), and one in the master bathroom(opposite end of the house, near the garage). I was also considering tucking one in the corner of the closet where I found the mouse droppings, which is in the room adjacent to where my boy's cage is, but was planning on keeping both the closet and the office door closed, since it is closer to (but still a good ~10-15 feet from) his cage.

Additionally, I saw these ultrasound nightlight mouse deterrents.

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According to the package, the frequency they emit varies between 32 to 62 mHz, and "peaks" at 100 dbs. I would not place any in the room with my boy's cage, but would they be safe to use elsewhere in the house, without disturbing or harming him?

Again, sorry for the wacky questions. Please let me know if anyone has any advice regarding this. Thank you!

 

[Mantis64]

@Hankmacaw
@Shezbug
@Zara
@finchly

 

[Mizzely]

They are likely fine to use, but I'll say I used to work in the garden department of Home Depot where they sell these things and they are usually not effective. We had a lot of returns and people ranting about both products not working.

 

[bosh]

They are likely fine to use, but I'll say I used to work in the garden department of Home Depot where they sell these things and they are usually not effective. We had a lot of returns and people ranting about both products not working.

Gotcha! Thank you for the feedback. I have catch-and-release traps with bait set up, so hopefully that will be sufficient to help safely evict the unexpected houseguest.

 

[finchly]

Sorry my eyes are dilated at the moment so I didn’t get the whole thing but I saw a peppermint oil. I do not use peppermint oil anywhere near a bird. It isn’t safe

 

[bosh]

Sorry my eyes are dilated at the moment so I didn’t get the whole thing but I saw a peppermint oil. I do not use peppermint oil anywhere near a bird. It isn’t safe

All good! I just had an eye exam recently where mine had to be dilated, so I feel your pain.

Thank you for the advice. I will avoid using them, especially if they're probably not very effective anyway, like @Mizzely said.

 

[Shezbug]

Personally I’d just use the quick kill traps. I kinda feel like to catch a release a mouse is just like me chucking my problem garden pests (snails and snakes for instance) over the neighbours fence.
The peppermint oil won’t fix your pest rodent problem I can promise you that.

 

[finchly]

All good! I just had an eye exam recently where mine had to be dilated, so I feel your pain.

Ugh! When I got back to the doctor he said “oh. She dilated you. I had a note in your chart not to do that this time.”

 

[Ripshod]

Peppermint oil nay, fresh crushed peppermint yay. But you can't beat a good snap trap baited with Blueberry muffin.