mice!!

[Deleted User]

eek!!

we discovered that we have an office mouse (or maybe mice??)...  sometime between now and lunch, a mouse got into our drawers and ate our food.

he/she ate my instant coffee, crackers, and red crushed pepper flakes.  what the crap?  he/she also ate my coworkers chocolate granola bar.

I'm completely grossed out now and trashing all my food.  and there were droppings in my drawer.  how does one clean up after this??

anyone else have any mice stories?  tips?

ravenray

Aw how cut....I mean that sucks!  lol.   I wouldn't touch the droppings.  I would use a vacuum or a broom to get rid of them.  And I would call an exterminator.

elannis

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_mice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:d991db9e-6939-4e07-b8fe-0d3b96030f9ePost:0e826fdc-0848-486a-9499-24833c7b873f">mice!!</a>:
[QUOTE]eek!! we discovered that we have an office mouse (or maybe mice??)...  sometime between now and lunch, a mouse got into our drawers and ate our food. he/she ate my instant coffee, crackers, and red crushed pepper flakes.  what the crap?  he/she also ate my coworkers chocolate granola bar. I'm completely grossed out now and trashing all my food.  and there were droppings in my drawer.  how does one clean up after this?? anyone else have any mice stories?  tips?
Posted by CocoBellaF[/QUOTE]

Good grief. That mouse is definitely going to have some interesting intestinal issues after instant coffee and pepper flakes ... I have no suggestions other than keeping your food in a locked metal lunch box from now on.

My funny story, not so funny at the time, was when we had our jack russel/terrior and I let him out at night and then got back in bed and heard him chewing on something, so I held out my hand for him to drop it. He listened to me. He dropped it. "IT" was the top half of a mouse. So gross.

[Deleted User]

ray - can't call an exterminator...  this is on government property.  I guess we can report it and wait a few months for them to do something about it.

I trashed everything and I'll wipe down with Lysol wipes tomorrow...  no more food stash at work!

ravenray

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_mice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:d991db9e-6939-4e07-b8fe-0d3b96030f9ePost:2d81a2e4-bd93-4937-9518-609221ca723b">Re: mice!!</a>:
[QUOTE]ray - can't call an exterminator...  this is on government property.  I guess we can report it and wait a few months for them to do something about it. I trashed everything and I'll wipe down with Lysol wipes tomorrow...  no more food stash at work!
Posted by CocoBellaF[/QUOTE]
Oh ya that is right!  Find the hole and block it! 

[Deleted User]

yaga - I just CAN NOT DEAL with a dead mouse in my drawers.  haha! 

I read that peppermint oil repels them, so we're going to try that.

HULU

I have a soft spot for mice and ratties (having had them as pets), but as far as this certain problem, since you can't call for an exterminator, just keep your food in plastic tupperware containers or something non-plyable (plyable meaning bags or wrappers) that they can't smell or chew through.

edited for clarity

jorja86

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_mice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:d991db9e-6939-4e07-b8fe-0d3b96030f9ePost:8c4665d8-883f-4f0e-838d-69fa7d3aa4e8">Re: mice!!</a>:
[QUOTE]I have a soft spot for mice and ratties (having had them as pets), but as far as this certain problem, since you can't call for an exterminator, just keep your food in plastic tupperware containers or something non-plyable <strong>(like bags or wrapper</strong>s) that they can't smell or chew through.
Posted by HULU[/QUOTE]

I've had mice chew through all kinds of things, including tons of plastic bags, so that may not completely work.

Coco, those little metal mouse traps work like a charm if you use peanut butter. They also make a new trap that covers up the part where the dirty work happens, and then you just throw the whole thing away.

lunarsongbird

Once I got these fancy fancy mouse traps, because I didn't want to deal with the cute little thing: 


But of course- the mouse didn't want anything to do with those. He fell for the stupid yucky 15 cent traps the Maintenance people put out. Boo. I had to throw away the yucky mouse, beacause I lived alone.

My recommendation for cleaning- bleach!

peekaboo2011

Definitely bleach everything down.  Mice freak me out because of Hanta virus.  Eek.

HULU

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_mice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:d991db9e-6939-4e07-b8fe-0d3b96030f9ePost:c8b121f3-dea2-4b6b-8f83-dfa8b0bf9fa6">Re: mice!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: mice!! : I've had mice chew through all kinds of things, including tons of plastic bags, so that may not completely work. Coco, those little metal mouse traps work like a charm if you use peanut butter. They also make a new trap that covers up the part where the dirty work happens, and then you just throw the whole thing away.
Posted by jorja86[/QUOTE]

<div>I was mentioning bags or wrappers as an example of plyable storage and encouraging the use of non-plyables (being the aforementioned plastic tupperware).</div><div>
</div><div>As for peanut butter, I have to agree with jorja, as mice/rats love peanut butter. However, the reason why it's used in mouse traps is because rats and mice can't throw up, they have zero gag reflex, so if for whatever reason the mouse manages to get to the bait, but doesn't activate the trap, the peanut butter will eventually choke them to death. Kinda heartbreaking if you ask me. :(</div>

dwest2201

As PP's said use the cheap-o traps and put PB on them...be careful when you're setting them, though.  Definitely clean everything with diluted bleach!

dwest2201

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_mice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:d991db9e-6939-4e07-b8fe-0d3b96030f9ePost:90ee1e03-2cb6-4e22-b889-6484cb9642be">Re: mice!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: mice!! : I was mentioning bags or wrappers as an example of plyable storage and encouraging the use of non-plyables (being the aforementioned plastic tupperware). As for peanut butter, I have to agree with jorja, as mice/rats love peanut butter. However, the reason why it's used in mouse traps is because rats and mice can't throw up, they have zero gag reflex, so if for whatever reason the mouse manages to get to the bait, but doesn't activate the trap, the peanut butter will eventually choke them to death. Kinda heartbreaking if you ask me. :(
Posted by HULU[/QUOTE]

I don't see how the little rodent choking for a couple seconds is any worse than the suffering of being nearly chopped in half by the trap, it is unlikely that the mouse would die instantly from either.  In the end the mouse is dead, which is/was the goal to begin with. 

I had a pet mouse once, pinky.  He was awesome, I used to wear t-shirts with pockets just so he could chill in my pocket.  :)  I have nothing against rodents, but if you aren't wanted and kept in a cage, you better get the eff outta my house...or else!  

ETA: n't to are because I didn't proof read, as usual!

pockysquirrel

Oh god. I recently had a rodent trauma of my own when a field mouse got into the apartment, as happens occasionally since there's a lake and a lot of brush right next to our building. One of the cats - and at this point I have no clue which is the culprit - killed it dead and left its little carcass right in the middle of the living room floor. I had a total sissy-girl flipout and made FI dispose of it for me because I couldn't bear to get near the thing! And I like rodents, so the whole incident made me sad. Ugh, hopefully there will be no more of that.

[Deleted User]

all this detailed talk about dying mice is just awful!!  I'm hoping it'll just go away on it's own if I put out some peppermint oil (does that really work?) and get rid of food for a while.

UGH.