This is gross--mouse related

ZombieNates

We saw a  mouse in the kitchen. We're both totally grossed out. We put a bunch of traps down and I'm just waiting for the super to come in and investigate to see how it got in. Aside from the mouse sighting, there are no telltale signs of mice--no excrement, no food broken into it.

I've read online that you can put peppermint oil or other scents around to deter them in the future. Anyone have firsthand experience?

Anything I should be especially worried about with the dog?

I feel so sick and gross over it.

kd.joseph

Eh, dont feel too bad, we get them periodically because of where we live. The cat caught one a few nights ago, I kept telling H he needed to reset the trap cause Tobie was acting weird, sure enough.

I dont know about the peppermint oil thing. We use electric traps. Because of the dog, I would try and be as environmentally conscious so he cant get into poisons.

AdeleDazeem

Mice get in places.  They want food and safe place to sleep.  It really doesn't have a tremendous amount more to do with anything other than that.

My biggest suggestion is to figure out how it got in and plug the hole.  That'll keep future mice out more than anything else.  I've never heard the peppermint oil thing.  After living in three different apartments in two different cities, I have a strict "no food left out overnight" policy but that's the best I can do.  I'm mostly vigilant about holes.  Mice can't grace me with their presence if they can't get in.

EDIT: Definitely don't leave out poison - that'll make your pets sick.  Stick to traps baited with peanut butter or cheese.  If you haven't seen any signs of them, you probably only have one.  Catch him and it's over.

ZombieNates

I hope the supe will have someone come out and really get into it, especially since we'll be gone for 10 days. I just have this nightmare that they'll be everywhere when we get back if he doesn't do something major now. 

We put down 14 traps yesterday and didn't find anything this morning, but I know they must be coming in from somewhere. Since we're in an apartment building, I'm especially nervous because if they're coming from someone else, they'll find their way back into our place. 

I'm worried about them crawling on/eating Bax's food, too. Gross.

ErinG93

Maybe it's just because I was raised on a farm, but mice do not gross me out at all. Those little effers get into everything on the farm. My mom caught seven over the weekend in her basement. 

Put some peanut butter on your traps. You'll get the little guy. Don't feel too bad. Mice can squeeze into anywhere, it's insane.

Edit: Mice come out and about during harvest / field work. My mom doesn't have a mouse problem, she just leaves next to a wheat field. When the crop duster sprays, the mice run away.

AllAboutTheBenjamin

My ILs are having mice problems right now.  My MIL noticed that something was chewing all her flowers off in their pots - but not eating them.  My SIL's fiance put out mouse traps and he checks them twice a day.  In two traps, he always gets two mice.  So hopefully they go away.  And hopefully none make it in the house.

I remember we had a mouse in our farmhouse once.  My dad laid out traps in places he knew I or my sister couldn't get at them (behind the endtables or under the couch, stuff like that) and he eventually caught the bugger, but we always had lots of cats so mice usually weren't a problem.

In short - don't feel gross.  You did the right thing calling the super, it's not your fault a mouse got in so hopefully they can find where it happened and you can catch him.  I'd set some traps with some peanut butter and just make sure Bax can't get to them so his little nose stays safe!

Also, I would advise not watching any shows on tv about infestations.  It's just one mouse but yeah, don't fill your mind with that crap.  It will make you crazy

ZombieNates

Send me a Koda!

We already don't keep food out, wash our dishes before sleep, take out the garbage regularly. The only thing we keep out is the dog food, so now I'm planning on picking that up every night. 

AdeleDazeem

I agree with not leaving the dog food out.

Mice can chew holes - I'm sure he just worked his way in.  They have stuff in stores to fill mice holes (I don't like the steel wool idea).  Look at common hidden places for holes - behind your fridge, stove and oven.  If you're on a high floor of an apartment, they are most likely coming from the walls.  Look for holes along the baseboards, near pipes, etc...  Fill whatever you find. 

Good luck!

ZombieNates

The food could definitely be it, so I'm stopping that right away.

We've had mice in my mom's house--but they were random field mice that would find their way in once in a blue. 

I have peanut butter on all fourteen traps, but nothing so far.  I mean, that could be good--maybe they're not totally infesting our place, but also I wonder where the eff this guy came from and are there more.

AdeleDazeem

If you had an infestation, Nates, you'd see signs.  Mouse poop would be a major one; holes in food bags; you'd *see* them run across the floor.  It's not uncommon to just have one or two that are taken care of by a trap.

Don't think the worst :-)

anna.oskar

and please don't use sticky traps  *shudder*

ZombieNates

Okay, that makes me feel a lot better, Joy!  The no-poop thing was freaking me out, since at least I would have known something was up.

Dot, I'll check those out. Once we find the hole and source of all this, I still want to put something down to repel them.  We're on the second floor, so it doesn't seem likely that they found their way in from outside directly--they're probably in the walls and someone else probably has seen one or two, as well.

Anna, never. That's just terrible. 

ZombieNates

 I just talked to the super again. The good news is he's coming over to take a look at where there might be some holes in the walls. The bad news is he said he's been trying to catch this mouse for a month already--it's been in a few apartments. WTF. Call in an exterminator already, right?

I told him we were going away next week, Koda, which I think prompted him to want to come sooner and take a look.

StefffiC

14 traps might be a tad overkill for one mouse. LOL

I have a fearless hunter kitty I could send you. He'd take care of him in no time!

MrsMack10612

I know from first hand experience that peppermint oil works.

We had a mouse under our stove.  I took some cheap vodka and soaked peppermint leaves in it for an hour or so; drained the leaves and then spritzed under the stove.  I haven't seen him since.

My sister lives in a very rural area and spritzes her cupboards monthly to keep them away.

kd.joseph

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_this-is-gross-mouse-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:8ef3dd26-9d38-47f1-aaf7-9f6eba4f9522Post:618558dd-9863-4826-a3d2-1eb097b29dd6">Re: This is gross--mouse related</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: This is gross--mouse related : He'd love a little hunting vacation. <strong>He's always very proud of himself after a kill</strong>. The only other thing I can think of is to leave any food in big storage containers while you're out of town. 
Posted by kodakitty[/QUOTE]

Isnt it funny. When we heard racket the other night H got up and sure enough, Tob's had a mouse. H went to pick it up, but it was still alive. So they worked as a team trying to get it, It was quite hilarious from my perch on the bed.

H lost it so he set the trap, but morning Tobie would NOT leave H alone, he wanted him up.Sure enough the mouse was dead on the bathroom floor.

ZombieNates

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_this-is-gross-mouse-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:8ef3dd26-9d38-47f1-aaf7-9f6eba4f9522Post:20f35747-8f3a-43b5-8247-27b0ef55323c">Re: This is gross--mouse related</a>:
[QUOTE]I know from first hand experience that peppermint oil works. We had a mouse under our stove.  I took some cheap vodka and soaked peppermint leaves in it for an hour or so; drained the leaves and then spritzed under the stove.  I haven't seen him since. My sister lives in a very rural area and spritzes her cupboards monthly to keep them away.
Posted by kjhowd[/QUOTE]
Okay, awesome!  I'm definitely going to do this and the thing Dot linked.

I know there are some people living in the complex who have a no-kill attitude towards pests, which is fine, except I don't want the pests roaming over to my apartment.  I think finding the entry point and then using preventative measures should help in the future. 

maratea

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_this-is-gross-mouse-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:8ef3dd26-9d38-47f1-aaf7-9f6eba4f9522Post:b8b43c9d-37ba-4946-a8eb-634215818057">Re: This is gross--mouse related</a>:
[QUOTE]and please don't use sticky traps  *shudder*
Posted by anna.oskar[/QUOTE]
I was just coming in here to say this.

Don't feel bad, dirty or gross because you have mice. They can get themselves into anything. The little shitbaggers chewed a hole in the cement foundation of my house in college.

ZombieNates

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_this-is-gross-mouse-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:8ef3dd26-9d38-47f1-aaf7-9f6eba4f9522Post:4eba37ab-3315-476a-b2f0-efaa3c2d2f18">Re: This is gross--mouse related</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: This is gross--mouse related : I was just coming in here to say this. Don't feel bad, dirty or gross because you have mice. They can get themselves into anything. The little shitbaggers chewed a hole in the cement foundation of my house in college.
Posted by maratea[/QUOTE]
What the flying fuuck?! How strong are the teeth on these fuuuckers?

Also, thank you guys for making me feel better. We try so hard to be clean people and good neighbors. We've never had any kind of infestation, so I was definitely freaking out.

katiewhompus

Mice can chew through just about anything

I think it's been said, but don't use sticky traps or poison because it's far too easy for Bax to get into that (and stickies are just cruel)

Random story - My old pet store was infested with mice. The Orkin guy (who I'm fairly certain woudl have been a serial killer if he hadn't hooked up with Orkin) put down 100 sticky traps and then didn't come back for 7 f'ing days. I came into work one morning and every single one had live mice in them. I cried and told my boss I was done working for them after that.

MrsMack10612

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_this-is-gross-mouse-related?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:8ef3dd26-9d38-47f1-aaf7-9f6eba4f9522Post:f6f9531f-658a-43a2-9a49-0558cad990c2">Re: This is gross--mouse related</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: This is gross--mouse related : What the flying fuuck?! How strong are the teeth on these fuuuckers? Also, thank you guys for making me feel better. <strong>We try so hard to be clean people and good neighbors</strong>. We've never had any kind of infestation, so I was definitely freaking out.
Posted by ZombieNates[/QUOTE]

Mice don't make you not clean; they really can get in anywhere.  We have them in my office.  A coworker keeps (or kept) chocolate in her drawer for her candy dish - the made short work of it, wrappers and all.

You'll be fine.