Mouse Mitigation

[The Reverend Floater]

So we just bought a nice, small cabin for a weekend place in the mountains and couldn't be happier with the place. Except for the mice.

The caretaker says there's a lot if them and he's been poisoning them accordingly. Problem is, I've got two young girls including a baby who puts everything she can reach in her mouth, as well as three dogs. So free range-poison is not an option.

At home we employ two semi ferral cats who live in the garage and have absolutely eradicated the rodent population. But because we'll only be up here a few nights a week at best, a meowser is not an option.

I've used the peanut butter spinning wheel of death in our shop, which is deadly and non toxic, but rotting mice in a bucket indoors sounds less than ideal.

So I'd like any ideas you guys have that dont involve poison, cats, AIDS, a maul or nuking from orbit.

[BCMtnHound]

There isn't any solution without blocking their entry points. Sorry.

Put the bucket in an enclosure of some sort just outside the cabin, the same population inside the house goes outside near the house as well. At least their will be a few less dozen of them to deal with when you visit.

Or I remember something about a large bottle about half filled with olive oil works well and preserves them nearly scentless, to the point one might not even notice them expired in the bottle with the lights turned low....

[KQ]

Is hantavirus a concern?

[ötzi]

Or I remember something about a large bottle about half filled with olive oil works well and preserves them nearly scentless, to the point one might not even notice them expired in the bottle with the lights turned low....

The world-famous mouse oil.

Rev you can use some thing -antifreeze? I forget- in the bucket o' death and keep things from getting radically unsanitary. they just drown and float around like little micebergs.

[XXX-er]

for a start you will probably find a bunch of holes where they get in so block the holes with pieces of tin flashing

[stuckathuntermtn]

The classic mouse trap with a little peanut butter does wonders.

[ötzi]

I discovered this year that a snake moving in does wonders.

[BC.]

I discovered this year that a snake moving in does wonders.

What kind of snake?

[BCMtnHound]

I discovered this year that a snake moving in does wonders.

A little least weasel works wonders as well. Useless couch cat hated it, but we were mouse free that fall/winter. Didn't leave a noticeable scent either, which surprised us a bit. Would sometimes come out from somewhere, squeak at us, and disappear. Probably one of the best short-term roommates I've ever experienced.

[ötzi]

What kind of snake?

Eastern Black Snake. Big bastard. Scared the piss out of me in the crawl space in low light. Didn't see it until we were basically face to face, then I saw his tongue dart out about 6 inches in front of me.

[ötzi]

Probably one of the best short-term roommates I've ever experienced.

nice

[BC.]

Eastern Black Snake. Big bastard. Scared the piss out of me in the crawl space in low light. Didn't see it until we were basically face to face, then I saw his tongue dart out about 6 inches in front of me.

Awesome....great for rodents around the house. Can get big too....

[XXX-er]

the hut I used to hang out at had mice until the pine martens showed up and ate them all but then the pine marten issue is even worse

the tin roof had to be completely pulled off, all the tunnels in the pink insulation cleaned up/ fixed and the galvanized screen put on any and all possible entrances

[ötzi]

Awesome....great for rodents around the house. Can get big too....

I've been trying to figure out how the mice get in for years, I guess he figured it out, followed them in, and set up shop. Haven't killed a mouse in a trap in a year or so and I'm always killing a mouse or two a month for many years.

[Buster Highmen]

Props on the woodsy crib Rev, lots of great memories incoming.

We have mice bad around here. Not in the house, but they've gotten into the fleet and stunk up a couple of sleds badly. I tried peppermint oil and that didn't work. Glue traps worked in the garage, but are pretty gross to deal with.

Dried potato flakes are also supposed to work, gruesome, but hey, mice and hantavirus are nasty and if the teensy ones get into dried potatos, no big deal.

But then we got these little herbal bags that we stick into the glove box and engine compartment that work well: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Cab-Bot...language=en_US

They smell good too. Season drawers, cupboards and potential entrances with these sachets.

Do the usual yadda, plug holes, no food for mice around, keep clean.

And oh yeah, Texas cedar oil, spray that around the corners of inside rooms and around the outside of the house along the base.

I hope alls well with your and yours

[XXX-er]

if it was a politician you are trying to trap just follow the money, but these are mice so just follow the food,

I seem to have eliminated GF's rodent probelm by going thru the kitchen and pantry plugging up all the entrances with tin flashing

then she adopted Sidharrtha the cat who embarked on a spiritual journey of self-discovery killing small rodents and birds

[OregonDead]

the solution is called the metal petal trap. it is the most basic looking trap that there is but you need to get exactly that one, it is Victor brand. do not get other designs by the same brand or any other except for the metal petal. learn to use them effectively and go extra liberal on the deployment until you get more precise

[evdog]

I got a poison dispenser that is supposed to be child and pet proof. The poison block goes in a plastic container which has a short maze the mouse has to navigate to get to. Kids and pets can't get to it. Have had some nibbles taken from it and no mice in the garage or home in 3-4 yrs since I started using it.

[SB]

The bucket

[gravitylover]

What evdog said. I've been using that type of thing for a few years and it has been really effective. When we see fresh mouse evidence I put two or three out and within a few days no more fresh evidence. For the size problem you're starting with I'd put out at least a half dozen. What the kind of poison it uses does is it makes the mouse super thirsty so they leave to go find water and they die somewhere outside the house (you hope).

[riser4]

Nuke from orbit is always a fine option.

Rev, you mentioned a caretaker. Are they around often enough to help with a cat?

[Mr. Mike]

[QUOTE=
I've used the peanut butter spinning wheel of death in our shop, which is deadly and non toxic, but rotting mice in a bucket indoors sounds less than ideal.
.[/QUOTE]

What is this?

[glademaster]

What kind of snake?

Beaversnake, of course.

[zion zig zag]

We were in a similar situation in a place that is not full time occupied. We decided not to go the poison route because of the raptors and owls in the area. I'm not trying to kill the entire ecosystem.

Key number one for us was never leaving anything out that may attract them, not even over night. I go so far as to put up the dog bowls, even if they are empty, every night. I also shoved steel wool into every hole I could find, but I have no confidence I got them all. We also placed about 15 traps in the crawl space, initially I was killing several every day but I haven't had any for weeks now. I don't know if that's because it's summer and they aren't motivated or we dented the population. I also cut back all of the vegetation around the house for at least 15 feet down to lawnmower level.

I've also taken the cat to the house for a few one week visits now, I read on the internet that mice can smell a house cat and will avoid the area. Who knows if it's true.

There is a cat rescue place in my area of Idaho that adopts out barn cats, they clearly state on their website that they are not pets, do not want human interaction and they are all great mousers. I considered going that route and getting some kind of automatic feeder and heated cat house to keep in the shed, but that makes me nervous being gone weeks at a time in the winter.

[zion zig zag]

What is this?

https://youtu.be/6SIlYiiCGLI