They're not just for mice anymore

[SBB]

So, here's an interesting thing that I thought I'd share:
I've got a 30 foot travel trailer on our land. It's the "cabin" until we can afford to build the real thing. Lately we've had a little mouse problem. So, I've been putting out glue board traps to catch the critters. Last weekend when I was out to the property I found one of the traps had a live snake in it! It was a 2 foot gopher snake (initially was afraid it was a rattlesnake) that had gotten stuck on the glue board trap. I thought might have been trying to eat a mouse that was caught in the trap, but the way it was stuck, I think it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. While I'd rather not see them, I've got no problem with snakes being outside eating mice but it was too stuck to try to get out of the trap. So one good shovel smack sent it to its great reward. I still have no idea how it got into the trailer, but I'm glad I found it before my wife saw it.:laughing: I still haven't found out where the mice are getting in either. Given the choice, I think I'd rather have a mouse in the trailer than a snake. Anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[Inspector507]

There are openings around the drains, the gas lines and the electric cord. Mice and snakes could easily find a way in.

 

[MarkV]

Try mothballs under the trailer.

MarkV

 

[smstonypoint]

Given the choice, I think I'd rather have a mouse in the trailer than a snake. Anyone else had a similar experience?

Most of the snakes around my farm are black snakes and I appreciate their role in controlling mice. However, I was a little taken back when I discovered that one had shed its skin in the attic (unfinished) of the farm house. I haven't told my wife about it and don't plan to either.

Steve

 

[tommu56]

My oldest daughter went to the out house at the cabin did her business.
the middle daughter went out open the door and saw a 4' black snake in the rafters she let out a scream that we all went to see what was wrong.
The oldest almost fainted realizing it was in there with her:laughing:
I took it out in the woods and let it go but they wanted it dead and being a mouse eater I wouldn't do it.

tom

 

[Freds]

I have no idea how mice get into a house or other sealed structure. I've got all my "drains, the gas lines and the electric cord" sealed with either mortar or foam insulation and I still get a mouse or two in the house in the winter. It boggles my mind how they get in unless they are sneaking in behind me, lol. And I tried the sticky trap once, but once was enough. I'll go for the clean head snap now.
That's pretty weird about the snake. Wrong place at the wrong time for sure.

 

[teg]

For our trailer... I followed propane lines and water lines... when they come through the floor, I pack nails (assorted sizes) around the line until it was a pretty tight fit. That pretty much was the ticket for us...

(going up to the farm tomorrow - pretty sure I'll have several mice in there because of this post!!!)

 

[2manyrocks]

I thought steel wool was good for stuffing holes to keep mice out.

 

[circlelake]

Try the natural repellant from your local farm store. Cant remember the name but it is composed of balsam fir oil and looks like an air freshner. I have also heard mint works.

 

[dmccarty]

When I designed our country dream house I had a GREAT idea!:laughing:

The roof pitch/line on the back porch was going to go past the porch by 4-5 feet! I could either make the porch wider or I could use the overhand to help keep our about to be use firewood mostly out of the weather and close by! At the time I was splitting the firewood and stacking it on wood pallets. So the Great Idea was to use the tractor to put a couple pallet loads of firewood under the roof. Easy peasy!

The problem with this idea was that those blanky blank mice next in the stacked wood. And they were able to sneak into the house when people opened the porch door.

My Great Idea was not so great. Took weeks to kill all the little blanky blanks. In the mean time they had filled the under sides of the washer and dryer with dog food. Worse of all they had gotten into the closets and peed and pooed over all of the towels, sheets, and clean clothes.

They had to DIE.

We tried the glue traps. Never again. The wife used a life trap. That worked well. She did not check the trap so one died a horrible death from lack of water. One fell into the toilet and got an E Ticket ride through the tunnels leading to the septic tank. The rest had their neck snaps. The best way to do it......

The next year we would hear scratching in the attic during REALLY cold weather. <sigh> We have ridge and eve vents. And no real obvious access to the attic. The only place I could see where the micies could get into the attic was by climbing the coax cable. There was just a bit of extra space. So I tossed poison up there to hopefully take care of the buggers.

After it got hot I stuffed steel wool into the wee little cap between the cable and wall.

A year or so later a big black snake was climbing the walls on the house. Mr No Legs spent quite a lot of time around the power boxes and coax cable heading into the attic. So I think I was correct in how the mice got into the attic.

I like black snakes. We have a couple that hang around the house. There is at least one that is 3-4 feet long. There is another that is about 6 feet. And I have seen the old skin and the snake that went with it that has to be over 8 feet. Big monster. Takes a lot of mice to feed that snake. Good snake. :thumbsup::laughing:

Later,
Dan