Could a mouse figure out how to...

[masscity]

Many years ago I had squirrels build two nests in my Dodge diesel air cleaner box, I'm just glad I took a look in there, otherwise who knows how bad it could have been.

 

[tradosaurus]

From one of the childrens books I read to my kids I do know that if you give a mouse a cookie he will want a glass of milk.

 

[5030]

My buddy had his Ford Super Duty go up because a mouse had built a nest between the turbo and the intake manifold and when the turbo spooled up and was hot, it ignited the mouse house and roasted his truck too. New almost 100 grand truck totalled.

 

[jmc]

I don't know if it was mice or squirrels that managed to get inside my 1990 F250. and built a nest inside the heater box. They used pieces of blue shop towels to fully plug the heat and defroster system.. I had to remove the fan motor and fish tubing throughout the system while it as connected to a vacuum to get everything out. I spent the better part of a whole day doing it. I've tried keeping it inside to prevent a repeat episode. Never did figure out where they got in..

My 1999 F250 has a mice walkway near where the closed hood runs along the top of the passenger fender. One time with the hood up, several fat little rascals came running out from under the windshield area where that walkway leads.

Also read somewhere that for mice to get inside the cab, the heater rotary switch has to be left in a certain position where the duct is open.

 

[jyoutz]

1-2 feral cats take care of the whole place, mouse and rat wise... I feed them not enough dry food and plenty of water, give them a place to live, mostly in the barn loft during the day.
No rodents since the cats came in. Used to be a big problem like you all talk about....

I wish I could keep barn cats. The coyotes and owls get them all. I just keep trapping them with peanut butter baited traps.

 

[polarred21]

Just set 4 small wooden traps under wife's car in garage. They have been eating the green poison blocks like candy and leaving a hundred turds as prizes.
I baited with peanut butter AND cheese cracker crumbs, have caught one so far. Bastards.

 

[5030]

Just set 4 small wooden traps under wife's car in garage. They have been eating the green poison blocks like candy and leaving a hundred turds as prizes.
I baited with peanut butter AND cheese cracker crumbs, have caught one so far. Bastards.

I seem to have the same scenario going on in the machine shop. Opened a tool box they other day to find a mouse house in the drawer that I removed with the shop vac but, seems like there are a ton of them, and I'm going through Victor snap traps like water with a little peanut butter on the trap pedal. All pretty plump as well but there is really nothing to eat inside the shop so I don't know what they are eating.

I just order a full case of Victor snap traps from Amazon, should be here tomorrow I too tried the mouse killer blocks and like you, they consumed them, pooped everywhere and kept right on trucking. Things are useless and expensive. Maybe I should put out a couple saucers of glycol antifreeze? No pets in the shop to get into it. Might work, maybe... I can shoot woodchucks and possums and racoons but mice are way too small to shoot...lol

Problem with using Glycol to kill them is, they die and then stink whereas the snap traps kill them and I toss trap and them in the refuse can and they are destructive. They like to chew on wiring insulation. Especially the new vegetable based stuff.

 

[jyoutz]

I seem to have the same scenario going on in the machine shop. Opened a tool box they other day to find a mouse house in the drawer that I removed with the shop vac but, seems like there are a ton of them, and I'm going through Victor snap traps like water with a little peanut butter on the trap pedal. All pretty plump as well but there is really nothing to eat inside the shop so I don't know what they are eating.

I just order a full case of Victor snap traps from Amazon, should be here tomorrow I too tried the mouse killer blocks and like you, they consumed them, pooped everywhere and kept right on trucking. Things are useless and expensive. Maybe I should put out a couple saucers of glycol antifreeze? No pets in the shop to get into it. Might work, maybe... I can shoot woodchucks and possums and racoons but mice are way too small to shoot...lol

Problem with using Glycol to kill them is, they die and then stink whereas the snap traps kill them and I toss trap and them in the refuse can and they are destructive. They like to chew on wiring insulation. Especially the new vegetable based stuff.

For a shop, those water bucket traps work well. Put water in the bucket and peanut butter on the trap bucket top. You can continuously catch mice as long as you have bait.

Drop In The Bucket, INC. Rodent Trap Medium Multiple Catch Animal Trap For Mice/Voles/Ground Squirre Mfr# DITBMT001 - Ace Hardware

Introducing the revolutionary Drop In The Bucket Mouse Trap proudly invented & handcrafted in the USA to take an age old design and re-invent while redefining rodent control. Transform any standard 5-gallon bucket into the ultimate trapping solution, leaving behind the inefficiency and...

www.acehardware.com

 

[5030]

For a shop, those water bucket traps work well. Put water in the bucket and peanut butter on the trap bucket top. You can continuously catch mice as long as you have bait.

Drop In The Bucket, INC. Rodent Trap Medium Multiple Catch Animal Trap For Mice/Voles/Ground Squirre Mfr# DITBMT001 - Ace Hardware

Introducing the revolutionary Drop In The Bucket Mouse Trap proudly invented & handcrafted in the USA to take an age old design and re-invent while redefining rodent control. Transform any standard 5-gallon bucket into the ultimate trapping solution, leaving behind the inefficiency and...

www.acehardware.com

I have one in the shop actually and the mice seem to avoid it. Maybe Michigan mice are smarter that mice from other states???

Just got my carton of Victor's a little while ago. 60 snap traps and I'll have to be careful with them so I don't 'snap' my fingers...lol

 

[jyoutz]

I have one in the shop actually and the mice seem to avoid it. Maybe Michigan mice are smarter that mice from other states???

Just got my carton of Victor's a little while ago. 60 snap traps and I'll have to be careful with them so I don't 'snap' my fingers...lol

Use more peanut butter.

 

[Jstpssng]

They are on the move here, must be looking for places to raise a family. I left a bag of potato chips in my company truck last week, Monday the package looked like swiss cheese. Went out to my personal truck tonight and found a roll of shredded paper towels. Time to put out a couple of traps.
The worst is when they get into the heater box and die. You may as well park it for a month.

 

[5030]

Nothing smells worse than a vegitating mouse in your heater box. Screws up the ac as well.

 

[polarred21]

At work, two different buildings and both on the 2nd floor, one would always find my desk! Them f'ers are smart. Peanut butter and a a few of the wooden traps would usually find the one ambitious culprit.

I moved to another building 2 years ago, another one found me on the 2nd floor and something about my 2nd desk drawer, that f'er. I had put out about 3 traps with peanut butter on the floor, licked clean all the time. Cleaning lady said you gotta use cracker crumbs. Are you kidding me? . After losing several snacks in this drawer and afraid to eat anything from it, I gutted the desk and placed traps in the drawers and finally got this ambitious culprit.

We have an industrial exterminator who makes rounds monthly and he leaves their triangle shaped boxes with the green poison block inside. I told him of my issues at home with this green bait not working, and he stated home use poison is not strong enough most of the time and the average consumer can't buy the good stuff like he uses. He also stated you've got to use crackers with the peanut butter . I said, really? what he calls cheese cracker, we call nabs, I now have that sprinkled on the peanut butter in the garage on 6 traps. They cleaned up all the crumbs on 4 traps this week, and marked the peanut butter, then caught one.

I guess we will need ribeye and baked potato next?

 

[5030]

I think I'll load about a dozen snap traps and line them up. Maybe they will get overzealous and get snapped. Fingers crossed. Again, those green blocks are worthless but I bet green antifreeze would get them. Problem with that is, they'd drink it and crawl under something and expire and then stink.

 

[jyoutz]

I have the best success with these traps baited with only peanut butter. They’re easy to use and no snapped fingers. I keep them on the front porch and back patio all season long.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q3M6QYK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Peanut butter seems to catch everything. Last week I caught 2 squirrels in one trap with peanut butter on a cracker.

 

[RjCorazza]

I seem to have the most success with the old school Victor snap traps with the metal bait peddle, and the Victor electronic zapping type traps. I also seem to catch more mice if I relocate the traps around in the space frequently.
The electronic traps operate on batteries that supposedly are good for 100 mice before needing changed out.

 

[ponytug]

I also have good luck with the old school Victor traps, as well as the newer self setting versions using a bait mix of oatmeal and peanut butter that is stiff enough not to be easily dislodged. I use tube traps for rats and squirrels.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

I like snap traps but management has banned them.

CEO said Decon but the reformulated California version has little effect.

 

[Oaktree]

the snap traps kill them and I toss trap and them in the refuse can

You do realize the traps can be re-used? Empty mouse, rebait, catch another.

I wish I could keep barn cats. The coyotes and owls get them all.

As far as longevity goes, I've found female cats are less likely to become prey. Male cats I've had tend to wander further, even after being fixed.

One issue I've had this winter is traps disappearing. Set it, check a few days later and it's gone. Dunno what it's catching that's strong enough to get away while in the trap...they're in the basement so no large vermin. Been too cold down there over the winter to try and find where they went.
Guess I'm going to have to start tethering them.

All in all though, mice haven't been a big problem here, despite being out in the country. I don't think my cats are getting them all, so there must be other predators keeping the population down. Fine by me.

 

[5030]

I realize you can re use a trap but usually the squished mouse leaks all over the trap so I can it and the mouse. Besides, if bought in quantity, they are pretty cheap. I paid 70 cents each for the last shipment I got from Amascon with free shipping.