Mouse in the house

[Jstpssng]

I had one rat around for a couple of years. I didn't use bait because it was in the chicken coop. I kept trying snap traps but they didn't work for some reason. Finally it disappeared.
I always thought someone must have dumped it here, as there's no such thing as one rat.

 

[dj1701]

 

[mikester]

So we have a mouse..probably more than 1 .. In our attic. The house is about 12 years old and built very well .. very tight. Insulation is all foam.. walls roof etc. I have no idea how they are getting in so I can't block their entry. They haven't gotten in the rest of the house or in our
basement..only the attic. Anyone have advice where to look at how they are getting in ?

They climb your walls and into your attic likely where the soffits attach to your building

 

[CliffordK]

Time for a CAT

 

[Spanky100]

They climb your walls and into your attic likely where the soffits attach to your building

mikester's post was what I found years back on our ranch style home.

We had mice in the attic and could hear them at night on the ceiling drywall under the insulation. I put spring mice traps (wood base Victor) either duct taped or wood screwed onto cardboard which I laid on top of the attic insulation. Bated the spring traps with peanut butter.

Effective at killing them but they kept returning. I looked and could not find where they were getting in until a second closer look found a spot where the soffit transitions to the the 1x6 rough sawn board that transitions to the brick to the soffit.

There was a spot where the mice had chewed the wood to make an opening at the vertical brick grout line a little larger. I could not even get my thumb into the opening but they were climbing the brick wall to this opening about 10 foot from ground. After replacing the trim board have had no mice in attic for the last 7 years. (I could have put steel wool or a SS pan wash pad into the opening but had a spare piece of matching 1X6 inch so just replaced the board).

I like the spring traps as the easy alternative would have been the poison kill bait as no other animals or pets were in the attic. My concern with kill bait is the potential smell of the rotting mice. (I do like the spring traps quick and hopefully painless kill for even mice. No since making even a rodent suffer)

Good luck eradicating the mice in the attic. They would wake me from sound sleep when above my bedroom.

Spanky

 

[Spanky100]

Time for a CAT

CliffordK

Usually cats are great at keeping mice down but I have a funny repeating experience to tell.

I have to laugh as in Texas we have a great indoor/outdoor cat that is good at keeping the small critters away out of the garage. We have a cat door into the house so he can come and go at will BUT about 6 or 8 times per year the cat bring us an unharmed mouse into the house. He carries the mouse in his mouth and drops the mouse in front of us as a present. Then he goes where his treat jar and food plate are located waiting for a reward.

Not a present I want but the cat must think the mouse is a great present for his owners

A few times per year we even get a partially consumed rabbit brought inside. Possibly we should start having rabbit stew but the cat does not dress the rabbit to my standards.

Spanky

 

[Spanky100]

We use TomCat brand blocks. When the mice eat that stuff they dry up and die. You will find the dehydrated body and there is no smell. Had a full grown raccoon get locked in my shop for a couple weeks and it apparently chewed into a bag of that stuff and ate several blocks. We never smelled it and found the dried up hulk when we got back.

RSKY

RSKY

Interesting that they dry up and no smell. I was always concerned that the rotting mouse would smell.

Spanky

 

[oosik]

I had one mouse in the house once. During a family gathering - the door to the porch was left open too long. It was dispatched with a broom.

I had one chipmunk in the house once also. I was just lazy and did not shut the screen door. The mouse tried to hide. The 'munk ran around the kitchen like a crazed fool. After I quit laughing - open the door to the porch - out he went.

 

[Rhino35]

"I keep the hoods open on all my vehicles. Mice/chipmunks do not like these open spaces and will stay out of the engine compartment."

This is really important and I do it too, especially in my detached shop, and including my Kioti tractor's hood.

My wife's 2009 Subaru Tribeca was parked in our house garage and she had bird seed and peanuts in shells for birds not correctly stored. The mice carried peanuts up into her hood's open spaces, which were never able to be removed. And worst of all they made a nest behind her glove box and ate through wires causing her power brakes to not work right. About $2,500 to repair all that! The dealership says mice cause damage to vehicles all the time.

A way to trap and kill mice without poison is to set up a bucket with water. YouTube has lots of videos on this and I'm going to set up this kind of trap.

 

[scootr]

I've mentioned several times that I've taken in feral cats. One killer sleeps in the seat of the Kubota or on the hood. I worry not
Found a dead mole at my front door this am.