Mouse Proofing

[Dusty]

Can't remember where I saw the report of this test, and it has been a long while ago, so I don't remember all the exact details. The experiment was done with rats. They conditioned the rats to eat through a wall of varying type of materials to get to their food. They originally started off with cardboard, which was easy for the rats to get through. Eventually, they wound up using different types of harder materials. In the end, they proved that given enough time and determination that rats would claw / chew there way through just about any material you put in front of them, or they would die of exhaustion trying to get through to the food. What makes this relevant, is that I closed up every hole that I could find in my garage to keep the mice out. The mice were so determined to get in that they chewed a hole through the wooden door jam and pushed out the steel wool that was in front of the insulation. When I fix this the next time, I am going to use the steel wool that is very course that is used when stripping floors. I remember that stuff very well. I once almost cut off my finger when I tried to break it apart by pulling it apart.
Dusty

 

[slowrev]

If they want in they will just make another hole.....

 

[RedRocker]

Oh Man!! We were up at our trailer this weekend and I made a gross discovery. We had mice some weeks back, I put out bait and there has been no sign of any visitors since. We never found any dead ones, so I figgured they left before the poison took effect. Present day: Went to pull a gallon jug of water out from under the cabinet and it was brown with all kinds of who knows what floating around in it. The lid was off, so I took a look, YUCK!! You don't need a five gallon pale for the trap trick.

 

[riptides]

Oh Man!! We were up at our trailer this weekend and I made a gross discovery. We had mice some weeks back, I put out bait and there has been no sign of any visitors since. We never found any dead ones, so I figgured they left before the poison took effect. Present day: Went to pull a gallon jug of water out from under the cabinet and it was brown with all kinds of who knows what floating around in it. The lid was off, so I took a look, YUCK!! You don't need a five gallon pale for the trap trick.

Could have been the poision you were using, making them look for water.

-Mike Z.

 

[Dusty]

At least you have resolved the mouse problem.

 

[midlf]

The most common mouse/rat poison causes them to hemorrhage internally. That also makes them very thirsty. I have found them in the basement floor drain. I am hoping that the poison I put out in the shop and garage causes them to go outside looking for water before they die. So far that seems to be the case.

 

[TrippleT]

I posted this in another post is short so will repost it here.

If I see Mickey's crap, I set a Victor trap, lure him in with crumbs of bread, and crush his little head.

 

[mjarrels]

I will post this since this is the season... get one of those plastic candy canes about 24" long... remove the candy and lid, lean it up against the wall and in no time at all, you will have a candy cane filled with mice. Mushy on the bottom and frest on top... works every time. Get in - can't get out!

mark

 

[Pilot]

No one mentioned this, so I will: For aircraft, we keep mice out by taking aluminum flashing and wrapping it aorund the wheels to make a metal fence. You have to use the widest flashing that will fit. Mice can sometimes jump over the flashing, but they have to want to. I have had lots of mouse evidence in my hangar, but never any in my airplane.

Regarding the bucket: The proper way to do it is to suspend a beer can, not a water bottle or soda can over the bucket. A beer can gives you more enjoyment when setting up the trap.

Electronic devices: I looked into them awhile back. There are dozens of brands and mixed reports. I suspect that some brands are better than others and as someone else said, placement is probably important. We had a big mouse problem at our church until someone brought in those electronic gadgets. They seem to work. A friend swears by them and says that spiders have gone away, also. We don't have many roaches in our area, so he didn't notice any effect on them.

 

[jwnge]

I don't have any food inside. These little guys brought their own food. I found acorn, pieces of pine cone and nuts inside the trailer. I remember some TV commercial about an electronic device that would chase them away. Anyone remember the name of these electronic devices?

The best thing about the electronic devices is that you provide income for the people who build them, I bought them from Home Depot, brand says, made in China for Weitech, Inc. Sisters, Oregon..paid $30 for 2 and put them right above the drawer, less than 1 foot, the mice like to invade, Not a bit of difference, the mice still invaded, I now use the steel live traps that several mice can get in, have caught 3 at a time twice. The bad part about poison is that they may crawl into a wall and die, and can be very stinkyThey are all but impossible to keep out. We get the country mice, the big eyed, brown furred ones, almost too cute to kill, so I just toss them out and let the Jack Russel have some fun..