Mice Advice

[johnmiic]

I seem to have a parade of mice enetring my apartment. I caught the third one Saturday night. I think at least one more has died because there was a terrible smell in the kitchen over the weekend. I leave no food out. So it's the traps or starvation for these bastrads!

I don't think it's an infestation. I think the problem is the Landlord installed baseboard heating last year. To do this he made a new hole, I think, in the wall behind the stove. The pipes for heat have to go somewhere and I think mice are coming from wherever that is-maybe the basement,(?).

I mentioned this and he said he thought they were getting in thru the windows if I have a screen with a hole in it. This really makes no sense as I am on the second floor. I do have an awning in the back beneath my windows but mice are not going to climb up a pole to get in a window. That sounds crazy. I don’t know why he is making a crazy excuse.

My friend said it is a simple matter of taking steel wool, available at home depot, and filling the hole(s) with it and plastering over. He said the mice won’t be able to get thru it and won’t touch it. So if I do that they might be getting in from outside but they won’t get into my apartment. That sort of solves the problem. I am willing to do this but if I move that stove I bet things will start running all over. I would rather seal them in than seal them in the apt with me. I dunno why the landlord is being hesitant on this. He's a great landlord. I can probably fix this myself but should I proclaim it an infestation?

[JPkempo]

Seal the hole and get some of the new decon traps. The new traps the mouse go's in and it snaps shut with out you ever having to see or touch the mouse.

[livnxxxl]

Or....You could always get a Cat. The mice the cat catches would save you on buying cat food.

[toys2cool]

wow man that sucks,there's nothing on this planet that i'm more terrified then mice and rats

I'd be screaming like a little ***** if i saw one

[Mikey]

GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant works pretty well and easy sealing big holes.

If you've never seen or heard of it before, basically you spray it on like shaving cream--- and after a short time it turns in almost rubber (when it drys)..
There's other brands out there that do the same.....

Ask your hardware store guy if there any dangers about using it in the kitchen or around pipes that might get hot.

As far as the stench .......
I have a feeling you have a dead mouse in your stove.
Mice LOVE to hide in stoves.

[johnmiic]

GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant works pretty well and easy sealing big holes.

If you've never seen or heard of it before, basically you spray it on like shaving cream--- and after a short time it turns in almost rubber (when it drys)..
There's other brands out there that do the same.....

Ask your hardware store guy if there any dangers about using it in the kitchen or around pipes that might get hot.

As far as the stench .......
I have a feeling you have a dead mouse in your stove.
Mice LOVE to hide in stoves.

DOHHHHH!

[jwyblejr]

Be thankful you don't have the mice I have. The little snots are always jumping over the traps I put out.

[Mikey]

I say call the landlord and tell him to fix it --- including finding out where the smell is, or you're going to call the NY board of Health.
If he stands his ground--- then really call them.
No reason you should have to live like that.

[grayhank]

I too am currently infested with mice...again. Happens every spring. I've done the trap thing but that only works for so many and gets expensive. Last year I moved out the refrigerator and got an even bigger surprise. There was a snake living under the fridge who evidently thought it was a great feeding ground. Let's just say I freaked out, cuz like Indiana Jones "I hate snakes".

So I'm going with the poison route, which is always the last resort. We have an agricultural department here in the local government offices were you can get the "good stuff" poison that kills them quickly. Unfortunately that doesn't help with the smell. All you can do is look for the corpses (and draw chalk lines around the bodies like I do, just for fun) or get some good deodorizers until the smell goes away.

[johnmiic]

I say call the landlord and tell him to fix it --- including finding out where the smell is, or you're going to call the NY board of Health.
If he stands his ground--- then really call them.
No reason you should have to live like that.

The Landlord has been a stand-up guy. I dunno why he is in denial about the mice getting in. He set the first traps for me but all his advice is since then is, set more traps and see. If they keep showing up there has to be an entrance. As far as using hte spray foam I think they would just eat it up or gnaw thru it Mike. The Steel Wool they won't get thru if I clog the openings with it.

I too am currently infested with mice...again. Happens every spring. I've done the trap thing but that only works for so many and gets expensive. Last year I moved out the refrigerator and got an even bigger surprise. There was a snake living under the fridge who evidently thought it was a great feeding ground. Let's just say I freaked out, cuz like Indiana Jones "I hate snakes".

So I'm going with the poison route, which is always the last resort. We have an agricultural department here in the local government offices were you can get the "good stuff" poison that kills them quickly. Unfortunately that doesn't help with the smell. All you can do is look for the corpses (and draw chalk lines around the bodies like I do, just for fun) or get some good deodorizers until the smell goes away.

Man, I could just see me move my fridge, find a snake and it would see me as the main course!

[Adam West]

I have had a lot of succes with plug in mouse deterrents (I don't know exactly what they are called) but you can buy them at any hardware store.

They basically send out sound waves that is below a human's audible frequency but the mice can hear it and they will stay away. I don't have the heart to use the snapping mice traps, glue, or poison. I have used the hinged door traps before to catch the mouse live and I will take him into a wooded area far away from any houses and let him go. I realize it's a major ordeal but again that's just me. But I really haven't had any problems since I purchased some of those mice ultra sound things.

[MegoSteve]

I too am currently infested with mice...again. Happens every spring. I've done the trap thing but that only works for so many and gets expensive. Last year I moved out the refrigerator and got an even bigger surprise. There was a snake living under the fridge who evidently thought it was a great feeding ground.

A contractor friend of mine has a house in the country, and he was remodeling it. When he tore out the ceiling, a nest of snakes who had been living up there FELL RIGHT ON HIM.

[Hector]

I have tons of tom cats that roam my backyard, I'm happy to report, no stinkin' mice.

However, those cats drive me mad (since my doggie passed away last year), they climb all over my cars, they poop all over the place, and for icing on the cake, I'm allergic to them.

Sometimes I almost wished there were no cats and had mice instead.

Time to get a bloody Rhodesian Ridgeback to destroy anything on its path.

[grayhank]

I don't get the steel wool thing...they just chew around it making the hole bigger and before you know it you have a really big door.

[supes]

The steel wool will work. The foam insulation which is great for holes will not help, the mice will chew thru it. Keep in mind any hole you can stick your pinky in, a mouse can easily get in.
So any where pipes or cables that come in or out of the house is a good place to check and fill with steel wool.
Peanut buttter is great on snap traps, just make sure you don't put to much on so they really have to work for it, this will allow it to trigger.
The snap traps should be placed along the wall with the trigger mech. facing the wall. Mice travel against the walls.

And yes check under the burners of your stove mice are notorious for going in there.

Good luck hunting!
Also if you decide to glue traps, do not put peanut butter on trap. This will defeat you 2 ways, 1. it provides protean and nurishment to maintain the mouse, 2. the mouse will actually rub in the peanut oil and be able to escape.