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What do I do about Mice?
Quiet_witness
Veteran
As I am trying to not cause harm or suffering to other creatures, I have come across a dilema. I recently have noticed mice in my house. As creatures, I understand they are only in the house for the winter as it is cold outside and there is little food for them. On principle, I don't care and in fact delight in them eating my excess and garbage. I am concerened however, in them spreading disease and harming myself and my loved ones.
Accordingly, I am not sure what I could do. My friend suggested that I borrow her cat, which loves to hunt and kill mice. I feel my intentions of bringing the cat to my house would be no different than just buying a mouse trap. If I had a cat for companionship and it ate a mouse that would be different, but here I am inviting a living mousetrap into my house. I could find a way to displace the mice but is that not just another form of a death sentence or at the least they would just find a way back. I have a conumdrum, what do you suggest?
Accordingly, I am not sure what I could do. My friend suggested that I borrow her cat, which loves to hunt and kill mice. I feel my intentions of bringing the cat to my house would be no different than just buying a mouse trap. If I had a cat for companionship and it ate a mouse that would be different, but here I am inviting a living mousetrap into my house. I could find a way to displace the mice but is that not just another form of a death sentence or at the least they would just find a way back. I have a conumdrum, what do you suggest?
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Comments
Load it with chocolate or peanut butter.
Check the trap every morning.
Put all the mice in a cage and feed them, and either take them to the vet, or release them over 2 miles away from where you live. That's how big their homing radius is. Over 2 miles away, they won't come back. Make sure it's a woodland, or a big open field.....
Put a good pile of food where you release them, then let them be.
They were alone before you found them, they'll cope when you've gone. Mice are wild opportunistic creatures.
Set them free, and let Nature take its course.
As others have suggested, I too would recommend a live trap. Although, I would recommend taking them a bit further than 2 miles just to be safe. I've had mice find their way back into my house after releasing them, so now I prefer to take them across a river that I know they can't cross.
It's because I had a friend in Holland who I exchanged emails back and forth, with him giving me a blow by blow account of the status of the mice in his house. He finally caught him and rode his bike all the way to the forest to release it.
Yes, I agree with poto , we have a responsibility to protect our family, property and safeguard our health.
We can peacefully coexist with our wild neighbors, but it takes a bit more effort on our part. The best, most humane and effective way to deal with rodents and other unwelcome guests is through access prevention. There is a wonderful book on this topic that I can recommend:
Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife
by John Hadidian
~ AD
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2352-just-25-of-dna-turns-mice-into-men.html
As far as the intention goes, I think it is perfectly fine to consciously intend to get rid of mice. They carry disease and that's serious business.
Cats play with their food. Lots of cats never even bother killing/eating mice. It would be kinder to just buy a typical mouse trap...
Better yet, buy a humane one.
We once thought about traps and such, but since mere surrounded by fields we found it quite pointless to even try. removing a mouse from our attic would just make space for a new one to move in LOLZ
As long as its not rats i dont have a problem with it - mice are quite harmless.... they even look cute
Much love
Allan
My concern is that that I live in the Mountain west and the Haunta Virus is spread by mice droppings.
I'm not all that knowledgeable about it but I think for the virus to be harmful to humans the droppings have to be in a great abundance, like those found in infested old barns. Before tearing down old barns disease specialists have to be called in to do all the testing to make sure it's safe to stir up all the stuff that has accumulated and so on.
I just recently found some mouse droppings in our house which is an old farmhouse. But we have cats and they do what nature tells them to do and that keeps the rodent population down. I try not to interfere...
Indeed, as an owner of cats, it's true, cats (especially domestic ones) are usually more interested in playing with mice or insects ... some don't even bother
You should be careful though indeed, so it's better to act sooner than later imho, and maybe that sound-device is a good solution... Sounds good ... :P
Palzang
If not, we used a small glass with peanut butter spread on the bottom and it worked! Just spread on a dab, tip it upsidedown, and then balance it on a penny/coin. Check it 2-3 or more times a day. It worked!!
A
They say we are never more than 6 feet away from a rat. Blocking up eve the smallest gaps and holes can prevent them gaining access to our rooms and our food. They would not be there unless there was food and access to it.
In my experience domestic cats are the worst possible solution as they tend to be well fed and toy with any creature they catch, torturing it to death slowly. In the UK they kill very many of our birds and are in themselves a pest.
On an aside, your family is more likely to be harmed by faeces from a cat or dog. Young children can be blinded as worm larvae enter the bloodstream and blocks the tiny vessels in the eye. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxocariasis). Kill the dog?
I haven't caught them yet but I will try your method. I took a survival course and that method you suggest is very similar to a Paiute deadfall in a humane way. I never thought to do it in my home. It will be fun.
Yeshe, I have several humane traps established but those blimey mice were able to set one off without getting caught. Cats do seem to toy with their kill and that's why I will not intentionally bring one to my house simply to kill my pests. I hear cats are quite the pest in Australia.
Happy new years!
Adam
Hi Palzang,
Hell, yes.
Here in the UK we even have to share our DNA with the police! LOL
Palzang