We captured a mouse in a sticky tray. Lucky my dh found it cause I would have got sick.

Anyone have any ideas how we can find out if we have more? or advice on keeping them out?

.... Discusting. I am going anon because it is embarressing.

By Bea on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 10:51 am:

Since we live in an old house, having mice is inevitable. It's simply not airtight. I'm an old fashioned trap person. I bait them with peanut butter and place them in the places I find traces of mice....little black pellets about the size of a half grain of rice. If they are in your home, you soon be catching them this way.

By Kaye on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 10:52 am:

Well yes, you probably have more! I guess it depends on where you live and where they are getting in. If you are finding them in your attic, then you really will have to keep LOTS of traps out and poison would work best. If they wer ein the kitchen, make sure you keep the floors clean and check the baseboards for holes, they can really sqeeze through tiny things. We have lived in house with fields behind, there is really nothing you can do to keep them out, but we feed them well with poison and don't have issues. If you have one venturing into living spaces then you may just have one mouse. Look for poop and signs of chewing, and you will know.

By Karen~moderator on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 11:12 am:

No reason to be embarrassed, it's certainly not a reflection on you personally. I'd guess that most of us have dealt with that at some point. I'd opt for the traps - if you put poison out for them, they can possibly die in your walls or your attic, and the stench is awful.

It's true, if you live where there are empty lots or fields, or new construction going on nearby, they tend to flock elsewhere in search of food, etc.

By Colette on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 11:37 am:

Ditto Bea. Peanut butter in a trap works great.

Don't be embarrassed. We live next to the town forest and I've had mice, chipmunks, one bat, and now apparently there is a toad in my basement.

By Kernkate on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 12:29 pm:

I also agree with Bea, and as Karen said the poison they eat then die so you never know where you would find them. We have them in the basement especially in the winter.
LOL Colette I found 2 frogs in my basement in the past 2 weeks!
And if you have one mouse you usually have more!
Try the traps I think they are your best bet.
Good Luck! And no reason to be embarrassed

By Colette on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 01:02 pm:

to bad the toads won't eat the mice!

By Mommmie on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 01:05 pm:

CATS!! Get a cat!! Mice are inevitable, don't be ashamed! It's great fun watching a cat track a mouse.

By Mommmie on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 01:05 pm:

Oh, and I get my son and we sing The Circle of Life while we cheer on the cats!

By Eve on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 01:42 pm:

You are not alone. The mice always find there way into our garage in the Winter. My DD and I have been on our way to the car and one has ran by us! Eeek! We replaced the strip on the bottom of our garage doors, so we'll see! It also seems like whenever my DH does a household large project and has to break into a wall and a hole or something is left temporarily, then we'll have mice. Luckily, I don't see them, otherwise there would be issues! Good luck!

By Amecmom on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 02:05 pm:

Living in an old house in the country mice are just a part of life. We have a yearly service contract with an exterminator. They go around the house and put copper wool in any holes larger than a dime. Then, they bait little black boxes with poison. The mice eat the poison and die. Since the poison dries them out before they die, you don't smell them.
They are so nasty. I can't tell you how many nice things I've stored in a closet and had ruined by them.
Good luck!
Ame

By Missmudd on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 04:29 pm:

Mice are why I have cats, the girls and tom bring them in through the cat door unfortunatly, but luckily they are dispached by then. I am much happier having a dead critter than a live one. Icky poo! I had a real problem at a previous house where they was a big hole underneath the sink that we tried unsuccesfully to fill. We got a sonic mouse deterer and with the cats it worked great, you might want to try one of those, they can be purchased at any hardware store.

By Reds9298 on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 05:02 pm:

Okay, I'm politically incorrect I guess but we kill 'em! We live in the country with fields all around and when we moved in 6 years ago we quickly discovered mice! We D-Con the attic, crawlspace, and garage about every 4months and occasionally we will find a dead one but never alive. The d-con dries them up and they do not smell at all.
My dogs help, too, but they rarely find one anymore. It's definitely not anything to be embarrassed about...it's just part of owning a house I think!

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 07:14 pm:

Deanna, I kill them too. I have a few mice every Spring and Fall - weather changes seem to bring them into the house. Before I had a cat and dog in my house (they came with my son), I used the snap traps, and yes, peanut butter is the best bait. I used the snap traps because I didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night to hear a mouse struggling to get out of the glue. When a trap worked, I just picked it up by the edges and put it in the trash barrel outside.

Mice are fine outside, but not in my house. Period.