flashfire Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I'm getting my first puppy next Monday. Very, very excited. My partner and I went grocery shopping on NYE & bought a loaf of bread. On NYD, he went to make some toast late in the evening. He grabbed two slices of bread out of the packet and asked me why I had taken a bite out of each. Upon further inspection, we have discovered at least 2 mice inhabiting our kitchen. bf saw one crawling into the toaster whilst the other one went at the bread bag again… I am disgusted by them, but am also really reluctant to kill them. However, if they eat through the plastic bread bag, what else are they going to get into. We bought some poison yesterday but haven’t put any down yet… Neither of us want to use it and are kinda hoping they’ll just go away… Unlikely, I know... They'll just breed and multiply. So - what's the implications of laying down poison and the introduction of a puppy into the household? The poison will be placed behind the fridge - an area inaccessible by the pup... Should we just use mousetraps, or should I call the real estate and get the landlord to fix the rodent problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Go for the traps - cleaner, quicker, safer. Apart from the risk of a pup finding a poisoned mouse, you really don't need bodies decomposing in the back of the fridge! (Had that happen once - native rat, natural causes - took ages to find it) You just need to develop a hair trigger touch in setting it and peanut butter for bait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Peanut butter? Really? Yes - I had thought about the smell of a dead mouse in some obscure place.... *gags* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbear Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 If you have seen 2 you probably really have a least a dozen from the way they breed. I like to use the mesh wire traps that they crawl into and cant get out. Peanut butter is a great bait. If you catch one, leave it there for the next night and it will help all of the others to get caught as well. Good luck catching the little nasties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshstix Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Please don't use baits. I had a dog when I was younger who ait rat sack and it was a terrible thing to see, my loved dog bleeding from every oriface including her eyes. We got her to the vet ASAP and he fixed her luckily but then a few weeks later she got more rat sack and we did not get her to the vet quick enough. I know she shouldn't have had access to rat sack but we lived on a farm and didn't know the poison was around until she ate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeak Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 And if you're like me & squeamish about handling a spring trap with a dead mouse, I have your solution. Get an empty 1 litre cardboard carton of milk. Rinse out the carton well & open the top fully. Then you can slide your loaded trap into the carto. This way, when you catch you mouse, you just have to fold the top down on the carton & throw out. I know that most of the traps are reusable these days, but for $2, I'm will to throw them out with the mouse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 And if you're like me & squeamish about handling a spring trap with a dead mouse, I have your solution.Get an empty 1 litre cardboard carton of milk. Rinse out the carton well & open the top fully. Then you can slide your loaded trap into the carto. This way, when you catch you mouse, you just have to fold the top down on the carton & throw out. I know that most of the traps are reusable these days, but for $2, I'm will to throw them out with the mouse! Me squeamish - yep! Love your method of disposal. I had found some traps that just close a door and don't kill the mouse, but then what are you supposed to do with them? Take them out into the garden and ask them nicely to not come back? gillbear - what do you do with the mice you catch? Where do you get the mesh traps from? Looks like a trip to Bunnings for me this afternoon. Sorry for your awful experience Josh. How sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyl Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 My cat died from mouse poison. He ate one of the dead mice Anyway, we have rats. And their annoying. The climb onto a tree and get into the roof of our house from the top. And the dogs bark all night at the noise of the ruffling tree. We put out traps. But nothing. I like Squeaks idea. lol Anyway, hope you can get rid of them soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labsmum Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I deal with rodents by making no food accessible to them. I have starved them out of the house, all grains are stored in containers and the bread is kept in the fridge. They stay away now because there is nothing they can eat. I saw a puppy nearly die once after eating only 3 grains of rat-sack and won't risk using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashfire Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 I deal with rodents by making no food accessible to them. I have starved them out of the house, all grains are stored in containers and the bread is kept in the fridge. They stay away now because there is nothing they can eat. I saw a puppy nearly die once after eating only 3 grains of rat-sack and won't risk using it. I was hoping to utilise this method also, however I've been chatting with a relative who said that mice will eat wood if they have to in order to survive - once you've got them, they'll breed and breed. I was surprised they have moved into my house - aside from the toaster, there are never any crumbs or food left-overs around, mostly cos I'm lazy and eat a lot of take-away food! Thanks all for answering my questions. I will certainly not put down any poison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasTyra Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Either buy the humane traps and throw the mice down the park (dont throw them over the fence, they will come back). Or get the plastic traps, that way the mice won't explode when they are killed *shudder* I used the plastic traps last time I had a problem with mice. Peanut butter works a charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Have you ever considered getting a cat??? They are the best mice problem solvers and it is natural - unpleasant for the mice but it is the way of the world. Also will have a friend for your puppy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 (edited) Oops - don't know what happened here?? Posted several times........ Edited January 3, 2006 by Ci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 (edited) Editted. Edited January 3, 2006 by Ci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 And if you're like me & squeamish about handling a spring trap with a dead mouse, I have your solution Squeamish? Nahh - used to remove the deceased mouse and give it to one of the cats - the original BARF! OH used to call them "nature's little vitamin pills" (apologies to Juliette de Bairacli-Levy) and would take them out to the cattery, where the cats used to go beserk, all jumping up trying to get it. Many years ago I lived in a rented property with a rat problem - every time my cat heard the rat trap snap he would rush in and cart the rat off like a lion carrying his prey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 What type of dog are you getting? Some dogs are good micers/ratters too I have been told that Zoe adored ratting when she stayed with a friend - I have to keep a close eye on her here as she does eye off my pet rat at times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 There is another thread about this topic, but suffice to say, pls don't use poison if you plan on obtaining another living creature as most dogs and cats will happily feast on dead and decaying rodents, with disastrous consequences. Either use the quick-kill traps (old fashioned ones that break the rodent's neck) or the traps that don't kill but then you have to move the rodents somewhere else. And yes, no matter how careful you are with not leaving your food around, there are always mice capable of getting into your cupboards by eating through the timber. We had a very old house in Melbourne and the mice used to eat through the timber cupboards to get inside the kitchen so they could live in our disused chimney (the fireplace had a gas heater built in). If you've seen two mice, I guarantee you've got a big family of at least 12 mice...they breed like, well, mice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbear Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 gillbear - what do you do with the mice you catch? Where do you get the mesh traps from? They meet up with a bucket of water. Drop the whole trap in the bucket and come back later. Not nice to do but I have an aviary and live next to bushland so mice are a continual problem. You can buy the traps at stockfood suppliers and some petshops. Cost is around $10 - $20 depending on size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellahar Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Go with traps much safer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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