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I'm going crazy--we live in very old house and it would cost more than we have to "seal the basement" against mice/rats.
We live about 1 blk from a feed mill but this summer we have enough critters running around to think it's winter!

My dh says no poison (stink of dead animal) so how do I get rid of these rodents? Can't afford a service--I must do it myself!

These are smart--they got into my bread drawer (ugh!!!) so I put a trap--NOT ONE MOUSE got caught! HELP!

ewww
Not sure about how to solve the primary issue, but bait traps with peanut butter, not cheese etc, put them around walls, and seriously look for a good cat.
I get a "present" (always mice) every darn morning.

Blech! We faced this problem in DH's "bachelor pad" many years ago. He finally had to have a pro come in (or he would still be a bachelor).

You can get rid of the mice without poison. Walk around the house (inside and out) and patch/repair any holes. For areas that can't be sealed, stuff steel wool in the cracks. An ordinary field mouse can fit through a hole the size of a pencil.

The sticky traps are better than the old snap traps (sorry if things get gruesome here). Place them along baseboards and against walls where the mice travel. And you know they like chocolate (who doesn't?) so use that as bait. Keep track of where you place things so that you don't find unpleasant surprises weeks too late.

We also had to go through all cupboards and seal up all foods - pastas, flours, sugar, grains, etc.

And if you are willing, adopting a cat is not a bad idea. If you don't want an indoor kitty, many shelters now have programs to adopt out the more feral animals that come in. Might also be called a trap, neuter, release program.

Kathy - did you see the recent article on cats? Someone fitted a kitty with a tiny camera and discovered that the "presents" cats deliver to their owners represent only 25% of what they catch! So if you are getting a mouse every morning, your cat is really working the rounds!

Those buggers are determined! DH sealed everywhere he could but on occasion they still get in. NONE last winter though...HURRAH.

Just keep traps at all times. A piece of pecan or other nut in the trap works great too. Wedge it in the little hole.

I vote for regular traps and sticky traps. The more the merrier. You will probably have to keep them out at all times.

A funny:
BFFs mother was telling one of her granddaughters how to sterilize traps. After catching the mouse and turning it loose, you're supposed to put the trap on the back steps and pour boiling water over it. GD replied, "Oh, Granny. I buy disposable traps." ;-) Same kind her granny has been sterilizing all those years.

Me? They are cheap enough that I consider them disposable too! I also have a box of disposable vinyl gloves we use when we handle pool chemicals. I don a pair of them, pick up the trap, walk out in the edge of the pasture and release dead mouse. Then I pull the glove holding the trap, over the trap and throw it all in the trash.

Peanut buttered traps did NOT work for us. Found a tried and true remedy on the Net some years back that DID, BUT you will smell dead rodents for a few days. Place a dish of potato buds (yep...the instant potato flakes found in grocery stores) in foil pie pans (you can then toss these) around where mice activity is present. The mice will consume the buds and go for a drink. I won't get graphic as to what will happen, but POOF, they're toast. Tho it may not sound humane to animal lovers, when you're infested as much as you are and can't afford a service, it's a safe for human/pet remedy.

BTW, I second the suggestion to scour the exterior of your home for possible entryways. Since your home is up in age, this may be a futile task tho. Plug any hole that's the size of a pencil eraser or larger w/ steel wool.

In addition, check out the herb plants that deter mice and other pests on the following link. You might plant some around the base of your house.
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/h...-flies-naturally.htm

GOOD LUCK.

Another helpful repellent...MINT!
http://www.ehow.com/how_234083...mint-repel-mice.html

MORE TIPS!
http://www.ehow.com/how_4556143_repel-mice.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Mice-Naturally

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Froo Froo,

We get mice packs. They come in a big box and have individual packages of poison. We throw them around the basement (drop ceiling, behind storage, in furnace room) there is very little to no smell. When I see mice again I know the poison is gone. DH buys these at the feed store. I believe the box says "Mice packs". The poison hardens the blood so no smell. I don't know the proper name. I hope it helps!

Many people don't want to use poison. I do whatever is necessary.
I throw bait in my attic - granules or something in a sealed small paper bag. I have NEVER smelled a rotting varmint. NEVER.

Mice are nasty, vermin laden, disease carrying pests. Plague, hantavirus, fleas, etc...

It's us or them...I prefer it be them that goes!

Here I go again.
Electronic repellers--each end of house on each floor.
I know; some say they don't work.
Well, they've worked well for us for decades.
No bugs in basement; very few spiders come in; never a rodent; no sow beetles under plant pots stored in basement.

Go around and around and block every small crevice/crack/opening with 0000 steel wool (4 ought).

Can an exterminator. We have Dr. Dead Bug. He's good. Does rodents.

quote:

Electronic repellers--each end of house on each floor.

I had 4 (one on each wall) in a 20X20 cottage and still had both mice & roaches. The weather will have a lot to do with them working or not.

I knew it.

We have six or so dispersed in basement, garage, house.
Never a rodent--NEVER!

I don't use those gadgets but don't have pests. It's the same for lots and lots of people.

You can't prove a negative. Just because you don't have mice doesn't mean the repellers are working. Only two conclusions can be reached: either they may work or may have nothing to do with anything.

If I had an ongoing problem that I couldn't solve any other proven way, I'd sure give the e-pellers a try, though. They may not help, but sure can't hurt.

And the sow beetles we used to have?

I test them occasionally; they work.

We used to get a mouse or so occasionally. Haven't since we plugged in repellers.

We sure do trap enough outside.

quote:

Originally posted by M-ma:
And the sow beetles we used to have?

I test them occasionally; they work.

We used to get a mouse or so occasionally. Haven't since we plugged in repellers.

We sure do trap enough outside.

I'm glad they work for you. I live in a different area & no one I know down here that has tried them have had them work for them. We all have different species of rodents & insects that have adapted to the conditions of the area they are living in....
No, you can't prove that they work & I can't prove that they don't, and there are many different brands & strengths....so everyone has to judge for themselves if they want to spend money on them.
I also live rural with farm fields surounding me...that could be a major factor on whether or not they work in a particular area.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ga.karen,

I had mice go into my kitchen drawers and got electronic deviced for both ends of the counter--guess what--one end of counter--no more mice
but other end--right under the electronic device
mouse droppings AND both drawers full of it.

GO figure---I got copper scrubbers, filled it with peanut butter and our resident rat--after sample--took the whole thing down the inside wall to his "den"--Hope he devours the whole thing!

I'm off to buy some steel wool.
Our cat--WILLIE---is such an old man--ag 19--that he doesn't do anything anymore but yawn. He has horrible arthritis.

THANKS for all your help. When humans are gone--mice and bugs will still be all over the earth! Not my quote but some expert's.