Anybody have any thoughts on how to keep the mice OUT of the house? With the nights getting cooler, we have increased mouse activity in the house. We don't have any other way in other than the kitchen door to the patio - which is the one we use exclusively. (We have detached garage.) Hubby had the door open for about 5 minutes last night bringing in some carpet - and I actually saw 1 of them run across the family room floor in the basement this morning. I've already set a couple of traps (but any dead mice will have to stay there until hubby gets home to dispose of them). We live in a clean neighborhood and a clean home; however being a farming community, the field mice are all over the place. As much as I hate having mice in the house, trapping them gets them out ... I need help on not letting them get in in the first place!! Any thoughts? I'm opposed to outdoor cats; hubby is allergic to cats, so can't have one in the house.
2006-09-07 01:38:35 · 11 answers · asked by Toots 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
We've been thru this for several years - each fall - and maybe once or twice in the winter. The house is pretty much mouse-proofed - windows, siding, weatherstripping -- no holes on the outside. We notice activity after we've had the kitchen door open a while ... like to bring in groceries, or furniture, or the roll of carpet last night. As I was sitting here, at the kitchen computer reading replies, one of those little a$$hole mice ran under the stove!! I swear, I'm going to be a nervous wreck by the time hubby gets home tonight! I have a 3 y/o so poison is out of the question ... maybe that peppermint oil idea might work - put it outside around the door area? Thinkin' that might attract ants, though.
Answers are great thus far - Thanks!
2006-09-07 02:08:42 · update #1
Set the traps with peanut butter and put wool wire in holes, especially under the sink where they can crawl in through the pipes. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of pin. No bones and all ligaments can make them squeeze into anything that has an opening.
Natural remedies include peppermint oil, mice can not stand the smell of peppermint oil so placing that in areas you have seen mice should detour them from entering your house and the peppermint smell isn't a bad smell to smell!
Good Luck, I hope this helps!
2006-09-07 01:47:38 · answer #1 · answered by T-Bird 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mice do not see well and have to run against the walls (as opposed to the center of the room or across the room). If you want to open the door, you should have traps on both sides of the doors, ALL THE WAY UP AGAINST THE WALL. So that they run into them. I would suggest getting a metal trap, they look like a box and they get trapped inside and you do not have to see them, and your husband can get rid of them when he gets home. Also, they can fit under, in between and around anything that you can get a pencil through. So if you have a gap under your door (check under all your doors if you can fit a pencil all the way through). If so, you need to go to Home Depot or some store like that and buy the rubber stops for your door (these are rubber pieces that fit along the length of your door and can keep out weather, mice, etc). They are easy to install, usually just with glue or screw in. This will also keep them from coming in when you have the doors shut.
2006-09-07 01:46:35 · answer #2 · answered by sexy34 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For how much I didn't believe in those sounder thingies, they work. It is basically a device you plug into an electrical outlet and constantly emits a high-pitched sound that animals and insects hate. Humans can barely hear this high pitch. These can be found on the internet and at local drug / grocery stores. Make sure you get good ones and buy 5 or 10 to use all over the house. You will an improvement in no time.
2006-09-07 01:44:36 · answer #3 · answered by Shyguy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
attempt peanut butter. although the thanks to get rid of them is to have a cat contained in the homestead, no matter if that's for a couple of minutes. Cats produce a chemical of their sweat it truly is a organic deterrent to mice. Having a cat contained in the homestead for only an afternoon or 2 would make sure your project. i have fairly lent my cats to a buddy for some days at the same time as she had mouse topics. That became 4 years in the past. She says she hasn't had a project in view that.
2016-11-06 19:41:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could seek out natural predators and keep them. Snakes, Owls, Hawks, Eagles. They may be looking for food. If you have dog food, keep it in plastic containers. Make sure that any food garbage goes outside daily. Other than that, you can get the glue traps. They will get stuck and then you can set them outside so that they can naturally enter the food chain.
2006-09-07 01:48:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your continually having mice problems, then you need to make sure they don't get in! Check for any holes your siding, or structure. Make sure all the windows, garage doors are properly sealed.
2006-09-07 01:42:44 · answer #6 · answered by Villain 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they get in thru your plumming. get some ratkiller and keep it under the sinks. there is some stuff that makes them decompose with out odor see a feed shop or a farmers market and ask the name. Good luck I hate traps and taking them off also!!!
2006-09-07 01:44:41 · answer #7 · answered by Wendellp 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a cat! Get rid of hubby for a while.
2006-09-07 01:43:38 · answer #8 · answered by Texan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try putting a draught excluder on the bottom of your doors , we have them up here in nth Queensland to keep the snakes out .
2006-09-07 01:43:34 · answer #9 · answered by bill g 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mint is used to get rid of ants too. They hate moth balls.
2006-09-07 03:45:34 · answer #10 · answered by frogcowgirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋