what to do? we have caught 4 mice in glue traps. how many could we possibly have?

Question

We live on the third floor in an older building and have caught 4 mice, how quickly do they breed? where are they coming from and what should we do? Exterminator?

Answer 1

The mice are breeding in the apartment. A female mouse can breed about 5-10 times per year and have between 3-14 young each time. Now for the next part of your question, mice can enter under a door or through a small hole about 1/4 of an inch is all they need to get in. The often enter around pipes. The fact that you are on the third floor is a problem. Odds are good that other residents have problems and it is difficult for you to control what they are doing to cause the problem.
Now, what you can do, in a typical mouse exclusion is as follows: First, remove all potential foods, check dog & cat foods and all potential food sources. Make sure that all foods are sealled in chew proof containers. Second, use baits like Decon once all other food sources have been removed. You can also use supplimental traps like snap traps, glue boards and multiple catch cages, however most of these traps only work on juvinile mice. (The four you caught were probably part of a litter). For this, you really do not need to hire an exterminator, you can buy everything you need at any home improvement store.
In your case, because you can not control what your neighbors are doing you need to contact your apartment manager and have a professional come in and inspect all of the apartments. If someone has conditions condusive to an infestation they will need assistance in performing the steps we taked about above or the mice will continue to spread from that apartment.
A big clue is to look for mice droppings. A mouse will only travel about 20 feet from his home for food and water. If you caught them close to a shared wall, odds are good that your neighbors are the problem.
I hope this helps you.
I am licened by the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Pest Control.

Answer 2

We caught a total of 19 last year over a 6 week time period. First ones were adults and mice got smaller as we went along. Never had a mouse in the first 13 years we lived here and so far this year have had none. We started with glue traps then regular snap traps and ended up using DeCon poison.

Answer 3

Where there are two mice there are MANY more. Mice can live in the walls and destroy electrical lines. They can also carry disease and smell.

I would either call a professional exterminator or get more traps, bait (watch exposure for other animals) and electronic plug ins to repel the mice. It makes them feel "drunk" and they leave. We had mice in our garage when we first moved in. We did all of the above and get no longer have ANY rodents in the house, yard or block. This even helped with ground squirrels and other destructive rodents.

Answer 4

I am so sorry you are using glue traps -the are the most horrible things-can you imagine the fear of those poor mice-it is much cheaper and much more humane to use mouse traps. You need o check your apt for holes in the walls,floors for thats the onbly way they could be coming in-also make sure no food crumbs left on floor forsomething is attracting them and its usually foor-for if nothing to eat they will not come.Contact the Landlord for if they are in your apt hen they are all over the building and a exterminator need to be used. It is also much more hygenic for you to use mousetraps-that kill them quickly-for while they are stuck on the glue traps(UUGGHH-Hate Them) they are also peeing from fright and mouse pee as any rodent has in it viruses and diseases-they are also peeing the whole time they are running around in your apt-mice so small only pee a little and not very noticeable but people have gotten sick from breathing the bacteria from a lot of mice pee-people have even died so it makes sense to use trap where they will not pee while struggling for healthier safer for you and the family. Good Luck

Answer 5

Tell your landlord, if you have mice so does everyone else. They are probably everywhere, (not to scare you) and you really need a professional exterminator to get rid of them. One person in complex setting out traps isn't going to get all the mice in the entire building. Your landlord should be responsible for all bills, it is up to them to make sure your living space is clean and pest free. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

You probably have quite a few mice, due to their rapid breeding skills.. They are getting in from outside because they need shelter from the winter weather, and your home is much warmer than outside. You should tell you landlord about the problem and/or call a pest control business, because they will know much more about the problem.

Answer 7

Mice breed fast, so to be safe I would call an exterminator to fummigate the place before you have a major nest of them breeding.

Answer 8

were they big 3 inches or so?> if so get more traps you will start catching smaller aand smaller ones until they get about 1 inch long as they venture out looking for food but realy that is the worst war=y to catch them it is torture spring trap is better how would you like to be stuck on a piece of paper till you starve? more humane to smash there head instant death it is a little messy but i rather have my head cut off than starve to death . sorry so graphic but put yourself in the mouses position. and yes i have mice too but mine are in a cage and when there time comes my snakes crush them its awesome almost instant death adout 2 seconds its awesome poor little mouse but that life or death lol.

Answer 9

They are coming from outside. It is getting cold now and it is much warmer in your home.

They live in the walls and between the floors. Check for cracks and holes and fill them. I usually throw decon rat/mouse poison in the hole before sealing it. You want the poison that mummifies them so they don't smell.

Answer 10

mice. i like em dog eats them. i know u don't like the dog eats them part. mice breed like rabbits. the can have up to 40 babies in 2 months! :-(