I have a problem with field mice in my home, will rice give the same effect to them as it does some birds?

Question

I have small children in my home at all times (in-home childcare) so I do not want to use traps, that may be deadly- or poisons, which are poisonous--- are there any alternatives that will do my business and my family some good? They are cute to see scurrying about, but they are called rodents for a reason.

Answer 1

Get a cat or call an exterminator. They have child-proof traps and know places to set them that are out of child reach.

Answer 2

Rice would be food, you would be encouraging them to hang around, and of course breed. It is also a grass seed, which is what mouses eat all the time when they don't happen to find a warm comfortable nesting place that isn't full of snakes, owls, hawks, skunks and other predators.

The best solution I have found to mice in the house is a cat. There are other biological mouse trapping and disposal units available, but the only ones cleaner than a cat are snakes, which would probably persuade the mommies not to leave their children in your care. The mice are also deadly. They carry more diseases than I can comfortably think about, the one that gets more attention now than the others is Hanta virus.
The mice are cute, but they got to go.

A cat also has the advantage of giving them a good whiff of efficient predator on the premises, and the survivors might leave voluntarily.

Just make sure the cat has all his shots. And try to teach the children that Kitty kitties just look like they would be fun to grab up and squeeze.

Answer 3

I highly recommend you consult a pest control specialist. They can recommend the best way to eliminate the mice you might already have and help prevent any new mice from coming into your home.

Rather than just using a poison, you can use a bait that makes them seek water. That way they go somewhere else to die.

Probably not the best alternative, but you can also use live traps. These are boxes that the mice can get into but they can't get back out of. The problem is you either have to leave the mice until they die or take them out and kill them or release them.

You can help keep them from getting into your home by making sure there are no holes at or near ground level they can get into. This would include sealing garage doors, sealing cracks in foundations, and much more.

I defiantly agree that you want to avoid snap traps and actual poison.

Answer 4

No, rice will not kill mice. I've had great success with this humane live trap in my house:

http://veganstore.com/index.html?stocknumber=266

It’s also available for $2 cheaper here (although I prefer to buy it from the other place since I’m not a big fan of PETA):

https://www.petacatalog.org/prodinfo.asp?number=HP200

I've caught over a dozen mice with it so far and it can be used over and over indefinitely. Or, you can try making the free homemade humane trap described here:

http://www.helpinganimals.com/wildlife_livingWithMice.asp

If you do live trap mice, please be sure to check the traps several times a day and release the mice promptly, approximately a mile away from your home. It is much more cruel to allow a mouse in a live trap to slowly starve to death than to kill it quickly with a snap trap. When you release the mice, do it in an area with some sheltering bushes or plants. If you are a kind person, you might also leave a little bird seed or oatmeal for them.

The absolute cruelest traps are glue traps. Mice have been known to gnaw off their own limbs and tear off their skin in an effort to escape, as they starve or dehydrate to death or suffocate in the glue. It can take three to five days for them to die. Poison isn't any better, as the mice die slowly and painfully from internal bleeding. It can take up to a week for them to die, and then they smell as they rot behind your walls.

It doesn't take much extra effort to be kind. You will feel better and so will the mice! Good luck!

Answer 5

the rice thing is a myth. no bird can or will die from eating rice...and mice certainly will not.

glue traps are excellent, and won't hurt your children...but they may be annoying to get off if someone of something accidentally steps on them. Put them under low furniture, especially underneath the refrigerator.

NEVER EVER USE POISON!

poisons often cause the mice/rats to get sick and "go home to die"...as in, they go into your walls and die inside the walls.

A well trained cat might help, but this is also not a good idea around children.

Answer 6

There are a number of traps where you can catch the mice and let them go outside. Here's an example of one that the person thought of himself:
http://glass.typepad.com/journal/2005/09/how_to_catch_a_.html

You can also get a trap that electrocutes the mice, but is enclosed so it shouldn't pose any harm to children.

I understand that mice go away when they smell a cat, so even just borrowing a cat and letting it walk around in your house might do the trick.

Answer 7

I know you said you don't like the idea of poisons, but have you considered putting it (the kind you buy packaged in little boxes) like behind your stove, refridgerator, tv and places the children can get to them. I have lived here for 10 years and we have a huge open field next to our home and we always had problems with field mice. Poisons do works better. I have a 2 yr old and we put it in inconspicuous places where he can't get to it. Like alot of times they come in through dryer vents, so you could put some behind your washer/dryer. It was the best solution for us. I can't remember the name brand of what we bought, but we got it at the local co-op ( farm supply store). It really works and you don't have to deal with little mouse corpses all over in traps.
There are also these sticky pads (get them at like Wal-Mart) and they are really sticky and smell like peanut butter to attract them. We caught 5 on one pad in one night!!! They suggest getting them off and letting them go. too difficult! I throw them outside and let their fate be whatever. Better than them pooping all in my cabinets!!!! Hope this helps : )

Answer 8

Set some of the conventional traps in the backs of cabinets so little ones can't reach/find them. Or, like me, get a kitty!!

Answer 9

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Answer 10

the most obvious portion of do is seperate them and launch then even as they are older. this can provide up scuffling with. Getting them fastened is a significant cost-no longer advised in my movements. sturdy success!