MICE?!?!?!?! - Page 2

[BlessedOne]

Thank you for you input =)

Yes I have heard not all cats are good mice hunters.
The few months that my parents have had cats (outdoor). My dad said one was good at hunting and the other wasn't. The other is more domesticated and the one that is better at hunting is still somewhat "wild". He said what he does for that cat is just puts out a little food...not a whole lot ...but enough to were the cat won't starve and then the cat catches the rest of his food.

But eitherway I don't see the cat idea going into effect at my house =).



On a different annoying note....my washing machine has decided it wants to start acting up again.....guess because of all of the laundry.....yay......not.

 

[BlessedOne]

Well I think we might be on the up side of things.  I thoroughly cleaned everything again yesterday and got any food that they could get to put up and I haven't seen any or evidence of them up stairs in the past 24 hrs. The kids did say  they saw one down stairs last night. I had my kids vac down stairs......so hopefully they will just give up and leave my house ;).

[SimonMom]

The mice are still there. They did not just leave because you cleaned up. No offense but you're kinda being wussy about this. :P I don't think it's fair AT ALL that your kids are living with mice crawling across them. I KNOW how you feel...I felt the same way. Buck up and just go buy the snap traps today! And cheer when you hear the snap! lol. It's not that bad. I promise. But seriously... go. do. it.

[Maedze]

Yeah.   

I'm sorry, but I don't think  you quite understand the magnitude of what you're dealing with.   Cleaning up does NOT MAKE THE MICE GO AWAY.  The fact that your kids have seen them, OMG, mama, you have thousands of those things in your house.   That's a huge, huge sanitation and health risk.  

You need an exterminator at this point.   You are not going to be able to handle this on your own.  

I've been through a nasty mouse infestation, myself.  It was awful, once I realized what I was choosing not to see.  
 

Originally Posted by SimonMom 

The mice are still there. They did not just leave because you cleaned up. No offense but you're kinda being wussy about this. :P I don't think it's fair AT ALL that your kids are living with mice crawling across them. I KNOW how you feel...I felt the same way. Buck up and just go buy the snap traps today! And cheer when you hear the snap! lol. It's not that bad. I promise. But seriously... go. do. it.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Mice will NOT go away because you cleaned your house!!!  Oh for heaven's sake, get some snap traps!!!  Kill those little *&^%#@$^%&%#@!!!!  I was so proud of the first mouse I killed, I posted a pic of it on FB!

[mamadebug]

I had mice for the first time ever this winter.  I freaked - they carry diseases and leave poop all over.  It's a real health concern.  

We called an exterminator right away.  I was also concerned about poison because we have kids and pets, and, obviously, I didn't want them to come in contact with the poison.  

The exterminator did 2 things - 

1) went around the exterior perimeter of our house and sealed up any possible point of entry.  Like others have said, they can get in through the tiniest spaces - spaces you wouldn't even see like up under eaves, etc, but someone who does this for a living will know.  

2) set snap traps.  I feel bad for killing animals, but not bad enough to continue to let them be a health concern for my family.  It's a quick death.  

The exterminator told me some statistic like a few mice in a house can multiple in one years time to 1000 mice - I can't remember exactly, but it was A LOT.  It gets out of control pretty quickly.  

I think that you need an exterminator at this point if you are seeing them, your kids are seeing them and they are getting into your food.  They don't just give up and leave if you vacuum and clean the counters.  I don't know where you live and what the laws are in your state, but where we live, a landlord is legally required to maintain a healthy living environment - which would include providing rodent control.  

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by BlessedOne 

Thanks for the info =)
Yeah I think might just have to buck up about it all =S

Thanks for letting me know about the glue traps...definitely don't want to use them if that happens.

My kids begged me to get snap traps today at the store...they even volunteered to dispose of them.....IF I let them I would have to have them use gloves or I would freak out about them touching it!

My landlord did offer today to set/check/dispose of the traps....so I might go with that. I just hope I don't hear the trap going off 0_0

No child should ever have to beg their parents to buy mouse traps.  Let alone offer to dispose of them.  Never.

Call an exterminator TODAY.  This has clearly gone beyond what you can handle on your own and your children should not have to live in a home where they see mice climbing the stairs and fear them running across their beds at night. 

Cleaning will not get rid of mice.  They don't care how clean your house is, they will find something to eat.  You have to seal up their access points and kill the ones who have infested your home.
 

[Maedze]

That's the big thing.   Now that they've established a comfortable little nest with hundreds and hundreds of breeding babies, they aren't going to pick up and move out even if their access points become less convenient.  They'll find a way to get your food.  They always do.  (Heck, they'll even go next door, get food there and bring it back to the nest.  They will not pack up and move out, ever, short of extermination.)
 

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie 

No child should ever have to beg their parents to buy mouse traps.  Let alone offer to dispose of them.  Never.

Call an exterminator TODAY.  This has clearly gone beyond what you can handle on your own and your children should not have to live in a home where they see mice climbing the stairs and fear them running across their beds at night. 

Cleaning will not get rid of mice.  They don't care how clean your house is, they will find something to eat.  You have to seal up their access points and kill the ones who have infested your home.
 

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Maedze 

That's the big thing.   Now that they've established a comfortable little nest with hundreds and hundreds of breeding babies, they aren't going to pick up and move out even if their access points become less convenient.  They'll find a way to get your food.  They always do.  (Heck, they'll even go next door, get food there and bring it back to the nest.  They will not pack up and move out, ever, short of extermination.)
 

This is true.  In our case, there wasn't even human food for them to eat!  Our problem was at our cottage where I don't keep food in the cupboard aside from canned goods.  I was super careful about cleaniness but the exterminator told me it doesn't matter, they will eat almost anything and will travel for food if their living environment is cozy.  

[PoppyMama]

Originally Posted by BlessedOne 

Well I think we might be on the up side of things.  I thoroughly cleaned everything again yesterday and got any food that they could get to put up and I haven't seen any or evidence of them up stairs in the past 24 hrs. The kids did say  they saw one down stairs last night. I had my kids vac down stairs......so hopefully they will just give up and leave my house .

www.doh.wa.gov/ehsphl/factsheet/hanta.htm

This sounds like a terrible situation and I'm sorry your husband is negative about options- I hope you will read the above link and maybe he will realize the seriousness of your situation. You should NOT be vacuuming up mouse droppings and it's not only the droppings that are a problem it's the saliva, etc as well. The stuff becomes airborne and you can all be made sick by just breathing, vacuuming stirs it up more, if you all have been sick but got better you are very very lucky.

I noticed that you are going to be having a baby soon and plan to have your baby in that house. For the love of God please do not give birth there or bring a newborn into that house until it has been exterminated and PROPERLY disinfected. I sympathize with you not liking your options or not having cooperation for them but this is very serious and it's your job to suck it up and protect your children. What a difficult time for this to happen! I hope you can find some help.

[treeoflife3]

We had a mouse once.  We got a trap IMMEDIATELY.  Hell no are we going to risk our kid's health trying to be kind.  Actually, we put out many traps just in case there was more than the one we saw.  and yeah, we also did a thorough extra scrubbing and made sure all foods were in upper cabinets and not at floor level and in sealed packaging.

You are probably infested now.  They aren't going to leave... your house is clearly safe for them to nest since you won't do anything about them.

The fact that even your kids are to the point of begging you to do something is horrifying.  Making them live in a mouse infested house is NOT good parenting.  Call the damn exterminator before someone gets sick.

[~Boudicca~]

You know what mama, I am pretty damn crunchy, but chemicals have a time and a place.  This is one of them.  Do you really want to bring a newborn babe into a house that is a breeding ground for the freaking Hanta virus?  Seriously?  Cleaning your house won't do jack.  It's not like trying to keep out sugar ants or something.

[DragonflyBlue]

I'm going to start by saying I am an animal lover. I cannot tolerate animals being in pain from illness or accidents. Last week I killed a sick chick that was slowly dying so it wouldn't suffer any longer. I have a sick calf right now that I may have put down because his illness is painful and causes a slow death if treatment does not work. It kills me to see him like this.

You have a massive mouse problem. It is causing your children to be ill. You need to get over your issues with killing the mice or you could lose your children. Dcfs will remove them if you get reported. The mice could kill them. This is serious here. I don't know that you understand how serious it is. Cleaning will not get rid of the mice. You have to kill them. You cannot catch and release them. You cannot will them away. You have to kill them!

These are not cute little cartoon mice from Cinderella that will help you sew a fancy dress for the ball. They are disease ridden vermin that are causing your family illness. No animal's life is worth the risk of harm to you or your family.

Get your LL to get an exterminator. Put all your food into glass jars or plastic containers that are vermin proof. Keep it that way to reduce reinfestation. Kill the damn mice.

I'm not trying to attack or belittle you. I'm worried.

When mice get into the feed in my barn I toss the feed. The risk of feeding it to my animals is too high. Yes it's expensive but so are my animals. We learned quickly to store all feed in rodent proof storage. If people can kill mice and remove food sources for animals you can do this for your family.

Do NOT make your kids live this way. Do NOT allow them to dispose of dead mice. As a parent this is your job no matter how squeamish it makes you feel.

Mice in your home, in your food makes your home unsafe. It makes your children unsafe. Get this taken care of now. I simply cannot stress this enough!

[fauxcrunch]

Mice have no bladder.  Where they walk, they pee. Be an adult and a parent and deal with the problem instead of fapping about the kyoot little mousies.

[MeepyCat]

The mouse behavior you describe (mice running across beds, not hiding from people, etc.) means one of three things:

- The mice in your house are so overpopulated that it's causing them unusual stress, or

- You don't have mice after all.  You have rats.

- Both

None of these is a good situation.  You need an exterminator.  Either raise hell with the landlord, or pony up for one yourself.

In the meantime, stop fooling yourself about rodents staying in just some of the closets, or only downstairs.  If you have 'em at all, they're everywhere.  There are no areas in your house that they cannot get to.  They jump up, down, and across.  They climb.  Cooperative behavior has been extensively observed in rats.  They nest and breed.  They eat things.  They chew on the wiring in the walls, which is a fire hazard.  The peanut butter jars didn't have a chance of working, because the rodents could just turn around and walk out.  Cleaning doesn't make a darn bit of difference.  Live traps are of very limited utility with a population of significant size (which you have).

If you're that worried about exposure to poisons, take your family to stay with friends, or in a motel for a few days, while the exterminator works. 

[Imakcerka]

Well... you do know that mouse poop can carry the Hantavirus.  And um a lady just died 6 days ago in Washington state from it.  In fact there have been numerous cases in the last few years.  While I don't actively kill anything I have no qualms about killing mice.  You said you tried peppermint leaves... seriously?  Peppermint oil works but in large quantities and then you have to be careful because it can cause issue with anyone with heart issues. 

We had mice a few winters ago and we peppermint oiled the entire house.  For the few that refused to leave we poisoned them.  They were coming in under the deck and the garage.  So I put poison in the garage top shelves and shoved it under the deck as far as I could.  We had someone come out and get the dead mice.  We haven't had a problem since then.  If your family is already not feeling well you're just putting them in more danger.  It's not about being nice to nature when you're families physical well being is at stake. 

DO SOMETHING!  They don't just leave on their own accord.

[juggalette]

If you think the illness or your scared babies aren't enough for you to take action-- then read these:

http://www.in.gov/isdh/23256.htm

Quote:

Rats will bite babies..., because the smell of milk or other food on the baby is attractive to a rat looking for food.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rats-bite-off-babys-toes-1756608.html

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/rat_bites_cover_baby_found_dea.html

I know you're planning to UC... you think the mice won't notice that? You are setting yourself and your baby up to get bitten, and possibly really sick. 

[coffeegirl]

BlessedOne- If I were you I'd call my landlord again and tell him or her that the mouse situation is out of control and you need those traps or an exterminator. You're about to have a baby in this house, and your kids are getting sick. And like others have said, I promise you that the mice aren't gone yet. Please get an exterminator.

If they use poison, I guarantee you it won't be as harmful to your kids as mice droppings and hantavirus.

[BlessedOne]

Wow this thread went from helpful to condemning over night.

First of all let me set a few things straight.
There is a HUGE difference between rats and mice. I DO NOT have rats....they are house mice. Which contrary to what many of you believe DO NOT carry Hauntavirus. Mice are different in so many ways than rats. Believe me I have done a lot of research on all of this.....and given that I have actually seen the mice and their feces, there is NO way that these are rats or deer mice (which carry hauntavirus). Yes, house mice can carry diseases and bacteria as well.....but you know what so does your pets you let run around your house and let your kids play with. Or heck...even yourself....you can get just as sick from not washing your hands after you use the bathroom as you can the mice.

Don't be naive and think I have not spent countless hours researching about all of this issue. And don't think that for one moment I just sit around a let my kids play in mouse poop. I THOROUGHLY sanitize daily. That includes counters, floors, couch,.... everywhere mice can get to and that I can get to. I vac the poop up using my rainbow.....which doesn't throw dust around like normal vacs due to it's water basin. Before vaccing anywhere else, I sanitize the vacuum so it does not spread any possible bacteria. Anything that touches the floor must be sanitized immediately (just to be on the safe side) and I currently haven't been allowing the kids to even put their hands/heads to the floor and toys(and anything else that is touched)  must be kept off the floor. Any food that is dropped on the floor is immediately disposed of and of course kids must wash hands before eating. What you don't know is that I am a complete germophobe.....like OCD germophobe. I use two big bottles of alcohol a week to sanitize my house, as well as other anti-bacteria agents, depending on where is being cleaned. So don't think for one minute that I am allowing bacteria to flourish in my home. Since we noticed they had been on the counters in the past few days, we do not put anything food oriented on the counters..........even though I sanitize them daily. Any dishes that are reused (such as cups) are stored away to where mice can not get to them.

The main reason why we suddenly started being able to see them around in the main living area (which just happened in the past week) is because I vacced the vents and used metal screen to block the vents. So they had to find new places to hide/store food/travel. I wouldn't be surprised if half of you still have mice in your vents and don't know it.

They had not EVER gotten into my food until just a few days ago and that was just the stuff that I had just bought (a couple of days previous) as overflow....given that when I am so close to delivering I don't care to walk around the grocery store for hours on end. So I bought extra of non-perishables and some of them (a couple of bags of cereal) couldn't fit into my doored pantry and cabinets, so they were on an open shelf close to the floor in my laundry room.........and that is what the mice got into. They have not been in any of my food cabinets. The places I have seen them hide since the vents were cleaned and screened are the three places that I didn't thoroughly clean behind....the stove, the dishwasher,  washing machine. And the only reason why I didn't thoroughly clean behind these are because I can't move them. I do use my vac attachments to get as best I can and I have taken the stove/oven/drawer apart and cleaned it thoroughly. I seriously wash down (with anti-bacterial agents) my walls and stairs and everything on a regular basis. 

I had started this thread to see if there were any natural ways that I had not thought of or found on the internet......not so I could be called a bad parent. I absolutely guarantee I am one of the most picky parents when it comes to my children being clean. I won't even let them walk barefoot outside (or sock footed) and all shoes are not to be worn in house to prevent dirt and germs from being spread on the floor. Any time they wear flip flops, they must go wash their feet immediately after coming inside. While inside many times they wear socks or house slippers.
Like I said, I am slightly OCD about bacteria and dirt.

And in regards to my kids "begging" me to get snap traps.....it is because all of my children hate all living things outside of plants and humans. They are terrified of all animals, whether it be dogs or cats or even flies. They go around stopping on caterpillars and cheer when daddy kills any insect in the house. They are not your typical kids when it comes to animals/insects.
And NO I am not stupid enough to let my kids dump the traps.......the whole reason why they even brought it up as an idea is because my mom (who was with me when looking at the traps) suggested that the kids could dump them if I couldn't handle it. My son very quickly declined and my oldest said she would dump them. But even if she is willing THAT IS NOT HAPPENING.

And just to clear things up, a mouse has never touched any of my kids or any of us period. And I don't know for sure that a mouse ran across my bed, I just know I was woke up (which in reality is nothing new.....my sleep schedule has been known to be more a kin to cat napping than actually sleep the night through). My mom and husband think I was just over reacting.....given that I didn't see or feel any mouse. I have been known to go overboard about some things and over think issues sending myself into a slight panic.

And in regards to home birth- ummmm....do you think I birth on the floor?!!?!? No, I use a brand new (sterilized prior to use) kiddy pool. And I don't put my babies (or any of their belongings) on the floor (mice or no mice) for months. Which I am sure the situation will be taken care of before then. Also, everything I use to home birth is sterilized and then put in a sterilized rubbermaid.....so it is all clean. I keep everything sanitized (probably even over the top) for at least the first year of my child's life. And then I am still picky, but of course don't have quite as much control given they are running around at that point.

And in regards to people saying that I have thousands of mice.....ummmm....yeah right. One I live in a VERY small house.....if I had that many mice, there would be a lot more prevalent things than a couple pieces of mouse poo or a chewed cereal bag. Outside of the changes made, one reason why they have been seen so much is because as stated, I live in a very small house and there are 6 sets of eyes.............and we all happen to be night owls......which is when mice are out and about. I typically don't go to bed until past 2 am or so and I have NEVER seen a mouse in my house during day light hours. Basically I  haven't seen one past 6 something in the morning. Once we are up for the day, they go and sleep.....given that they are nocturnal. And I typically haven't seen them until very late into the night/early morning hours. So if a person has a normal sleep schedule....then chances are they are not going to see a single mouse. And I hadn't seen a speck of mouse poop ANYWHERE in my house until about a month ago. This problem has not been going on very long (therefore making it highly unlikely that there are thousands). The whole problem was noticed a few months back when the kids actually saw a mouse while staying up all night. Then we thoroughly cleaned everything and no mouse was seen for a while and no evidence of mice.....not that mouse poo had even been seen at that point. My guess is they started being seen again when their supply of stored up food was depleted.....and then they started searching for food. Given that there was no food downstairs, they then voyaged upstairs.....probably via the vents...given they where seen around the utility room most. I then cleaned the vents and screened them off. I could actually hear one trying to get in one night....but they can't chew through metal. So then shortly after (just a couple of days ago), they started getting creative and hopping up the stairs. Mice have to have food.....sure they may chew and even eat non-food items, but they eventually need something with nutritional value. And that would be why they came up to our main living area. Previously my kids had unknowingly supplied the mice with a lot of food down stairs. When I cleaned the downstairs I found half a walmart bags worth of half eaten food and wrappers. The kids had been sneaking food down there. Since the mice issue, they learned their lesson. And now they are pretty good about keeping all food at the table. I have lived in this house almost 10 years....I know the house very well and I know when something is different with it and I do not think these mice have been around for more than a few months.

Also in regards to sickness and my family- I don't know for sure that the mice were what made some of the my family sick.....for all I know, it could have just been the flu or something of the like.
Basically my youngest had flu like symptoms (diarrhea and vomiting) for a few days and then few days later my oldest had the same symptoms....that same day my husband got it. My boys and I seemed to dodge it for the most part outside of the diarrhea and one day I did feel a little nausea....which was right after my husband had it. But my sons and I never threw up. All of this happened while the flu was going around our area.........so again.....I don't KNOW that it was mice that made any of us sick. It could have just been the flu during flu season. I had just brought the idea up that mice COULD have been what was making them sick. But that was before mice were found in the main living area.

Oh and mice are not as scared of people (unlike rats)....mice are more curious...now yes they will run when they notice a human moving around....as they don't know what the human is doing.....but if the human is not moving causing them to be startled, then they could just sit in one spot or move around to wherever they planned.

Although mice do urinate relatively often compared to other rodents, contrary to popular belief.....mice DO have bladders.


And don't think that I am going to just let the mice stay in my house.....I have just been exploring all of my options before making a decision.

So if you are going to just call me a bad parent or say that I have rats or something dumb like that....then please just refrain from posting on this thread. Your banter is not helping anyone.

Edited by BlessedOne - 4/13/12 at 10:13pm

[kaylee18]

If you want an alternative to snap traps, you could get RatZappers. They work very well for mice and are humane, unlike drowning, poison and glue boards. http://www.ratzapper.com

I have no connection with the company, I just really liked how well they worked for a semi-outdoor infestation (garage-type areas) that we got rid of. Cleaning does not get rid of mice, so I hope you can get traps that work well soon. Dry dog food is supposed to be a great bait, or peanut butter.

By the way, the flu is a respiratory illness. Stomach viruses are a completely different illness that has nothing to do with flu season.