Quote:
Originally Posted by
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.
I think the reason people are condemning you is because your words sound like you are in denial, or do not know the facts.
1. If you see ONE mouse (or one mouse poop), there are definitely MORE than one nearby. You saw a mouse "a few months back". Since then, they have multiplied.
2. A closed door does NOT keep a mouse away. Mice can squish their bodies as flat as a quarter to fit underneath a door or into the backs of cabinets and drawers.
3. Cleaning the floor after seeing a mouse does NOTHING to get rid of the mouse problem.
(a) Mice do not STAY on the floor, they crawl everywhere - cabinets, counters, couches, etc.
(b) AFTER you kill all the mice, then you can scrub the bejeesus out of everything. Repetitive cleaning is fine, but has no value if mice are still in your house. You are spinning your wheels.
4. If your situation is SO BAD that you tell your kids not to touch the floor, don't you think KILLING the mice is a better solution?
5. If you are truly a clean freak, would you be okay letting nobody wash their hands after using the bathroom? Probably not.
6. It is bizarre to live this way. You aren't putting anything food related on the counters. Go ahead and kill the mice, this is no way to live.
7. Part of living in a home is keeping out the pests (insects and rodents). You are not being condemned for having them in the first place. You are being condemned for not doing anything effective about your problem.
8. Letting your children KILL ALL THE THINGS and stomp on caterpillars is a horrifyingly bizarre opposite of your unwillingness to kill the vermin that are causing you stress, tons of cleaning, and likely vomiting and diarhea.
I hope that you can let your defenses down for a moment, and take the wake-up call that this thread is becoming before you risk your newborn's health.
Good luck mama. I wish you the best with your upcoming birth.
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