I'd hate to say it but.. (sensitive warning)

[draggar]

I'm going lethal in my war against the mice and rats.

Ever since we had to give the ferrets away we've had a mouse and rat problem outside in our patio. I can't plant anything - they're even eating all of my basil now (and they devastated my tomatoes).

They harass the chickens and make a mess in our storage shed (ripping apart anything they can, going ot the bathroom all over thus increasing the roach and fly problem, too).

I've tried as much as I could.

Shake-Away (crystallized fox, badger etc.. urine - worked extremely well for a month, then they got used to it.

Other repellents (safe, non-poisonous ones) etc..

Increased time for the dogs out there.

Live traps (many different kinds with bait).

I've even talked to my local pet stores and they won't sell me ferret poo to use as a deterrent (so far the BEST deterrent yet), which, while frustrating, I can understand.

I want to find the best way to do this. I've ruled out poisons. I don't want them to linger, die, and rot (painfully, and not necessarily in that order) plus if a neighborhood cat eats one of them, they'll be poisoned, too.

I would like it to be quick and as humane as possible. I'm thinking spring traps. One quick snap and chances are they're dead. I could do this supervised - I know their retreat routes. I could place traps in one, and spray their area with a hose.

I'd hate to do this but I also know it will only be a matter of time before they get into the house.

[Supermarket Slave Girl]

I've got a mice problem too, we have an industrial workplace at the back of my house and they're coming from their sheds into my house.

The only live bait I could find was a possum catcher and it was too big, i've tried ratsack which worked but now they know what it is and won't touch it, i've decided to go with the spring traps too but will have to put them in a place where my two year old can't get them.

There was a mouse in my bedroom last night, I could hear it scurrying around and when I turned on the light it was on my window sil and hid under the curtain, they're very cute but they don't belong here.

Love tame rats by the way.

[jedimaster91]

The spring traps work great. My advice is to put some peanut butter or soft cheese UNDER the trigger. A clever mousey can get the goodies off the top without tripping the spring.

*Hates the little buggers. Yet, doesn't mind pet mice.*

[Cats]

I second the spring traps armed with peanut butter.

We've been having a minor problem in my house lately with mice, and that seems to be working. What I find odd is they always hide under the kitchen sink (where all the household chemicals are!), but even if it takes us a few days to catch them, they never get into any of our cabinets that are loaded with food they can easily get into.

[candyshopgirl]

Just thinking outside the box.Have you ever tried roach gel.Its this really stinky brown goo.I thinking yeah its for roaches but maybe the mice would eat it too. You should think about getting a young cat.A coworker said that fixed her mice problem.

[One-Fang]

If ferret poo is that successful, maybe the pet shop can put you in touch with some ferret owners, or is there a ferret owners club that you can contact? Some of those people may be able to hook you up with a supply.

[blas]

Get a cat. Seriously. Ever since my parents moved to their current house in 2003, no mouse has ever made it into the house. They all try to get in through the garage, and they are immediately stopped by Baby. FatCat is pretty useless because she isn't very fast....but if she does get her hands on a house she beats them to death....Baby slashes and gashes them Freddy style....

If not that, try mouse traps covered in peanut butter. Works better than cheese. Put them anywhere the mice come in.

Can you afford an exterminator?

[draggar]

We have cats but they are indoor cats. there are outdoor neighborhood cats but they haven't been successful.

[Eric the Grey]

Not to be cruel or anything, but if it were me and my home or mice, I'd get poison and be done with it. Yes, it takes them time to die, but they generally go elsewhere to do that.

I don't have much sympathy with rodents invading my home. If I see them, or know they are around, they are going to be dealt with in a permanent manner and not piecemeal (ie: traps) Cats can help keep them out of sight but they can still infest the walls and other places the cats can't get to.


Eric the Grey

[Bright_Star]

Get a couple of cats.

[Greenday]

I've found the spring traps to be extremely useful. Heck, we didn't even use any real bait, just the fake piece of food that comes with it. We place it right by where we know they are and we've gotten them all. And then we make my step-dad clean up the resulting mess, thus it's a very clean method (for my mom, sister, and I )

[draggar]

Not to be cruel or anything, but if it were me and my home or mice, I'd get poison and be done with it. Yes, it takes them time to die, but they generally go elsewhere to do that.

Other than what they do to the rodents - the major issue with poisons is if someone else eats the mouse or rat - it's poisoned, too. What if my neighbor's dog eats it and gets poisoned?

Besides, the association put out traps one-way in type of deals) with little success).

Get a couple of cats.

Re-read reply #8.

I've found the spring traps to be extremely useful. Heck, we didn't even use any real bait, just the fake piece of food that comes with it. We place it right by where we know they are and we've gotten them all. And then we make my step-dad clean up the resulting mess, thus it's a very clean method (for my mom, sister, and I )

I would only have the traps out when I'm out there - I'm thinking panic trapping. Place them in escape routes (along the fence on the cross-beams etc..) and then spray with the hose where they usually stay - behind and in the shed etc..

When they run out they might not have time to think about avoiding the trap.

[lordlundar]

Spring and T-Rex traps are the most effective. More importantly is how to place them.

Their vision isn't the best, so they stick to the areas that they can feel. Walls, beams and the sort. Find the droppings and place one parallel to and up next to the nearest vertical surface.

[digilight]

You could always post on craigslist for Ferret shit (hell even freecycle does wanted adds) ...God even I can't believe I just said that. But honestly if you put why you want it and what it does, then maybe some nice folks might just bless with you with some poo.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Why the heck will they not sell you ferret poo?

I have an idea. Spring traps are no good if you are trying to be humane, they don't always kill instantly. I've seen many a rodent slam all over the place with a trap attached to it's neck as it strangled. You don't want to see that if you like animals. Glue traps are even worse. Poison's no good...that just seems kind of painfull to me, plus it is an awful hazard for other animals.

If I were in your shoes (and I have been), I'd get a "mechanical cat"...a metal trap that they can enter but not exit. It captures multiple animals at one time and does not harm them. I actually have one at home I used to collect a friend's pet dagus that had gotten lose in my house (long, idiotic, infuriating story).

My father has used them on mice and just drove the trap out to an abandoned homestead and turned them loose. If that is not an option and you must kill them, I think probably the most humane way to do it would be to capture them in the live trap, then when you get a collection of them, put the whole trap in a plastic bag, crank your car up, then run the carbon monoxide into the bag.

I mean, I hate to kill things, but sometimes you just have to. They will get into your house eventually. And that ain't a healthy thing to have running around your kitchen. I would imagine that's a fairly humane option.

EDIT: Okay, this is that exact same trap I caught the dagus in.

I think my dad used this trap to round up his mice infestation.