Mice?

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:10 pm


I am starting to suspect we have a mouse loose in the apartment.

I have caught movement out of the corner of my eye a few times recently and even thought our hammy had escaped at one point but he was fine. I haven't spotted any damage or mouse poop anywhere but unless it is the ghost of one of our departed Hammies it looks like we may have a rogue furball.

How much of a problem is that for our piggies? Could there be disease issues? I have some live traps I can use if required but dont have much of an issues with having an extra house guest as long as he is well behaved and not a risk to the others.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:25 pm


Wild mice can carry disease. They can get into hay and food stores in your house and cause problems for your guinea pigs. They can also get into the cages or enclosures with them. I'm not sure how the guinea pigs would interact with mice, but I imagine it isn't pretty. I would think that the guinea pig would attack and possibly kill the mouse, but not without taking a few licks. I may be wrong, but it's probably best to get rid of the mice and avoid the whole situation.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:36 pm


OK I will get the traps set.

On the few occasions our Dwarf Hamsters escaped and got in with the piggies it was the other way around the GPs would give them a sniff and then ignore them. One of the hammies was pretty mellow with them but the other, the aptly named Kali, would chase them off if they got too close.

I tried putting some food out last night just to see if it was taken, but it wasn't, so may need to do a bit of detective work to try and figure out where it is holed up so I can work out the best place to put the traps.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:21 pm


I used to think the occasional mouse was fine, but then we moved into a country house that was overrun with them and it quickly became war. :( There is rarely a case of a single mouse loose in a house. Usually when you see one, there are several others and can multiply quickly. Mice do carry disease and they can be destructive. If you use a live trap, you'll have to transport the mice some distance to avoid them coming back.

A small dab of peanut butter is a very good lure in most any trap. Put multiple traps along the baseboards. Check live traps very regularly.

ETA: You'll also want to try to figure out where it/they got in and use a heavy steel wool to seal up around pipes and other openings. Mice can flatten themselves almost ridiculously flat and can get into tiny spaces. Make sure you keep the guinea pigs' and hamster's foods tightly sealed in plastic containers and keep human food sealed up tight as well.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:04 pm


I have caught more than one mouse using peanut butter, a five gallon bucket, and a plank (something set up to walk on to get to the peanut butter and then the weight of the mouse tips the shortish thin wooden plank in the bucket).

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:35 am


There is nothing pretty about having to kill mice, but you should keep the option open. Many times over the years I've caught them live and released them far away only to have them come back. If you do wind up going that route, please do it as a last resort and make sure you do it humanely. Don't use glue traps. They are probably the most effective since you can place them where the mice have no choice but to cross them. They are as inhumane as they are effective. Poisoning is not optimal either for the obvious reasons.

It's best to try and make your house as inhospitable to them as you can. No access to food or bedding material tends to be difficult to achieve, but it works. Having a dog or cat also works. My house had mice from the previous occupant and it only took a few weeks for my cats to run them off. My cats don't really hunt mice and I haven't ever seen signs of them killing any (they usually leave the mouse tails), so just their presence did the trick.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:33 pm


We have mice as well, and just talked to someone today is also has them. I thought they came in during the fall. They were in my craft room in the sewing machine cabinet. They chewed up some fabric which I’m sure they were going to make into a nest.

So I cleaned everything out and put snap traps down. I, too, hate the sticky traps and poison. No need to torture the poor things just because they’re mice. If I have to kill them I want to do it quick.

We also had a hole in the foundation in our furnace room so I stuffed that with steel wool. Out little dog is no help. He never noticed mice, but that spot of peanut butter in a trap sure peaked his interest.

I hope the problem is solved.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:53 pm


Decon makes a covered snap trap that is very easy to use and effective. I hated killing mice, but sometimes it's the most effective way to deal with the situation.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:37 am


I think I’ve used those in the past but I couldn’t find any at Menards. They had some that were similar but could only be used once and thrown away.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:53 am


I have used a live trap in the past. For 9 days, I carried one far down the road. People kept asking if it wasn't the same mouse, but I could see differences in hairdo, they all had very distinct hair on their heads, lol.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:25 am


ItsaZoo, the ones I had were re-usable. I'm pretty sure Amazon.com carries them.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 06, 2020 6:34 pm


I have seen none of the usual signs, poop and chewed items, just keep spotting movement out of the corner of my eye.

Killing isn't an option. Either trap or poison.
We tried Glue Traps once before but used olive oil to release them from the traps and then took them off to a local park to set them free. I suspect the olive oil may have been more of a deterrent than the trap as they didn't look happy about it.
We have live traps I just need to find some signs of where they are running so I know where to place them.

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