For many months now, I have seen the cutest little mouse come through from my neighbour's fence, scurry from one side of my patio to the other, where it nibbles on seeds dropped from the birdfeeder which hangs on my lilac tree. It is a tiny little thing and very cleverly hides behind plant tubs until it thinks it can safely negotiate the big open space it needs to traverse to get to the seeds. I have shown it to many a visitor to my house and we have all agreed how cute it is. Sometimes I have fancied I have seen two mice as as soon as one scurries next door, another appears almost instantly a bit further away in search of the seeds, so there is no way it could be the same mouse.
I keep bird seed and peanuts in my kitchen ready to throw out to the birds and squirrels. There is an injured pigeon that comes daily and literally walks pigeon-toed, placing one foot on top of the other as it walks and seriously losing his balance. He spreads his wings in an attempt to steady himself and looks a sorry sight so I always throw seed and peanuts out to him. The antics of the birds and mice have kept me amused over the long winter months and I felt happy to feed them. Until now.
About 6 weeks ago, I was thoroughly cleaning out a corner of my kitchen that I confess I don't clean often enough. Behind a piece of furniture, alongside where I keep the bags of seed and peanuts, I discovered what looked like lots of tiny black seeds or black grains of rice. Now I know the seeds I feed to the birds are not black, so I was a little clueless as to where these seeds had come from. I vacuumed them up and thought no more about it.
Last week, I was cleaning near the bags of seed and peanuts and found some discarded peanut skins and another scattering of 'black rice grains'. Also there was a chewed hole in the plastic bag of peanuts. Suddenly the penny dropped! I have mice in the house! I have never felt so uneasy in all my life. I love the little critters outside, but sharing the inside of my home with them is definitely unacceptable. Unfortunately I have no idea how they are getting in or out, as there is no trail. The droppings seem to be clustered around where the seed and peanuts bags were and a few along the works surfaces and behind the microwave (ugh). But as my ground floor is entirely made of concrete and there are no floorboards, it is mystifying. It called for desperate measures.
One week on, I still have a problem, although I think I am winning. I have put down traps with poison in them. I checked this morning and the poisoned sachets have been chewed open and the contents obviously taken back to the nests, but that has not stopped the occasional dropping here and there, so they are still alive. But the dropping are a lot less than they were. I have also bought peppermint oil as apparently mice do not like the smell of that, although last night's visitors did not seem perturbed by it. I gather it may take a week or two to see the results I want, so I persevere. A friend rather seemed horrified that I had used poison and suggested a more humane trap would be better, but if I catch them alive and put them outside, they will only return. Should I put them in my car with seatbelts on and drive a few miles away and dump the problem on someone else? If anyone has any further advice, it will be gratefully received. Meanwhile today I have thoroughly cleaned all kitchen work surfaces with bleach and disinfectant and await tomorrow's findings with interest.
Maybe I should get a cat, although, knowing my luck, it will be vegetarian.
7 comments:
Mice must be killed, or they just return. We chased a mouse out our front door, and watched him race down the front of the house, around the bay window of the dining room, and back under the garage door into the garage. Poison is great! They have a kind that makes them thirsty, so they go hunt for water and then die - hopefully away from the inside of your home. Be sure to store all your seeds, etc., and other foodstuffs loved by mice, up on shelves and in mice-proof bins if possible. By now you've probably guessed those little black things are mouse poop.
We often had mice when I lived in a shared house in Leeds, as did my cousin in hers. She said it was not the droppings you need to worry about. It's the wee because you can't see that. (;
Tasker Dunham _ I have been cleaning the kitchen work surfaces like a mad thing with OCD. Sharing my kitchen with doubly incontinent mice is not my idea of fun!!
Further thoughts about mice (from experience): they may be getting in along the side of a drain or water pipe. Check outside for gaps. Expandable foam filler is good for blocking them up. Hopefully, the mice are not nesting in the house. Put anything they might eat (including cardboard packets) high on shelves they can't reach, and in seals containers. They will nibble fruit and even potatoes. We had them coming in along the side of a kitchen sink pipe about 15 years ago but these measures seemed to work. Then we got a cat. Cat is no more, but no recent signs of mice despite seeing them outside on the IR night camera.
I'm afraid you just need to be heartless and stick with the poison if you want your home to be free of pests - and I would also buy some sturdy tin canisters for storage!
We had mice in the house this winter. I used a traditional "Little Nipper" trap baited with peanut butter. I caught two in the house and four in the plastic store chest just outside our back door. It is not something I like doing but it had to be done. I doubt that a humane trap would have been as effective.
Buy a cat and then let nature take its course. I was always a 'Dog' man, hated cats but when my house was infested with field mice and no amount of poison made any difference, and using glue traps meant I had to fold a still living creature up into a sticky card board roll while an idle dog looked on, I got a cat. Best thing I ever did. No mice any more, the dog and cat have come to a more or less amicable arrangement, and I have a quiet companion that sits on my lap in the evening and, unlike the dog, doesn't shit on, or chew the rugs.
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