A mouse in the house
Day by Day June 12th, 2007I have a mouse in my house. Or a fast fuzzy cockroach. He (or she) is not a welcome guest, and scared the poop out of me when it scurried across the floor.
And we all know that one mouse means more than one. So I guess that mice traps are on my shopping list tomorrow. Or a cat.
I had some of the furry little pests in the house when I first moved here. And about 5 years ago, all of Moose Jaw had a minor shrew problem. The shrews eat insects, so they are almost bearable – still not wanted in the house though.
Ironically, just last week Lois was telling me several little horror stories about mice. Is it possible just the power of suggestion brought this on? I think we’ll blame her this time. I’m glad she wasn’t talking about snakes or alligators.
Apparently, mice like pet food. If they have to eat Bandit’s food, I hope they eat the cheap stuff, not the prescription diet stuff I have been buying for his arthritis. Of course, the dog doesn’t like the good stuff, so it doesn’t matter to him. In fact, if they eat it all he will likely get people food, and that is all for the best as far as he’s concerned.
Another little fact I just learned (from the internet, of course) Mice are not native to North America. They are from Asia originally, and found their way to Canada and the USA with European settlers a few hundred years ago.
So what is the best mouse trap to buy? Anyone?
June 13th, 2007 at 7:56 am
One that snaps that little varmits neck.Is my opinion.Yeah,yeah, yeah, you can get the humane ones.Ya right!!! Now I gotta put that thing in my truck drive at least a hundred miles away to release him(cause I dont want him returning to the house any time soon)I figure that should be far enough away that even if he does return,well it should be next summer at least.The old saying if you love something set it free,if it comes back,it is yours.Well obviously this DOES NOT apply here.
June 13th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Hey Lee, I was only telling you “horror stories” about mice in my neighbor’s garage when she found one of the little “shits” in her Christmas cabbage rolls!! This had nothing to do with me (although Audie did set traps in our garage after he found a section of the garbage bin “chewed out” in the garage). I like Sherry’s story – stick with that one!!
June 14th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Have you tried talking to the poor little critter? He only wants to be loved. Perhaps he doesn’t understand that you’re not fond of him. I suggest you make some small peanut butter sandwiches (mice like peanut butter) open a bottle of wine and ask him to sit down and discuss the shared living space. Tell the mouse it’s nothing personal. Try to be as open as possible, yet be sure the he understands he’s not welcome. If you take this kind, humane, diplomatic approach, he may no longer want to impose on you, and will pack his belongings in search of another roommate. Be patient – he’ll be heartbroken and it may take several days before he accepts your rejection and moves on with his life.
If, after a week, his furry little backside is still skittering around your floor, eating your food, leaving little turds wherever he feels and scaring the crap out of you…snap his tiny, dirty little neck real good!!
I used the grey and black plastic mousetraps with a little cover for the bait that they have to lift up with their nose. It seldom fails and they rarely escape. It’s very effective but somewhat messy. Use the peanutbutter for bait – they really do like the stuff although I don’t think they get a chance to taste it before their skulls are crushed. 
June 16th, 2007 at 1:22 am
About leaving little turds. How can you REALLY tell that they are fresh turds, and not just a couple you missed when you cleaned them up before? Mouse turds aren’t very big, so they tend to dry out quickly – maybe even instantly. They might even be pre-dried.
Doggy Doo Doo on the other hand, seems to be able to hold it’s moisture content and stick to your shoe a week later…