Mice

[Woody]

In our last house, I had to spend a bit of time putting mesh over airbricks etc to stop mice getting in the house. I've not had time to do any of that nonsense in the new place yet. I have however amused myself watching mice running around our patio, well nourished by the 4 or 5 bird feeders we have at the bottom of the garden. They seemed content to scurry around outside, around the large multitude of great big plant pots that either arrived with us or were left by the elderly lady we bought the house from.

Not any more though. Mrs Woody has reported evidence of mouse incursions into our dog treat drawer and even showed me a packet of waffles that had been chewed through and half-eaten by what was evidently a massive fat bloater of a mouse.

Mrs Woody is a feminist, so there's no reason why I should have assumed that "the patriarchy" should have to deal with the mouse problem. After all, the mice have been merrily gathering mere feet away from the house to feast on the birdfeed she puts out. However, it turns out that mouse control is indeed a man job. There you go. She will neither catch the mice nor go anywhere near them once caught.

I had a couple of traps knocking about, they're like plastic boxes with one way in, then a big peg-like thing in the middle. Mouse goes in, takes treat, BANG, peg on the head, dead mouse enclosed in box for neat & tidy disposal.

Set those up two nights ago. Yesterday, I looked in one, nothing. Looked in the other, there was a little head twitching away. Took the trap out of the drawer, opened it up. Tiny little mouse looking up at me, one leg a bit mashed up by the peg, but otherwise OK. I popped him in a plastic container, gave him a dog treat to chew on. Proper country folk would no doubt have just humanely knocked the little dude on the head and chucked him into the weeds, as he'd probably not survive very well in the wild, but I couldn't do it. I took him out the back into a field, popped him into a bush and wished him the best.

I then got a bollocking from the wife, as mice can apparently travel up to 3 miles back to where they know food is plentiful. I doubt this one will manage, with his leg and all, but the message was clear - captured mice needed to be evacuated by car to a point of no return.

I set the traps again last night. This morning, trap no.1 was empty again. Trap no. 2 was not. Another mouse, must be a different one unless the last one was some kind of paralympian. Squashed head this time though. No way back for him. Stuck him in a flower bed.

I don't really want to have the 3-legged mouse dilemma again though, and find it a bit unfair to crush the head of the little fellas, so I have bought some humane "mouse motels", that trap a mouse until the morning, at which point you can just give them a telling off or whatever. I have set two of these this evening. I've also read up about this nonsense of homing mice that can travel 3 miles back to your house. Which turns out to be true.

It also turns out that if you're trying to be humane, you shouldn't just take a lone mouse out 3 miles away and leave them there. It's better to catch a few, and take them as a little band that can look after each other. Or, if you listen to PETA, you should release them near to where you trapped them, which seems bloody pointless unless I'm going to get round to mouse-proofing the house, which is a long way down my list of jobs.

So, I am left with a dilemma

I can catch the mice and release them in a PETA-approved radius of the house, meaning they'll be back as soon as they're hungry
Or I can catch them, take them out into the wild alone and release them to a lonely doom
Or I can collect a family of mice and relocate them all, witness protection programme style, to another place where they can live happily ever after
Or I could always keep all the ones I find and start a mouse zoo

What do you reckon?

 

[bluethrough™]

Done the humane mice thing myself a while back. Catch mouse, walk about half hour and drop him off.

Thing was back at the house before me, and just to prove it, I dabbed some tipex on his head to be sure it was him.

Don't mind them now though since a healthy mouse population means it's less likely you got rats in the house.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

In our last house, I had to spend a bit of time putting mesh over airbricks etc to stop mice getting in the house. I've not had time to do any of that nonsense in the new place yet. I have however amused myself watching mice running around our patio, well nourished by the 4 or 5 bird feeders we have at the bottom of the garden. They seemed content to scurry around outside, around the large multitude of great big plant pots that either arrived with us or were left by the elderly lady we bought the house from.

Not any more though. Mrs Woody has reported evidence of mouse incursions into our dog treat drawer and even showed me a packet of waffles that had been chewed through and half-eaten by what was evidently a massive fat bloater of a mouse.

Mrs Woody is a feminist, so there's no reason why I should have assumed that "the patriarchy" should have to deal with the mouse problem. After all, the mice have been merrily gathering mere feet away from the house to feast on the birdfeed she puts out. However, it turns out that mouse control is indeed a man job. There you go. She will neither catch the mice nor go anywhere near them once caught.

I had a couple of traps knocking about, they're like plastic boxes with one way in, then a big peg-like thing in the middle. Mouse goes in, takes treat, BANG, peg on the head, dead mouse enclosed in box for neat & tidy disposal.

Set those up two nights ago. Yesterday, I looked in one, nothing. Looked in the other, there was a little head twitching away. Took the trap out of the drawer, opened it up. Tiny little mouse looking up at me, one leg a bit mashed up by the peg, but otherwise OK. I popped him in a plastic container, gave him a dog treat to chew on. Proper country folk would no doubt have just humanely knocked the little dude on the head and chucked him into the weeds, as he'd probably not survive very well in the wild, but I couldn't do it. I took him out the back into a field, popped him into a bush and wished him the best.

I then got a bollocking from the wife, as mice can apparently travel up to 3 miles back to where they know food is plentiful. I doubt this one will manage, with his leg and all, but the message was clear - captured mice needed to be evacuated by car to a point of no return.

I set the traps again last night. This morning, trap no.1 was empty again. Trap no. 2 was not. Another mouse, must be a different one unless the last one was some kind of paralympian. Squashed head this time though. No way back for him. Stuck him in a flower bed.

I don't really want to have the 3-legged mouse dilemma again though, and find it a bit unfair to crush the head of the little fellas, so I have bought some humane "mouse motels", that trap a mouse until the morning, at which point you can just give them a telling off or whatever. I have set two of these this evening. I've also read up about this nonsense of homing mice that can travel 3 miles back to your house. Which turns out to be true.

It also turns out that if you're trying to be humane, you shouldn't just take a lone mouse out 3 miles away and leave them there. It's better to catch a few, and take them as a little band that can look after each other. Or, if you listen to PETA, you should release them near to where you trapped them, which seems bloody pointless unless I'm going to get round to mouse-proofing the house, which is a long way down my list of jobs.

So, I am left with a dilemma

I can catch the mice and release them in a PETA-approved radius of the house, meaning they'll be back as soon as they're hungry
Or I can catch them, take them out into the wild alone and release them to a lonely doom
Or I can collect a family of mice and relocate them all, witness protection programme style, to another place where they can live happily ever after
Or I could always keep all the ones I find and start a mouse zoo

What do you reckon?

I reckon you should sell them to @Heisenberg for tomorrow’s dinner.

 

[Heisenberg]

I reckon you should sell them to @Heisenberg for tomorrow’s dinner.

 

[TDA]

Mice constantly drip urine where they walk, so you don't want them anywhere near your house.

A cat would sort out the problem.

 

[stantys tattoos]

Mice constantly drip urine where they walk, so you don't want them anywhere near your house.

A cat would sort out the problem.

or the fidginator

 

[Wavey]

Just been reading up on the diseases you can get from mouse droppings. Scary enough without remembering times gone by and scouring around on the carpet looking for hash crumbs (remember them days? ), whilst having a bit of a mouse problem in the house. Went weeks of hoovering up what was on the floor before the penny dropped and realised what we were smoking

 

[TDA]

or the fidginator

Yes, would much prefer a dog. Some are good mousers, others can't be bothered

 

[TH63]

Mice constantly drip urine where they walk, so you don't want them anywhere near your house.

A cat would sort out the problem.

Our cat used to catch the fuckers outside, then bring them into the house, still alive, with an attitude of “hey, look what I brought you, you’re welcome”
It would then chase it around a bit until it got bored at which point I’d have to try and shoo the fucking thing out the back door

 

[Glos Blue]

Your injured mouse will have endured a slow and painful death.
If you can see a few mice, then there are a whole lot more that you can’t see. If there is plentiful food for mice, it is quite likely that rats will also find it sooner or later.

There’s nothing cute and friendly about mice, they carry some horrible diseases and can cause extensive damage. You don’t want the little blighters gnawing through electric cables.

Get some decent quality rodenticide or if you don’t want decomposing mice under your floorboards, get some strong snap traps, baited with peanut butter. I’ve been battling a family of mice living in the walls of the farm office for a few months. I can’t poison them because of the dogs, so trap them. Catch about 4 or 5 a week.

Failing that, try this method…
Anybody feed the birds? - Page 2 - Cardiff City Forum - https://cardiffcityforum.com/threads/anybody-feed-the-birds.17310/page-2#post-643899

 

[Woody]

uPdATe

First night of the humane "Mouse Motels" and we have had two guests already.

I loaded them into a bag, took it on my dog walk, and released them at the end of a farm track where there are tons of trees that drop fruit, berries etc. That should keep them fed and out of trouble.

 

[Glos Blue]

uPdATe

First night of the humane "Mouse Motels" and we have had two guests already.



I loaded them into a bag, took it on my dog walk, and released them at the end of a farm track where there are tons of trees that drop fruit, berries etc. That should keep them fed and out of trouble.

It’ll be back before nightfall, looking for more waffles.
Your house offers warmth, shelter and food, with no predators (apart from a few lame attempts at rodent control). There’s no way he’s staying outside.
At this time of year, when harvest is finished, the little critters are coming in from the fields looking for their winter home.

 

[TH63]

 

[Woody]

It’ll be back before nightfall, looking for more waffles.
Your house offers warmth, shelter and food, with no predators (apart from a few lame attempts at rodent control). There’s no way he’s staying outside.
At this time of year, when harvest is finished, the little critters are coming in from the fields looking for their winter home.

He'll have to walk about a mile and a half past 100+ other houses. I'll catch a couple of his brothers tonight and relocate them to the new colony in the morning.

 

[Popeye]

He'll have to walk about a mile and a half past 100+ other houses. I'll catch a couple of his brothers tonight and relocate them to the new colony in the morning.

This is where they’ll invade the house of an unsuspecting, lonely, old, defenceless granny in a wheelchair who’ll be able to do nothing about it.
No food left, electrical cables gnawed through.
Eeeeevil.

 

[Woody]

This is where they’ll invade the house of an unsuspecting, lonely, old, defenceless granny in a wheelchair who’ll be able to do nothing about it.
No food left, electrical cables gnawed through.
Eeeeevil.

There is an old folks' home about 100 yards from where I dropped them, to be honest.

 

[kernel]

There is an old folks' home about 100 yards from where I dropped them, to be honest.

Post a note through their door with details of Glos's patented "Rat Fight Club Pit Of Hell" and at least they'll have something to keep them entertained on those long winter nights.

 

[Jimmytaff]

Just been reading up on the diseases you can get from mouse droppings. Scary enough without remembering times gone by and scouring around on the carpet looking for hash crumbs (remember them days? ), whilst having a bit of a mouse problem in the house. Went weeks of hoovering up what was on the floor before the penny dropped and realised what we were smoking

Some good shit?

 

[steve davies]

There is an old folks' home about 100 yards from where I dropped them, to be honest.

just pop them through the old folks homes letterbox and when they spread disease and start to kill the old uns off just blame Boris

 

[Boo]

I got a few living in the garden wall. Every year I kill a few just to keep on top of the population but I’ll never deal with them all with woods behind my house. Like someone said above peanut butter works as bait. Get decent traps that kill instantly. Those crappy ones in B&Q are awful. Had a few cases of finding mice still half alive in the trap whic is cruel. Nice swift crushing or beheading and it’s over instantly.