by C.M. Tucker

Created on: January 30, 2007   Last Updated: April 28, 2007

Mouse infestation removal takes several methods simultaneously. Even then, it takes diligence and there are no guarantees. The mice in our remote location amid farmland and ranches seem to actually be intelligent. There is a bounty of lore about catching these critters.

I catch mostly young mice. I see catching mice as a form of free dog-food. Our dogs love to eat them. They can't catch them, unfortunately.

Success at catching mice is a combination of of placement of traps, understanding (a little, at least) mice, bait, quantity and variety of traps.

1. Catching mice begins with understanding them. They are intelligent, so methods and procedures need to vary often.
MICE: Have poor eyesight and use Routes to navigate by. Once a route has proven to be bad (there is a trap there), they warn others. They communicate at levels that we can't hear at as well as the well known squeaky yell when caught in a spring trap. After sex, the males sing at a frequency of 20 to 22 Khz. They love to climb, chew and have a variety of food. They are social, have excellent memories, are emotional and are exceptional learners. I've heard that their favorite foods are breads, crackers, birdseed and cereals. I haven't had much success with cheese or peanut butter. I have, however, had success with rabbit pellets, birdseed, ketchup and buttered toast. Females become sexually mature at 6 weeks, can become pregnant while breastfeeding and can become pregnant within 24 hours of birthing. The gestation period is 18 to 20 days. If deprived of water for 2 days, they will die. Some mice borrow in soft soil (like in gardens).

2. DEVICES I've heard about catching mice are listed here with my results and details:

GLUE TRAPS: Better than average, the black ones seem to be best. I've used these with a lot of success in the barn. There hasn't been that much success inside the house. I've caught as many as six little ones on the same tray at one time. It's usually just one or two, though.

REGULAR SPRING TRAPS: These seem to work better indoors. Placement is best next to a wall.

STRONG PERFUMMY SMELLS (dryer sheets & perfume): The fresh, new dryer sheets didn't seem to do a thing. I did however oust a persistent rodent in our bedroom with a hefty dose of TeaRose perfume. But that chased my husband out too and the wood chewing fiend returned a few days later.

ELECTRONIC PULSE DEVICES: I've no evidence these even work. And when I removed this device in our living room, I also stopped seeing mice there. That

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>