How to Get Rid of Mice, Part 2
September 15th, 2008Mice don’t make the best roommates. Unlike bigger roommates, though, they tend not to take hints that it’s time to move along. If you need to get a mouse out of your apartment, you may have to do more than mention that it’s time to move along.
If you do have a mouse problem, the time to act is now. Mice reproduce anywhere between five and ten times in a year, with five or six new mice in each litter. It doesn’t take any time at all for two mice to turn into a big problem.
Borrowing a Cat
Cats are the time-honored solution to a mouse problem: you borrow one from your friend, leave him in your apartment and let nature take its course. It’s not the best plan, but there are a few drawbacks you should consider beforehand. First, not all cats are mousers. If your friend can’t swear that his cat has ever encountered a mouse — and came out on top — you might be better off with a trap. Bringing a cat into an unfamiliar area can have a few problems, especially if the cat feels a need to mark its territory (although plenty of people swear by the smell of cat urine as a way to drive mice away).
Scenting Your Apartment
Plenty of homeowners say that certain smells, like peppermint oil or ammonia, will drive away mice. At best, however, putting down any kind of scent is a temporary solution. The strength of a smell strong enough to drive away a mouse is enough to get rid of an apartment’s human tenants as well. As soon as the smell clears out, mice can come back. You will have more luck putting down a scent barrier around your building to keep mice out in the first place (or after you’ve driven them out and want to keep them out). Put down a heavy dose of fox urine or another scent right around the foundation of the building, and refresh it fairly regularly.
Setting Traps
The mousetrap is a foolproof, though the least fun, method for pest control. There are a wide variety available, from the Havahart traps, guaranteed to leave your catches alive, to spring-loaded and glue traps that kill mice. It’s up to you to make sure that your trap is truly effective, though, and the matter comes down to bait. Peanut butter works well on larger critters, but mice need so little peanut butter to survive that they can just grab and go. Bait like popcorn is a good choice — it’s small enough that the mouse needs the whole thing to survive.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Nothing is working! What do I do? I’m about to have a nervous breakdown ! I see them everywhere one climbing the stairs one shooting across my feet, one in the pantry. I’m at my wit’s end I’ve put down glue traps, poison, Live Boxes nothing seems to be working at all. Is there anything I can do? Please help I want my home back I can’t sleep thinking that they will Jump on the bed ..I feel the next step is to burn the house down! We are about to do renovation on our home will that drive them out? or hide in other spots of our home?
This has gotten to the point where I want to sleep in the car. I can’t take it anymore. I feel defeated.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
the only thing that’s worked for me is that green block bait. It kills them quick.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:18 am
The problem is finding the source of entry.There is a hole or holes in your dweling. Locate the holes and seal them up with steel wool. The smallest hole needs to be sealed as wel. A mice can get through a hole the size of a key hole.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
My upstairs neighbor used that stuff. Unfortunately the mouse died in the ducting at my level in the apartment block. There was a soapy ammonia smell in that area for six weeks, along with a whole load of other critters from the insect world which feasted on the corpse.
If you want to remove a mouse, make sure you know where the body is going to be (alive or dead). Otherwise you or somebody else is going to have to live with the smell for a couple of months.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Find out what they are eating, and put it out of range. Are they eating a bag of grain. I found one mouse was eating the material (seeds) that were used to fill my juggling balls!!!
September 21st, 2008 at 1:22 am
I had mice in my last apartment - steel wool works
in pluggin up the holes - putting BOUNCE dryer
sheets works also - they don’t like the smell and it
drives them away - put them around the perimeter
of the rooms they are in and it should keep them
away. Good Luck - they scared the you know what out of me,too !!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
As has already been stated, get a cat for a few days, and your mouse problem will be a thing of the past. I tried it, it worked! You will not be defeated this time, so cheer up. Help is on the way.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
First of all you need to find out how they’re getting in. Once you see that then you should seal up all the holes in your apartment. Under the sinks bathroom cabinets and us steel wool to stop their entry way. Next thing to do is to make sure you leave nothing out for them to eat. Then start putting traps all over the place. You might want to set about 5 -7 traps and leave the house for a few days. When you return yous should have a mouse on each trap. If you have more do the same thing all over again but ake sure they have no entry way into your house. Again make sure everything is clean always. They can survive off of a small amount of food and also make sure you close the toilet seat every night and when you’re not home. Use the old time traps they work better. Following what I said you will get rid of this infestation. Glue traps are a joke. Also peanut butter is their favorite so use that on the trap.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:10 am
i have a similar problem. while mine are not in the cabinets they are in my couch, my daughters room and the kitchen. i have the green blocks and they are untoched. i have the snap traps with peanut butter and they are untoched. i have the electronic traps and those have been untouched. i think that the only other option is to get a cat. i heard that even if the cat doesn’t kill the mouse right away the smell of a cat will.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:46 am
My cat brought me a mouse from the kitchen. I am anal retentively clean so I was completely appalled by this. Instead of killing it she put it down to play with it and it ran back into the kitchen. I went and bought d-con traps and used peanut butter to try to catch it over the weekend. I ended up calling an exterminator on Monday after having nothing in the traps. The exterminator told me the secret to his success: strawberry twizzlers as bate. Sure enough he set a trap with the twizzler and caught it within an hour. So my advice is catch mice with strawberry twizzlers and make sure you bleach anything and everything the mouse could have touched once you catch it.
October 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
use an electric mousetrap….works on batteries…it solved my mice problem…look at amazon.com under agrizap….good luck…
October 15th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
My family managed a summer rental house for a few years, open in the summer, closed up in winter. Mice would get in and eat ANYTHING. We found that mothballs in vulnerable spots and hidden corners were effective repellents. Yes, mothballs are toxic, so you want to be careful about where you use them. But they do work.
That said, get a pair of kittens and the mice won’t be there for long. Also, you will have the benefit of cats.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:50 am
well guys i totally feel your pain they are in my couch my room my closets everywhere i cant even sleep at night thinking how they could jump in my bed its disgusting ewwww but now the exterminator came n we have traps and poison all over lets see what happens catherine….
October 25th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
The best bate for the snap traps is Tostitos salsa con, The cheese dip in the little jars,medium seems to work best for me.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I have a mouse problem as well. The snap traps work best, and dont waste money on the glue traps.
IT’s been a few days and I am seeing more poop! I have finally called the exterminator and he set up more traps. Hopefully in 2 weeks the will be gone. If not, maybe a cat!!!
November 9th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Me and my brother filled each opening with steel wool. And It was a while before I saw another mice. But then one came in through the light fixture in the ceiling. Killed that one. Now I noctice I forgot under the kitchen cabinet. I will pour ammionia under there and seal off the openings. Then place moth balls in various places and see what happens
November 11th, 2008 at 1:22 am
I have caught 2 mice with peanut butter scented glue traps. So they do work, I just had to figure out where to put them in order to catch the mice.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I feel the same as you, I’m at my wits end. Did you get help? If so could you pass it on to me, I would really appreciate it. I hopw you found the help you needed. I don’t know what else to do! HELP
November 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
I am a property manager and have had a fair amount of experience with mice.
First take care of it RIGHT AWAY. Mice will not go away on their own.
Some things to try first: bait, mouse traps and glue traps. If you use peanut butter you may find it attracts ants. DO NOT use moth balls - they are not healthy for humans to inhale.
Mice prefer human food rather than bait. Don’t leave food out. Keep kitchen area CLEAN - wash dishes and pots and pans right away; take garbage out every day; keep cereal, crackers & fruit in sealed containers. However I have seen mice in apartments that were spotless.
Don’t get a cat just to get rid of mice - it never worked in any of the buildings I managed. Also they may be attracted to the cat food.
You can seal up any holes you think they may be using to get in; but keep in mind that a mouse can get through an opening 1/2 inch high - their skeletal systems are different than ours. This means they can come in through heating ducts, under the front or back door or a gap in the floor molding in a closet that you haven’t even seen.
Get your landlord to get a professional exterminator if you don’t see improvement in one month - an exterminator will use stronger stuff. It may take several months to get rid of them.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
There are mice in my apartment, they are coming thru a hole in the back of the cabnents. I told the landlord and she basically said so what get some traps. I got some traps but they are not working. I found mice poop in my silverware holder!Also there is this mold that all of the sudden has appearned in the cornors of the appartment. I want out!but my lease goes till Feb. Also we have been out of hot water for three days. She tried to tell me that it was the city’s fault and they would come out and turn it back in two days. Then she changed her story to it’s the neighbors fault, he didn’t pay the bill and our wires are crossed. Then finally she said they would be out the next day to put in a new hot water heater. I really don’t think that is leagle and I want out of me lease. Anyone know if I can break my lease without having to pay the rest of the rent and how to do it? Thanks SO much!
November 24th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Go to Home depot get the traps that zap them when they go in! I know it’s not the nicest but they can’t come back in if they are dead!!! a lil skippy and you get your mice…
November 25th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I had a serious problem as well. The sonar things don’t work and sometimes they get out of the glue things but I used Smucker’s caramel topping and it did the trick. Put a little on the old time mouse traps and they can’t resist.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
OH My goodness, I thought I was the only one going nuts with these mice. God knows I keep my house extremely clean, it is an older house. In my kitchen I have just about given it to them, It devastates me and my husband hates them. I need help they are driving me crazy. I do put out glue traps and they do catch them this is the sickening part sometimes I check the traps there are 2 on the same trap. One night I opened my dishwasher up and I almost lost it, one was in there. Help me please
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Hi check out the Landlord/tenant agreement online. Know that thing inside and out!!! As soon as you have all the knowledge you need, confront her and let her know that you do have rights. This sounds a lot like the situation I once had with a landlord and as soon as I started throwing some of that in his face I moved out and never heard from him again!! Good Luck!!!!!
December 7th, 2008 at 7:33 am
To the woman who wants to sleep in her car to escape them:
THEY CAN GET IN THERE TOO! I brought in groceries from the car in the garage, but a bag of Chips Ahoy fell out of one of the bags. I went back out a short time later and there were chew holes in the bag of cookies! That’s how we knew we had mice. I was still hoping that they were only in the garage but that was a fool’s dream. Apparently, in addition to human food, they go wild over seeds. That is how we first got them. We’d had a huge bag of grass seeds that attracted them. They were having a field day with those seeds!
We called Orkin and the guy put down glue traps with Easy Cheese, the squeeze cheese in an aerosal can. It worked to catch two mice right away. He also put down bait and several spring traps. We had to sign a contract for him to come back every month for a year. He’d just walk around check the traps and put down more bait. They are now back (18 months later) or they never left. My husband and I could not seal off the garage like the exterminator suggested because of the type of garage door we have. Is there a mouse-proof garage door? According to him, homes with attached garages are more prone to get mice.
I hate them. They startle me. I can not feel at ease because I have no idea where they have been. well we do know if one place…in the walls chewing the cloth covered wires of our heating system. There was a short that screwed up the heat timers. We don’t know yet how much it will be to fix. It was $200 bucks just to have the guy coe out and say what the problem was.
I hate them.
December 7th, 2008 at 7:35 am
To the woman who wants to sleep in her car to escape them:
THEY CAN GET IN THERE TOO!
I brought in groceries from the car in the garage, but a bag of Chips Ahoy fell out of one of the bags. I went back out a short time later and there were chew holes in the bag of cookies! That’s how we knew we had mice. I was still hoping that they were only in the garage but that was a fool’s dream. Apparently, in addition to human food, they go wild over seeds. That is how we first got them. We’d had a huge bag of grass seeds that attracted them. They were having a field day with those seeds!
We called Orkin and the guy put down glue traps with Easy Cheese, the squeeze cheese in an aerosal can. It worked to catch two mice right away. He also put down bait and several spring traps. We had to sign a contract for him to come back every month for a year. He’d just walk around check the traps and put down more bait. They are now back (18 months later) or they never left. My husband and I could not seal off the garage like the exterminator suggested because of the type of garage door we have. Is there a mouse-proof garage door? According to him, homes with attached garages are more prone to get mice.
I hate them. They startle me. I can not feel at ease because I have no idea where they have been. well we do know of one place…in the walls chewing the cloth covered wires of our heating system. There was a short circuit that screwed up the heat timers. We don’t know yet how much it will be to fix. It was $200 bucks just to have the guy come out and say what the problem was.
I hate them.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Does anybody know how I could seal off the hole under the heating vent in an apartment. I told the landlord before that in my past experience w/ mice in an apartment they were coming in under the heating vent the maintenence came and sealed off the wholes w/ something. I was told by landlord they can’t seal off anything under the heating vent because it would start a fire. I don’t think it is true because it was done before I just don’t what it’s called if anybody knows please let me know. if anybody knows please send me an email at peachezsw@gmail.com Thanks,
December 17th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Don’t put out poison without a trap! I used to and found one dead under my sofa! The will drop dead wherever and you wont find them…until!
Its been a while since I found any, kept watching traps, but today in the basement found one in a trap. Had one a couple of years ago in my dishwasher, it stunk! got fried in the electrics. Just replaced my dishwasher and sealed all the area with caulking before putting in the dishwasher.
Seal all pipes under all sinks. Go into the basement and seal all openings with caulking I would caulk around all baseboards or make sure you have quarter round on the baseboards.
No FOOD anywhere or water keep sealing and cleaning and use traps until the traps are empty. In the spring and summer go outside and seal up every little CRACK!
So now I need to deal with the “dead mouse” which make me want to puke.
This summer I will be emptying everything out and sealing everything in the basement, Thats where they get in. I havent been deligent but now I will!
If you are in an apartment….go get
a caulking gun or tubes of caulking and seal all holes in cabinets, Around all pipes, put steel wool in places you can can’t seal like over heating ducts and around baseboard heaters. Caulk all windows and buy and attach door sweeps to the inside of your door so if other people have them they cant get in.
Put out traps after you have done all this, (you probably still have them hiding!) and keep doing this till they are empty….if it doesnt stop…you have missed a CRACK…not a hole…A CRACK! Pull out
all your appliances there might be a hole in the walls behind the appliance!
Also dont forget to seal the balcony door.
Wash all areas, and keep your kitchen (especially) and your place clean…
Good luck! by the way if they are running over you and are in all rooms, you are INFESTED! get the hell out and get an exterminator…then start at the beginning!
January 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
im at my wits end too i hope they wil create sumthing like a micebomb that will chase them until they blast i been having this probs and im going insane my husbands doing everything he culd we used peanutbutter in trap 1 killed another with poison every morning i wake up i can hear noises in the pantry im fed up i cant think straight nor i can eat im losing weight HELPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
IT CAN GO THRU A SIZE OF A PEN THATS WHAT IT NEEDS
January 17th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
A suggestion to seal the hole under the heating vent is steel wool. The steel wool can be stuffed in various irregular holes, is not flammable, and can be obtained from your local hardware stoor/farm store. The steel wool is too rough for a mouse to try to get around apparently. Good luck!
January 28th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I opened my pantry cover and a mouse was sitting there as pretty as you please looking right back at me, and I ever so slowly closed it. I went to check on my computer in the basement and looked down, there was one right under my chair apparently chewing on the carpet. My son-in-law screamed last night because he opened the bathroom drawer to grab his toothpaste and one was in there. I had my sister over yesterday and she left 5 minutes later because she said she saw one run from the stove to the area under my electric fireplace.
As of last night I set 8 traps and moved out of my house into my sister’s. I checked this morning and already 2 have been caught. I’m going to take everyone’s advice and place steel wool in all the holes I can find but regarding the vents in the floor, can I put the wool under it as I don’t want company to see a clump of wool sitting on top of it out in the open? Also can they really get in through LIGHT fixtures? I’ll put steel wool around all the pipes and clean out my house and apply caulking and wool but I need more suggestions on where the holes might be. Should I move my washing machine, stove, fridge and dryer and look behind them? Can I put steel wool around those holes and pipes?
HELP! I need more advice!
March 11th, 2009 at 9:30 am
the best way to get rid of mice is to have two cats.
March 26th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Two cats? Hmm.. I have two cats and I still have the frigging critters!
April 25th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
To start the person in a lease ~ all landloards must make and keep rental livable. Yes you can walk away before lease ends. If you know where the hole is place steel wool in it ~ mice will not chew on it.
All other that are trying to rid their home of mice.
Mice hate the smell and taste of cayenne pepper, peppermint, ammonia, and cloves. Lightly soak some cotton balls in oils from one or more of these foods and leave the cotton balls in places where you’ve had problems with mice. Another option is to make cheesecloth sachets from dry cayenne, mint, and whole cloves and leave them in places where mice are, such as under beds and corners.
April 25th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
In addaition these work well.
1) Fox Urine -
Fox Urine is a great way to repel mice because they are a natural predator to mice. If you don’t have a cat, and don’t want one, you can buy products that contain fox urine. These products can be sprinkled around your home to eliminate mice.
2) Peppermint -
Peppermint is a great natural way to deter mice. Placing a few peppermint plants around the foundation of your home can help repel mice. NOTE : MUST BE PEPPERMINT OIL NOT FAVORING.
Peppermint oil is $20 at GNC. Instead, buy it at iherb for $10, Now Foods Peppermint Oil, 4 oz. Use code HIT028 to get $5 off, or get it at any health food store.
3) Bay leaves-
Bay leaves are also effective because they can be sprinkled in your kitchen and around your pantry. Mice can’t stand it.
4) Hot pepper -
Mix one tablespoon of Tabasco and a quarter cup of soap detergent to one gallon of water, and you will have a great repellant spray that can be used in and around any area that you’re having mice.
5) Mint-
Mice have a natural aversion to mint, and will generally avoid it. Plant it around the exterior of your house as a deterrent as well as potting some around your home. Not only will they keep mice away, but they’ll freshen the air as well. Ahhh. Spearmint seeds can be had in garden centers or ordered online.
6)Moth Balls - USE CAUTION !!
Scatter moth balls in front of your front door and garage door. They’re a great mouse repellant. But don’t put them indoors—they’re highly toxic. SNAKE IS A GOOD DETERANT ~ AROUND FOUNDATION.
IF THIS DOESN’T WORK THEN YOU MUST TURN THE KILLING LITTLE DEVELS .
GOOD LUCK
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
anyone know how i can make sure i dont take any mice when moving to a new place… Whats the best way to do this?!?!