Here is my cautionary tale:

So yesterday I saw a mouse in my emergency stores. We've never had a mouse problem before in our pantry, but today, after moving all the non tinned stuff off the shelves and into storage boxes with lids, I have found they've nibbled into our chocolate stash and quite a few other things. We have now set up 6 traps, baited with chocolate. 

I'm really glad I spotted the mouse. I only think he's been there a few days but think how much damage he and his friends could  have done over time if undetected.

I've been doing my best to put everything in plastic bins and get rid of all cardboard. Cases of canned goods are tricky though, can't get rid of that cardboard with the room I have.  Definitely going to have to get more bins if they got into your chocolate!

I have cats so mice have to be suicidal to come in here (it's happened once), but they're hanging out next door and upstairs and I don't want to tempt them.  ick.  

I envy you.  My cats keep pets!

I have numerous Maine Coon cats dotted about my house, and they are useless.  Saw a brown mouse once walk through 4 of them who had crowded around it.  If bloody mouse had a hat on it would have tipped it and said  "How you all doing on this fine morning" as it went passed.  Useless cats.  I ended up having to catch the thing and get rid of it myself while they watched. Of course after mouse had gone they all puffed out their big furry ruffs and claimed a great victory and how they all fought so bravely.  Ridiculous cowards.

Hz x

I envy you too.  My cats bring them in - then protect them like kittens!

Voles - no risk to humans - crunch crunch - birds - likewise - yum yum - mice:  "Aw, arent they cute!"

Your posts made me laugh, I've been there with previous cats!!!

And... Don't envy me too much. Last year a mouse got in, my youngest kitty (at almost 8 years old now) got to it - his first mouse!!! He injured it, and it died in an unknown spot in my bedroom. Took me a couple of days to figure that part out. (yeah, ewwwwwwwww) I had to move every piece of furniture in my bedroom to find it. :shudder:

I have an outdoor cat (former feral, now is in my carport on heated beds most of the time) and she is an *incredible* mouser.  She's not eating much food right now, she's filling up on mice.   Even better, she leaves the birds alone.  So you can envy me her. :-)     

We have vicious cats but they can't get in the pantry. They like to bring mice, lizards and birds into the house so they can play with them on the carpet before finally eating them. Every once in a while, one of them gets away. Yesterday a dazed and dehydrated mouse emerged from under the piano and was promptly eaten. It had been under there for 2 days - we could tell because the cats set up a patrol. I bumped into a cat yesterday marching in through the front door - which we keep propped open all day long - with a bird in his mouth. Thankfully I managed to shoo him out before he reached the carpet.

Mice are good eating.  

CRS, DrPH wrote: Mice are good eating.

LOL - I so hope you're saying 'for the cats'... otherwise ewwwe! 

I was thinking that you guys all feed your cats too well.... let them get a bit hungry and they'll hunt... I've cut back my feed for barn cats by about 2/3-3/4 and amazingly - my mouse problem has gone down dramatically!  Caveat - if you do this - worm your cats more often! 

Mice are a pest. We had a few once , our 20 pound tabby ripped them to death.  Glad we have him.... 

I am putting out more ridx mouse poison...it is in a dog proof case.  I still put them in places my dog will not get to.  Have them in the garage and now my basement.  Also have sticky traps in the windows and along the walls in case they get in.  Ridx poision drives them outside for water and they die. 

So we've caught 10 mice in two days!!!!!! Can you believe that? They've nibbled a hole in the wall, found their way in, told all their friends and my pantry has become a mouse social club. We set 6 traps last night and had 6 dead mice this morning. 4 yesterday (when we only had 4 traps). Unbelievable.

Damn, forgot to order mouse traps! Just did, won't be here until Monday. My friend/neighbor volunteered to set them for me - I just can't.  (they've been under my car hood, and another tenants car hood)  

Ooooh, gonna go put some peppermint oil out there until Monday.   Heard it works, if not my engine will smell great. lol

Just put more D con safe for dog traps out and purchased more real traps from Amazon.  Have the peanut butter or cheese to attract them.  Dang I worry about the little critters had a family living in my garage wall.  Got them with the d con stuff they did not all leave the "nest" and it smelled for a couple of months lucky it is dry here and they just finally dried up so no smell.

Glue traps have worked the best for me in the past. I haven't had a mouse in 3 years now. I do keep all my beans, rice, sugar and flour in big popcorn tins that I collected over the years from church sales. Pasta .. I remove it from its packaging and put it into large decorative glass storage jars. Mice aren't the only problems. Ants get into food, so do moths. I had ants commit suicide in my salt shaker last summer. Disgusting!

A comment on the traps with poison: there is an extremely high potential for birds or outdoor cats to eat those mice, and die an awful death. PLEASE don't use them.

Our local bird rescue posts so many horror stories every year, as do cat owners. Community cats (unowned cats) do a marvelous job of eating the mice, but if you kill them by poisoning the mice, they can't help anymore.

I won't be back to this thread, because this is too heartbreaking for me to read. 

Diatomaceous earth will take care of ants and other insects, CindiLou.  Get food grade.  Completely safe for pets and kids.  Heck, I know someone who puts it in his coffee in the morning to get rid of intestinal pests.   Just don't breath in the dust.  I use a baby nose sucker to spread it where I want it.  

KiminNM wrote: A comment on the traps with poison: there is an extremely high potential for birds or outdoor cats to eat those mice, and die an awful death. PLEASE don't use them. Our local bird rescue posts so many horror stories every year, as do cat owners. Community cats (unowned cats) do a marvelous job of eating the mice, but if you kill them by poisoning the mice, they can't help anymore. I won't be back to this thread, because this is too heartbreaking for me to read.

We did lose a cat a few years ago because he ate a mouse that had just eaten poison, so now we don't use poison. It was heartbreaking. I'm currently using those plastic spring loaded traps. We're making a pile of the dead mice and have found the local hawks (which are everywhere) are swooping down and taking them to eat so I'm please to help them out. One of the mice wasn't quite dead this morning so we gave it as a tasty snack to one of the dogs who crunched it up immediately and put it out of it's misery. The other 9 have been killed instantly.