Please be quiet. Do you hear something? How many times have we heard that scratching in the walls or movement behind the stove at night? And please don’t get me started about the garage. Move your lawnmower from the corner of the garage or garden shed to mow for the first time of the season and see enough mouse droppings that you would swear they must have had a sales convention during the off season. Are you currently dealing with a mouse infestation? Are you wondering if you should or could exterminate mice yourself, or should you contact a professional to do so? What are some of the most effective ways to exterminate mice and take back your home? Hopefully, this article can help.
I have personally dealt with mice in pretty much every home I ever lived in. I’m certain most of us had. When I was younger, I remember my mother shrieking as she saw a mouse scurry past her in the basement. The mouse ended up climbing into a hiding spot in one of those hockey table games that I left on the floor. We ended up just picking the game up and throwing it outside, the mouse stayed hidden inside the game and probably scurried away at some point as the game found a new temporary resting spot in the middle our front lawn.
As I grew up, I had mice in every apartment I ever resided in. I had to exterminate mice many times. I never faced bad infestation (never had to call my landlord to contract with an exterminator), however still unsettling. In one apartment, I saw the mouse scurrying by my feet in the bathroom and just by instinct I started stomping my feet and ended up getting it, crushing it. I would not suggest exterminating mice in this fashion. I was actually surprised the neighbors on the floor beneath didn’t complain. They were probably like, “what is going on up there? Is he learning to river dance or something?”.
A couple of years later I found myself in another apartment with another mouse problem. Every night, I would hear the little thing muffling around in the kitchen. I ended up getting a glue trap and while it worked the first night I set it down, I vowed not to use that approach again. It did the job and I am not going to think poorly of anyone by any means who decides to get rid of a mouse in this fashion. However, when I woke up the next morning and saw the mouse stuck in the trap, one leg free and kicking and kicking and trying to escape, I made the decision not to use that sort of trap again.
As I grew a little older, I bought a house. Mice every winter in the basement and garage. I tend to use traditional snap traps now and they do consistently work. We also ended up adopting a house cat. She is very sweet and very gentle but an absolute mouse exterminator in her own right.
About Mice
House mice are fairly small rodents that have small rounded ears and tail about the size of their bodies. They breed at a fairly high rate. Their gestation period is approximately 3 weeks and the size of a typical litter is about 6 to 8. A female mouse can give birth to around 5 to 10 litters per year. Mice are generally differentiated from rats by their smaller size. They are primarily nocturnal pests with poor eyesight, but a sharp sense of smell and hearing. House mice dine on just about anything they can scavenge – from fruits to plants to meat to seeds to grains to edible garbage. Unfortunately, while you may only see one, they typically live in groups.
Among the rather nice things about mice as they correlate to rest of the world is that they are said to be fairly intelligent and friendly. They are said to be highly social as well. They are a part of the food chain, as small predators such as cats, foxes, weasels, snakes and birds such as hawks and owls will eat mice.
On the negative side, they gnaw on wires and can cause considerable damage within the house. A mouse’s fur can carry harmful bacteria and, aside from being gross, their droppings can make you ill.
What are Some Ways to Rid Your Home of Mice Without Killing Them?
Mice are one of the more frequent pests to encounter in your residence. You may have a single one residing there, or you may perhaps have an entire family of mice. They have the tendency to persist alongside baseboards, in your cupboards, cellars, garages, and really anywhere else within reach of food and a decent place to hide. If your residence is enduring a mouse infestation, there are a handful of things you can do about it. If you do not wish to exterminate mice, here are a few alternatives.
The Catch And Release Mouse Trap
The catch and release trap is a common way to deal with many pests including rats, raccoons and chipmunks. The common sense logic behind a catch and release mouse trap really is simple. You essentially trap the mouse and release it elsewhere. Afterwards, make sure to seal up any potential entrances to your home. This is really something you should be doing anyway. When releasing the mouse, just make sure you do so far enough away that it will not be able to navigate its way back. As far as the catch and release trap itself, there are many currently available on the market. These traps commonly consist of a small cage and trap door.
Here are a few highly touted traps currently on the market (all links to Amazon.com).
| CaptSure Humane Mouse Traps – By: CaptSure | Multi-Catch Humane Mouse Traps – By: Southern Homewares |
| 4-Pack Mouse Live Trap with Window – By: Noa Store |
The Ultrasonic Solution
If you decide to build your own catch and release trap, you can simply utilizing a yardstick, a trash can with high enough walls, and a little bit of peanut butter. Position the yardstick in a way that resembles a teeter-totter, with one side over the trash can and the other side on the floor or surface of a table or countertop. On the tip of the yardstick (the part that hovers over the trash can), dab a taste of peanut butter on it. Place the trap and leave it overnight. The idea behind this trap is when the mouse climbs up to taste the peanut butter, the yardstick falls down and the mouse will be trapped in the trash can. The next morning, release the mouse outside. Far enough away where you believe it will not make it back inside.
The ultrasonic solution is another humane method of removing or deterring the mouse or mice. These are basically small gadgets that you simply plug into a wall outlet. They release a high-pitched noise that is too high for most people to notice. The sound they emit is said to discourage mice from coming into your home and motivates those mice currently in your home to pack their bags and leave. If this sounds like something you want to try out, they are relatively inexpensive. Here are a few ones available (links to Amazon.com).
| High Impact Rodent Repeller – By: T3R Pest Repeller | Advanced Ultrasonic Rodent Repelling System – By: Cleanrth Products |
| Ultrasonic Pest Repeller – By: TBI Pro |
Peppermint Oil to Get Mice to Go
Peppermint oil is said to be a treatment for an assortment of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nausea and headaches. It can also be effective as a mouse repellent. Mice and many other pests including ants, spiders, beetles, caterpillars, fleas, flies and moths despise peppermint oil. When utilizing this pest control technique, you simply need to take a spray bottle of peppermint oil and squirt it anyplace you believe the mice like to frequent. A second option would be to immerse cotton balls in the oil and place these cotton balls along baseboards and suspected entry points to your home. Please keep in mind, however, that some household pets may also have a negative reaction to the oil. So please be careful if you have pets and wish to implement this strategy.
Here are some peppermint oil products (links to Amazon.com).
| Peppermint Oil Rodent Spray – By: Pure Origin | Peppermint Essential Oil – By: Lab Bulk Essential Oils |
| Ultra-Pure Peppermint Spray – By: Rodent Sheriff |
Exterminating Mice
The above our methods can be used when not intending to kill the mice. The alternative is to terminate them. Below are a couple of ways to exterminate mice.
Cats
Do you want to exterminate mice as nature intended? Cats can make fantastic pets, and they can additionally be an excellent mouse deterrent. Many mice are believed to actually avoid a home that includes cats. Just be certain you are willing and able to good care of your new furry friend in exchange for its mouse removal services.
Traditional Mouse Traps
Traditional mouse traps consist of snap traps that break the mouse’s neck instantaneously, electrocution type traps, and sticky or glue traps.
Snap Traps
Traditional snap traps are of the most commonly used type of trap. They possess a quick trigger process to eliminate the mouse. While snap traps can be fairly challenging to set, they are relatively inexpensive, often reusable and very effective in swiftly killing a mouse. There are a few different variations of snap traps on the market today. The most common include the bar trap, clam snap trap and hidden kill snap trap. The bar trap is most traditional type of snap trap. Simply bait the trap with peanut butter or soft cheese, place the trap and set it. The clam style snap trap simply uses a spring like clam jaw instead of the bar which is used on the bar trap. Finally, the hidden kill snap trap was designed so you will not have to cope with seeing the deceased mouse. It will kill the mouse in the same method as the traditional bar or clam snap traps however the deceased mouse will remain in a chamber so that you will not need to see it. You can release the deceased mouse fairly easily and reuse.
Here is a list of some snap traps on the market today (Links to Amazon.com):
| Easy Set Mouse Traps – By: Victor | Clam Style Rat/Mouse Snap Traps – By: Kat Sense |
| Hidden Kill Mouse Snap Trap – By: D-Con |
The Electric Mouse Trap
An electric shock styled mouse trap is designed to deliver a quick flash of energy that will exterminate mice, eliminating them. They usually run on batteries and are designed to handle a mouse problem both inconspicuously and effectively. Electric mouse traps tend to cost a little more than snap traps.
Some great electric mouse traps to consider are the following (links to Amazon.com):
| M250S Indoor Electric Mouse Trap – By: Victor | PestZilla Electric Rodent Zapper Trap – By: PestZilla |
| Eliminator 111 – By: Eliminator |
Glue Traps
As I mentioned above, I have previously used a glue trap before for a mouse problem. However, I have chosen not to utilize that style of trap again. Glue traps are nothing more than trays that have been well covered with an very powerful adhesive. They come pre-baited. When the mouse makes contact with the trap, they become stuck and are unable to escape. The traps, however, are not designed to kill the mouse outright.
Mouse Poison (Bait Stations)
Another means to terminate mice in your home is with the use of poison (bait stations). Many popular products are on the market now and they are commonly used. Mice will not perish in the bait station itself, so you should not anticipate finding any deceased mice there. Instead, a mouse will enter the station, consume a deadly dosage of the bait, exit the station, and most likely will proceed back to its nest where it will expire. Bait traps are commonly sold in a pellet form. One favorable aspect of using a bait station is that it can work for multiple mice at a time, whereas mouse traps will typically catch a single mouse per time used. On the negative side, the poison used in a bait station can also be harmful to humans and pets, so it is oftentimes not recommended for households with young children or pets.
Below are a list of great bait stations available today (links to Amazon.com).
| ProTecta Bait Station – By: ProTecta | Child and Dog Resistant Pre-Filled Disposable Bait Stations – By: Tomcat |
| D-Con Disposable Corner Fit Bait Station – By: D-Con |
Hire a Professional Exterminating Service
If you are not comfortable enough implementing the above methods of pest control yourself or have tried and were not as successful as you would have desired, you could get in touch with an outstanding and professional pest removal service. They are in this line of work for a reason and they are proficient at it. They will simply exterminate mice. Many businesses offer humane removal services as well. You may, however, need to do some research in order to determine which pest control companies offer these services in your area.
Some exterminating services are below.
In Conclusion
While outside your home, mice are rather harmless and, as mentioned previously, they are a part of the food chain as small predators such as cats, foxes, weasels, snakes and birds such as hawks and owls will eat them. You do not want wild mice residing in your home, however. You would want to exterminate mice. If you are currently dealing with a mouse infestation in your home, I’m sure this article will help. Be persistent, if something does not perform to your expectation, on to the next method. You can and will succeed.
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