Thursday, December 02, 2010

Fall Means the Return of the House Mouse




If it's Fall, it means mice are about to find their way into garage and probably kitchen. It's never more than one or two, but even in our solid stone house they manage to find a way in.

The simplest way to catch a displaced mouse is with a "Tin Cat" mouse trap available from Gempler's or any other farm or pest control catalogue or store.

Though I'm more than a little skeptical about the claim that a trap can catch 30 at a time before rebaiting, there is no doubt that multiple catches are common. A glass panel in the lid lets you know if you have been successful, and the still-alive mice can either be let go or (in our house) tossed out alive for the dogs to chase. The dogs nail most of them, but I always make sure the mice have a fighting chance by releasing them on the edge of a very large ivy patch. If the mice can make a weaving dash for three or four feet, they're as good as gone in the thicket.
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1 comment:

Marie said...

How did I know the mice were back in our house? Left the dogs' treat jar open on the kitchen counter and the next morning it was empty. Had to marvel though how they managed to empty it. It's glass and still standing upright. Dogs not happy, mice very happy, they were molasses and peanut butter treats.

By the way, I love my electronic mouse trap which I keep in a kitchen drawer. Zap and it's a goner, lift the lid and dump it out. I need to get more.