If mice have found a way into your home, don't despair. There are several ways to
get rid of mice - without the use of dangerous poisons.
Poison may be an easy way to get rid of mice however, it has many drawbacks. After eating the poison, mice return to their hiding place and die. The dead rodent will lie there and rot, creating a smelly and unsanitary situation. There also is a great danger of children and pets getting into the poison.
Instead of poison, use traps, a time-proven way to get rid of mice. Regardless of the type of trap you use, be sure to place it along the wall where mouse activity is suspected. Mice tend to be shy, so put the trap out unset for a couple days to allow mice to become familiar with it. Doing this will increase your chances of catching mice instead of scaring them away when the trap tries to do its job.
The cheapest and most common way to get rid of mice is with the conventional snap trap. These are typically wooden rectangles that have a spring-loaded bar on the top. Bait is placed on a pedal, and when a mouse touches the pedal, the bar is released, snapping forcefully down onto the mouse and killing it.
They seem to be very fond of peanut butter and chocolate, and both of these items work well as bait. The biggest drawbacks to snap traps are that they are tricky to set, and because they are very sensitive, can snap on your finger before they are placed. Unfortunately, depending on where the trap snaps on the mouse, these traps often don't kill the mouse, leaving it trapped until it dies, not for a day or two.
Glue pads or trays are another option, although my personal experience has been less than ideal. I set out several of these pads where mouse activity was present and caught only crawling bugs. The sticky pads are to be placed where mouse activity has been seen or is suspected. Supposedly, when a mouse crosses the sticky surface, it cannot get off. If left there, it will die and the whole thing can simply be thrown away. I considered the possibility of dealing with a live mouse and decided the pads were not for me.
Another way to get rid of mice is allowing it to live with a box trap. These small usually see-through cubes have a swinging door at one end only. A mouse will enter, the door will shut behind it, and the mouse will not be able to get out. After the mouse has been caught, push open the door and tip out the mouse. This could be while the mouse is still alive, or after it dies. These traps can be quite effective, just consider you will likely have to deal with the live mouse.
A high-tech way to kill mice is with a
Rat Zapper
. These devices are battery-operated box-shaped traps. Inside the trap is a small metal plate that delivers a fatal shock to a mouse that touches the surface, and the mouse dies in seconds. At $50 - $60, these devices are more expensive than conventional traps, however I have found they are one of the best ways to get rid of mice – especially for the squeamish!
No article on how to get rid of mice would be complete without cats. Cats hunt mice. Outdoor cats tend to be better hunters because they have been exposed to mice. And unlike their indoor counterparts, may have had to rely on them to survive. Even if a cat does not catch a mouse for food, a cat's curious nature will compel it to catch a mouse if only to play with it before killing it.
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