Get Rid of Mice : Options

Females have between five and ten litters per year with about five or six pups in each litter. They are capable of reproducing at the age of six weeks. A mouse infestation can easily get out of control if not dealt with as soon as it is recognized.

Mice are capable of getting through an opening the size of a dime. So close off the source of entry and eliminate mice currently within the home. If you live in a mobile home or have a crawl space, check around plumbing pipes inside cabinets for spaces mice can get in. Use steel wool to fill in cracks and openings to temporarily keep mice out. Also check for openings around doors, windows, foundations, and vents.

There are various types of traps that can be used to capture or kill mice. Traps are advantageous since poisons can be dangerous, and with traps the dead mice can easily be located and disposed of. When poisons are used, the mice often die and are not found until there is an odor. Also, poisoned mice can pose a danger to pets who may eat them.

There is the typical spring-loaded, wood-based trap, a live trap, and a glue trap. Traps should be positioned close to the wall or cabinet where mice are known to travel. A good bait to attract mice is peanut butter. It is not easily removed without setting off the trap. Several traps should be used for more efficient mouse elimination.

Live traps can trap more than one mouse at a time, and the mice can be released without harm in another location. Glue traps will hold mice with a special glue, but they can be ineffective with high temperatures or in dusty locations. Also, use caution when placing any traps where pets and children can access them.

If the problem of how to get rid of mice is severe and you consider poison an option – consult a professional exterminator. Multi-dose poisons are safer to use than one dose poisons. Label directions should be followed very carefully, and poisons should not be used if there is a risk of children or pets coming in contact with them.

Do It Yourself Bucket Trap

So you're out camping, or at the cottage for the long week-end and don't have your trusty Rat Zapper packed with your rod and tackle. You soon discover mice are afoot so, to ensure a better camping experience you need to improvise. Just remember, or print this technique, and you'll soon be able to enjoy a restful night's sleep – free of rodent intrusions into your food supplies.

This mouse trap is constructed from a bucket half-filled with water. It works by baiting the mouse over the bucket’s opening and then causing it to fall into the water and drown.

Materials: 5-gallon bucket, wire clothes hanger, paper towel tube (or several toilet paper tubes taped together), something to use for a ramp, and bait.

Assembly is as follows:

1. Remove the metal handle from the bucket.

2. Thread the wire hanger through one of the bucket’s handle holes, the cardboard tubes and then back out through the second handle hole. Bend the ends down securely. The tubes should almost reach from one end of the bucket to the other (leave a small gap near the edges so the mouse has to jump onto it).

3. Mix the bait with peanut butter or glue to make it sticky and generously smear it around the center of the tube.

4. Fill the 5-gallon bucket half way with water and place it in the area of infestation. Set up some ramps to help the mice up and you’re done.

Experiences and studies have shown that different population of mice has varied affinity towards particular food stuff. So, this is going to be ‘trial and error’ method. So if your bait is not working then switch over to another.

Check your bucket every day or two and if the water starts getting stinky, a little cooking oil to coat the surface can keep the smell contained. Never touch a dead mouse and change the water after every kill.

Get Rid of Mice : Habits

When attempting to get rid of mice, understanding their routine makes this task much more likely.

If mice have good living conditions (food, water, and shelter), they can multiply rapidly. They sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters per year - each litter has 4-7 pups.

House mice in a city environment may spend it's entire life in buildings. In rural and suburban settings, it may not only live inside, but be found outside near foundations, in shrubbery, weeds, crawl spaces, basements, or in garages.

Mice survive well on weeds, seeds, or insects, but when their food supply is shortened by the colder months they move inside nesting closer to a food supply. Their nests are made from soft material like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing. These nest are found in walls, ceiling voids, storage boxes, drawers, under large appliances, or within the upholstery of furniture. Outside the nests are found in debris or in ground burrows.

Mice are "nibblers" eating many times in different places, they do have two main meal times - just before dawn and at dusk - they do "snack" at other times at intervals of every 1-2 hours. They can eat about 10 to 15% of their body weight every day. Mice also cache food as supply permits. They get much of there water from food products.

Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight hours.

A house mouse is an excellent climber and can scale most rough vertical surfaces. It will travel horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 12 inches from the floor onto a flat surface.

An awareness of these routines should be considered when attempting to get rid of mice.

Get Rid of Mice : Prevention

To get rid of mice start by making your home as uninviting to them as possible. Before you setup some traps, make sure you understand how to keep mice out.

Cleaning your bedrooms is the first step towards getting rid of mice.

Leaving clothes lying around or objects on the floor, gives mice a place to hide and more courage to migrate from one place to another in your home. Don't leave food crumbs on your floor. Mice will nest where they can feed.

A clean kitchen will help you get rid of mice.

Mice are scavengers, and will eat whatever food you leave lying around. Crumbs, seeds, vegetables; whatever- mice will eat it.

To get rid of mice, keep all foods seal able containers.

A clean kitchen is a good start, but not enough. Mice are attracted to the scent of food. If you buy in bulk, those plastic bags will not do. Make sure you properly seal all of your non-perishable goods in sturdy air-tight containers.


To get rid of mice means not tempting them into your home.

The average mouse only needs a hole a quarter of an inch (1/4") in diameter to squeeze through. Make sure you seal your door sills, cupboards, walls and any places where mice might come in. Check your foundations for possible entry points. Make sure doors and ground-level windows are sealed correctly. If you find any discrepancies, use putty, caulk or my favorite – steel wool to address the problem before mice get into your home.