I caught a mouse

[rickhem]

I woke one night about two weeks ago to the sound of something gnawing on a nut or some wood in the attic above our bed. Banged on the wall, and it started again in 5 minutes. Did that a couple times. Couldn't sleep after that, so dropped the access hatch and had a look around. More than a few hickory nuts and mouse droppings. Not a good thing.

Next day I bought a 4-pack of the old style traps at Dollar Tree, since everyone else was out of mousetraps. These things are junk. Just like others have experienced, I had the bait stolen from all four and nothing caught. Tried peanut butter, but they must have licked the metal tabs clean without triggering. Tried some roast beef, gone and nothing trapped. Tried cheese, and I mushed the cheese onto the tab so it molded around it. Caught one, but every other trap was picked clean. This is turning into a mission now.

I went to a hardware store in a nearby town and bought four of the JAWZ traps that work well in the garages. So far only one more caught, but the other traps don't appear to be touched at all. Using PB for bait, and it's still in the little cups, and the traps haven't been triggered.

My fear is that it's not just mice. There's a few hickory nuts, all chewed and eaten, and I'm not sure the mice would get those up to the attic, but a chipmunk or squirrel sure would. We have a few birdfeeders, and the squirrels and chipmunks are there daily. Let me find one of those critters in the attic and the traps will seem like the least of their worries. LOL

[Mags]

More on car/truck entry points. I forgot to mention entry into the cabin through the steering column grommet in the firewall. Found the grommet chewed through and mouse droppings on the carpet below the steering column hole.

[rickhem]

Here's one that the trap didn't kill:

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[Sir Henry]

Here's one that the trap didn't kill:

Mouse in Pond.gif

Was that a fish strike?

[Ernie]

Couple of weeks ago I had a young bunny in the house. Previous house owners had installed a piece of plywood in the basement window to vent a clothes drier. I was always going to fix that but it wasn't broken. Looks like a red squirrel chewed a hole through it. Think the cat kept the squirrel out but a bunny fell in and the cat didn't know what to do with it. Rabbit passed me in the kitchen so fast I wasn't sure of what it was at first. Tried catching it with a towel and I am glad no one was watching. Set a live trap that night. Released it in the morning then bricked up the basement window. Pretty sure that will keep the red squirrel and everything else out.

[rickhem]

Here's one that the trap didn't kill:

Mouse in Pond.gif

Was that a fish strike?

Yes. Whenever I find that a trap has clamped down on a mouse's leg (arm ?) I bring that injured vermin down to the pond and flip it out a few feet. They typically don't swim for more than a few seconds before the bass pounce on them.

[Sir Henry]

That was way COOL!

[Sir Henry]

Number five.

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The last three have been caught with the same peanut butter. These are the best traps ever. No more stolen bait.

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[BigAl52]

Those all inside the motorhome Gene

[GeoBoy]

Gene, on your motor home do you have an electrical cord that goes through a door into the motor home?

[cooperhawk]

Gene, on your motor home do you have an electrical cord that goes through a door into the motor home?

I don't know about Gene, but ours does but the door closes and there is a round hole big enough for the 50 amp cord
which I then stuff with steel wool so there isn't even a slight crack. They still get in somewhere.

[Mags]

I have a lot of entry places stuffed with stainless steel sponge. Apparently there are places I haven't yet found where they still get in.

[Sir Henry]

Gene, on your motor home do you have an electrical cord that goes through a door into the motor home?

No but I wouldn’t doubt there’s a dozen places to enter.

[GeoBoy]

Great Stuff makes the Pestblock foam, I used it on my travel trailer many years ago.

[rickhem]

Came back from a pool tournament this evening and made a check in the garage to see if the traps had anything. Sure enough, a field mouse in one. I've been tying off the traps with some twine so they can't drag the traps off on those leg catches. When they get caught, and live through it, they usually start chewing on the twine, so they must know their predicament. Anyway, I picked up the trapped critter, got him by the tail and then released it from the trap. Usually, they just hang there, but while I was trying to reset the trap with my other hand, he started climbing up my fingers. That caught me off guard, and I dropped him, and he took off like a little gray streak, like nothing was wrong at all. I was going to send him for a swim, but he got the better of me tonight.
Well played little mouse, well played.

[Sir Henry]

Great Stuff makes the Pestblock foam, I used it on my travel trailer many years ago.

Right now I’m so busy with other things I’ll try to manage the problem with traps. The motor home is tucked away in the RVport and I doubt it will never venture out. It’s now an extra bedroom and TV room.

[Mags]

I had two rollup doors on my shop/shed that I replaced because the mice came right through them. They would enter through the horizontal flutes on the outside of the door where they meet the tracks, get into the track, move through the track to the next flute open to the inside and they were in. I had glue traps at the bottom of each track to catch them.
I replaced the doors with 5 panel doors each that opened into an overhead track. The hinged panels when closed where flush fit, no gaps.

This is a picture of where the mice were entering through the track and flute of the rollup.

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[Sir Henry]

I had two rollup doors on my shop/shed that I replaced because the mice came right through them. They would enter through the horizontal flutes on the outside of the door where they meet the tracks, get into the track, move through the track to the next flute open to the inside and they were in. I had glue traps at the bottom of each track to catch them.
I replaced the doors with 5 panel doors each that opened into an overhead track. The hinged panels when closed where flush fit, no gaps.

This is a picture of where the mice were entering through the track and flute of the rollup.


mice entry.png

I suspect there are dozens of places mice could enter. At least for the first year my defense is going to be to catch them.

On a side note my field was hayed two days ago and I saw a hawk circling overhead spying mice running from the tractor. I told a neighbor that and he said he has seen the same thing although a lot of times it fox or coyotes. I’ve seen both on my property.

[Mags]

...
On a side note my field was hayed two days ago and I saw a hawk circling overhead spying mice running from the tractor. ...

Seen similar here.

[Sir Henry]

I’ve been catching mice almost daily in the RV.

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