This morning I was thoroughly enjoying a very pleasant sex dream when the damn thing got so loud it woke me up. Now I'm not only irritated that it exists at all, I'm po’ed that it disrupted what could have been a very good ending to a very good dream.
So where the hell did this thing come from? Jim’s suspicion is that it somehow snuck through the garage and into the wall. From my research, mice can enter through a hole the size of a US dime. Since he’s finishing the garage AND it’s often open AND we are surrounded on two sides by woods this theory seems plausible.
How’s it surviving in our bedroom wall? Jim said that from his past experience they (mice) eat the paper off insulation and chew on wires. That’s not enough to physically sustain a mouse though, is it? Doesn’t it need real food?
Plan of Attack: As I mentioned, I don’t know the first thing about mice. I figured I’d ask the Erdahls what they did but I'm unsure if they ever actually solved the problem or not… So, I started Yahoo!’ing and the first article I came across was a cute blog-esque synopsis of a guy who found a baby mouse, became friends but then became infested when that mouse (who became hand-fed) brought all his family to join him. NOT what I want to happen here.
The second article I found freaked me out because it started like this:
Mouse identification
Baits for wild mice are slightly different than those used for common house mice so you should make an effort to figure out which you have. Use the following two lists to determine the origin of your visitors. Wild mice prefer seeds, oats and unprocessed foods while house mice will eat nearly anything. If your rodents are larger than 5-6 inches in length (tail included) it’s likely that they are rats, not mice. If this is the case, read How to get rid of rats.
Uh, I can’t even see this mouse. I don’t even want to think of the concept that it could be a RAT.
Advice?? So far, the thing is only in one wall in our bedroom. And I think there’s only one…
11 comments:
I am most amused that the MOUSE is the star of today's post and the SEX DREAM is not....
Are you pregnant? ;) (What? Lisa and Sarah mentioned great sex dreams during pregnancy!!)
There are some live-trap mouse traps I'd recommend. I don't have any experience with it, though, but I don't think you want to be killing any mouse, have it "survive" only to die in your wallboards... I think peanut butter works, or cheese?
With all the construction going on in your neighborhood the mice are being forced out of their homes and are on the move.
If he was just around you could use traps and such but he's in your wall so you need to get a professional out before his whole family moves in - and they do - very fast.
An exterminator is not as expensive as you would think - call a few for quotes. Tell them you are new construction and all the evidence you have.
Also - with the construction going on spiders may become an issue for a little while too.
more researched produced a funny comment from a guy: "I don't care what kind of traps they are, whatever kills them the better. Humane my ass, they have no business crawling on my counters and shitting all over the place."
http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/how-to-get-rid-of-mice.html
If you want to wake up one sunny Saturday morning, groggily walk downstairs, pour yourself your first cup of coffee, and before you even take your first sip, you look down and see mouse bloody brains splattered over your floor, so be it!
Don't poison them (that's the one that makes them go back between your walls and die). And then it will smell like something died in there. Because it has.
My comment back to that person would be that he had no right building his house and counters in that mouse's land and home. ;) (using his logic, of course...) The mouse was very likely there before he was!
Perhaps you have found Ratatouille?? He can cook for you!! :) :) :)
Love that last quote.
I was going to say the same thing Carol said about the construction and all. Plus, if you live in a more wooded area, you'll get them when it's colder anyway. My mom had them for a while and would put bacon or peanut butter on traps...my brothers were responsible for checking traps for dead guys though. I bet Jim would do that.
I love the mouse picture! At least your mouse is hidden so you don't have it jumping out of the cabinet at you (or out of the kitchen sink like Lisa had happen to her). Good luck mouse hunting!
I had a couple pet rats for a while. I've also had a cat. At the same time. So I can tell you from experience, that a cat will kill a rat (lesson learned: never keep predator and prey together, even when you think you have provided appropriate barriers and protection; rats are very smart escape artists). That said, I also worked at a barn where the barn cat would stalk mice in the fields....bring them into the barn...and then set them free! sheesh.
Okay, if you want to discuss this in detail, call my cell phone. (I'm in Cleveland) I can tell you EXACTLY what we did and the advice we got when calling the exterminators.
The short version for your blog readers:
1. Exterminators tell you they're worthless for mice. You're better catching them on your own. I was impressed that they didn't just try to steal my money.
2. If it got in the wall, it's definitely getting OUT of the wall, and probably running around you house when you don't know it. Look for droppings along baseboards and furniture. They run the perimeter of the room. That's where you'll find droppings and maybe a possible house entry. Also, make sure that ALL food is sealed. Check your bread bag. They will chew through the plastic if you left it on the counter. We had a mouse eat THROUGH an entire loaf of bread because we were careless. Giant hole right through the center of the bread.
3. The BEST trap out there for the squeamish, is the battery powered box. It eletricutes the mouse so there is no "mess" and it is safe to leave out while Nicole is running around because she can't get in it. A little light tells you if you killed a mouse and you just open it up, dump the mouse, and keep your bait. Totally worth the investment. Killing the mice is best. Screw a live trap. I'm with the guy who said they're better off dead. They'll just come back if you release them. They're smart little f*ckers.
4. Yes, we did actually solve our problem for the year. (After much trial and error and finally finding the CORRECT trap) We killed a total of 14 mice. Don't think because you hear just one that there aren't others. You'll need to keep the trap/s out for a while to be sure.
k-
good afternoon.
we had mice "sneak" into our madeira house while we were trying to sell it last summer. REALLY bad time for new non-rent paying tenants!
i'll call you and tell you how we got rid of them and sold the house.
miss y'all.
c-
I'd try to take care of it as fast as possible because like the book says "Everyone poops"
Man, it sucks that a mouse had to interrupt your dream. Hopefully you can dream about me again some other night.
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