I live in the inner city, and there are mice in my house. Â*My landlady's had the professionals out twice now.. but never follow it up in time and if one pair survives in 6 months i've got a colony. Â*Now.. as a pagan who respects all life forms ( well maybe not some insects) I tried mentally to strike a bargain with them: i'll throw bread down the basement if you stop leaving your little mousy calling cards on my counters. Â*This didn't work as you can imagine. Â*I don't want to use what's commercially available because i have a dog i love very much and i don't want her poisoned. Â*Does anyone have any ideas ? Â*I would be most interested in hearing them. Â*[frown]

I've never had to deal with this problem, but I wonder if they sell any type of small mouse cage that works as a trap with a door that shuts when the mouse enters. This would be much more humane than poison or traps that catch and kill or crush their limbs. The mice could then be taken to a park or field and let loose there.

i'd say get a cat but the dog may not like that.

lileasluna wrote:
http://www.cauldronliving.com/images/uploads/scratchchin.gifi'd say get a cat but the dog may not like that.

As they say on Family Feud, "Good answer!" [smile]

I found at my local Wal-Mart, these sticky sheets of thick like paper made for mice and insects, that you fold into a box. Something on the paper attracts the rodents and insects to it, and when they step on the paper, they become stuck. Its a humane way to dispose of the mice without killing them. (If)you can tolerate getting the paper wet after words to realease the mice into a wooded area away from your home. Seems like alot of work, but if you don't want to kill them, maybe give this a try.

I had the same problem. I have 3 boxers , 1 isnt cat friendly.My sister comes and gets him for a day or 2 and leaves her 2 cats.We do it when to weather changes, thats when they want in my kitchen.It works a long time .I think they smell cats long after they are gone. Also CAUTION with the glue boards ,check them ALOT ,you dont want to see what happens when they are stuck to a board for a couple hours . not pretty.

I really hate to disagree with someone... but be super careful about the glue traps. Depending on the brand, getting them wet won't alwys free the mice. In fact, a lot of the the products out there you would have to soak over night to free the (by then) bodies.

If you have to <uh-hem> permanently dispose of them, go with tradional traps where your dog can't reach them. They are humane-ish. At least its quick.

BUT if you are wanting to get rid of them without the (let's face it, not only is it distatefull to kill them, but it is NOT a pleasant way to spend an afternoon carrying tiny rodant corpses out of your basement! I'd rather be doing just about anything else.) carnage go to the local harware store and look into getting one of thier plug-in sonic attack repellant kits. Or e-bay it for cheap. It drives the mice out (rather like forcing a biker to listen to Lawerance Welk all day) on their own volition without harming your dog or yourself. It has work pretty well for me.

Hope this helped a bit.

Updated: 09:38 PM EST
Discarded Mouse Returns to Set Home Ablaze

FORT SUMNER, N.M. - A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature returned to the man's house and set it on fire.
Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner said he caught the mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.

"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," Mares said from a motel room Saturday.

Village Fire Chief Juan Chavez said the burning mouse ran to just beneath a window of the nearby home. The flames spread up the window and throughout the house.

All contents of the home were destroyed, he said. No injuries were reported.

Unseasonably dry and windy conditions have charred more than 53,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes in southeastern New Mexico in recent weeks.

"I've seen numerous house fires," village Fire Department Capt. Jim Lyssy said, "but nothing as unique as this one."


01/08/06 17:10 EST


Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Serves him right for trying to BBQ that poor mouse. I wonder if anyone will try to bring animal cruelty s on him.

Yep, you reap what you sow. Score one for the mouse.