I seem to have an infestation of them and I'm horribly afraid of them. I tried glue traps and caught two one night on one trap. One completely on the trap and the other only the hind legs and tail were on the trap. They squealed so loud for so long, I couldn't take it. So it moved around to where I was able to place a trashcan over them. The next morning, I got a neighbor to come and throw them away and one had knawed at the other and somehow worked itself off the trap :0.. So when the trashcan came off away it ran. So no more glue traps. I need something that will kill them but I won't hear or see them, if that's possible. I hear and see them scurrying around the house. We're so afraid of them that we stayed in one bed all day, only to leave to use the bathroom and get something to eat. They're taking over my house. PLEASE HELP!!!!
Personally I find those glue traps nasty - heard stories like this.
We have a trap which is a live trap - in that it traps them, and you can release them later. Somewhere far from your home. Works well. Just put a dab of PB in it.
My husband resorted though to the snap kind. Kills them very quickly.
Ultimately though if you have more than a few, you need to figure out where they are coming in from and deal with the source of the problem.
ETA: missed the part where you stayed in bed all day. That’s kind of extreme … ! I’d call an exterminator if you really are this affected by them. We get a few every fall when it gets colder outside. Usually come in through our garage door which the kids leave open constantly when warmer. Remember - they are more afraid of you. Just be sure to not leave any food out and sweep up crumbs etc. nightly.
Get a cat?
If that’s not an option, I always thought the old fashioned snap shut traps were more humane than the glue traps. The mouse is instantly dead. You don’t have to touch it after - get a shovel and scoop it into the trash.
Or, call the Orkin man.
As a side note, you really don’t have to be afraid of mice. They are incredibly annoying in the house because they leave messes, but they won’t hurt you. I know that’s easier to say than to do, but please try not to pass irrational fears on to your kids…
If you can afford pest control, this is the time to get their help. We had a rat problem in garage once and pest control gave us some great advice (on top of getting rid of them). We learned the source of our problem was the bird feeders in the back yard, which we hadn’t considered. They were attracting the rats, who then moved on to an opening into our garage.
Call a Pest Control Company. Good luck.
All the traps in the world will do no good if you don’t block the point of entry into your home. You, or a better yet, a professional company, should go around the house and ensure that all cracks and crevices are sealed or blocked. There are various materials for this depending on the openings. Some involve wire mesh; others are foam-like sprays that fill in smaller openings.
It is worth it to have a professional company come in and do this the right way. They will show you points of entry that you haven’t even thought of. If you don’t do this properly the first time, you will just be fighting this battle over and over. Do you really want to keep doing this?
Since it’s not appropriate or practical to call your neighbor every time you have a mouse or to stay in bed all day to avoid them, don’t delay any longer and just call a professional pest control company in your area to take care of this problem once and for all.
You first need to determine the source and fix that issue, then address the mouse issue. Something as simple as bird feeders can attract mice.
If you are overrun by them as you say, I would skip the do it yourself and go straight with a pest control company.
I live on a heavily wooded lot with lots of wildlife (coyotes, bobcats, opossum,raccoon, copperhead snakes) just to name a few. For proactive purposes, I have bait stations out by my AC unit (a fave spot) and near my garage to deter them from the garage.
We’ve also used DeCon in the attic, garage and in areas where other animals can’t get to it.
If you remove their good source, they’ll find another location,
I do find it very sad that you holed up all day in bed with children due to this fear. This is irrational and please consider what you are doing to your children when you are this way in front of them. Please don’t create fears for your children. It’s not healthy to live in fear.
Mice aren’t going to hurt you. I hate snakes and I’m aware they live in my yard. I have a shovel out front and out back for when I have an encounter. This past April I almost stepped on one as I stepped from my laundry room to garage, it was by my door ready to come in my house!!
Call pest control!
You need to figure out how they are getting in and close off access. I have found that the glue traps really do work the best but you have to check them often so you can put the poor guys out of their misery once you catch them, not just leave them to suffer. Another option is live traps, you just have to make sure you set them loose far from other homes.
I think that an important part of this situation is to show your children how to deal with life’s unpleasant, but normal, problems. Mice, mold, bugs, fleas, lice…all are a part of life and all can happen to anyone, anytime. Your kids need to know that there’s a way to handle what comes along. Some pests are do-it-yourself, and some are the kind where you need help from a professional: a doctor, an exterminator, a counselor, whoever is appropriate to help with the problem. But cowering in terror in the bed just shows weakness and fear and powerlessness. Mice won’t hurt you or bite you. Get out of bed and call a pest control person.
In the meantime, look for any holes, in your woodwork, in the foundation of the house. Stuff them with steel wool. Mice can’t bite through it. Don’t put poisons down, because you have children.
Show your kids that you know you need help, and you’re not afraid to ask for it, and that you will use the resources available to you in order to keep your home safe and sound. Tell the kids this - don’t just call a pro and keep the kids unaware of what’s going on. Tell them that you’re afraid - that’s honest - but that help is out there and you’re going to get it.
If you have a lot (and it’s hard to know what “infestation” means especially because you can’t see them all), then you need a pro.
I would NOT do the glue traps for the exact reason you mention - you have to deal with the squirming while they starve to death. No fun.
There are “can’t see them” traps but they aren’t cheap and they only catch one mouse at a time. If you have a nest somewhere, you could have more than one generation if they’ve been there for a while. On the other hand, they do just come in through tiny holes when the weather gets cold. You can try to plug those, but that means every place that a water pipe comes in from outside, every teeny hole between garage and the hollow walls, and more.
Standard mouse bait traps make them thirsty so they go outside for water, which activates the poison and then they die outside. But that’s a hazard for kids and pets, and you also have to be sure there is no water in the house (pet bowls, etc.). And even so, you may find them in the basement.
Given your aversion, I’d get a professional even though it will cost you. You have to get past your fear of them - they aren’t going to hurt you. Get out of bed and they will run away.
But a pro will help you find the nests - you’d be surprised at where they end up. I found some evidence in my silver drawer (the good silver, that I rarely use) where they had chewed up the silver tarnish-resistant cloth, another in my glove compartment (crawled up into the warm car and made a nest of the napkin I had in there), one in the bottom of the grill, and one in the core of the hose reel. They also may have found their way into your attic insulation.
i got a no see them trap. it kills just like the regular wooden traps but its enclosed so you only see a tail. maybe a leg. it can be opened over a trash can and barely seen. i used to snap up to 8 a day on that one trap. just listen for the snap, empty reset and wait again.
if you continue with the glue ones i recommend a 5 gallon bucket half full of water. drop the trap in and add the lid, they die faster and you don’t hear their cries
there is also the self resetting mouse trap for large mice numbers… you can google it as there are several ways to make it
If you are so afraid of them, I would suggest having an exterminator come and show you where to stop them from entering the house. Although, they can enter from the smallest hole. They might be able to give you suggestions on keeping them out as well.
When I was pregnant with my youngest, I could have sworn we had 1000 mice running in the house even though it was probably just 1 momma mouse that had a bunch of babies. I really do NOT like mice, even though I know they cannot hurt me etc. Our cat had died in July so we were cat-less for several months. We got another one a month after he was born. Mice can tell when there is a cat in the house. We have not had mice for a long time–though our second floor residents have had an occasional they never come by us.
A friend of a friend borrows her brothers cat one week a month. Seems to work well for her as well as having one all the time.
We had a very serious mouse problem. We got 2 shelter cats and now we are mice free.
As others have said you should find their point or points of entry and seal them. You could perhaps borrow a friend’s cat. As long as the cat isn’t ancient, (which is what happened with my other cat) you should have a pretty good result and reasonable clean up.
Also if you hear them running between floors an exterminator may be the way to go if you really don’t want a cat.
you need to call an exterminator.
You also need to find out what you have that they smell to come in and feed off of. If they don’t have a food source? they won’t come in.
Good luck!
Updated
you need to call an exterminator.
You also need to find out what you have that they smell to come in and feed off of. If they don’t have a food source? they won’t come in.
Good luck!
In the future, get the traps that kill them instantly but house them in a little container so you don’t have to see the dead mouse.
I think the glue traps are cruel.
I much prefer the snap traps that break their necks and kill them quickly.
We live out in the middle of a soybean field.
Most years around harvest time we have a 2 week invasion of mice.
So when I see the field being harvested I bait up the traps and set them around the usual areas.
I catch a few per day and I leave the traps out till 2 weeks after the last mouse caught.
We’re out in the country and the snap traps don’t poison the mice, so I put on some gloves and go empty the trap in the ditch - a hawk, or fox or something will eat it - and then I re-bait the traps and set them out again.
This year we seem to have been spared the annual mouse invasion (knock on wood).
I’ve lost my fear of mice.
It’s my home and if they make the mistake of entering - sorry but they are going to die.
Additional:
If you know where they are coming in - some small hole? - get some steel wool and tightly pack that into the hole - mice won’t chew through it.
Maybe you can get your landlord to do it but it might be faster if you just do it yourself.
Oh no, an exterminator right away. For now remove all pet food or any food left open on the floor or garage. They do not come unless there is a reason like food. Patch up Any holes from and too the outside inside patch up cover check all your under the sinks. They are getting in somewhere. Check and keep checking. The pest control and exterminator is a must. Get a cat! Good luck!
We had mice once. Worst thing imaginable! They got into the pantry and ruined so much food!
We called our exterminator. He put out glue traps with a tiny bit of peanut butter in the middle. You don’t want to use poison because they will eat it and then go hide somewhere to die and then you have to contend with the smell of the after math. Snap traps are super gross and mice can get out of them. It was horrible having to deal with those glue traps but it was the only way to get rid of them. Once they were gone we were good though.
We live in the middle of corn & soybean field & every year at harvest time we get visitors. The last of the harvest went up about 2 weeks ago so hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon. We use the snap traps & our 100 pound “cat” - really she’s an Alaskan Malmute but she chases mice, gophers, voles…& laser lights so we call her our cat.
Either call an exterminator or set out the snap traps & just deal with it. There’s no way I would let small creatures like that take over my house & confine me to a bed.
Hope you find a solution that works for you soon!
jesus.
stop using glue traps. they are the most awful, inhumane, disgusting things ever invented.
if you don’t want a cat (your best bet unless they’re lazy like mine) use snap traps.
i was at someone’s house a few weeks ago where this happened, a frantic terrified little creature dying a slow and terrible death, and a person too squeamish to deal with it. i put it into a plastic bag and dropped a heavy tool kit on it. broke the tool box and i don’t care. if someone is willing to do that to an animal, they can damn well buy a new tool box.
staying in bed all day is a ridiculous response to a common life problem.
get an exterminator out, and don’t use glue traps or poison.
khairete
suz