What to Do When You Find Mouse Poo
by Brittanie in General / 01.19.09
This summer, I decided to start composting. With composting came new friends, or fiends, that have turned loose in my apartment. Jerry and his relatives are chewing on my dog’s food bin, leaving trail marks of dirt along the walls, and camping out under my fridge during the day. Since my dog has no interest in chasing mice and I do not have a house cat like Tom, they live without fear and have overextended their stay. At night when they come out, I hear them talking to each other and my mind races around images of rabies-infested rats in gutters and vicious faces full of spiny teeth and red eyes. But not to worry; I have slept well since I found out how to beat them (with or without killing them):
1. First, leave the TV on at night. Mice think that this is humans talking. Never sleep in silence. If you do, it won’t be silent for long and their bickering and chewing will keep you awake after hours.
2. Or leave the kitchen light on. They tend to not come out at daybreak so this should simulate that effect.
3. Cover any and every hole with steal wool. If you use wood, mice will chew through it. How else do you think they made the hole in the first place?
4. Avoid the kill and build a better mouse trap like this guy’s: marquardts.org
5. If the no-kill method doesn’t work, challenge them to the death. Set up poison in areas that have easy access to the walls and dark places, under the fridge and behind the stove or near a water source. This stuff works fast, so be sure to stay around for a week to be able to pick up the bodies before they decay and get infested with maggots. You don’t want it to look like the first guy I found after a two-week vacation:
6. Leave traditional mousetraps in their tracks. These go off with the slightest touch. If you place them in their line of action — in front of the stove, around the dog food bin, near cracks behind the fridge — you won’t need to put food on them. However, watch out when you’re cooking.
7. Throw away the compost. Or, in the very least, move it far, far away from your back door.
8. Go natural: wikihow.com
9. Get a cat, name him Tom, then place tubs of his used kitty litter around entrances to the house. Once the mice smell the urine, they will think twice before reentering your home.
10. Try peppermint oil and incense. Natural deterrents like these are harm-free and can be placed near entrances to ward off trespassers. Add a drop of oil to a cotton ball and throw it behind your trash-can, light incense during the day, buy a peppermint plant, or cook with peppermint and mice will get an itching to relocate.
Last night i had found what looks like mice dropping in an unused cupboard. i have never seen this before so it freaked me out!!!
and after reading your article, i am even more freaked out :s
because you mention that the like to stray near water sources and the dark areas of behind the fridge .. but thats is exactly were my dry food and pot cupboard is .. under the sink and beside the fridge .. oh dear god :’(
but your article has been of great help as well.
Day 1, to help be rid of these vermin.
Lets hope everything goes well!!
We are behind you 100% Emma, good luck and happy hunting!