Get Rid of Mice
There have been many famous mice throughout the annals of time and many of them have struck a chord in our hearts. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Mighty Mouse and Jerry (of Tom and Jerry fame) are a few of the most endearing. However, it is a good bet that none of these wonderfully famous mice are the ones that have invaded your home. No, the rodents in your house are just your average pests and you should have no qualms about getting rid of them quickly. The following hints should put you on the path to eliminating this most annoying (and sometimes charmingly cute) animal.
Mouse Traps
There really is no “better” mouse trap. Two types have dominated the market for years – the traditional spring snap trap and the glue board. The spring snap is ironically considered to be more humane because death is instantaneous. The glue board, on the other hand, will hold the mouse to its sticky surface and keep it there until it starves to death. Woe!
Keeping Mice Out
Here’s an interesting fact. A mouse can find its way into your home through an opening the width of a pencil. It would behoove you to seek out cracks and crevices throughout your house and seal them up quickly with a good caulking compound. Not only will you deter mice, but other pesky critters and insects will find it hard to find their way in. Plus, your heating and air conditioning bills will go down.
Clean Up
Mice love to feast on the same things as teenagers and college students. Junk food left lying around on tables, rugs, counters and under furniture. Mice will be less likely to pay you a visit if you make your home a bit less hospitable by cleaning up sundry crumbs and foodstuffs. It’s time to say good bye to the stray Crunchberry and the half-eaten Mr. Goodbar.
Mouse Poison
There are certainly a number of poisons on the market to bring death to your mice. But think about this strategy three times to Sunday before spraying Dr. Death around your floorboards. Poison is not only harmful to mice, but pets and humans can become seriously ill when exposed to the toxins. Poisons should only be used in extreme cases of mouse infestation.
Plug Their Holes
In cartoons, mice usually enter and exit a room from a neatly rounded hole in the baseboard of a wall. In real life, their doorways are not too different and are pretty easy to spot if you are actively looking for them. You can make life difficult for your mice by tightly plugging the entryways with steel wool, which they can not gnaw through. Before you do this, make sure to peak inside the hole to see if the mice are sleeping in a matchbox or a sardine tin.
Always More than One
Do not be fooled by a single, solitary mouse. If you have one mouse in your house, you can be sure that there are several others scampering around your walls. House mice live in family units, often grooming their mates and offspring. Getting rid of mice quickly is crucial because they start breeding at three months, give birth to litters of 4-6 babies and have a life expectancy of four years. Remember this when you see that one, cute, cuddly critter.
Is There a More Humane Trap?
There certainly are traps that do not kill mice and simply imprison them in a cage until you come along to free them. However, mice have a knack for returning to their home so you must drive miles and miles before releasing them into the wild, where they will most assuredly die a horrid death anyway (remember that these are house mice you are introducing to the great outdoors). So don’t fool yourself by using these expensive “humane” traps.
Do Mice Really Like Cheese?
Actually, no! Research has shown that mice do not prefer cheese to other foods. Use peanut butter as bait if you want to lure mice with a yummy food.
You Can Get Rid of Mice
Mice are one of the most common of household rodents and they are not the easiest animals to eliminate. The two prong strategy should be employed to effectively rid your home of mice. First, traps should be used to eradicate mice already in your house. Secondly, every effort should be made to seal off and plug all mice entryways. Thoroughly cleaning your house and removing stray foodstuffs will also deter mice from making their way into your homestead. Good luck in your melee against mice.