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cinderella_gw

How to repel mice?

Cinderella
20 years ago

I don't want to poison them because I don't want to have to deal with decomposed bodies after they start to smell.

I don't want to trap them to release them somewhere else.

Is there a way to repel them? I have heard that they hate the smell of mint. Is there anything else as far as home remedies?

Thanks in advance...

Comments (38)

  • lindac
    20 years ago

    I use de-con.....they seem to go outside to die....but did have one show up dead in the middle of the dining room...during a party.....
    Don't think anyone saw it!! LOL!
    Linda C

  • trekaren
    20 years ago

    I had rodents in my attic, and I bought one of the ultrasonic repeller things you plug in.

    It does NOT work for bugs at all, let me tell you. But it sure got rid of my attic rodents! I plugged it in where it was "ON" the wall that they were "IN" and it worked.

    My recommendation is buy one, save the receipt, and try it for a couple of weeks.

    Now the concept is that it annoys the heck out of them. So your experience will be that you'll hear them still trying to come around for a week or so, but they'll be in a big hurry to leave. Then they finally get the message and stay gone.

    I'm over a year now, rodent-free!

  • robtish
    20 years ago

    Did you find that the ultrasonic device bothered you or your pets?

  • trekaren
    20 years ago

    No but I have a cat. It does not affect her. The package says it only affects pets such as hamsters and gerbils.

  • mkirkwag
    20 years ago

    Bounce is supposed to repel them. However, I put a sheet in each place they'd been, and there was new mouse mess the next day. My father said they used the bounce sheet to fashion new party clothes.

    Last night I put a whole open box in each spot, as well as the repeller by the suspected entry point. That seemed to work. We'll see...

  • Dawn_in_Va
    20 years ago

    They have those sticky traps that work well. Last year I had a whole family! It drove me nuts! I found evidence of them almost everywhere. When they showed up again during my kitchen redo I declared war. It didn't bother me in the least to set traps out everywhere. I caught one lonely mouse that night. In one of the very drawers he visited too! After setting traps and cleaning EVERYWHERE in my kitchen I have determined he was all by himself!

  • earthworm
    20 years ago

    There is no such thing as one mouse, but hopefully, that may have been the last one in a family, but do not count on it.
    IMO, the electronic repellers do work ; hungry cats are also effective, and some dogs are very good at hunting them down.

  • cheshiremoggy
    20 years ago

    If you don't have a cat, try to borrow one for an afternoon. The smell of a cat will make any mice it doesn't devour move out.

  • msdmples_sbcglobal_net
    18 years ago

    shoot, we've got 5 cats, not one of them has caught our vermin. i think the cats are being paid off :)

    just this morning we had one in, of all places, our bathtub. don't know how, or why he got in there, but one of the cats was sitting on the edge of the tub just watching him. go figure.

  • nwroselady
    17 years ago

    I have a mouse infestation in my house that I think may have been CAUSED by my cats. Both are terrific hunters, but they bring the mice into the house, play with them for a while, and if the mouse gets away and hides under the furniture they lose interest after a while and forget them. My infestation is recent. I found a live mouse in my clothes dryer when I opened the door. Next I opened a drawer in the kitchen and found a mouse running around in the drawer. Worst was lying in bed last night and seeing a mouse tail whip around the end of the pillow and disappear. I moved to the guest room for the night. Today I bought four of the little spring traps but can't figure out how to work them. Guess I'll be sleeping in the guest room again tonight.

  • joy4me
    17 years ago

    nwroselady is right...many cats love to bring in
    *playmates*!! After awhile they let them go and they seem to become part of the cat's family. They also bring in any other small animals like voles and chipmunks. I had a chipmunk for weeks that would run across the floor chipping to let the cats know where it was and the game (I mean that literally) was on. It was NOT afraid of the cats, dog or humans. I finally cornered it and got it out the front door. The cages for catching the critters works....however....critters can travel quite a distance to return to an area they like. So just don't let them go over the back fence. If you have a pet that does catch mice..be careful using poison. Some animals have gotten very sick if the eat the critter. Traps seem to be the best way. At least for us.

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    HELP! i have a mouse who wants to live with me, i have a phobia about them. I dont want to hurt them but hubby says he will put poison down!! i have a big ginger tom who loves to watch it, i have 2 mastiffs who couldnt care less, i have mint plants which the mouse likes to hide in! i also have a variety of lizards and cannot get a guarantee from a couple of the manufactures of the sonic repellers that they will not upset them. Can any one help me? this mouse has lived in several areas and does appear at the moment to be on its own. my neighbours have used poison so i think this is the last one untill it invites its mates round in spring. any suggestions???

  • davidandkasie
    16 years ago

    no, it is not alone. mice live in groups and if you see one there are a few more. they moved into your house because the weather is turning too cool for them outside. put out som traps inthe areas you see them. bait with peanut butter.

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    Thanx for your ansa, however i am opposed to killing and that is why i am trying to find a repellent by the way did you know chocolate biscuits is another thing you can bait with. do you know of a humane way?

  • davidandkasie
    16 years ago

    you can use small live traps with bait, then you simply remove them to the woods if you so desire. you need to seal ALL points of entry on your home as well. any hole larger a dime and they will get back in.

    i keep them out of my attic with mothballs. i get 4-5 boxes and dump them around eveyrwhere. same with my workshop and storage room. unless your house is no where near airtight, and mine is drafty as heck, you won't smell them inteh home part of the house, only in the attic/basement/crawlspace where you put them out.

    the electronic gizmos do not work, not a single VALID scientific study has ever shown positive results that i have seen. some homeowners have seen good results, but most say it is a waste of money.

  • chris_ont
    16 years ago

    Last year I used snap traps baited with peanut butter. The quick death is more humane than the sticky traps. I caught 2 or three mice each evening/night until they were all gone.

    This year I have a cat. My neighbor has mice, I don't (so far!).
    I've not seen any (or evidence of them) so I am hoping that just the presence/scent of cat is keeping them away.

    Perversely, I am kind of wondering if my new (indoor) cat would be a good mouser. She gets all excited when there is a fly to chase. She'd have a blast with a mouse.

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    davidandkasie, please im not stupid but im in uk what size is a dime, im guessing its about the size of our 5p, and as for drafty id say that is an understatement, it is actualy a set of store areas attached to the house leading to the street. im gonna try moth balls so long as i can make sure my dappy dogs cannot get to them!!

    chris ont, I have a cat and this cat brings in birds of all sizes pigeons crows etc but it sits and watches mice for ages (i think he's scared of them!)

  • davidandkasie
    16 years ago

    if you can stick the end of your little finger inthe hole, then a mouse can enter thru it. all they have to do is be able to get their head thru, their body will compress to squeeze thru any hole their head can fit in. and i mean ANY hole. mice climb very well, so you should make sur eot look up as well as down for holes.

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    davidandkasie, you are certainly not helping me sleep at night, last summer i saw a mouse climb up next doors wall about 11 foot to go in through an air vent but i realy thought i was seeing things. Im glad its cold it means i feel justified to sleep with my windows closed!!!!! Do you know if mice like citrus fruit?? It was a suggestion to spray citronella oil aroung the entrance points

  • sawdust_maker
    16 years ago

    Whenever we get mice, I use a simple strategy. I start talking politics to them. Liberal, conservative, it matters not. Their eyes glaze over within minutes, then they quickly excuse themselves from our house, never to return. ;-)

    Happy turkey day!

    John

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    Dear sawdust maker,
    well thanx for that but i dont do politics does this mean i have to study that boring subject?????
    hope you had a good thanksgiving.

  • sawdust_maker
    16 years ago

    Oh gosh no, politics is not the only thing that works. One can be equally boring when discussing higher mathematics, religion, or organic chemistry. All would seem to work equally well in my experience. ;-)

    Its the alternative - the person who can maintain a gripping, entertaining discussion on any of these topics, that is the rarity. Even more rare would be the person who could do it and maintain rapt attention on the part of a mouse.

    Regards,
    John

  • bigmammag
    16 years ago

    Hi sawdust maker, i tried your advice and told the little dear all about freud and jung as well as a few others. He dissapeared and i was so pleased your advice worked...Until my son put on his new nike trainers to find a stash of peanuts and no tongue! wow you wanna see a 22yr old go nuts(pardon the pun)
    Before i could try donny osmond on my little mate my neighbour poisoned him. Ok he has gone but now i have a male (no doubt) young rat on his own how to get rid of him - no poison, and when i spoke about Freud he actualy came within 1 meter of me to learn i believe!!! according to my research rats do not get up at 9am hunt in the garden all day listen to freud and go back to bed at 4.30 and live alone CCTV shows he does! any ideas!!!

  • lindac
    16 years ago

    You could start a rat dating service....and make sure they all practised safe sex. And while you were lecturing them on Freud and Jung...you could add a little about the horrors of rodent transmitted diseases.
    But just remember what my Father in Law used to say, God rest his soul, "Where there's one there's two, always!"

  • texanjana
    16 years ago

    Mice can get through an opening the size of a pencil eraser!

  • nanajoanne
    16 years ago

    can you borrow a few or singular pet ferret from someone you know or invest in a pet one yourself?

    homes with ferretts do not have mice.
    at our old home we had a severe issue with mice and had the exterminator there numeorus times. they always came back, bounce sheets, sticky traps, 4 cats, 2 dogs and the pest things that you plug in the wall and all.

    my daughter moved in her two ferrets and the mice left and have not appeared again. we sold her the house because we were moving into my mother in laws. My daughter, grandbaby, son in law their pets etc. (4 rescue cats, 2 dogs, and the ferrets.) all are living happilily ever after.

    the squirrels that had been living in the attic and the sofet under the eves drough have even packed up and left.

  • firewilson81_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    yeah, sure.... i have a lady neighbor who collects cats in her house and out. they even go in the crawl space under my room on the ground leve. i have a python.she only eats the white mice from the pet store, nope she is not a racist snake. and i am not a racist person. but i don't know if the gray or brown ones around my room are already post poison eating. so , not even a serpent can help me out. and i have a little dog, he is like a minature sheep dog, he stares at the mice. actually, they are small rats. i know, i used to have pet rats. but they were in a tank. and they stink alot in a tiny room . i have an iquana who twists her head to look and thats about it. we are all useless. what to do????

  • bmwden_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    Once we caught female rat in a live trap. After she had been in the trap, we could not keep male rats out of it. She may have been "in heat". Amazing effectivity. Probably works on mice too.

  • lazypup
    12 years ago

    Get a big snake,,they will take care of mice, rats and those damn cats too

  • nycefarm_gw
    12 years ago

    There is thing called a sling shot. Oh, wait, you don't want to propel them...
    ;~)

  • BusterNC
    11 years ago

    I am terrified of mice, and live alone with two small dogs.

    I first noticed mouse droppings a few weeks ago in my canned goods cabinet. They had chewed through a bag of mint chocolate candy, and eaten the entire 24 ounce bag, of candies that were individually wrapped. I freaked out since they don't like peppermint.

    So, I got a beeper thing to repel them; it didn't work. I got the sticky traps, and a mouse chewed through the center and freed himself. I then got the old fashioned snappers, and while it caught one mouse, another was caught, and chewed its leg off to escape. I'm so grossed out.

    So, I called an exterminater, and almost a month later, I have not seen a decrease in droppings. I basically eat all meals out so that there is no food in the kitchen. What's there is in glass or metal jars, or canned goods. The counter tops are disinfected twice a day, and since they don't have crumbs, not sure why I still have the terrifying things. I put the dogs' water in a rabbit bottle so that it is off the ground, and they get fed twice a day, then the food is picked up. Their food is in a trashcan with a sealing lid.

    I've tried Bounce sheets, steel wool in holes, peppermint oil cotton balls, etc, with no luck. I've left puffs of my hair, dog hair, and a friend's cat hair on counters, with no luck as well. Any other ideas? I can't stand looking or thinking about the things, and need them gone as soon as possible.

    Thanks!

  • tkfinn97
    10 years ago

    My father in law swears by the little tree air fresheners for cars. They live on a farm and he puts several in a vehicle, in the engine compartment, in the basement, storage shed...wherever he wants to repel mice. He usually uses the "new car" smell...the blue ones, although he says other colors work too!

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    10 years ago

    They hate moth balls, and so do I. But I put them outside, around the edge of the house near any possible entry point.

    If you have pets, moth balls are not safe.

  • dreamgarden
    10 years ago

    BusterNC-"I am terrified of mice, and live alone with two small dogs."

    Buster, we also had a terrible problem with mice and tried all the things you mentioned. We ordered a Rat Zapper and it was the only thing that put a dent in their numbers. We are going to get one for the garage as well.

    The Rat zapper electrocutes them so they don't crawl off to die (and stink) behind your walls. You don't have to touch them. Just dump them in the garbage or do what I do, toss them in the woods next door for the hawks (and other meat eating critters) to eat.

    They weren't poisoned, so they are safe to 'serve'. ;)

    A link that might be useful:

    www.biconet.com/traps/infosheets/ratZapperFAQ.html

  • brickeyee
    10 years ago

    "i am opposed to killing and that is why i am trying to find a repellent"

    No one has demonstrated a reliable repellant.

    Learn to live with them (and the possibility of diseases they bring).

    This post was edited by brickeyee on Sat, May 11, 13 at 13:44

  • nazbeautytreatments
    8 years ago

    I have had mice infestation but this cab fresh is not working nor is moth balls the pest control guy came twice paid 140 to him and there still here

  • Larry H. Ramos
    7 years ago

    There is only ONE sure fire way to get rid of Rats and Mice. Buy several rat snakes and let them loose in the house, barn and yard. Absolutely Zero rodent problem. Guaranteed!