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Featured Replies

A trade-off in moving directly next to a 10,000 acre woodland/field is that for the first time I’m in a kinetic war against mice, both in my house and in my garage/shop/office complex.

 

What started last winter as a humane trap campaign is finished, as the little fuckers have figured them out. No more LARPing.

 

The rubber-bullet halcyon days of humanely tossing live mice into the grass 300 or so yards away has escalated into a full-blown holocaust.

 

So I ordered a big box of glue traps, a pile of cardboard and adhesive contraptions that can be folded into a small oblong box for discrete and sanitary disposal.

 

I caught the recon patrol this morning, and euthanized them while asking God’s forgiveness.

 

My CYHMWT question is other than having a professional inspect and protect my house against infiltration points, is there a better solution than glue traps?

 

Constraints - I’ve got 3 dachshunds, and would rather they didn’t get their inquisitive little faces ripped off by snap traps.

 

And no indoor cats.

The bucket traps work fairly well and the benefit is one trap can catch a lot of the little fuckers.

18 minutes ago, Da Fino said:

Outdoor cats. 

snakes are quieter (unless they have rattle).

  • Author

Thanks for that, @monkeydonut. I may just do that to expand the combat theatre of operations.

I love king snakes and usually have a few of those huge scary looking fuckers visit from time to time, but obviously can’t rely on them.

Regarding bait, what is the very best? I came across a tube of something at Tractor Supply last week that claimed to be superior to cheese or peanut butter, but didn’t buy it.

Around Christmas, I threw a half dozen mice into a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket and when I returned a few hours later half had been killed by the others.

And outdoor cats leave too many snacks for the dogs. They may be 99.99% wolves genetically, but I’m not raising them as wolves.

Decon (IIRC) makes a bait station you put in corners. You know, since mice tend to keep along the walls. It has some kind of bait, mice eat it, then somehow it makes them want to go outside where they die shortly after.

Used it in the garage a few years ago and it worked great. 

  • Author
Decon (IIRC) makes a bait station you put in corners. You know, since mice tend to keep along the walls. It has some kind of bait, mice eat it, then somehow it makes them want to go outside where they die shortly after.
Used it in the garage a few years ago and it worked great. 

That might be a good idea for the garage.

Get professional bait stations and there is a bait that is non-toxic to pets even if they decide to eat a dead mouse.  I have a neighbor that has about 10 acres in wildlife exemption so the bait stations closest to the fence line will be cleaned out in a matter of a week or two.  I have 7 others spread around the perimeter of the house and I think I've only had 2 die inside the house so far.  No idea how many have been kilt so far

8 hours ago, Handcruser said:

Cat is the only answer.

Pussy always wins. 

Glue and adhesive traps suck as they are indiscriminate - they work for everything, including snakes, lizards, birds, pets, etc.  If you use them and catch something that you'd rather not die a slow, painful death, vegetable oil can be used to remove them from the trap.

 

  • Author
Glue and adhesive traps suck as they are indiscriminate - they work for everything, including snakes, lizards, birds, pets, etc.  If you use them and catch something that you'd rather not die a slow, painful death, vegetable oil can be used to remove them from the trap.
 

Which is why I’m using them inside the house exclusively.

I didn’t choose to escalate the conflict. I was happy to send POWs merrily on their way.

the battery operated zappers work pretty well.   Quick kill, safe for the dogs, etc.

Glue trap issues have already been mentioned. I will add that bait traps suck even worse. We had a neighbor use them and I got to see the after effects on the poor fox that ate the rodents they were trying to kill. It was terrible. Kill the mice directly with snap or electric traps. They breed fast, so it will take a while to bring down the population to something manageable. 

You mentioned no indoor cats, what about an outdoor cat? There are rescues that specialize in finding homes for cats that will be exclusively outside (garage/barn) and are happy to be around, but not your indoor lap cat. 

https://tnrtexas.com/barn-cats

Also, if you do decide to inhumanely trap them, 300 yards is not enough. You need to release them at least a mile away from your house. 

  • Author

If I had acreage and outbuildings, I’d get a cat. But I have a regular lot surrounded by public wetlands and detention ponds, and my dogs love to eat cat shit so that’s the friction there.

Just found this water snake in the back, maybe he will eat them.

Since zero day when I started this thread, enemy casualties are nil.

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  • Author

Some of these Amazon reviews are hilarious. I’m glad my wife is a noncombatant.

Dirty bastard lol

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37 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

If I ever get caught in a glue trap somebody please hit me with a shovel instead of suffocating me. 

If your hands are free, send me a text. I have my own shovel. 

21 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

If I ever get caught in a glue trap somebody please hit me with a shovel instead of suffocating me. 

I've heard you can be freed with Vaseline and a submissive attitude.

  • 3 weeks later...

We have a local exterminator who helped us. Screw the glue traps and other traps those mice are so smart. He baited our house and areas that needed to be baited and it took away the problem. They aren’t poisonous to dogs. All I know is they are red square packets. They have a lot of vitamin k which will kill them. Vitamin k is in dog food and that’s why it’s not dangerous to them. Also, my stupid dog ate one and she’s fine.

  • 1 month later...

Just ordered some of those traps mentioned up thread. Anyone know a good exterminator in Austin? I’ve got some rats or squirrels getting in the attic

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