How to control a major rodent problem?
I have a major problem, mice have moved into my house, I am catching them everyday and night. Is there anything to control these nasty things that won't hurt my dog.
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Peppermint - oils or plants in containers around home
Mix 1 part flour, granulated sugar and baking soda. Place in shallow dish where mice are most likely to find it. You can sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar to make it more enticing. What happens is when this hits their stomachs the baking soda forms a gas which rupture their stomachs = dead mice.
Or
Soak a rag with ammonia and place in their holes. They’ll leave and never come back.
If you have that many mice, call pest control. They are in your walls. Make sure every morsel is cleaned up. Store all foods in plastic containers. Dog food is a major attractant.
First look outside and plug EVERY hole where they could possibly get in. A mouse can get in a hole the size of your finger. Then continue to set traps. They multiply like crazy and if they are so bad you many consider and exterminator. They can cause serious disease.
Other than that get the 4 pack of rodent traps at the Dollar and keep setting them. Be religious on emptying them as soon as a mouse is caught. You can hide the traps behind boxes with a tiny gap away from the wall to keep your dogs away from getting into them and weight down so the dogs can't move the box and get into the traps. I have found cheese, peanut butter and salami, all have great scent and the mice love them. Dogs will as well so make sure you put traps where dogs can't reach, under cabinets, in closets etc.
good luck. There is another option and that is the water method. Get a TALL kitchen trash can filled with about 6" of water. Mice can jump about 1 X's their height. Place a paint stick, ruler or something similar on a table with bait on the tip of it, balancing it over the water filled can half over the can and half on the table or counter. When the mouse goes for the bait at the end of the stick he falls into the water. They will drown in the water. I prefer the trap method because it takes a while for the mouse to drown and that doesn't sit well in my mind. Sorry mice, but when you choose to move to a humans home...you lose. Also close door or keep dogs away from the bait even if you have to move furniture to block their path to the bait.
We had a similar issue and first we called our pest control company who set traps in our attic but we kept having more and more come in- so finally I called someone who traps and kills rodents and he went up on our roof in the attic and all outside making videos of the areas they were getting into the house. It was worth the money because he used products the rats can't chew through - I live in GA and depending on where you live I am sure you can find find a wildlife and pest company. It is hard to control yourself once they get that bad and we tried everything for a few yrs and nothing helped us until we called in the wildlife guy
You may find that the mice have entered your home due to a food source. Is your grass seed in a heavy duty, tightly sealed metal container?
If you or a neighbor are feeding birds, stop this immediately.
If you have grains stored in bags or thinner plastic containers, mice will chew through them.
You may hear rodent activity inside your walls. Be advised that they love to chew on wiring and wood.
Pull out your stove and refrigerator and clean as if you were preparing for surgery.
Scrub down all walls, then always use a good kitchen exhaust when cooking/baking.
Don't forget to remove exhaust hood filters and soak in hot water and Dawn dish liquid, at least monthly. Immediately clean counters, floors, etc. after food prep.
Clean the inside of your dishwasher, including crevices, filter, etc.
Clean your yard of all animal feces, tall grass, rock and wood piles, heavy shrub/vine growth near the ground that gives mice hiding places. Don't have mulch within 18" of your foundation.
Mice can enter a hole the size of a dime. Check door/window frames, thresholds, garage doors, etc. for potential entry points.
You may need to send your dogs to a neighbor or a kennel, and use heavy duty bait, or call an exterminator.
Try visiting Ace Hardware. The ones here have a variety of pest control products and they could help you pick something that won't hurt your dog. Glue traps, although a bit gross, might be the way to go. If it is that bad, I think a professional would be the way to go. It might cost less in the long run. I know we learned the hard way when we had a flea issue.
I can sympathize, a few years back we had an infestation of them and it was a rough time to get rid of them.
We started from the outside in, went around the outside of the house with a friend and looked at every possible location they could enter, cracks in the foundation, around doors, windows, where pipes and wires enter the house, they are skilled climbers. We filled these with a foam from the diy store that contains something that cuts their faces as they try to chew through it.. Then did the same objective search, filling of cracks and crevasses on the inside.
We started with putting all food into plastic bins, everything that could be chewed through, then a thorough cleaning making sure there was nothing to eat..
For us, we found the conventional snap traps ineffective. They also would not eat the DCON bait. Next we bought the sticky cardboard traps from Walmart-a multi-pack, these were the most effective when placed strategically around the walls of the rooms. Just open them up, peel off the plastic cover and lay them flat for more surface area. The mice got smart really quick so we had to keep moving them. It took awhile, but we did eliminate them before they could produce a bunch of baby mice.
Best to you.
Here’s what worked for us: https://www.frugalfamilytimes.com/2018/10/how-to-get-rid-of-mice-rodent-proofing.html
A cat.
Hi,
Borrow a cat for a while, or call in the pest control guys!
Hidden sticky traps will not hurt your dog!
Traps are often the best option. Poison is risky for your pet. Try to eliminate every tiny entrance you can find. There is a foam spray that will keep mice out, because of an ingredient in it. Regular foam won't. It's great for tiny openings, around pipes, and any gap you can find. Eliminate every food source, too. They love dog food, so keep it a tightly sealed container. An exterminator is sometimes needed if your methods don't work. Sealing every point of entry, traps and cats finally saved my sanity. Of the three cats, only one was a good mouser though. But, having natural predators (even the clueless two, did help). Peppermint and other essential oils smelled nice, but, didn't work for me. I keep electronic repellers plugged in throughout the house, cleaned out and sealed the attic and basement and all three of my "helpers" have gone home. Do what you have to to get rid of them. Good luck and stay safe!
Here's a post that might help - https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Health_Human_Services/Environmental_Health/Control___Preventions_of_Rodents.aspx
Hello Retired!! Hope this link helps you out, you need to find out how they got in, if it gets to be too much,you may need to call in the pros,
https://lifehacker.com/what-to-do-when-mice-have-invaded-your-home-1786347063
Hi this is Peggy, so sorry you are dealing with mice. Be sure not to leave any food out and caulk every hole even the smallest. Mice can get in the littlest places. I even wrapped foil around my faucets under my sink and secured with duct tape. Good luck and glad you want to keep your dog safe.
Snap traps work the best and are the most humane. If you decided to do a poison get one with no "second kill" which means that if you have a cat that eats the poisoned rat, the cat will be fine.
I had to hire critter control for my mice in attic. nothing else worked including traps
If you can afford it, it might be worth it to bring in a professional pest control person. I would make sure that you never leave food out, if possible. Does your dog like cats? Maybe a cat or two could help, too.
Here's a post that might help, there is a section that talks about using soap to get rid of mice https://chascrazycreations.com/irish-spring-soap-and-flies/