Well, while looking through the endless pages on the internet about Bed Bugs an article stated that mice eat bugs. This would explain why there were no bugs in any other part of the house, other than our bed room? Then again they are BED bugs after all and our room has the only BED in the house. Our room also has no evidence of mice, anywhere. At the beginning of the bed bug adventure we determined that the house mice could stay because the house was bed bug free. Then came more reading during the adventure about mice and it seems that bed bugs live anywhere they can get food, mice are mammals therefore they can also harbor the little creeps in their beds!!! OK the mice MUST GO!!
To the store we trek once again, choosing one on the outskirts of town to try our hand at not being recognized in the future by these people. Sigh, household pests are certainly a lot of trouble. I mean what will people think? Will they think, oh how cool, these people really take good care of their home? Will they think, CHRIST who are these people??!!! Bed Bugs and now MICE??? RUN...... Not wanting to take the risk we put on our hoodies to cover our faces then went shopping. Sadly the sign on the door said, no covered faces, no back packs, etc so we pulled the hoodie back revealing our identities but still keeping our heads pointed to the floor. This might explain the clerk who just happened to need to be straightening shelves everywhere we went.
We perused the section of the store containing mouse eradication items closely. Mouse traps, yes painless and quick, easy to removed to the trash bin. These were a definite must have so we bought 4. Sticky traps, hey those look like they will do the trick, we know their path through the kitchen so another big YES as we picked up 2 of them.
The dogs that evening continued with their nightly fun of mouse hunting. From the living room it was a straight shot to the kitchen. The area rugs completed the fun for them. Our big girl (a 75 lb black and tan Doberman) has decided that we do not have rugs covering hardwood, we have magic carpets which are straightened numerous times each day so she can glide with abandon as far as they will allow. We were watching television when her body tensed, she held an intense gaze to the kitchen and suddenly like a bullet she was off, gliding across the middle room floor via the rug and into the kitchen. THUD was the sound she made as the kitchen rug slid her violently into the cabinets. Once again the mouse escaped as she shook her head side to side to shake off the impact.
When everyone was ready for bed, the pups tucked neatly and contently into their sleeping crates we emptied our bag of mouse weapons onto the kitchen counter. What do mice eat? They eat everything I suppose but what will they really enjoy as a last meal? We debated this for several minutes then decided to bait each trap with different foods to educate ourselves as to what a mouse would consider gourmet food as its last meal. Trap one, peanut butter, trap two a noodle from our macaroni salad earlier, trap three a piece of walnut and trap four contained cheese. Yes, that should do it we thought proudly. Now to get out the sticky traps. Place one on the counter where we find evidence each morning of their trip and another below the microwave stand. That did it, off with the lights and lets finish our movie which had been paused for the mouse trap event.
We settled back down in the living room to watch our movie all lights turned off, the house quiet, pups sleeping after a day of activity.
SUDDENLY and without warning blood curdling screams were coming from the kitchen!!! It sounded as if an entire army of mice were in there rallying a charge upon our unsuspecting TV watching selves. We jumped up, threw on the lights and charged the kitchen to meet the oncoming attack. What we found was heart breaking. A single terrified mouse all stuck on the sticky trap and trying to remove itself but becoming even more stuck with every twitch of its struggle. Tears began to fall. We want them gone but not like this, no never like this. Mouse killers we thought then I had visions of Nazi torture chambers. We took the poor little thing to the trash bin out back not knowing quite what to do with it now. Shame faced and with heavy hearts we picked up the other sticky trap deposited it into a plastic bag then into the trash container. Well, we thought 4 more humane killing machines set up so we went back to watching our movie.
A short time after we resumed our repose in front of the television, we once again heard a commotion in the kitchen. It sounded as if someone was hammering the cabinets with a ball bat. BANG, Thump, Thud then it started across the floor toward our direction. Quickly we again turned on the lights to find a mouse with only its arm caught in the trap trying desperately to get away.
We thought this is not working for us at all, we are killers yes but we are humane killers so the traps were sprung, we turned off the television and went to bed to cover our heads in shame and sleep.
Any suggestions on how to humanely remove these house mice are appreciated. Our dogs do their best but it is touch and go. Last night our little dog was chasing a mouse then laid down on the floor at our feet. She laid there for quite some time so we decided she must be ready for bed. When we got up to take her to bed we saw the tiny mousy tail hanging from her lips. She didn't eat it BUT she certainly had it. Thankfully she dropped it in exchange for a treat from the fridge.
To the store we trek once again, choosing one on the outskirts of town to try our hand at not being recognized in the future by these people. Sigh, household pests are certainly a lot of trouble. I mean what will people think? Will they think, oh how cool, these people really take good care of their home? Will they think, CHRIST who are these people??!!! Bed Bugs and now MICE??? RUN...... Not wanting to take the risk we put on our hoodies to cover our faces then went shopping. Sadly the sign on the door said, no covered faces, no back packs, etc so we pulled the hoodie back revealing our identities but still keeping our heads pointed to the floor. This might explain the clerk who just happened to need to be straightening shelves everywhere we went.
We perused the section of the store containing mouse eradication items closely. Mouse traps, yes painless and quick, easy to removed to the trash bin. These were a definite must have so we bought 4. Sticky traps, hey those look like they will do the trick, we know their path through the kitchen so another big YES as we picked up 2 of them.
The dogs that evening continued with their nightly fun of mouse hunting. From the living room it was a straight shot to the kitchen. The area rugs completed the fun for them. Our big girl (a 75 lb black and tan Doberman) has decided that we do not have rugs covering hardwood, we have magic carpets which are straightened numerous times each day so she can glide with abandon as far as they will allow. We were watching television when her body tensed, she held an intense gaze to the kitchen and suddenly like a bullet she was off, gliding across the middle room floor via the rug and into the kitchen. THUD was the sound she made as the kitchen rug slid her violently into the cabinets. Once again the mouse escaped as she shook her head side to side to shake off the impact.
When everyone was ready for bed, the pups tucked neatly and contently into their sleeping crates we emptied our bag of mouse weapons onto the kitchen counter. What do mice eat? They eat everything I suppose but what will they really enjoy as a last meal? We debated this for several minutes then decided to bait each trap with different foods to educate ourselves as to what a mouse would consider gourmet food as its last meal. Trap one, peanut butter, trap two a noodle from our macaroni salad earlier, trap three a piece of walnut and trap four contained cheese. Yes, that should do it we thought proudly. Now to get out the sticky traps. Place one on the counter where we find evidence each morning of their trip and another below the microwave stand. That did it, off with the lights and lets finish our movie which had been paused for the mouse trap event.
We settled back down in the living room to watch our movie all lights turned off, the house quiet, pups sleeping after a day of activity.
SUDDENLY and without warning blood curdling screams were coming from the kitchen!!! It sounded as if an entire army of mice were in there rallying a charge upon our unsuspecting TV watching selves. We jumped up, threw on the lights and charged the kitchen to meet the oncoming attack. What we found was heart breaking. A single terrified mouse all stuck on the sticky trap and trying to remove itself but becoming even more stuck with every twitch of its struggle. Tears began to fall. We want them gone but not like this, no never like this. Mouse killers we thought then I had visions of Nazi torture chambers. We took the poor little thing to the trash bin out back not knowing quite what to do with it now. Shame faced and with heavy hearts we picked up the other sticky trap deposited it into a plastic bag then into the trash container. Well, we thought 4 more humane killing machines set up so we went back to watching our movie.
A short time after we resumed our repose in front of the television, we once again heard a commotion in the kitchen. It sounded as if someone was hammering the cabinets with a ball bat. BANG, Thump, Thud then it started across the floor toward our direction. Quickly we again turned on the lights to find a mouse with only its arm caught in the trap trying desperately to get away.
We thought this is not working for us at all, we are killers yes but we are humane killers so the traps were sprung, we turned off the television and went to bed to cover our heads in shame and sleep.
Any suggestions on how to humanely remove these house mice are appreciated. Our dogs do their best but it is touch and go. Last night our little dog was chasing a mouse then laid down on the floor at our feet. She laid there for quite some time so we decided she must be ready for bed. When we got up to take her to bed we saw the tiny mousy tail hanging from her lips. She didn't eat it BUT she certainly had it. Thankfully she dropped it in exchange for a treat from the fridge.
