Hey all,
We just moved into a ranch house in the country. It has a 1/2 basement that was poorly finished. The other half is a crawlspace. We have noticed a few mice around and just figured that was part of country living. Today, I went downstairs and started removing everything. The sheetrock was attached to 1×2 furring shot to the foundation walls, no insulation no outlets, no alot of things. Anyway when I went to remove the lid, every sheet had approximately 430,000 mouse droppings on it. So even though the fiberglass batts they had installed looked ok I took them out also. There had to be 20 burrow holes in each one and even a few dead mice.
Question is, any preventitive measures I can take before I finish it right this time. I have lived in neighborhoods all my life and never had mice. I wouldn’t trade this for the world but I sure would like to keep the mice at bay. I’m sure they are even thicker in the crawlspace area, although I’m not overly motivated to get under there and find out. We did get a cat and that seems to keep them out of sight but I don’t think the misses will sleep at night knowing about all of the activity in the basement ceiling. Thanks for any advice.
Cole
Cole Dean
Dean Contracting
Replies
I grew up in the country, seems we always had mice around. Snakes too. Lay on my bed reading one night when I saw a snake crawling down the hallway. Went and got my dad, who killed the snake and taught me about priorities, "Son, watch the snake and yell for me." He was a little perturbed I let it get out of my sight when he found out it was a cottonmouth. That was neither the first or last snake we saw inside.
I'd seal all the holes you can, put lots of poison out, and realize that you've got a desirable space for the critters: food, warmth, and shelter. Think of it as part of the country living experience.
Edited 12/1/2002 9:48:08 PM ET by Ken
Predators, poison, traps and environment control are the best ways to control the mice population. Believe it or not, but cats cannot control huge populations of mice. Take care to make it harder for mice to get inside by stuffing steel wool in their holes and concrete over or otherwise seal off entry points. Do not leave any kind of water around that they can drink (Unless you take a 5 gallon bucket, put about 3-4" of water inside, make a little ramp so they can walk to the top, then fall in and drown). I have an ongoing mouse problem here, so I know how bad they are to control. You have to keep up the control at all times lest the little micro terrorists take over.
Thanks Mark and Ken, (just guessing those are your first names)
I just couldn't believe the amount of droppings and the holes they had burrowed into that insulation. They had to be sleeping in their own crap. I did find a few holes in the joist blocking to the crawlspace that I will seal off. While I was removing all of this I kept thinking about that virus that comes from mouse feces and that was neat. I got everything removed and will commence to mouseproofing before I insulate and frame. Thanks for your advice. Although having snakes in the house also would help with the mouse population, I don't think I'm ready to tackle that.
Cole
Cole Dean
Dean Contracting
We've talked about this recently concerning squirrels (tree rats). I've heard very good things about ultrasonic pest controls, those things you plug in and it drives their little nervous systems crazy, and they move.
Gordsco
Sounds like your little "friends" may have been there for some time - - or maybe you lucked into the regional Mouse Convention Center that's seen lots of activity.
You don't mention your location. Before working in the mouse droppings too much, it might be a good idea to find if that Hanta virus does exist in your neck of the woods, A call to your local Dept of Public Health would give you that info. If so, all due precautions should be taken, spraying a bleach solution on the stuff, proper disposal of it, and wearing a good quality respirator (read: dust mask with two strings) rated at least N95.
I'm not in favor of poison, unless your basement and crawl space are really dry, or you will get to enjoy the aroma of dead mouse - One mouse can make quite a stink, and it is almost impossible to find the critter.
If you have a lot of mice, then Gordsco's suggestion of the ultrasonic gadget would be the quickest and easiest solution. I lived in a mobile at the edge of the woods while building our house, and every fall we would have a horde of white-footed deermice (the really cute ones with the big ears) move in, followed by a few squirrels for good measure. DW bought a couple of the electronic thingies for about $7 - 8 each, and put one in the kitchen cupboard and the other underneath the mobile near the water pipes, where we figured they were getting in. After the second night, we didn't see or hear any more sign of the critters, as long as the gadgets were plugged in.
As an after thought, if you go that route, don't plug up all the holes before zapping them acoustically - - They will need to be able to get out.
Doc
Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement
Doc's got it right! Poison only leaves a stinking mouse carcass in your house (or many). Grandma had a rat that stunk for literally years after poison. Never tried the sonic method - sounds good - but "the better mousetrap" with some peanut butter worked great for our annual winter indoor migration here in the northwest, and there is no blood or touching the beasts with this trap.
Being allergic to cats, I think I've tried every mouse trap and poison there is. The poison you can buy in the store is worthless around here - they just eat it and thank you kindly for the free meal. The exterminator's poison traps worked a little better, but then you have the problem of dead mice in the house - only a few are thoughtful enough to die where the trap is. Plus, now that I have an 18 month old, I am very reluctant to put poison of any kind out. The ultrasonic repellers work very well where the sound can reach, but they can't go through wood or drywall or insulation, so you are basically just keeping them out of the room that it is plugged into. My best luck so far has been 1) a powerful battery operated ultrasonic repeller in the attic (you would put this in your crawlspace). This is where the majority of mice were entering my house through the gaps in the shake roof, I think, since the nests were worst up there. 2) battery operated ultrasonic repellers in all of the cabinets near water - under the kitchen sink, etc. 3) plug in ultrasonic repellers in every room or open area. 4) a plug in repeller that is supposed to put an irritating field around your wiring. I know that sounds as dumb as the magnetic strip that is supposed to clean your water, but since adding (4) to the arsenal I have had far fewer problems with the annual mouse emigration.
Hope this helps, but if you can, a cat is probably your most effective treatment.
Edit after seeing the last message - according to the packaging the sonic repellers are not irritating to dogs or cats but if you have a gerbil or hamster you will be torturing them.
Edited 12/2/2002 2:45:39 PM ET by aimless
Did you or the previous residents have cat s and dogs and kept the dry food inside?
many web sites talk about the dry foods having something in them that really attracks rats. Be sure that type food is not kept around except in sealed containers and that you bring in any food left outside in pet's bowls.
rat traps on a string are good too - easy disposal
Once in a while we get a mouse or two in our cottage in Canada. I have left anti-freeze out, which I heard would kill them, but every time we go up again, it's mostly gone! Looks like something is drinking from it. Do they like it? When we set a trap out with either peanut butter or cheese, the "goodies" are gone, and so is the mouse! How are they doing it? Last time we left I put everything in plastic or tin containers so there's no food out for them. (One year they found some foil-wrapped chocolates and sat in both my boots and ate them - not the best of places to enjoy chocolate I would think.)
I remember when I was going to college in San Diego. I lived with my grandparents in Dehesa (out in the country). There was a squirrel that decided that he/she wanted to share my room My grandfather set that huge rat trap thing. One night I heard it go off, but never saw the squirrel. A day or two later I SMELLED IT! We looked and looked. Finally found that it had crawled up into the dresser. AWFUL!
Question. Does this sonic thing hurt dogs or cats?
We keep our dog/cat food outside in a sealed container. We had one of those containers that are meant for dog food. We kept thinking that our daughter was over feeding the dog, because we were going through it so much. Then we finally caught a raccoon in the dog food eating away. I tell you between then and the possums it was a battle.
Tamara
Edited 12/2/2002 2:07:42 PM ET by Roucrumom