|
Living in Harmony With House Mice
About Mice
If you spy a little grayish-brown animal with a long tail, chances are, he or she is a house mouse. House mice, who weigh in at less than 1 ounce and are usually about 2 to 3 inches long, need only a tiny bit of food each day. They are found throughout North America, often in buildings. They nest in walls, in drawers, behind large appliances, or wherever they find a cozy, secluded spot.
Solving Conflicts Compassionately
Some people are unconcerned about a self-regulating number of house mice in their home. Others are disturbed by the sight of just one mouse or his or her rice-sized droppings. Every now and then, deer mice, white-footed mice, or meadow voles also come into a building seeking shelter in fall or winter.
Mouse-proofing your building is the only sure way to deter mice. Killing them will only cause others to move into the newly formed vacancy. After mouse-proofing your building, give these little animals a chance by live-trapping and releasing them.
To mouse-proof a building, put all food and garbage in well-sealed containers that mice canï申t gnaw through. (You may want to move some foods from the cupboards to the refrigerator.) Feed companion animals indoors, and pick up the dishes when they have finished eating. Feed birds only in emergencies, like blizzards, when they canï申t forage for themselves, since the spilled seed attracts rodents. Keep piles of wood, bushes, and plants about 1.5 feet from the house to allow a clearing between them and the building. Seal holes larger than 0.25 inch in diameter, cracks in the walls and floors, and spaces around doors, windows, and plumbing.
After mouse-proofing the building, remove any mice who are still inside with live traps. Be sure to check the traps several times a day! The little animals will be hungry, thirsty, and frightened, and they may die if left in the trap too long. Release them at least 100 feet from the building, in a park, wooded area, or meadow. Do this in warm weather to increase their chances of survival.
Although many hardware stores sell live traps, you can make your own by putting a little dry oatmeal and a dab of peanut butter inside a small plastic wastebasket and tilting it (use a stack of books or bricks to hold it up). The mice will climb the stack to the wastebasket rim. They will go inside for the food but wonï申t be able to climb back up the slippery sides of the wastebasket.
Remember, check the trap often! When a mouse has been caught, put on gloves, take the wastebasket outside, and release him or her according to the instructions above.
Since mice may carry diseases that are transmissible to humans, clean the wastebasket and/or live traps and the areas where the mice have been with a mild bleach solution (1:30).
Keep in mind that live-trapping the mice will become an endless cycle if you do not first mouse-proof your building.
If mice are in a vehicle engine or some other place that canï申t be mouse-proofed, mix together salad oil, garlic, horseradish, and plenty of cayenne pepper. Let this mixture sit for four days, then strain it into a spray bottle and spray it under the vehicleï申s hood. This wonï申t hurt the engine or animals. Other repellents are moth balls and peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls.
If your local hardware store carries poisons and sticky glue traps, which cause rodents and other animals intense suffering and agonizing deaths, urge the manager to carry humane live traps instead.
|
