This is a VERY strange question

Farelle wrote: But does anyone know anything about mice? My Dad has had a problem with mice in his basement and I have been catching them for him with no-kill traps (I know most of you are thinking.....whacko.......but I'm a no kill girl, what can I say) anyway, the last few have been so lethargic, they barely come out of the traps when I take them outside? Do they become less active in the winter? I'm curious about it bc I'm also wondering if there is something in the basement that might be making them sick.........and could also make my Dad sick........
Anyway, I KNOW it's a totally bizarre thing to ask, and now you'll all prob not want to read my posts anymore........ , but I just had to ask.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Well it sounds like the traps are making them sick, right? That's the only thing I can guess. I know we had a couple mice in our old house and our neighbors suggested these...now how do I describe them...plug-in sound things. Apparently it sends off this annoying sound to the mice, but humans can't hear it. You just plug it in. Sorry I don't know the name exactly, but this is a no-kill solution.

I just googled and found these somewhat natural approaches: #6 is the one I was talking about above. The beeper thing. Hope your dad doesn't get sick.

Depending on the severity of your problem, you have several options. If your house is completely infested, seek the help of a professional.

Peppermint oil is a natural deterrent. The smell is simply too intense for rodents and they will not try to go near it. It also helps to mask the scent of any tasty morsels that have been missed when cleaning. You can get peppermint oil in most health food stores and even some major grocery stores. Place a drop or two on a cotton ball. Place the cotton balls in areas where mice are likely to enter your house, by doorways or heat vents, etc.

Keep your home clean. If there is nothing to eat, they will be less likely to stay. Why not go out for dinner instead?

Good old fashioned mouse traps baited with peanut butter or bacon grease tend to work. They are more humane than glue traps but occasionally fail to kill, and may just maim. Glue traps catch the mouse, but it will not kill them. You will have to do the deed yourself. Electric mouse traps are highly effective, they cost about $25 st stores like Home Depot and will electrocute a mouse within 10 seconds of contact.

There are traps that catch the mouse in a box. The mouse can get in but not out. This can be a humane way to catch mice, but it can be a hassle because you must go to a remote location to release them. You don't want to throw them in the back yard because they will just come back in!

There is an electronic unit that emits a beeping sound that rodents hate. This sound is not a hazard to dogs and cats and can be bought at at Home Depot for about $30. But some studies suggest that they are ineffective.

Farelle replied: Wow!!! Thanks..........I should have just googled, but I thought it would be quicker to just ask. I forgot about the peppermint!! That will be the perfect thing to put in the drawers and around where I know they are sneaking.

I don't think the traps I have are making them sick....they're just little plastic things that you put peanut butter in. The weird thing is that the frist couple ran like the wind when I let them out but the last two just kind of fell out and stood there....one actually stumbled back into the trap.....?? It's just bizarre behavior for a mouse I think. The weirdest thing was today I went to check the trap and one was just standing there next to it!!!!!! And it didn't run when I ALMOST stepped on it............good thing I didn't EWWWWWWWW, but I just moved the trap in front of it and it walked in..........??? Now THAT is strange!!!

I'm definitely going to get the peppermint!!! thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

CantWait replied: Seriously though, if his house is infected, (and since you're seeing them so often this is probably the case) you're really not going to be able to catch them all. By now they've probably had babies, which will also grow up and the cycle continues.
I went through this a couple years ago. I'll tell ya a funny story.

I actually loved mice until I had them. I noticed the neighbourhood cat in my windown well, playing around. Now this cat has a nack for peeing everyone, including my son's stroller which was often left outside. I went outside to shoo him away, and I noticed he was playing with a mouse. Now if I were smart, I would have left him alone, but I felt sorry for the cute little mouse and I proceeded to shoo the cat away.

Well a couple weeks later I heard a little sound in my bedroom closet. When I peaked in I heard scuring, and all the Christmas chocolate I had bought were unwrapped and eaten. We attempted about two times to have unhumaine traps set, but nothing was working. A couple months later, when I was cleaning Anthony's crib bedding I noticed a few turds. The little SOB's had an entrance way right behind his crib where there was a piece of plywood coming off the wall. You can imagine the rest.

The last guy to come in said that by the amount of poison they were eating, the house was definetly infested. With the poison traps you won't even know they are dead really. They may make some fuss in the walls, between floor boards etc..., but the poison will kill them, and turns their body into fluff literally. You may come across a skull in a couple months, but really the alternative is better. Not to mention that the fecees can make you very sick.

stella6979 replied:
I was a no kill person too until they started to take over. We live in an old house and mice are just an inevitable problem. We tried the Riddex Pro unit which supposedly sends out those sounds to scare them away, but they DO NOT WORK! We thought they did at first, but we were wrong. We've used these other traps that catch the mouse inside and kills them instantly that way you don't have to look at the dead mouse. I hate them with a passion and have no problem killing them anymore. LOL! This is MY HOUSE not theirs.

Boo&BugsMom replied: You do realize when you let the mice back outside, they are going to come right back in right? They got there from the outside in the first place, they will just find that way again.

Just some info: mice can start having babies at 6 weeks of age. There are approx. 5-10 mice in each liter. Each pregnancy period only lasts for 3 WEEKS...that means after those 3 weeks they can become pregnant again, and have 5-10 mice babies within that time, then again, then again, then again!

Domestice mice are one thing, but wild mice that infiltrate your homes are covered with diseases and illnesses...deadly diseases! Among them, Hepititus!

luvmykids replied: Marie, did the poison eventually rid you of them? And they didn't stink if they died in your walls or under the floor? We have a few mice, I don't think it's too bad based on the evidence but I am terrified of them multiplying and taking over. I've hesitated to use the poison only because I've heard when they die it can cause a stink.

Farelle replied: I'm sure it's infested. I actually found a no-kill trap that can hold up to 30 mice!!! I want to set the two of them up and see what I catch.........if it's a duoble digit number then I'm jsut going to have to have DH get involved, I just can't bring myself to kill anything. I know they're dirty and carry disease.......I am constantly checking his living area and cleaning. The thing that bothers me about the poison is that 1) he has a really dumb dog and I'm afriad he would eat it and 2) I don't want to imagine mice carcasses all over the house, I've already found several petrified ones and it's GROSS.

By the way..........when I do let them go it's not right outside the house, I'm not that dumb!! I put them far enough away and closer to some other nice place to live!! LOL!

gr33n3y3z replied:
Well if anything is going to make your Dad sick those are going to be the things to do it
Those things are nasty dirty anmials and carry so many germs and diaeses
There is only one place for them

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Mice can find where they were from quite a ways away. They can also smell where their mice "families" are from the others left behind, from a long ways away. You can put them a mile away, and they will end up right back where they were.

We caught mice with a bucket of water and sunflower seeds. Put out a bucket full of water, half way, and sprinkle sunflower seeds on the top. Put the bucket next to something they can climb up on. They will jump in after the seeds and they can't get out and will eventually give up and drown. I know, sounds morbid, but at least another animal living in the home wont eat the poisons that can be used. Worst off, the animals drink the water or eat the seeds. Works like a charm.

Farelle replied:

Do they really??? I read that they only travel about 10-30 feet from their nests....I thought if I put them farther away than that, like outside and way in the woods they would have no idea where they came from...??

Ugh..........well, I'm going to give the new trap that I bought a try (when I get it) and see how many I catch. Maybe I'll mark the ones I toss out with some nail polish on their heads so I can tell if they really are coming back in!

I think a couple of cats too!!! He had a good one, but he sadly went to the big catnip patch in the sky

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Ok, I was obviously exaggerating on the "mile" part. I'm sure if you took them 5 miles up the road they wouldn't wander back. Just trying to explain, you need to carry them a LONG ways away though. They do smell their families, and where other mice are. They only travel that far away on their own (the 10-30 feet persay), but if put further than that they can track down where they were (within reason). Kind of like any other animal. Like when a dog gets lost, or you let a cat out, etc.

CantWait replied:
Nope, never had a problem with stink. It's not like there's dead bodies sitting in the walls or the floors. Literally they become a ball of fluff, like dust.

CantWait replied:
I'm not trying to convince you so I hope I'm not coming off that way, but the traps which carry the poison are small enough for a mouse to get in, eat the poison and leave, but only small enough for a mouse. There's no way a dog could get to it. We had a dog also when we had them, and had tons of traps out. Not only that, but usually the traps go in places where the dog wouldn't be anyway. Closets, cupboards, etc.....

Farelle replied:

HE HE LOL....I know. I just didn't think they were smart enough to find their way back. I guess I'll have to take them farther...or put them closer to someone else's house

I did find a few nests yesterday that were empty.......? I'm hoping that was bc those were the ones I already tossed. And I think I found another potential place for them but I needed more time to invstigate.........and gloves, and maybe a broom, just in case

I think I just have to buy a full body suit and go through the whole basemend and throw, throw THROW everything out..........we're prob going to have to end up with the traps too. If anything I'd rather do the snap traps, then at least it's a quick death and not days of suffering.

By the way....what do you mean when you say they turn to "fluff"...? I read that the poison pretty much makes them implode....it didn't say anything about fluff LOL

Boo&BugsMom replied: I'm curious about the fluff part too.

Oh, they hate bleach. You can clean the basement top to bottom in a bleach and water solution, that will help. Wont rid them, but it will help keep them away. Oh, and not to mention those diseases that may be lurking around from them.

Farelle replied: Ok...so I need peppermint....do you think if I put peppermint tea bags in the drawers where I have seen......traces..........of them, that will work? They do smell pretty strong. And second...bleach! Good idea, I may have to wait until I can open a window though for that one. I started the cleaning last night and OH BOY! what a mess they make with their "fluff" everywhere........or maybe that was the expired mice? LOL I'm determined!! The new traps I ordered have shipped so I'm going to give them a try and take it from there.
Thanks for all your help and for chatting with me about this...subject!