I haven't had a mouse here for over 10 years. Then, & now, one got in - I think when I went out & didn't shut door all the way, looking to be warm. There are no holes in my house.
Sat, I opened built in cabinet back of tub (by head) to get soap, & a friggin mouse ran out.. down hall toward living room! I hunted for my old trap & found 2 (one's real old). Took me awhile to remember how to set it, but I put in hall by L room. Stayed away & 10-15 min later heard it snap. EEEEEK, now I gotta get him out & to garbage!
Then I thought, if there's one, might be another, so I reset trap & put in same place & shut cab. door. I noticed scratch marks on soaps in there & boxes torn open. He was eating SOAP. How did he get in there?
Sunday a.m., looked in & there was a mouse in trap but he was moving around. I slammed door, waiting for it to die. couple hours later when no sound, I opened door & mouse & trap were gone. Looked in with flashlite, moving things & couldn't see either. I DID NOT reach in though to move things way in back - it's 2 1/2 ft deep. I set the other trap & put it towards front near bar of soap & closed door.
Sunday night was washing up & heard that sucker moving & scratching right by door where trap was set. I checked Mon a.m. & 2nd trap was set off & bait still on. No sign of mouse. Was thinking I'll find a mouse-in-a-trap-in-a-trap LOL.
Trap is still set with bait on. Where'd he go????? He could NOT get out thru cab. door. I'm still afraid to really reach in & pull things out. He's been eating more SOAP!! Where's my other trap? Hope he's not stuck in wall - arrrrgh
Oh me gosh, I just went to check & I see him. He wasn't there earlier.
My worst thought would be I got mamma & papa & maybe there are babies? OK, I go get him now & leave other trap set just in case.
I hates mieces to pieces

Well, that was NOT COOL. How he lived all this time with that bar on his belly -- like where our belly button is, I won't know. He was walking around sideways like that ...decided to go eat more soap, & died with his face on it. There were chew marks on it. My gosh, he was almost cut in half almost mid belly. Thank God - no blood & he wasn't dead long so it didn't stink. I'm not afraid to shoot animals, but I don't like them to suffer. He was like that for 2 1/2 days!
At least he died happy, eating a bar of perfumed SOAP.
Tomorrow, will clean everything in there which is, many Ace bandages, ice pack thingies, stethoscope, bandages, cotton balls etc. and SOAP. Then find the hole they got in from!

Patty,

to catch a mouse is very easy, here is my recipe:
1. Put a big enough can (garbage can for example) thick to a wall.
2. Put some food in it.
Mouse can climb over the wall and get into the can, but he can't jump out!
3. Release the can outside.

I never kill a mouse, I'm releasing them in yard.
Mostly, they do not come back into the house. If they do I repeat steps 1-3.

BTW:
I'm using tons of seeds per year for feeding wild birds.
500-700+ birds coming to my yard daily is nothing unusual, specialy during coldest winter periods.
Mouses have enough food out there and are practicaly absent even from the basement. Never had less oportunity to see a mouse then a last couple of years.

Patty, compared to me, you have a big kind heart. I'm glad you got that mouse.

But rats are a lot bigger and more voracious than mice. I have plenty of rats in my yard, feasting on my citruses at night. They live down in my elaborate drainage and aerator tunnels for my trees, as evidenced by gnawed out drainage covers (made of hard plastic).

One of these days, when I really find the time, I will literally gas them out. My plan would be to put metal grills over each drainage hole, to allow the air to flow a little bit, but place some bricks over those grills, partially covering the holes to control air flow. And then in one of the lower lying hole, I will bundle about three flare sticks of gopher gas out, ignite these and run leaf blower on that hole to fan out the fumes to all the other holes. Hopefully every rodent in my tunnels will be exterminated. I will come with an ambush like gassing with the aid of leaf blower. I know they will still be in the holes, it's just cozy and stable down there, and hope they don't know what's coming to them soon. Any other ideas are welcome.

I really hate to see all of my fruits saved from the Arctic Blast only to feed these rats? Their current favorite is the fruits from my pigmented orange tree... This is too much, it is war again!!!

If you are at war I believe anything goes to win.
When I was living in the desert
I used to be at war with rabbits and them I don't remember the name but looked like chipmunks but bigger they'd eat anything green and I had regular plants planted in my yard and no matter what I did they could sneak and eat my plants so I used 22 riflle, BB guns, gopher gas, cats and dogs. But still I lost.
They're just too many of them and they were smart. They didn,t do the same mistake again. They raid my plants when I was not around and at night.
You can call me b-----rd but war was war.

For me I don't mind them eating my other citrus fruits, just lay off from the blood oranges! It seemed to be their current favorite. They also love my lima acidless, all the other oranges, but was wondering why they haven't touched any of my satsumas. They also never touched the OB, Melogold, other pummelos and grapefruits, Calamondins and kumquats, limes and lemons for obvious reasons (strong and bitter oily skin or sour juice).

On the other hand, I am somewhat flattered as they never touched my neighbor's valencias and navels, only mine, and that was before the deep freeze. Of course my neighbor's navels are now falling off and rotting after the deep freeze.

Hey guys, do what you have to do to get rid of them!
Joe, I like your gas idea, but what if they die in there...it wil surely stink & clog up your pipes wouldn't it? How about rat poison?
My stupid idiot neighbor throws piles of bread out thinking he's feeding birds. Well, the racoons, possum, mice, rabbits & whatever, get to it first. I called the health dept at least twice about it.
Benny, I shot a rabbit last summer. He was a loner & lived in my garden & I finally said "enough". Had to shoot it thru my open window when coast was clear, or the "idiot" neighbor would call cops on me.
Trap is still set & no sign of more mice. I can relax now. I still can't get over that 2nd mouse walking around & eating for 2 1/2 days like that!

Patty, we have a tremendous number of wild rabbits. Every single time I go outside, without exception, I see 4 to 8 rabbits. There is constantly always 3 - 5 rabbits eating the grass in my yard. A lot of them are quite tame. I cannot remember a day, when I have not come across a dozen or so of them. My guess is that our area must have 15 rabbits per acre. Same thing with woodpeckers. I find holes in the building cause by them looking for insects. - Millet

Patty:
Oh, yes, I knew too that firing a gun within the city limits is a violation so I was careful too. It's a good thing that the lots were big lots, with lots of Jushua trees in between houses. But I had to make sure too that the coast was clear and that nobody was in sight. And I did whatyou did. I'd open my window just very little just enough I can insert my 22 in between. It did not take me long to be a sharpshooter but they were smarter. At the slight of noise and I believe they had watchers too watching any moves and I'd sneak before my neiighbors woke up or when they were at work or whatever.
Your rat experience was kinda funny. Bittersweet.

Joe, you have a good plan
Benny, it was just a little mouse & thank God not a rat!! Yes, it is kinda funny...esp when mouse & trap were no where to be seen LOL. I was really expecting a mouse in 2 traps.
Millet, we have several red head woodpeckers around but we have enough trees to keep them busy. So far I know, they never pecked a house.
Ivica, thanks for your idea of how to catch them! I'm afraid if I let them back out, they'd find another way of getting in.
You are not far from where my grandparents grew up. I will see if I can find the city/town they grew up in Slovenia.
ANOTHER YUGO GIRL HERE YEAY

Patty,

Quote:

You are not far from where my grandparents grew up.

Interesting.
My grandfather and his brother (lastname: Tomich) were gone to America, somewhere arround Great Lakes (Wisconsin maybe ). That was before WWI, I think. Grandpa came back after hard leg injury...
I guess I have 10-20+ relatives somewhere there...
Ah, small world it is.

Best wishes,
--ivica

Ivica, that might be Duluth or Gilbert, Minnesota. My grandparents grew up in Slovenia 20 miles away from each other, & met in Gilbert LOL. A lot of "Yugo's" emigrated to that area. They had 6 kids, & when they all grew up, they moved to Milwaukee, Wis., where I live. My grandfather's name was Jurcich. Wouldn't it be funny if they knew each other??? I see Sisak on map. I think I can still find out the city they came from.

Patty,
switched to PM.
--ivica