How a Biologist Handles a Mouse Infestation

Recently, late at night, I woke up to hear a strange sound.

No, it wasn't my husband snoring.  Or the dog.

No, this was the pitter patter of tiny paws.  And gnawing.  And it sounded like it was coming from right over my head.

We have mice.

Image by George Shulkin via Wikimedia Commons

Now, most houses have mice.  They are capable of getting through openings the size of a dime.  I've been reading on how to mouse proof your home and I have to laugh.  They suggest blocking up all openings 1/4 of an inch or large.  Like I can block up every opening that small in a 70 year old house.  Heck, I'm not sure even new home construction is that tight.

So, what is a biologist to do?

Normally my dog will manage to deal with any mice that get in to our living space.  He spent the first year or so of his life out on the street and he will catch and kill (and often eat) anything he can get his teeth on, including mice when they foolishly come into our backyard or house.

Clearly these mice have learned to stay inside the walls and attic, out of his reach.

Instead, I will double check the "sanitation" of the house.  I'll make sure the dog and cat food bags, and the wild bird seed, are in sealed containers.  I'm be more diligent in taking out the trash when there is food waste.  I'll chide the husband about leaving out the plate from his late night snack, the one with cookie crumbs on it.

Then I'll go buy snap traps.

I'm not big on killing innocent critters trying to survive.  Mice in the yard?  No problem.  But when you come in to my space and interrupt my sleep, possibly bring in fleas and poop outside of the litter box then we have to come to terms.  They also don't listen when I tell them to move back outside.

Why don't I use live traps?  They aren't as humane as you think - you catch the mouse, scare it and then dump it outside in an unfamiliar place.  Chances are that the mouse will be not do well, instead it might starve or freeze to death.  Or even die of fear (which can happen to mice).

Why don't I use glue traps?  Because then I'd have to either kill the animal by hand or leave it stuck to the glue trap to starve to death.  Not nice.

How about poison?  Talk about CRUEL.  Many rodent poisons contain anti-coagulants.  That means they prevent the blood from clotting.  The mouse will bleed to death.  Maybe inside your walls where you can't get to the corpse and have to smell it for days or weeks.  Maybe on your living room rug when your pet cat or dog will eat it and then THEY have been poisoned.  Maybe it will make it outside so your neighbor's dog or cat, or local wildlife will eat it and be poisoned.

I have two places on my property where snakes over winter.  Snakes that would love to snack on a slow moving mouse.  Snakes that normally keep down the number of mice in my yard (and therefore house).  Nope, I don't want to harm predators of mice.

Snap traps and fast.  Death is nearly instantaneous.  And they work.

Wish me (and not the mice) luck.

Photo by Karen Rustad via Wikimedia Commons