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gailcalled's avatar

What is the least disgusting way to eliminate mice, voles, squirrels and chipmunks?

Asked by gailcalled (54644points) June 10th, 2007
I would have to overcome squeamishness to dispose of corpses and am very uncomfortable w. poison, but am willing to try anything now out of desperation.
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9 Answers

sjg102379's avatar
In my experience, havaharts and other live traps don't work. I would definitely suggest getting a professional in, if you haven't already. I've never dealt with larger rodents, but this is what I do for mice: because I am quite squeamish, for mice I use a combination of poison put out by professionals (you never see the little corpses) and covered mousetraps like this one so you don't see the bodies. http://www.amazon.com/Covered-Spring-Loaded-Ready-Package/dp/B000QD3IBO/ref=sr_1_42/105-2323055-0425215?ie=UTF8&s;=home-garden&qid;=1181508595&sr;=8-42
gailcalled's avatar
The mice don't go into your walls to die (and smell for a long time?) The Havaharts work, but slowly. You have to catch each mouse, one by one, and transport them far, far away..thanks for site, BTW. (Hrmm, forgive me for asking, but are you female also?)
sjg102379's avatar
I discussed this with the exterminator--they may go into the walls to die, but decomposition is apparently pretty quick and if you do smell anything (I haven't) it goes away pretty quickly.
fuze's avatar
This is the best way to get rid of mice (especially if you have alot of them). I learned this from an old man in a cabin in the woods in the U.P. (Michigan's Upper Penn..) and it was passed on for generations of old time loggers that lived through cold winters in less than adaquete cabins. Obviously the mice wanted a warm place to stay so they had literally hundreds of mice. Anyhow, here's the trick: Take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 way with water. Take some thread or yarn and tie it from handle to handle across the top of the bucket. Put an empty thread spool in the middle of the string. spread some Crisco (anything fatty) some bacon, etc. around the spool. Next, put a ramp up to the top of the bucket in between the handles. The mice will literally walk up the ramp, one after another, and leap for the spool. It's obvious where this is headed. Mice jump, slip, fall, tread water for awhile and eventually drown. You simply dump the bucket and you're done. If you are one of those types that want to be kind to all of God's creatures, you could wait til you hear the splash and dump him out away from your house before he sinks. A bit crazy, but rather fun (I've done it) and you don't have to monkey with baiting the traps and almost taking off your finger.
TNg4girl's avatar

Victor makes a new mouse trap that runs on 4 AAA batteries. You put some peanut butter inside and close the lid. Place it on the floor and turn it on. (Inside is a mini-maze that prevents a mouse from getting out once it’s inside.) When a mouse ventures in, it is electrocuted. there’s a signal light that lets you know if you’ve caught a mouse. Only downside is you have to flip open the cover to dump out the body. I imagine this unit would also work for any rodent no larger than a mouse. Chipmunks are larger and I doubt they could get far enough inside to be harmed.

You don’t mention where you are having a problem. If it is in your home, you need to find out where the “critters” are gaining entry. Use copper scouring scrubbers to plug any holes you find, then add some “Great Stuff” insulation in an aerosol can. The copper is important because it does not rust and those little varmints can’t chew through it.

gailcalled's avatar

I keep finding evidence in my car. Last winter the mice got into the bag of sunflower seed I stupidly left in the garage, loaded up all the ducts and crevasses under the Subaru hood and then nested, had large families and ate thru some of the auto parts. It was an expensive mess.

I still get sunflower seed husks that fly out the vents when I turn the fan on..Two fluther suggestions were bars of Irish Spring (I found teeth marks on them) and lots of crumpled sheets of Bounce under rugs, hood, etc. Passengers complained about the disgusting artifical smell; and the mice were undeterred.

Victor trap is reusable if I can get over my squeamishness and dispose of the corpus undelecti?

TNg4girl's avatar

Yes, Victor Mousetrap is reusable. One set of batteries is supposed to kill up to 50 mice. I would place it on the floor up against the inside of either front wheel. You don’t have to keep opening it up to “check” it. There’s a signal light that indicates whether there’s a corpse inside or not. The light will also indicate when the batteries are weak and ready to be changed.

tiptoetippy's avatar

Please don’t use poison. Sure, it is convenient and you don’t have to deal with corpses. But consider that the mouse eats the poison, leaves the house looking for water and gets eaten by a hawk, owl, or coyote along the way—and then who ever ate the mouse also gets poisoned. Oh, and now you have one less rodent eating ally in the neighborhood.

1. Remove food sources and smells (put smelly garbage outside, bird seed in mouse proof containers (metal trash can works great).
2. Try to find out how they are entering the house. I know, this can be next to impossible at times, but try to give them few options.
3. Mothballs, which I’ve used in my attic, are a deterren—but you have to stir them up every couple weeks to get the fresh moth ball smell circulating. I get lazy and this stops working.
4. The drowning idea works very well, and apparently drowning or hypothermia are relatively not so bad ways to die.

CityGirlSharing's avatar

There have been 2 methods that have worked for me without traps. I would rather keep them out than play corpse pickup. The first was told to me by an herbalist. She suggested I soak cotton balls in Peppermint Oil and Spearmint Oil and place them where they travel. At the time I had an old candy bar in the pocket of a coat which smelled considerably better to them so they were undeterred. After removing the candy bar and reapplying new cotton balls with oils, I didn’t see a mouse for months. None.

The second method may appeal to you -Take a few mothballs, wrap them in paper and crack them lightly. Put the whole thing inside a tea infuser and place where you think they are coming in. I did this on Friday and here it is Monday and I have yet to see Mickey or his friends.
I’m waiting for my brother to come by to help me do they next step which we did for a friend in her apartment is detailed here – Check all the cables and pipes that come through the floor and wall – this includes the gas line that connects the oven. HILTI makes this foam which is heat safe and seals up the space safely. Costs about $20 a can and it only took one can for us to do an entire 800sq ft apartment. It only takes a little to seal up these narrow slits. It’s been 2 years and she’s seen nothing. REMEMBER They can get in any space you can fit a lipstick tube!! No matter what method you use, you should do this anyway.

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