I recently read that Western Oahu was having a mice problem, but now apparently the mice have migrated south and Diamondhead is inundated. Well, at least my house is. Kyle found the mouse about three weeks ago, and I didn't believe it existed until a week ago, when it scampered right under my nose in the cupboard where we keep the trash. I told my landlords last week and they claimed they had never seen mice in the house. Interesting story, until my sister found mice traps in the cupboard. So someone who lived in the house before us also had this problem.
So, on Saturday, I set out to catch the mouse. The traps in the cupboard were the type that are just sticky pads that the mice runs across and adheres to, thus ensnaring the poor bastard. "No poison", it proclaims! Well, that sounded great so I set one out behind the trash can. Not two minutes later, Gaffney perks up, we start to hear squeals! We caught him! Then, the horror ensues. What do you do with a mouse that is caught to a big sticky pad? I won't fill you in on the details, but let's just say it was not pretty and I was terribly sad about the whole ordeal. I had cats growing up, so I never had to deal with this before. Am I getting weaker as I age?
Anyway, I had pretty much gotten over it by Sunday, but then something happened. I was sitting around doing work, when Gaffney suddenly perked up her ears and ran to the cupboard. I laughed at her, saying, "Oh, there's nothing there." Just to make her happy, I opened the cupboard and suddenly another mouse runs across the trash can! I tell you, it's a plague! Two mice in one weekend! I couldn't bare to use the sticky pads again, so I set up an elaborate booby trap system and blocked off the holes it normally goes through. I fear that I will have to trap it soon, but I think I will use a good old fashion trap this time. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
9 comments:
Use the old-fashioned spring traps. The more powerful the better. They are much more humane (usually, they cause CD and instant death) than the sticky traps and the inevitable unpleasantness that they necessitate.
Sticky traps are barbaric, unless you're willing to dissolve the glue with acetone or alcohol and set them free. Which I really don't recommend with a pissed off mouse.
wanna borrow a cat?
Too bad Pumpkin isn't around anymore. He would have loved helping you out with the mouse problem.
Not too sound too hippie, but I suggest those catch and release traps. The mouse(or mice!) go in and the door won't let them back out. There are some downfalls: you have to check the thing a couple times a day, as the mouse will die if you leave it in there for days on end. The other negative is that you then have to go far away from your house to deposit it somewhere else. Those spring traps, though, are scary. They don't kill the mouse instantaneously, and then you have to deal with a mouse in shock who is going to die in a few hours. Big bulging eyes, unable to move. Talk about disturbing....
We have a mouse/rat problem in our shed. I am considering learn to live with them, as long as they stay in the shed.
I don't think I want to release a mouse on an island already infested with mice. I could release it into a cat's mouth, however, and then I wouldn't feel so bad.
The mouse was back last night and jumped right over all my booby traps. Sadness.
Get another cat?
I heard that mice like cheese.
I guess I left out a step. Capture the little critters and drop them in a live volcano. Voila -- less infestation.
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