Owner Bought An Apt With Mice! No Pets Allowed!

[UTCVenturesLtd]

It is a 3 storey block and has bait stations on every floor in the hallway. On one flight of stairs, they are hidden behind vases and on the other flight of stairs that is not used, they are placed openly. That system of dealing with the problem is not working. The tenants are constantly moving out. The mice scampering about in the night and their scratching noises i guess have driven them crazy!

As far as my own dealings with those little critters,

I have used most types of traps. Neighbor used glue traps and squsshed the critters caught with his foot. You have to place a piece of paper or cardboard over the critter as your foot will stick to the glue. Sounds cruel huh? I tried the nice bag of poison. The mice made a real mess, died and worms crawled out of their bodies. Ewwww!!!! And who knows just where they will drop dead, like in your walls? Never again that method! Tried multiple snap traps, some mice are smart, ate the peanut butter clean without setting off the trapz. The catch and release method is useless as the smart critters will just reenter your apt/home through the same opening they did in the first place. One of the best ideas is to find out how they are getting in and out of the premises. In my house where i first encountered a problem after living there for around 10yrs.... they ate their way through the dryer vent hole in the cement! I happened to see a mouse hopping along and up he went behind the dryer vent. I sealed that hole up in short order. And the traps we all empty from then on.

It seems hard to recommend one particular kind of trap as they all can be effective, but it seems to boil down to personal tastes as to which one you want to use. Some people find some traps inhumane.

 

[invst4profit]

My personal preference has always been poison. Any one with strychnine as it dehydrates the body. Once they eat the poison they are driven to drink. This usually, but not always, requires them to leave the building to find water. They die very quickly and the poison dehydrates the body leaving no Oder.
I place the poison in empty tuna cans and place it in the attic or wherever it is they are nesting or most commonly found..

 

[koop]

I work in a barn, we have no mice, which wasn`t always the case. What I did was start by sealing up all the holes where they get in, spray foam is good for that or tin foil. We were using poison, but they do become immune to the poison, so you have to change up, but the big mistake there is people will switch brands but not the active poison. I bought a pail of "hombre", the switch in poison killed all the mice in the barn in a matter of a week and we haven`t had a problem since and that was two years ago. They do just dry out so them dying in the walls shouldn`t be an issue.

Another mouse trap I use sometimes is a pail of water with a ramp up to it and a pop can with a hole down the center and a wire through going across the pail. Its like log rolling, the mouse goes up the ramp (I put a little peanut butter on it) and gets to the top and there is the can with peanut butter spread on it is, the can will be just far enough away that the mouse try`s to reach across but the can spins and the mouse falls into the pail with 1 1/2" of water in it.

 

[UTCVenturesLtd]

QUOTE (koop @ Aug 11 2009, 10:16 AM) I work in a barn, we have no mice, which wasn`t always the case. What I did was start by sealing up all the holes where they get in, spray foam is good for that or tin foil. We were using poison, but they do become immune to the poison, so you have to change up, but the big mistake there is people will switch brands but not the active poison. I bought a pail of "hombre", the switch in poison killed all the mice in the barn in a matter of a week and we haven`t had a problem since and that was two years ago. They do just dry out so them dying in the walls shouldn`t be an issue.

Another mouse trap I use sometimes is a pail of water with a ramp up to it and a pop can with a hole down the center and a wire through going across the pail. Its like log rolling, the mouse goes up the ramp (I put a little peanut butter on it) and gets to the top and there is the can with peanut butter spread on it is, the can will be just far enough away that the mouse try`s to reach across but the can spins and the mouse falls into the pail with 1 1/2" of water in it.


I have bought a few older homes that had traces of mice having been there. Did the same thing, filled in all the holes, around pipes especially to the walls. They say to use steel wool for filling up holes. Mice also leave their scent so all the other mice can find an existing hole into a dwelling... smart creatures! None of the sealed homes ever had a problem with mice after that.
I know what you mean by them drying out. Remembering my daughter sneaking a "pet" mouse into the house and forgetting to give it water... shrivelled right up the poor thing did.
I had heard of a similar device only it was a coffee can in a 5L pail. Think the owner had made it for his cabin while it was not in use.

 

[koop]

Here`s a disgusting note, that scent trail, well mice don`t have pee breaks.

 

[Anonymous]

QUOTE (UTCVenturesLtd @ Aug 11 2009, 09:48 AM) It is a 3 storey block and has bait stations on every floor in the hallway. On one flight of stairs, they are hidden behind vases and on the other flight of stairs that is not used, they are placed openly. That system of dealing with the problem is not working. The tenants are constantly moving out. The mice scampering about in the night and their scratching noises i guess have driven them crazy!

As far as my own dealings with those little critters,

I have used most types of traps. Neighbor used glue traps and squsshed the critters caught with his foot. You have to place a piece of paper or cardboard over the critter as your foot will stick to the glue. Sounds cruel huh? I tried the nice bag of poison. The mice made a real mess, died and worms crawled out of their bodies. Ewwww!!!! And who knows just where they will drop dead, like in your walls? Never again that method! Tried multiple snap traps, some mice are smart, ate the peanut butter clean without setting off the trapz. The catch and release method is useless as the smart critters will just reenter your apt/home through the same opening they did in the first place. One of the best ideas is to find out how they are getting in and out of the premises. In my house where i first encountered a problem after living there for around 10yrs.... they ate their way through the dryer vent hole in the cement! I happened to see a mouse hopping along and up he went behind the dryer vent. I sealed that hole up in short order. And the traps we all empty from then on.

It seems hard to recommend one particular kind of trap as they all can be effective, but it seems to boil down to personal tastes as to which one you want to use. Some people find some traps inhumane.

I didn`t see any mention of bringing in an outside exterminator. I have done this for raccoons, mice, fleas etc. They often guarantee their work and has always worked for me. I do this with my tenants all the time as I don`t need the continued hassles and complaints and it is worth the cost. They plug holes, manage poison and disposal of the critters.

I lived on a farm for about 5 years as I rented out just the farmhouse. We got all sorts of fun with rodents and snakes. I have done traps, cats, cages, murder etc and I have always found the professionals are the best at getting them out. Unfortunately at the time I took it off the rent and my landlord allowed it. I would deal with it differently today. I deal with the inital problem once in a multi-unit but if my tenants leave out food, garbage or don`t clean up, it becomes their problem.

Sometimes it`s not easy but it may take a several prong approach. It is worth the cost of proffessionals if you are losing tenants.
Carol

 

[JoefromTO]

My father and uncle own several homes in the King West area of Toronto. This area has been going through a major change with condo`s going up everywhere. Ever since this started there has been a noticeable increase in mouse sightings in our apartments as well as in my business(I own/manage a collision repair facility also in King West).

We called in Orkin who charged us somewhere around $400 to spray and such, but told me that this won`t necessarily stop the mice from coming in...especially if the tenants aren`t the cleanest! Lets face it, some tenants don`t clean up after themselves on a regular basis, and they don`t realize how this can attract mice. The Orkin man told me we need to really go through the place and try to find EVERY possible place they are coming in...that`s next to impossible considering that he said they can fit through holes the size of a straw...or something like that.

He then suggested to try this http://www.victorpest.com/store/rodent-con...-rodent-control

So we did just that, purchasing about 20 single units and put them in every room of every apartment we have in Toronto. We haven`t had any more problems since, except for one apartment where they refused to let us put repellers in the apartment...saying that they just don`t know if the sonic waves will mess with their brains and such...Well, they got mice, on a couple of occasions. We told them that the repellers seem to be working at the other apartments. They then allowed us to put them in their apartment and they have not seen a mouse since...

For what its worth...give it a try. Just keep in mind, when those tenants move out and your interviewing new tenants, if/when they see these repellers and ask what they are for...you might have problems renting.

Plus in order for them to be effective, you really need to have 1 in every room, especially the basement.

 

[markl]

We have always had great success with the electronic traps you put bait in and they walk in and get zapped they are a little more expensive but in my opinion well worth the cost to get rid of the mice.

 

[EleanorCoburn]

Hi - I'm responding to this post from 2009 so I know it's a while ago but hoping Koop - or someone - will be able to answer (!); can you tell me where to purchase the mouse poison you mention called 'hombre'. I am dealing with a severe mouse infestation, have not been able to find the point of entry, and all attempts with bait stations (bait purchased from Poulins/Calgary) have failed - they are still there and getting worse. I didn't realise mice could become immune to poisons and perhaps a switch in poisons is what's needed. The sonic devices sound good, I will try that as well but wondering where I can buy the 'hombre' and what others have found most successful.



Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[bizaro86]

[quote user=EleanorCoburn]Hi - I'm responding to this post from 2009 so I know it's a while ago but hoping Koop - or someone - will be able to answer (!); can you tell me where to purchase the mouse poison you mention called 'hombre'. I am dealing with a severe mouse infestation, have not been able to find the point of entry, and all attempts with bait stations (bait purchased from Poulins/Calgary) have failed - they are still there and getting worse. I didn't realise mice could become immune to poisons and perhaps a switch in poisons is what's needed. The sonic devices sound good, I will try that as well but wondering where I can buy the 'hombre' and what others have found most successful.





I had poulin's do bait stations in Calgary, and found it worked, but they came back after ~1 year. I had filled every crack with spray foam/steel wool, and neither myself nor the exterminator could figure where they were getting in. I had them rebait the traps (they'll do it for a small fee if you bring them in to their office) and I sprayed the outside of the house with a dilute mixture of water and bleach all the way around the exterior to break up any scent trail. The poison killed the remaining ones inside and I haven't had a problem since.



Regards,



Michael

 

[cam2]

What kind of structure are you dealing with single family home ,block or row house.

Exclusion prevention are key in controlling rodent problems.Mice on the main floor mean mice in the attic. #1 entry point garage installation of bait stations glue traps or snaps offer a first line of defence. Make sure bottom and corner seals are tight.



Weepers in the bottom course of bricks are often a good point of entry for mice followed by hungry snakes sometimes. copper or stainless steal wool (will not rust and stain foundation and lasts stuffed into weepers resolves this issue. Where siding or cladding hits foundation another key area use a mirror to look then seal with quality sealant.



Mice are great climbers where soffit hits exterior cladding often a gap, facia ,roof flashing, roof soffit interfaces,dryer vents,stove vents .bathroom vents are all liked by mice. Sonic devices mice hear on the same levels we do if you cant hear it they cant hear it.



I find bait blocks work well many different kinds use safely family pets perishing from improper use of rodenticide can leave you open for law suites.Always good to get a professional point of view hope this is useful . Thanks Cam

 

[EleanorCoburn]

Thank you Cam and Michael for all suggestions, greatly appreciated.



The structure is a bungalow, I have someone coming tomorrow from an exterminator company who says they are really good at finding entry points and sealing them, so we'll see. I will make a point of looking at all the possibilities you suggest.



I did hear from one exterminator company I called that this is an exceptionally bad year for mice in Calgary, they do apparently come in cycles and what with the mild winter and not as much hibernating, the rodent population has exploded to some degree. People who haven't seen them in their yards or homes for 20 years are now calling exterminators.



Thanks again, I do appreciate your responses.