What did you do about your mouse problem?

[Tolduonce]

A few years back, I had a terrible mouse problem. I think my cat at the time was partying with them; he sure never caught any. I was moaning about it at work one day and the foreman of one of my crews said I could borrow his skunk for a week. I did not believe him but three days later, there were no mice and the skunk started eating the cat's food.

Fast forward to 2009. I had more mice in the back yard and garage, mostly because I hung up a bird feeder. One morning, I saw a little black and white tail disappearing under the wood box. He (I think, I haven't looked that close) has become very friendly, coming out in the mornings to say hello and get a treat. He has been a busy boy, too; there are no more mice. I have just completed his entrance into a den box in the garage, so he will stay around this winter.

Regards,

- John

I don't want to be one of those dismissive guys who're always saying, "that won't work", but I probably should've gone into more detail about my outdoor environment. It's fairly woodsy in a semi-urban kinda way. I do have a bird feeder in the backyard and I think it was my stash of sunflower seeds that brought the little rodents into my garage in the first place, last winter. The seeds are gone now, so that's no longer an issue. Blew out the garage floor with the leaf blower this morning and found some droppings, so at least I know where the traps are going tonight.
But, back to the environment. I have seen the following predators in my backyard. Sharp Shinned Hawks, Red Tailed Hawks, cats, both tame and feral, raccoons, possums and yes, a skunk. It's not unusual to find piles of pigeon feathers, decapitated squirrels in trees and half-eaten chipmunks and mice in the yard.

Can only wonder what my personal situation would look like if it weren't for all of these daddy's little helpers patrolling the perimeter, 24/7. Not to worry, I WILL NOT live with mice. This is a war, now where can I buy night vision goggles and grease paint?

 

[richmondesi]

I'm telling you. I had acres of forest around me, and the sticky traps under pipes in the wall got rid of ALL of my mice problems.

 

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

I don't want to be one of those dismissive guys who're always saying, "that won't work", but I probably should've gone into more detail about my outdoor environment.

I understand and I also should have been more detailed. The borrowed skunk lived with me for a week and was an absolute delight, very happy to be on the bed or in a warm lap. The wild skunk this year is just as friendly and if Max Cat will accept him, can come in the house to hunt if he wants. Both cases, zero rodents in or out.

This is a war, now where can I buy night vision goggles and grease paint?

I can PIF you the grease paint and sell you the N/V

Regards,

- John

 

[richmondesi]

I understand and I also should have been more detailed. The borrowed skunk lived with me for a week and was an absolute delight, very happy to be on the bed or in a warm lap. The wild skunk this year is just as friendly and if Max Cat will accept him, can come in the house to hunt if he wants. Both cases, zero rodents in or out.




I can PIF you the grease paint and sell you the N/V

Regards,

- John

So, how do you handle the smell of a skunk? Take him to get that gland removed or something?

 

[Fnord5]

Most skunks only spray when cornered, threatened, or startled.

So, as long as you don't sneak up on it, and it's gotten used to you, you should be find, most of the time.

For a pet though, definitely have the scent glands removed.

 

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

So, how do you handle the smell of a skunk? Take him to get that gland removed or something?

Well, Paul, he doesn't stink. He does have a bit of that "weasel" smell (are skunks mustelids?) but nothing else. He is absolutely safe with me, so maybe he hasn't discharged in a while.

It wouldn't smell any worse than Clubman anyway

For a pet though, definitely have the scent glands removed.

He isn't going to be a pet. He needs to be a skunk with his parts but there isn't anything that says I can't be his friend

 

[richmondesi]

Most skunks only spray when cornered, threatened, or startled.

So, as long as you don't sneak up on it, and it's gotten used to you, you should be find, most of the time.

For a pet though, definitely have the scent glands removed.

I've had dozens of pets in my home. All of them have been startled at one point or another. No wild skunk is welcome in my house under any circumstances. My dogs have been sprayed by skunks and that was enough for me to kick them to the curb for a while. I'm certainly not going to have that kind of weapon ready to be unleashed any time my kiddos come running around the corner

 

[gollum83]

Well, Paul, he doesn't stink. He does have a bit of that "weasel" smell (are skunks mustelids?) but nothing else. He is absolutely safe with me, so maybe he hasn't discharged in a while.

It wouldn't smell any worse than Clubman anyway



He isn't going to be a pet. He needs to be a skunk with his parts but there isn't anything that says I can't be his friend

I think they're classified under their own family now, but they were considered mustelids until recently.

 

[richmondesi]

Besides the smell, aren't skunks the #1 carriers of rabies? I couldn't imagine taking in my "pet skunk" for his rabies shot

 

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

Besides the smell, aren't skunks the #1 carriers of rabies? I couldn't imagine taking in my "pet skunk" for his rabies shot

Well, ummm,

He's already had his shot. The housecall vet shrugged and said "ok" and just did it. The little guy didn't even flinch, just kept eating his Cheezie.

Speaking of shots, I thought that Clubman crack would generate one. . . .

 

[castlecraver]

I had mice in my apartment a couple years ago, and it was hell. Here's what I learned through that experience:

• Regular cheap-*** snap traps work the best. I bought as many as I could, and basically made them "single use." I was disgusted enough by seeing dead mice on my floor, their little eyeballs hemmoraging out, and I wasn't about to get close enough to them to empty and re-set the trap.
• Glue traps are completely worthless. They can easily chew themselves free. I happened to see a mouse right after it got caught on the glue pad, and I carried it outside and watched it free itself within 60 seconds.
• This is no time to concern yourself with being humane. You have mice in your living quarters. Have no mercy. You want them out, they're not going to leave on their own, so that means they're probably going to have to die. They reproduce fast -- 3 weeks gestation and weaned after another 3 weeks, up to 10 mice per litter. In 12 weeks, a few mice can become well over 100. You're fighting against evolution and their natural instincts, and you'll lose if you pussyfoot around.
• Scour your home for entry points, inside first. Plug small holes with steel wool (mice can crawl through holes nickel-to-quarter sized) and patch larger holes in your drywall. I didn't realize it until exterminating, but there was a huge space behind my refrigerator that was basically open to the inside of the wall, which was their main point of entry. Once they realize they've been shut off from their food source, they'll find some other place to go.
• Which is why you need to place poison around the perimeter of your house, crawl space, garage, etc. Obviously no place your pets might accidentally get into it. Warfarin is a pretty slow rodenticide, and it'll take a few days for them to get enough of a dose to die. But during that time (if the poison is done correctly), they'll take to the bait station as if it's a new food source, which is why you want it outside your home.
• Hopefully you'll notice a cessation or severe drop-off in scratching/scurrying inside your walls by this time, after which you'll need to plug up any possible entry points on the exterior of your home.
• Keep the snap-traps down throughout the whole time. Mice like familiarity, and will avoid things if they're "new." So don't move them around too frequently. And if you catch a mouse in one trap, put a fresh one in exactly the same place each time. And don't be afraid put a series of traps a few inches apart in the same place (bait towards the wall). Mice are very single-minded (food) and don't seem to be too bothered by walking over the bodies of dead comrades to get at food.

 

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

I had mice in my apartment a couple years ago, and it was hell. Here's what I learned through that experience:

That, by far, is the most succinct and entertaining list I have seen in some time.

Kudos

-John

 

[richmondesi]

I had mice in my apartment a couple years ago, and it was hell. Here's what I learned through that experience:

• Regular cheap-*** snap traps work the best. I bought as many as I could, and basically made them "single use." I was disgusted enough by seeing dead mice on my floor, their little eyeballs hemmoraging out, and I wasn't about to get close enough to them to empty and re-set the trap.
• Glue traps are completely worthless. They can easily chew themselves free. I happened to see a mouse right after it got caught on the glue pad, and I carried it outside and watched it free itself within 60 seconds.
• This is no time to concern yourself with being humane. You have mice in your living quarters. Have no mercy. You want them out, they're not going to leave on their own, so that means they're probably going to have to die. They reproduce fast -- 3 weeks gestation and weaned after another 3 weeks, up to 10 mice per litter. In 12 weeks, a few mice can become well over 100. You're fighting against evolution and their natural instincts, and you'll lose if you pussyfoot around.
• Scour your home for entry points, inside first. Plug small holes with steel wool (mice can crawl through holes nickel-to-quarter sized) and patch larger holes in your drywall. I didn't realize it until exterminating, but there was a huge space behind my refrigerator that was basically open to the inside of the wall, which was their main point of entry. Once they realize they've been shut off from their food source, they'll find some other place to go.
• Which is why you need to place poison around the perimeter of your house, crawl space, garage, etc. Obviously no place your pets might accidentally get into it. Warfarin is a pretty slow rodenticide, and it'll take a few days for them to get enough of a dose to die. But during that time (if the poison is done correctly), they'll take to the bait station as if it's a new food source, which is why you want it outside your home.
• Hopefully you'll notice a cessation or severe drop-off in scratching/scurrying inside your walls by this time, after which you'll need to plug up any possible entry points on the exterior of your home.
• Keep the snap-traps down throughout the whole time. Mice like familiarity, and will avoid things if they're "new." So don't move them around too frequently. And if you catch a mouse in one trap, put a fresh one in exactly the same place each time. And don't be afraid put a series of traps a few inches apart in the same place (bait towards the wall). Mice are very single-minded (food) and don't seem to be too bothered by walking over the bodies of dead comrades to get at food.

I disagree about the glue traps. They worked like a champ for me. Admittedly, I did have to use two right by each other to catch a couple of the bigger guys, but I never heard a "snap" and I got rid of literally dozens of mice from my house.

 

[Mysterion]

...And the trap is a great example of adherence to the old Hot Rodders Axiom: "too much is just right."

Or, as Oscar Wilde put it, "Nothing succeeds like excess."

 

[cthompsonx]

With respect to snap traps (Victor brand) there is no better mousetrap. Load with peanut butter, the best bait going, and you will be rid of the little nuisances in no time. If you don't want to deal with decapitated torsos, the glue traps work too... although they don't kill instantly, and are, therefore, a bit more unkind to the mouse. Trapped one who struggled to free itself from the glue trap (in the garbage bin) for six days, until my next garbage pickup. I could hear it rustling whenever I walked past the garbage for the better part of a week.

 

[richmondesi]

With respect to snap traps (Victor brand) there is no better mousetrap. Load with peanut butter, the best bait going, and you will be rid of the little nuisances in no time. If you don't want to deal with decapitated torsos, the glue traps work too... although they don't kill instantly, and are, therefore, a bit more unkind to the mouse. Trapped one who struggled to free itself from the glue trap (in the garbage bin) for six days, until my next garbage pickup. I could hear it rustling whenever I walked past the garbage for the better part of a week.

My wife would kill the mice instantly upon seeing them on the glue trap... That's why I liked it. Less of a mess with cleanup, and they did die pretty quickly

 

[MoreSaltThanPepper]

My wife would kill the mice instantly upon seeing them on the glue trap...

Remind me not to annoy your wife!

 

[richmondesi]

Remind me not to annoy your wife!

That's why I tip-toe around everything with her... She's actually a dead-eye with a gun too

 

[_JP_]

Most skunks only spray when cornered, threatened, or startled.

So, as long as you don't sneak up on it, and it's gotten used to you, you should be find, most of the time.

Pretty much true, but you have to more careful around the young skunks. They don't have control and will spray for almost no reason at all. Even the small young adults are more likely to spray until they get used to people.

I have been fighting a herd (yes herd!) of skunks on the property for the past couple of years. They have grown up here and learned that digging a hole under the concrete stoop or patio slab is the place to make home. And a single skunk can easily have 5 different holes for itself because they'll wander up to 5 miles a night.

So that I could learn where their holes were, I had to chase them. Never once during a chase did a skunk ever try to spray me, they just wanted to be left alone. But it finally got to the point where I would approach to within 6 feet of some of them and they would only look up at me, never raising a tail. I had to make noise to get them move.

At least my efforts have started paying off this year. No babies on the property at all, although we still get transient skunks coming through because there is excellent feeding for them here.

Because of those efforts I have been nicknamed "The Skunk Whisperer."

Besides the smell, aren't skunks the #1 carriers of rabies?

No. That distinction belongs to raccoons. Only a very small percentage of the skunk population is rabid.

 

[richmondesi]

Pretty much true, but you have to more careful around the young skunks. They don't have control and will spray for almost no reason at all. Even the small young adults are more likely to spray until they get used to people.

I have been fighting a herd (yes herd!) of skunks on the property for the past couple of years. They have grown up here and learned that digging a hole under the concrete stoop or patio slab is the place to make home. And a single skunk can easily have 5 different holes for itself because they'll wander up to 5 miles a night.

So that I could learn where their holes were, I had to chase them. Never once during a chase did a skunk ever try to spray me, they just wanted to be left alone. But it finally got to the point where I would approach to within 6 feet of some of them and they would only look up at me, never raising a tail. I had to make noise to get them move.

At least my efforts have started paying off this year. No babies on the property at all, although we still get transient skunks coming through because there is excellent feeding for them here.

Because of those efforts I have been nicknamed "The Skunk Whisperer."



No. That distinction belongs to raccoons. Only a very small percentage of the skunk population is rabid.

Apparently that depends on what region you are in... prevalence of rabies. Skunks, Raccoons, and Bats seem to be in the not in my house category