Dealing with a Very Smart Mouse

Lbeyondtool on 22/05/2023 - 02:03

Winter has arrived and with it a few extra tenants have made our house their home. Last year we had a large rat that made a nest under our deck so I’m not new to rodent tricks and removal. I’ve set the cheap plastic traps with the raised platform (not the old school wooden ones) and used a pea sized amount of peanut butter as bait. So far caught two mice reasonably easily.

But the last two weeks I’m going mad trying to get this mouse. He has licked clean the peanut butter bait from the traps at least 5 times and I have no idea how this is even possible. A light tap on the platform with a knife springs the traps into action so they definitely work.

Now he is living in my bedroom, I’ve tried to clear out the cupboard to find him but his is way too elusive. I haven’t found any holes that he could gain access. Our home is brick built in the 80s with no noticeable draft that would indicate holes.

I am assuming judging on the scratching noises that I am dealing with a mouse, but I am yet to get a visual.

Open to ideas that don’t involve barbaric inhumane approaches like glue traps or poison that may affect local wildlife. Bunnings reviews of the electronic traps are a bit mixed. Thanks all.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • AustriaBargain on 22/05/2023 - 03:05
    +5

    Get a cat.

    • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 10:31
      +3

      So you are introducing a pest that has a life span of 10 years to overcome a rodent. Sorry cat lovers, if OP loves cats, OP should already have one.

    • dust on 22/05/2023 - 10:40
      +5

      Pythons are even better.

      • Protractor on 22/05/2023 - 10:45
        +2

        and they eat cats

      • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 11:17
        +1

        And then add humans, Humans are the most active predator of pythons.

      • moar bargains on 22/05/2023 - 12:06
        +10

        And there's free books about them all the time on Ozbargain

    • whatwasherproblem on 22/05/2023 - 12:16
      +3

      Also, preferably a cat that has a lifetime subscription to ACME corporation. Those traps and gizmos don't have a 100% success rate, but they do have a 100% hilarity rate from what I saw when I was watching those old research films.

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 22/05/2023 - 12:27

      Have you seen Tom & Jerry?

    • beyondtool on 22/05/2023 - 15:31

      Yeah I discovered when I moved out of home that I am crazy allergic to cats. Decades of childhood suffering caused by the parents household cats.

      • Kangal on 24/05/2023 - 00:56
        +2

        Get this:
        https://www.amazon.com.au/ELEHPD-Continuous-Mouse-Trap-Bucke…

        When I was a kid I made the same thing, and it worked. Apparently I'm not a genius because other people had a similar idea. This one is patented though.
        To get it to work, find a deep bucket from your garage (or Bunnings), and add 10cm of water on the bottom. This prevents the rodents from doing a wind-up run/jump, and it makes them wet so their hands are slippery. And position the walking plank alongside a wall or busy area where they would likely come in contact with it. Put a tiny bit of peanut butter at the entrance, and put a visible healthy amount in the trap area. If one mice follows the trail, they'll fall in the bucket, and leave behind their scent which will attract (moreso calm) other mice to follow and fall as well. The scent of cats, ferrets and snakes would repel (frighten) mice, whilst human scent is neutral (they may run, or they might investigate). Just something to keep in mind when setting up the trap and bait.

        Another thing I found that works well is this:
        https://www.kmart.com.au/product/peppermint-pure-essential-o…
        It smells strong, but in a natural freshness sort of way. Buy three bottles. Generously apply these into entry points where the mice could be getting in. So that's under doorways, holes in wall, certain windows, etc etc. I usually do a thorough inspection from the outside.
        …this does nothing harmful to the mice. But the fresh smell begins to mess with their sharp noses, and they don't like it. So they avoid that area and entry way. And if they can't find another entry way, they will usually turn around and go exploring in the garden/neighbours instead. Because the oil is strong it lasts for a couple days. You can re-apply after a day or two or more depending on how quickly the oil evaporates. If you do this long enough, eventually the mice get the message, and just avoid your house. Even if you no longer use the oil, they form habits with say your neighbours place instead. But go long enough they might forget and start exploring your house again.

        Let us all know how you go.

      • hawkshead on 24/05/2023 - 07:00

        i had the same experience

  • pegaxs on 22/05/2023 - 07:41
    +5

    Get better traps. Get traps they need to enter. Down side is you may need to euthanise the mouse yourself or take it over the road and let it go in your neighbour’s yard.

    Another alternative is baits. Some baits work by dehydrating the mouse from the inside out, so when they die, they are basically dried, so they dont go on to rot and stink.

    • Kaz0551 on 22/05/2023 - 08:17
      -4

      You mean the baits which make them vomit blood until they die? Success, but so much fun cleaning up :(

      • pegaxs on 22/05/2023 - 09:57
        +1

        WTF are you talking about? Mice and rats are incapable of vomiting. What bait are you giving them? The baits I use, all I find in a day or so in a dark corner somewhere is a little dried out husk of what used to be a mouse… And anyhow, just how much blood/vomit do you think a mouse would have even if they could vomit?

        Yeah, I would rather use a snap trap that almost cuts mice in half… I mean, that doesn't cause blood loss at all. Never had to clean up a snap trap with a mouse cut in half before.

        Vomit blood. What a load of shit.

        • Coxy777 on 07/06/2023 - 07:14

          @pegaxs Which bait do you use?

          • pegaxs on 07/06/2023 - 09:52

            @Coxy777: Typically, I dont bait, I trap. But If I do bait, I use commercial grade and quantity baits I flog from work.

            For domestic bait use, I have used RatSak Naturals to great effect.

            If you mean what bait do I use in traps? Peanut butter, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

            • Coxy777 on 07/06/2023 - 12:18

              @pegaxs: @pegaxs Sorry, I meant the bait to dehydrate them as you said above. I have a mouse in a wall I cannot access, beyond dropping something through a GPO opening.

              RatSak Naturals was the one I found when looking for something with your description. I’ll give it a shot.

              • pegaxs on 07/06/2023 - 14:22

                @Coxy777: Yeah, give it a go, especially for rodents you cant get to if they die inside a wall cavity.

                Next time I am at work, Ill see what the other stuff is, but I am sure you can only get it in 20 litre buckets. It's a small, cube looking block with a hole up the middle, usually purple or green in colour?

  • altomic on 22/05/2023 - 08:06
    +5

    peanut butter bucket trap

    or get a cat. my cat is a mouse&rat serial killer.

  • ThithLord on 22/05/2023 - 08:07
    +4

    ha ha from the title I thought you meant a very smart computer mouse

    • coxjon on 22/05/2023 - 09:26
      +2

      Me too, I was thinking of whatever the opposite of the horrible apple mouse with the charging port on the bottom.

  • Shoocat on 22/05/2023 - 08:12

    I've used the electronic trap. Works really well with a tiny amount of peanut butter on the bait area.

    • Kangal on 24/05/2023 - 00:34

      Worked on me.
      I was dancing so hard at that electronic trap music, and the free PB snack was tight

  • Donaldhump on 22/05/2023 - 08:31

    get better mouse traps ones where they get stuck in a box, don't buy the $3 ones if they don't work for you

  • Sinnerator on 22/05/2023 - 08:34
    +1

    When the dog is smarter than the tail, the dog wags the tail, what happens when the tail is smarter than the dog?

    <I acutally believe the mouse has hacked your ozbargain account, made this post, and is pre-empting your repsonse to catching it>

  • thatonethere on 22/05/2023 - 08:36

    Just note glue traps are actually illegal for mammals (sometimes they sneakily market them for insects). I still see them at dollar shops etc.

    Good luck with the mouse though. I found I had to go over the joiner with my little finger trying to poke it into everything - if you can get your little finger in there then the mouse can get in there. I found a lot of mouse suitable holes underneath cupboard joinery (filled them with scrap timber and wood glue - or copper mesh/spray foam if it was an odd shape).

    Given it is now inside your house - it could also be inside your bed or furniture.

    • Protractor on 22/05/2023 - 10:53

      Yes lots of by-catches possible. eg Geckos & small marsupials. ( The ones wandering domestic cats haven't wiped out yet)

  • MrsJones on 22/05/2023 - 08:50
    +2

    Got any friends with a Jack Russell or terrier? Have them visit with their pup - it will sniff out the hiding place.

    • 87percent on 22/05/2023 - 09:20

      there was a show on SBS the other day about a gang of people in New York who go out at night with their dogs and hunt rats.. was really interesting. The dog would sniff them out, and then bite it and shake their head and kill the rats

  • Mokr on 22/05/2023 - 09:00
    +4

    Posion the peanut butter

  • lostgoat on 22/05/2023 - 09:23

    The smart ass razor tooth mouse ate right through some boxes and a plastic tub to get and eat my play dough in my shed.
    Yummy Yummy :)

  • kolorijo on 22/05/2023 - 09:24
    +1

    Congratulations on your new pet :D

  • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 09:44
    +1

    Get this https://www.bunnings.com.au/ratsak-electronic-mouse-trap_p00…
    Never missed a beat, ozb favourite line.

    • ozturtle on 22/05/2023 - 11:15

      This works, used it in our last rental.

      Mouse dead by the following morning.

    • beyondtool on 22/05/2023 - 15:32

      Maybe I’m overthinking it but $50? There’s a lot of reviewers saying it didn’t work. I suppose it’s Bunnings so I can take it back.

      • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 18:48

        I bought this and few other $10 one around the house, this caught few others didn't.

        You have to make sure there are no human contacts when setting up the trap, use gloves.

        Also put poison baits around the house as well.

        For me it worth the money as those basteds cost me around $1000 worth of damage.

  • sparkles on 22/05/2023 - 10:01

    If you know their pathway or entrance point I've had success already catching four mice this year within a couple of days using this:

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/the-big-cheese-multi-catch-mouse…

    You have to hose it and dry it out after every catch though.

    Feel you, it's an ongoing battle where we live and it's only just started.

    • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 10:26

      This is a pointless exercise, one of our neighbours catches them alive and releases them at the park next to us, and someone else job is to kill them.

      • tonka on 22/05/2023 - 11:20
        +1

        I take them to a bush area Nature will sort it out (snakes and birds and prob rats). I'm don't feel entitled to execute something that is just being inconvenient.

        • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 11:28
          +1

          I get that, but for others, please don't release them across the road lol

      • sparkles on 22/05/2023 - 11:49

        It's not pointless to me, if they are no longer running around my house.

  • Protractor on 22/05/2023 - 10:47

    Try some fresh bread squashed onto the bait tang and a drop of vanilla essence. Also try pumpkin seed on another trap. Mix it up, as in give it choices..

  • Cluster on 22/05/2023 - 11:14

    These work well for me. Cheap, and the mouse cannot eat the peanut butter without setting it off

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/plastic-mouse-trap-2-pack_p02764…

    Wear disposable gloves while handling it so the mouse cannot smell you on the trap.

    • lostgoat on 22/05/2023 - 16:55

      I thought they had powerful smell ability.

      How far away can a mouse smell?
      They use pheromones, or scent markers, to communicate with other mice and rely on scents to detect predators or other potential dangers. A mouse's sense of smell is so powerful, it can identify the age and sex of another mouse up to 10 miles away!

  • tonka on 22/05/2023 - 11:25

    Use a humane live trap and let them get used to it before you set it. They are clever and will test it before taking any bait, need to let them have the bait a few times with no tricks. The he is probably a she, they are very cautious. Or maybe they are a baby and trap won't work.

  • blitz on 22/05/2023 - 11:36
    +1

    Now he is living in my bedroom

    Look to be honest this sounds like a great setup for an "odd couple" type sitcom

  • Jugganautx on 22/05/2023 - 12:24

    Buy a couple of the black claw traps and jam chocolate into the circle bit for the bait.

    Killed 5 mice in a week with them.

    Don't use the live catch traps they're useless mice never even went inside these.

  • beyondtool on 22/05/2023 - 15:29

    Ok so I pulled the entire room apart today and could not find a single piece of evidence of the mouse, despite it keeping me up half the night. . I solved the missing bait, this morning a I caught ants making short work of it!

    So back to the drawing board. I am wondering if the mouse is outside the walls or in the roof now. It’s really got me stumped. Like it’s a ghost mouse or something 🥶

    • boomramada on 22/05/2023 - 18:55

      Check the ceiling, check the kitchen cabinets, make sure no gaps around the fittings in the cabinets.

      For extra protection, use this around the house https://www.bunnings.com.au/ratsak-fast-action-reusable-rode…
      As they like to follow their ancestors foot path.

    • mdsh on 22/05/2023 - 19:16
      +1

      They can be surprisingly noisy when in walls/roof and not actually 'in' the room itself.

    • KSMLJ on 23/05/2023 - 00:51
      +1

      Sprinkle flour over areas you have seen it before.

      Once there are positive tracks, sprinkle more beyond the initial area, keep repeating until you can trace the tracks back to its entry point, or hideout.

    • hawkshead on 24/05/2023 - 06:57

      Have you been sleeping? Maybe there's no mouse? Maybe you're actually the mouse?

  • RefusdClassification on 24/05/2023 - 03:15
    -1

    Humans need to learn to co-exist with nature rather than just exterminating everything that crosses their path. It is a great crime to kill another human being, but is seems no crime at all to murder another species (heterocide). Even plants aren't exempt. When land is cleared for housing now, every lifeform is terminated to make way for human settlement.

    • lostgoat on 24/05/2023 - 07:00

      I hope you watch where you are walking. Pls don't murder a poor ant .

  • hawkshead on 24/05/2023 - 06:56

    OP watch mousehunt(1997) rethink if its worth bothering the mouse.
    Watch the borrowers as well.
    hmm, maybe also watch arieti

  • MrKnowItAll on 30/05/2023 - 23:38

    We recently dealt with the same, somehow they got under the kitchen cabinets / behind the dishwasher! We don't keep doors open (automatic closers on them) and I'm not aware of any openings but this is the 2nd time they've set up shop there.

    Electric traps are super effective at killing them, the new ones are clear on top so I setup a spare tapo cam so I could check remotely if it's been set off, well of course the morbid curiousity in me had me go back in the recording to watch the trap in action - they kill fast, like in a split second fast so definitely humane.

    We've only had one instance where it failed to kill so far (out of at least 14 mice) and the damn thing hobbled off after getting zapped. It did some damage regardless though as it wasn't in great shape and we found it dead a day later.. definitely not what any of us wanted and not sure why it failed either? Batteries tested fine and its worked well thereafter.

    Once done you just open the top, tip the mouse into the bin (or into the chicken coop) and then switch it back on ready for the next contestant.
    Super easy, no mess and it's not cruel like those glue traps.

    • beyondtool on 05/06/2023 - 23:51
      +1

      There are two plates so it depends on mouse contact. If the mouse stiffens the legs and loses contact it could potentially get away with just a nasty zap, especially a small mouse.

  • beyondtool on 05/06/2023 - 23:48
    +1

    Update, I saw the mouse move as fast as lightning straight under a door last night. Wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it. It had definitely worked out how to eat a mouse trap clean without setting it off.

    So today I caved and got the Bunnings electric trap. Less than an hour later it was buzzing and we found our culprit one tiny field mouse. I suspect there are others around now.

  • Ave Maria on 16/08/2024 - 21:46
    +1

    You need different size traps depending on the size of the mouse. I used 3 different types and eventually cleaned my house of all mice - got 3 living under the sink and 15 in the cellar. Must initialy came through the garage door gap and small gap under the door adjoinig the house (now sealed to leave no gap).

    I use humane traps to catch & release them in a nearby park close to water & trees to shelter (I refuse to kill any of them as much nuiseance as they may be).

    The small bunnigs big cheese traps will work with small mice. Bigger (longer mice) will not flip it as their main weight will be on the entry with an easy reach to the bait.
    The square big cheese also caught a few small mice. For bigger mice you need the long tunnel style with the bait container at the very end. Older mice get wise to that one so you need to be patient, it took me 4 weeks to catch the 3 under the sink with the long spring triggered tunnel ones (bought from Amazon). They easily took the bait out of the filp ones with out a single flip of the trap. They also took the extra food I put at the end of the tunnel trap (in addition to the bait container) a few times. When they got comfortable doing so, I added an extra 10 cent coin at the end to make the trigger super sensitive (as it will not trigger for a light mouse), put some peanut butter on the coin as well and that did the trick. My house is now mouse free (and none killed - not by me anyway).

    We made the mistake of thinking it was just one mouse that may have entered from an unlocked door. It turned out to be 18 (as it was a female one that nested in the cellar and had babies - all caught and released !). The only way to be sure there is no more is when you no longer see mouse poop around the house and no strange noises late at night.

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