Mouse in the House

I’ve been having a couple of pest problems lately. At home we have those extra tiny ants invading our pantry. Oddly, they mostly seem interested in the peanut butter. But I’ve been squishing them like mad, and they seem to be realizing that it would be better to get their meals somewhere else (probably just another spot in the pantry I haven’t discovered yet).

The other problem is that there’s a mouse running around at work. It has been visiting my desk at night, enjoying whatever chocolate it can find. I’m amazed that it can climb up from underneath to the middle drawer, chew away on Hershey’s miniatures, and get away again. I keep a couple Advil in my desk that are so far untouched, so apparently it’s not Ralph. I am somewhat at a loss as to how to get rid of it. We have poison and traps, but I don't like all the blood that would be involved (and I’m not a huge fan of killing things unnecessarily). I cleaned out the drawer, so it doesn’t really have a reason to return, but obviously it shouldn’t be allowed to roam around the building. I want to get one of those humane traps that just catch it, allowing you to release it, but I don’t want to have to pay for it myself.

So what do I do: kill it, ignore it, or try for catch-and-release?

Comments

Lizzy said…
May sound stupid but it works. To keep ants away mop your floors with a vinegar/water mix. We had problems with ants at our house in Cedar City and a co-worker told me this. We had tried spraying and it hadn't worked and we were getting desperate. Mopped the floor with vinegar every week and never had another problem. Also on the upside it is completely safe to use in your home with children and pets; always a perk.
As for the mouse. I vote kill it. With traps the bait needs to be changed regularly because they learn a certain food is "death." The ones that I've found work the best were peanut butter and hot dogs. (Learned that as a teenager working at the zoo. Thankfully have not had mouse problems since.) Mice breed quickly, carry diseases, are dirty, and not like the cute mice and rats in the pet store. If there is one that you know about, there are more. Avoid glue traps. Seriously, that's just cruel. The mouse gets it feet caught and then either starves, chews it feet off and bleed to death, or you have to bludgeon it; that's just not right.
August 15, 2008 at 6:15 PM
)en said…
Exterminate it. You don't want a mouse running around. I have never seen one of those catch but not kill traps, except for the sticky goo ones and i would advise against those. I speak from personal experience. It is not fun disposing of a live--yet stuck-- mouse that squeaks with terror.
August 16, 2008 at 9:38 AM
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