How can I discourage mice from hanging out in my apartment?

Question

I don't want to use traps.  Not even humane traps.  I just want to keep them away.  I'm not even sure why they like it here, because after a pantry moth issue last year, all our food is keep in air-tight (and bug/mouse-proof) containers.  About an hour ago, I put out a cotton ball, with peppermint essential oil on it, right under the hole the mouse goes in and out of, and right before I opened up Y!A to post this, I saw him, called him a little $%*#er, and watched him go into the hole with no hesitation.  I can smell the mint from here, but he didn't seem to mind it.  Or, maybe he was just so freaked out from me yelling at him, that he had to force himself through.  I don't know.

Oh, and my friend downstairs also has mice in her apartment.. She told the landlord and the landlord put poison out in the basement.  I'm totally against that, but they both wanted it.

The little guys are kind of growing on me, especially since they're smart enough to avoid the poison and aren't in my place for food, but realistically I don't want to share my living space with them.  Any suggestions?  I'm at a loss..

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

get a dog if you can. then train it to catch them. 
or you could make a trap that doesn't kill them.
make a bird trap but for mice.
mice love meat, bread and peanut butter.
especially peanut butter. after you have cought one take it to a park and let them go. or chase them into the hole and then put some food in there and patch it up.haha then they will find another way out and hopefully it will be outside. once they have all gone out the other side if its outside patch that up and they will be outside :)
i thought of that myself :)
hope that helps and you get rid of the mice!

Herrmann · Answer

Mice, as cute as they are, carry disease and pestilence.  They are not clean; they sh!t and p!ss where they sleep.

Get over being raised on Mickey Mouse and other cartoons and buy some traps.  Use just enough peanut butter on the trigger to make them work at it.  Do not worry about their population; there's a reason for the expression, "breed like rats".

Diseases Carried by House Mice
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1661558&blobtype=pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/index.htm
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th1c.htm
http://www.precisionpestcontrol.co.uk/rats.html
http://www.kennedypest.com/mice.html

mike p · Answer

Don't leave any food crumbs out for them to feed on. Get a bread box to keep your bread, pasta, even mac and cheese boxes, they will get into them. Use a strong concentration of pin-sol on your floors, they hate the strong smell.

Trending News

How can I discourage mice from hanging out in my apartment?

3 Answers