Mice in the house

[Testarossa]

Wind turbines take out more birds and bats than cats ever will.  Look it up.

I looked it up. And not trusting one study, I looked it up again. And again.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-27/tall-buildings-are-bigger-threat-to-birds-than-wind-power (2018 data)

Causes of Bird Deaths in the U.S. Annually (2015 data)
Cats  2,407,000,000
Buildings  599,000,000
Cars  199,600,000
Power Line Collisions  22,800,000
Communication Towers  6,581,945
Power Line Electrocutions  5,630,000
Wind Turbines  573,093
Number are for independent birds only. Estimates do not include eggs or nestlings.
Chart: Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder  Source: Loss et al. 2015  Get the data  Created with Datawrapper

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/15/wind-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-than-cell-towers-cats/15683843/  (2014 data)

https://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/  (2003 data)

https://www.wintuaudubon.org/feral-cats-drive-songbird-decline/

https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/study-cats-cell-towers-are-more-deadly-birds-wind-turbines/40671

Bottom line: The National Audubon Society endorses wind power as of 2006, saying that habitat loss due to climate change,, fossil fuel extraction and air pollution is a far more potent killer of birds than any renewable energy source.

Look it up.

[kballowe]

I hit one bird with the truck and one on the windshield of that big Yamaha and another one hit me in the helmet.  THAT hurts.

I am also responsible for two turkeys, and countless chickens. 
Although, I would like to think that Walmart is at least complicit in the deaths of those turkeys and chickens.

 


Getting back to the mouse issue, I would love to hear if anyone has used one of those electronic mouse zapper things.

[Perazzimx14]

Ramik bait blocks and a DIY PVC pipe dispenser to keep other animal from ingesting it.

[80CX100]

I've done the water bucket thing and old style traps with a variety of baits.

What made the biggest difference for my situation, was getting a dog that I only feed on demand, and keep control of the dog food in a tight closed closet.

Mice love dog food kibble, so that's what I use for bait, I jam it under the metal clip on the trap so they really have to work to get it out.

I learned to place my traps like a hunter, close to whatever food sources there's evidence the mice are attracted to, close to openings that appear to be likely nesting areas, plumbing openings etc, and funnels or runways behind appliances, furniture etc that they like to use.

Last year, I still had my old male German Shepherd dog, he had no predatory instinct, and I left food out for him all the time,,, the mice were in heaven running circles around us, lol.

My new German Shepherd female is a very motivated predator and only eats kibble on demand,,, made a huge difference in bringing the mice numbers down this year.

Good luck with it

Kelly

[fotoguzzi]

I looked it up. And not trusting one study, I looked it up again. And again.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-27/tall-buildings-are-bigger-threat-to-birds-than-wind-power (2018 data)

Causes of Bird Deaths in the U.S. Annually (2015 data)
Cats  2,407,000,000
Buildings  599,000,000
Cars  199,600,000
Power Line Collisions  22,800,000
Communication Towers  6,581,945
Power Line Electrocutions  5,630,000
Wind Turbines  573,093
Number are for independent birds only. Estimates do not include eggs or nestlings.
Chart: Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder  Source: Loss et al. 2015  Get the data  Created with Datawrapper

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/15/wind-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-than-cell-towers-cats/15683843/  (2014 data)

https://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/  (2003 data)

https://www.wintuaudubon.org/feral-cats-drive-songbird-decline/

https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/study-cats-cell-towers-are-more-deadly-birds-wind-turbines/40671

Bottom line: The National Audubon Society endorses wind power as of 2006, saying that habitat loss due to climate change,, fossil fuel extraction and air pollution is a far more potent killer of birds than any renewable energy source.

Look it up.

i thought so, thanks for looking that up.. keep your cats indoors.

[Perazzimx14]

i thought so, thanks for looking that up.. keep your cats indoors.

Agreed have as many cats as you like as long as you keep them confined to your property. If you allow them to roam free do not get upset or mad if they don't make it back from their latest killing spree.

[old head]

last night I mixed up some flour, baking soda and sugar.  I put equal amount of each.
put the mixture in 2 different lids where I seen droppings.
About 4am we heard what sounded like squealing from the laundry room.  I got up thinking a mouse had be caught in the sticky trap.  Nope.

both lids of mixture had definitely been messed with, so maybe one bit the dirt last night.

Old Head

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Jack Russel terrorists were bred to kill rodents.  They're good at it.

[LowRyter]

We had cats for many years.  Loved them all and they took care of bugs and varmints.  I think they are the perfect pet that can pretty much take care of themselves.  Just feed and water them, clean the box and let them go.  They're much more affectionate pets than non cat owners would think.   We loved all our cats and enjoyed them.

When we lost our last one a few years ago it was pretty traumatic.  We think that he might've been poisoned by some of that Chinese cat food.  We just didn't have to the inclination to replace him.  Now we have many birds and feeders in out backyard.  So birding has taken some of the slack.  We still have no varmints in the house- knock wood.

[Knuckle Dragger]

Jack Russel terrorists were bred to kill rodents.  They're good at it.

I always thought JRTs were bred to bite Postmen!

[oldbike54]

Wind turbines take out more birds and bats than cats ever will.  Look it up.

 Sorry bubba , that isn't true .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

I
Communication Towers  6,581,945
Power Line Electrocutions  5,630,000
Wind Turbines  573,093

I don't know, I heard that the number killed by communications towers was 6,581,942.    Perhaps 3 of them were just wounded.

Seriously, who comes up with these things?   Numbers accurate to one part in ten million?  Are we pretty sure that they got them all?

We know that 74.03984582% of statistics are just made up anyway ....

Lannis

[Two Checks]

It stands to reason since there are more buildings than windmills birds would hit more buildings.


I like cats. Other people's cats.

[frozengoose]

We know that 74.03984582% of statistics are just made up anyway ....

Lannis

Well that's just on average, you know that political statistics are close to 100% false.

But I also wonder how they collected these numbers. Our cats, buildings, and cars have taken a toll of birds over the years and nobody ever polled me. And how about the resident hawks and owls, they look pretty well fed around here. But given the relative scarcity of wind turbines compared to the other factors, it seems improbable that they would rank first.

[normzone]

I have nothing constructive to contribute, only two intoxicant related tales.

Back in the previous century a rat helped himself to a LARGE portion of my high grade Jamaican marijuana. One of my roommates saw him wander through the living room in broad daylight twice in an hour. That night he died eating peanut butter from a trap.

Recently my bird feeding efforts drew a mouse to our patio - I set casual traps, and bait was stolen but no kills were made. I then followed Youtube counsel and arranged the traps between barriers influencing approach angles - but no kills.

I had some free samples of some marijuana sugar from one of the local dispensaries - it was too cheap for my tastes but I sprinkled some on the trap baits.

The local ants were very interested but could not remember how to get home after consumption, and just went in circles. I never saw the mouse again - he may have gotten lost, or slow enough for a cat to take.

So I don't know what your local laws are on such matters, but you may want to consider it.

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^^^ 

[Lannis]

Not me.   I don't mind killing pests, or killing for food, but I do it quick and clean.    I've used Warfarin poison before, and I've used sticky sheets before, but I hate the idea of torturing animals with poison or letting them starve to death or die of thirst.   I especially don't like leg-hold traps for pelts, either, and don't let trappers use them on my property any more.

Once we had fixed some Christmas eggnog for my grandma, who always enjoyed it and so I made it to her recipe.   After Christmas, we had some left over, and we don't drink it, so I poured some in the dog's and the cat's bowl, figuring it's all eggs and cream and they'd probably enjoy it.

Never again!   It was pitiful to see them staggering around the house and falling down.   I thought I'd killed them, and I know they didn't understand what was going on, unlike a human who enjoys having his intelligence level knocked down to that of a smart dog with intoxicants.

Luckily they got over it .... but no more fooling with the pets' food, and mice, moles, and coyotes are not going to know what hit them ....

Lannis

[normzone]

I agree as regards poison and sticky traps - both are cruel, and with poison there is the risk of some predator you want to encourage to stick around being killed. I cherish my local raptor population.

As for mice, if they'd give me a clear shot I'd take it, but that's rare.

I did have a rat come in during a hot dry summer when we left the slider open often. He would not leave, and a snap trap with food did not interest him. After he knocked over a bud vase I figured out he was after water. 

I caught him in a live trap with a bowl of water in it. I filled a small barrel in the brewery washing area and gave him a lifetime supply.

[LowRyter]

Drowning them in a bucket was exactly a kind death either.  Still.............

[Knuckle Dragger]

Aye, thar be a moose in yer hoose.

[Lannis]

I agree as regards poison and sticky traps - both are cruel, and with poison there is the risk of some predator you want to encourage to stick around being killed. I cherish my local raptor population.

I like the hawks, falcons, and owls too, but then again I don't keep chickens, pigeons, and rabbits like my grandpa or my brother-in-law used to keep!

A spring-trap or a projectile is a fast, easy death for an animal .... even drowning is WAY better than what's going to happen if they die in the wild.   Drowning, in 90 seconds it's over with.    Gradually sickening, slowing down, and then getting eaten alive by a bird or dog or cat or coyote, that's the "natural" way, so I try for improvements over that if I can ....

Lannis

[Kent in Upstate NY]

Wind turbines take out more birds and bats than cats ever will.  Look it up.

http://infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_15195_wind_turbines_are_not_killing_fields_for_birds_n.jpg

[normzone]

Aye, thar be a moose in yer hoose.

A Møøse once bit my sister...

[Lannis]

A Møøse once bit my sister...

We have a Moose lodge in town - I'll make sure the girls go 'round it ....

Lannis

[normzone]

No realli! She was Karving her initials øn the møøse with the sharpened end 
  of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law -an Oslo
  dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo         
  Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"...     

EDIT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SII-jhEd-a0

 

[old head]

Well, the flour with baking soda and sugar isn't working.  The critters ate some the first night, nothing since.
Rebated all traps, both spring and sticky traps, nothing.
Bought some moth balls hoping the smell will drive them out of the house, placed them where I see droppings.
Tomorrow I will reworking the 5 gallon bucket trap with a wooden ramp instead of a plastic one, and not as steep.  I don't want to be cruel, but enough is enough.
baring that, I will borrow a cat for a week or so.  Several of my friends have cats and I am sure they won't mind me using the cat for a week or so.
The last few nights, I have only heard 1 mouse moving when it gets quite, so maybe the rest are gone?
Old Head

[Knuckle Dragger]

Odds on the cat/s will complain (very) loudly all night about their new environs, spray-mark your furniture & take a dump or 3 behind the sofa.

That's if they don't just sleep around all day & night, leaving copious amounts of fur on all your darker coloured soft furnishings, & the escape home at the first available opportunity!

[normzone]

A borrowed cat gathers no mice.

What are you using for bait?

Using new traps that don't smell like dead mice?

I like the bucket trap design ...

[larrys]

I agree as regards poison and sticky traps - both are cruel, and with poison there is the risk of some predator you want to encourage to stick around being killed.

I lost one of my cats from him eating a poisoned mouse. I never used poison as we had a number of house cats and several half feral barn cats. I suspect that my neighbor was using poison for his mouse problem.
Larry

[Rick in WNY]

OK, growing up on a farm, we had mice. Cats did a lot, but I got to be pretty good at setting traps for the really skittish ones.

One thing that frustrated me was setting traps only to find a mouse had visited and licked all the peanut butter off the bait bar without triggering the trap. Here is the solution to that problem.

Step 1 - get a good old Victor style mousetrap.
Step 2 - put a dab of peanut butter on the bait bar.
Step 3 - tear apart a cotton ball and wrap a bit of the fluff around the bait bar.
Step 4 - set the trap, arm it, and wait.

Mice like food, but they absolutely LOVE nesting materials! The peanut butter smell will attract them, but they will grab the cotton fluff and pull it... setting off the trap.

BTW, I despise using poison... lost a few good barn cats because they ate too many mice that had been poisoned. Snap traps are much better, more humane, and safer for all the other critters.

Good luck!