The mice have arrived

[MikeTheGardener]

The only small critter issue I have had was a chipmunk in the winter time. He would scurry in, grab some food and then scurry away.

 

[aart]

Those will work ... But, I like these better ...



They have to reach over the trigger plate to get the food ... I use dog food!

Set in the front, at rest (or tripped) behind ... I like the 90 degree swing instead of the more normal 180 degree ... Besides my wife doesn't have to get as close to the caught mouse to release it ...





These have a better hidey hole, that they have to lift up ...

Hmmm..those are interesting..I use the yellow trigger one and put very little pnut butter just in the holes.

Thanks. I just watched a mouse repeatedly run threw 1/2" wire mesh. arrrrrrg! And I attached the 1/2" with fence nails. Here we go again.

Seriously?!? did you get video?

 

[123RedBeard]

Yeah, I have some of those yellow paddle triggers too ... I tend to smear a glob of peanut butter under the little notch ... Sometimes I put some on the bottom, or in the holes too ...



Quite often though ... They lick off/out the peanut butter ... I even tried oiling the trigger with a little olive oil ...





But these work the best for me! (Except for the lazy black tomcat on the far right!)







I have had much better success with the Victor brand, than Tomcat ... No matter the style!

 

[aart]

Yeah, I have some of those yellow paddle triggers too ... I tend to smear a glob of peanut butter under the little notch ... Sometimes I put some on the bottom, or in the holes too ...



Quite often though ... They lick off/out the peanut butter ... I even tried oiling the trigger with a little olive oil ...

That's too much bait, smear it smooth so it just fills the holes...I use crunchy pnut butter so jam pieces in the holes, make 'em dig for it.
Have had them set too tight, guard against that by just barely hooking it (scary for fingers).
If it's summer and pnut butter is too melty, I use cheese instead-again just jamming holes full, none on surface.

 

[chrism]

That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

I like this idea a lot!
How high do you fill the upright PVC?
Specifically, what type of poison do You use?
Would the Chunx bait that egghead recommended work in this?

 

[RonP]

I use baits that have a hole in the middle.

I attach a paperclip to a wire, tread the bait through the paperclip, and attach the end of the wire to the top of the tube for ease of removal / replacement.

I only keep 1 or 2 baits in the tubes at a time.

For maintenance, I have been replacing the baits every month or so, I have no rats...

 

[BBQJOE]

I like to hot glue a pistachio nut to my traps. They rarely get the nut, and all I have to do is reset it.

Another one people have had luck with, is to get a 5 gallon bucket, and fill it half full of water.
Tape a paper bag over the opening on top. Get a coat hanger, or a few dowel rods or something, and fashion it like a hangmans L shaped thingy to the side of the bucket, and tie a string to it with some sort of bait so it hangs a few inches above the center of the bucket.

Now make a wood ramp up to the edge of the bucket.
Place the contraption where you most likely think they will come. Place a handful of feed in the center of the paper, and a trail down the ramp.

The mice will find the food, and follow it up to the top.
The next night, do it again, and maybe one more night.

Once you think they have it figured out, cut a slit in the paper.

The next morning you should have a bucket full of drowned mice.

 

[chrism]

They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

What would you recommend for someone that may be dealing with an established colony?
I have the Tomcat bait and several bait boxes ordered. I'm also going to make several of the PVC traps.
These will all be distributed around the house, in the crawl space, near the range feeder and in the coop.
I'm also going to try that drowning bucket.

 

[RonP]

What would you recommend for someone that may be dealing with an established colony?
I have the Tomcat bait and several bait boxes ordered. I'm also going to make several of the PVC traps.
These will all be distributed around the house, in the crawl space, near the range feeder and in the coop.
I'm also going to try that drowning bucket.

Seems you are taking an aggressive stance.

Eliminate all other food sources.

Make sure when using the poison baits to dispose of any carcasses properly.

Once your baits stop disappearing, routinely refresh the baits to keep wanderers at bay.

 

[chrism]

Thank you.
My understanding is that the pest will take the bait back to the nest.
Won't this eliminate the possibility of dead carcasses having to be removed?
I worry about one of my flock getting to a poisoned mouse before I do.