June 8th, 2010
So, you want something that kills rats. In order to kill a rat, you can purchase a rat trap online. Electronic traps are more popular to use with rats than mice because rats are larger, more powerful creatures, that can cause a lot of damage. One of the best options over at Amazon.com (in terms of popularity, price, and reviews) is the Infrared Ultra Rat Zapper, for $42.95. Before you buy something as expensive as this, make sure that what you are trying to kill is a rat and not a mouse, because it is much easier and less expensive to catch a mouse. Here is how you can tell the difference…
A typical mouse.
A typical rat
Rats are much larger than mice and have long thin tails. Generally, a mouse is the size of a small sparrow and a rat is the size of a decent sized rodent.
The ears of mice are large relative to the size of their heads. The ears of rats are small relative to the size of their heads.
Mice have small teeth whereas rats have teeth that can gnaw through metal.
The faces of rats are much larger and longer. The heads of rats are much more larger relative to the rest of the body. The muzzle of a mouse is more narrow and the muzzle of a rat is much larger.
Mice always walk on 4 feet. Some rats can walk upright.
Mice are often more furry than rats.
Mice are generally more “cute” than rats.
Tags: catch a mouse, Infrared Ultra Rat Zapper, rat trap online
Posted in Rats | 134 Comments »
June 6th, 2010
You want to catch those pesky mice, but you don’t want to kill them. They’re so cute after all. You don’t need to hire a pest specialist or invest in an electronic mouse trap to start catching mice right now, at this very moment. All you need are 4 things (a box or wastebasket, a piece of cardboard to act as a ramp, a toilet paper tube, and peanut butter to act as bait). Assemble all 4 as you see in the following picture, courtesy of Chris Glass…
Of course, you can modify this plan according to your needs. If your mouse is in a place where there are steps, you don’t even need a ramp. Or, if you want to make it really easy for the mouse to get inside the box or wastebasket, you can make a very long ramp. Just make sure not to make the wastebasket to low because the mice can jump out of it and escape.
Posted in Mice Removal | 221 Comments »
June 6th, 2010
Although the location of your mouse or rat trap is much more important than the bait itself, it’s still worth putting in the most tasty treat so that you can catch as many critters as possible. The number one choice of homeowners is a dab of peanut butter, which you probably already have. Although pumpkin seeds go fast among rat and mice, you’re going to have to keep on replacing the seeds if you have multiple critters that you want to catch. Furthermore, peanut butter is stable and cannot be moved as easily. Also, unlike other bait, such as fruit, peanut butter can stay fresh for several days and has a strong odor, which can last for days.
Some rats are very clever and can lick the peanut butter off of a trap without setting anything off. To combat this, add something in the peanut butter that will move the bait. For example, you can add some type of string within the peanut butter. If the rat wants the whole thing, it will have no choice but to move the string and thus activate the bait. Aside from dabbing some peanut butter, you can get a little more creative and glue apple slices or fruit to the trap.
Although you can buy poisoned bait off of sites such as Amazon.com, which will kill the rodents within several days, your best bet is to get something that is non-lethal as you don’t want to have any impossible-to-reach-to rats or mice lying around your house. Poison rat baits go for around $20. Brand names include Contrac Blox Rodenticide and Contrac Rodent Place Packs. When using rat poison baits such as these, the key is to make sure that, once the rats start eating, they don’t leave to any other location. If they do, you’re going to have dead rats in unsuspecting places. Because these poison cakes are so enticing to rats, they are often used outside of peoples’ premises so that the rat infestation problem is taken care of before it ever gets inside your house.
Because rats are larger than mice, if you are looking to catch rats, you’re going to want to dab plenty of peanut butter on your trap because they can consume a lot of food. Furthermore, you’re going to want a rat trap that can hold several large rats. Space the rat baits around 20 feet apart and make sure that the rat baits are the only food sources in the vicinity. The less food options there are, the more likely the rats are to eat your bait. If your bait disappears, make sure that it is actually the rat that is doing the taken. If you see a trap with eaten food and no rat, chances are that some other, more inconspicuous critter, stole the bait. Finally, when use peanut butter with a trap that says that it can be used for rats. Because rats are so much larger than mice, a mouse trap for an adult rat will be only a minor inconvenience.
Tags: adult rat, Amazon.com, bait, catch rats, Contrac, peanut butter, poison cakes
Posted in Rats, bait | 152 Comments »
June 5th, 2010
Already mentioned in the previous post, here is a detailed overview of what is arguably the best mouse killer on the market, the Victor M252, which sells for less than $20 on Amazon.
This electric mouse trap delivers a high voltage electric shock that kills the mouse in 10 seconds. Aside from seeing a dead mouse, the biggest complaint with traditional snap traps is that they don’t capture that mouse at all or leave the mouse trapped in an awkward position, giving it a very slow and painful death.To dispose of the dead mouse all you have to do is open a lid on the mouse trap and dispose of it.
The mouse enters a tunnel, making escape from being electrocuted very hard. Because the tunnel is small and the unit is deactivated if the top door is opened, it is safe to use in the presence of children or pets.
One set of batteries kills about 50 mice. A lot of people are surprised as to how effective this trap is. Rather than being disgusted at the thought of seeing a mouse, people actually enjoy coming to the trap to see if another mouse has met its fate.
The key is to put just enough peanut butter so that it attracts mice, but not so much so as to mess with the electric mechanism. Aside from putting in peanut butter you can put in cheese, cookie crumbs, bread crumbs, and other food products. Because mice like pretty much anything, you have no shortage of food choices.
Biggest complaint about this product is that mice are not interested in going inside it. To make this trap work to its full capacity, think like a mouse. If there are other treats surrounding it, then the chance that it is going to go inside is not going to be that great. Place it in a location where the mouse visit frequently and, preferably, where there is not much going on in terms of shelter or food. Another small complaint is that it can be difficult to clean up food remains after disposing of a mouse.
Although this product make work no better than a traditional mouse trap, in terms of cleanliness, this one tops the cake. If you really don’t want to, you never even have to see a dead mouse again. Just place it in a plastic bag and toss it away with the rest of your other garbage. Furthermore, this trap meets International Humane Kill Standards.
Tags: electric mouse trap, International Humane Kill, mouse trap
Posted in Mice Removal | 127 Comments »
June 5th, 2010
If you are in the market for a mouse trap, here is a quick overview of your very best options, based on popularity on Amazon.com…
Smart Mouse Trap- Humane Mouse Trap from Humane Mouse Trap Products $12.97
If you don’t want to have to deal with any assembly, that is required for homemade mouse traps, and any death, this is your best bet. All it really is, is a sealed box with a small door. The box senses when the mouse is inside to get its treat and locks the box shut. You have to apply a wheat based product as bait and the mice will eventually get inside. Many users are surprised as to how well this product works and say that they actually get delight from catching the mice and seeing them enjoying the food inside. You just have to make sure that you check the trap frequently as the mice can die if left without food and water for several days. Even if you don’t care about the lives of mice, it is certainly much easier to deal with alive mice in a clear sealed box, then dead and rotting mice.
Victor M252 Electronic Mouse Trap $19.36
If you don’t really care about the lives of critters and want nothing to do with them, this is your best bet. The Victor Trap is almost like an automatic mouse garbage can in that it zaps the mouse dead within seconds and allows you to see it only on its way down to disposal. A green light indicates that a mouse has been caught. Unlike snap or glue traps, which can torture the mice be slowly killing them, this trap automatically zaps them to death. Peanut butter is the number 1 bait choice used with this trap.
Agri Zap RZUIR1 Rat Zapper Ultra
This can be used for rats and mice when you have a serious rodent infestation on your premises. As such, this product is often used for commercial applications as a large number of large rodents can fit into it. In fact, the Zapper can take care of 30 rodents on one round of batteries. If your house or business if a “resort” for rodents, this is the product for you.
Although you can buy the cheaper versions of mouse traps (the traditional snap trap comes to mind), the aforementioned three options are your best bet because you do not have to deal with half-dead or decaying mice. These products allow for you to keep a safe distance from the mice and to capture large quantities of them without any mess or hassle. Sure, they are going to be more expensive, but they are re-usable and very easy (almost fun) to use.
Tags: electronic mouse trap, mouse traps, rat zapper ultra, Smart Mouse Trap
Posted in Mice Removal | 63 Comments »
June 5th, 2010
If you are eager to get rid of mice right at this very moment, you can make a mouse trap with supplies you likely already have.
Lethal Bucket Method
This involves nothing more than filling up a standard-sized bucket with water, adding a ramp in the form of plastic or wood, and then adding bait in the water and onto the ramp. Make sure that you ramp sticks out a little into the bucket so that the mouse can fall in, under its own weight. As bait, you can use seeds. However, the type of bait isn’t nearly as important as where you put the trap. If you put the trap where you know the mouse is likely to visit, your odds of success increase dramatically, even if the bait itself isn’t that enticing.
The Humane Trick Tunnel Method
Get a tunnel like tube (the cardboard part of toilet paper works well for this) and place it on the edge of an elevated platform (such as a table or a box) so that most of the tube is sticking out and not physically touching anything. Flatten one part of the tube so that it can easily rest on a flat surface. Right below the tube, place a bucket so the mouse can be trapped. Finally, apply an enticing trail of bait for the mouse to get to. Place the bait in the tube, in the bucket, and before the tube itself so as to entice the mouse to actually get inside. Because this method only works on an elevated surface, you may want to make an easy to access ramp that the mouse can use in order to get to the tube. If you have some steps in your house, you can just place the tube at the edge of the steps. Once the mouse gets into the tube, it will fall into the bucket under its own weight. Be sure not to glue the tunnel because, if you do, the mouse will not fall anywhere! You are happy because you didn’t have to kill anything and the mouse is happy because it is alive.
Key Idea of the Tunnel Method (courtesy of chrisglass.com)
If you don’t have a tube to utilize, you can instead use a soda bottle by cutting away the upper-most thin area so that the mouse can easily get inside. As with the tube, place the bottle so that 1/4 of it is on a flat surface and 3/4 of it is sticking out into the air. If you use a soda bottle, make sure to use something other than a bucket (a big cardboard box will do).
The key to a mouse trap is location! So make sure that you know the mouse will be in the proximity of the trap before assembling it. You can use peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, and/or soft cheese as bait. There is no need to buy anything.
Tags: bait, get rid of mice, humane trick tunnel method, lethal bucket method, mouse trap
Posted in Mice Removal | 107 Comments »
June 5th, 2010
Although you can use mouse traps to get rid of mice once they are inside your home, you can use a mouse repellent to prevent mice from getting inside your home in the first place.
The number one mouse repellent is a sealed off house. If there are no holes or nooks in your house, there is no way a mouse is going to get inside your house. You should seal any holes that are larger than .25 inches as mice can fit through really small spaces. Concrete or caulk mixed some sort of steel or metal will make for a good seal. It is best if the outside side of the hole is smooth so that the mice do not have anything to hold on to if they attempt to break through. If you have big holes on your house exterior, you can use plywood to cover them up. Although you may have no holes on the visible exterior of your house, it’s a good idea for you to check the attic as a lot of homes have holes somewhere in the roof. Because shingles can get ragged and out of place, you may very have a mouse welcome mat right above your head.
There are expensive products out there that claim to deter rodents with the use of high frequency sound waves that are undetectable by us humans, but painful to rodents such as mice. Your best bet is to avoid these types of products as mice have been found to live in very loud places. Although these noise producing devices may work for a while, eventually the mice will become used to the sound, rendering these sonic pest control devices useless.
Cats and dogs can deter mice from your house. In fact, the reason cats were domesticated in the first places was to deter mice from getting inside peoples’ residences. Regardless of this fact, your pooch or kitten should not be your number one defense.
Mice are known to stay clear of moth balls as well as the smell of peppermint.
When looking to repel mice, your priority should be to seal off your house. Every other method of mouse prevention is secondary.
Tags: mouse prevention, mouse repellent, mouse traps, peppermint, repel mice, shingles, sonic pest control devices
Posted in Mice Prevention | 138 Comments »
June 5th, 2010
Logically, if you want to get rid of mice in your house or prevent them from getting in your house, your first thought may be to set up poison for them to intake, just like you would for insects such as termites. However, because mice are relatively large rodents, the only thing that poison will do is create a mice morgue throughout the interior of your house. Because mice can reside in the smallest of spaces, you can have an impossible to reach to rotting-mouse (perhaps on the inside of one of your walls), inviting disease and creating unpleasant odors. For this reason, the best method for mice removal are lethal and humane mouse traps. Although some mouse poison products claim that the chemicals will make the mice thirsty and seek water outside of your premises, it’s not always the case.
Tags: mouse poison
Posted in Uncategorized | 105 Comments »
April 28th, 2010
If you want to get rid of mice in your house, you have a couple of options to choose from: hire a mouse exterminator or get rid of the little pests by yourself. If dealing with rodents is not your cup of tea, contact your local pest control service. If you are up for a little challenge, however, read on…
- Make sure that you are actually dealing with mice and not something else. The methods for rat extermination are slightly different. Rats have bigger heads than mice and are larger rodents in general. Mice are so small that they can get through a hole the size of a dime!
- The best way to exterminate mice is to make sure that your home is as uncomfortable for them as possible. Make sure that everything around your house is clean. Little crumbs may mean nothing to you, but they are entrees for mice. Seal off all access to food around your property. This means disposing of your garbage in a safe way and leaving all of the food in your kitchen sealed in containers. Aside from food, mice are also attracted to shelter and water as well. Look around your property to make sure that there are no puddles or comfy spaces that mice may call their home. Cover up any firewood you have outside and don’t let the dog water bowl sit there, waiting to attract someone other than your favorite pooch. Clean your property of any debris. You want the surrounding area of your house to be as “flat” as possible.
- Cleaning up your property may not solve all of your problems. Peppermint spray and/or plants can be added to the perimeter of your house. You can also place mothballs around your home because mice hate the smell. If you want to go all out against the mice, some people place cat urine where they think the mouse is likely to wander about.
- Look for holes around your home. Because mice can get through tiny spaces, look hard. If you don’t know the relative position of the mouse in your house, holes will give you a very good idea of their whereabouts (just like mice feces can). Once you know where the mice roam about, set up mouse traps, which come in two forms, snap and humane mouse traps. If you don’t mind killing your annoying pests, snap traps are cheap and easy (you can buy a mouse trap exterminator for mice on Amazon for just $6). Simply place fruit, peanut butter, or bacon on the trap, and you’ll have your mouse in due time. If you don’t want any killing involved, you can get the “Smart Mouse Trap – Humane Mousetrap” from Amazon, which only costs $14. When disposing of the mice, make sure to wear gloves and thouroughly wash your hands afterwards. If you spot mice urine of feces, make sure to disinfect the area with detergent and bleach.
- How much will a mice exterminator cost if you hire a professional? How much does an exterminator cost? You can expect to be charged about $200. What you are basically paying for is the convenience of not having to deal with the mice yourself. The pros utilize the same techniques used in this article and are more useful if you have a large house.
- Whatever you do, do not seal any holes (until you’re sure you’ve gotten rid of all the mice), or use poison. You do not want dead, decaying mice in places that are impossible to get to. When looking for exterminator mice, you have to keep this in mind.
Tags: best way to exterminate mice, exterminate mice, exterminator cost, exterminator mice, get rid of mice, get rid of mice in your house, How much does an exterminator cost?, Humane Mousetrap, local pest control service, mice extermination cos, mouse exterminator, mouse trap exterminator, mouse traps, Peppermint spray, pests, rat extermination, rodents, Smart Mouse Trap
Posted in Mice Removal | 172 Comments »