Mouse Problem

shroomfox

There's a goddamn mouse in my bedroom. It's set up a HQ beside my bin and spends it's time eating...I dunno, my sock. We were getting along grand for a while but it's just hit its teenage years and it's started getting all uppity...scratching at papers and so on. And running around when I asked it to be quiet? I start work at 8am and I don't enjoy not sleeping. Give me a break, mouse.

So I've tried a couple of things. I left the door open and made tempting aromas waft in the door, but the damn thing prefers sock. I made a trail of tempting food that lead outside, but apparently, sock. I played loud music and stamped around in an attempt to scare the thing off, but apparently mice don't instinctively flee when threatened, but instinctively hide in my sock. I even tried cleaning my room, but I'm a bit of a sock factory and the problem soon returned.

So after that lengthy introduction: I'm gonna kill the mouse. I haven't killed anything in many's a year, but I'm not letting that thing keep me awake one more night. I probably won't eat it in a kind of ritualistic revenge ceremony or anything, but I might gloat and dance a bit. That's just the kind of guy I am.

Anyway, if somebody can manage to talk me out of this, they get the mouse. Dead or alive - your choice.

kestrel

seems you've tried everything except what i would have tried first- a humane trap??? a release it far away from you??

shroomfox

I thought of that, but where do I get one? And do they work? I'm stuck(There was a serious point buried in my OP, but I tend to lose the plot halfway through.)

Shabadu

Shoe box propped up on a stick. String tried around stick. Remove all socks from your floor, leaving one and a cube of chocolate* under the box.

Stay.very.very.still.for.ages.


*Mice prefer it to cheese apparently.

Raiser

Great post !!!! LOL on about 10 counts !!!!

Theres those sonic/sonar yokes you plug into the mains - emits a tone that only certain animals can hear - should drive him out.....And is just an irritant so still humane.

Don't use if you have dogs though AFAIK.

RotalicaV

Those sound things are expensive and don't work. We have one in the office here and i swear the mice go over to it just to dance.

Sometimes me and one of the girls can hear the bloody thing and THATS annoying.

Buy a standard mouse trap.

Blub2k4

I used a humane trap quite successfully a while back, bait it with peanut butter, apparently they like this better to sock.
All it is is a seesaw with a door that closes when the mouse goes in.
Then release well away from the house.

<edit>
I think I bought it in Lenehans on Capel St.

shroomfox

Well, they are supposed to like chocolate or peanut butter (although, going by my socks, this one might prefer cheese) and hearing those sonar thingies is one of my special talents (the other being able to taste cucumber). Neither is fun.

My real difficulty is that I'm stuck in Cavan with no access to humane mouse traps until the weekend and I've a feeling that if I don't kill the mouse in the meantime, I'll be so tired that I'll kill...some randomer or something.

I've come to this conclusion: Murder isn't vegetarian guys. I mean, especially animal murder, but even human murder. I know!

I might try the shoebox, Shabadu: but what do you do when the mouse is in the shoebox? I have this weird fear of mice running up my trouser leg.

Shabadu

Slide the shoebox over a chopping board or hardback book, run out to the fields, set free. Or put it in a deep bowl with some shredded up newspaper, a dish of water, bar of bournville and a sock for company.

shroomfox

DAY TWO

The Game of Fox And Mouse Continues

OK, so I've set up my contraption. I've drawn a diagram detailing the main parts. Here it is.

I watched the trap for a while, got bored, and left. Then, after a while...I went to bed.

AS OF THIS MORNING:

No. of Mice Captured: None
Evidence of Mouse Disturbance / Disruption: Extremely Small Scuffle Marks on side of shoebox. (They could have been me though.)

I'm considering giving the mouse an option by putting a "Death" Trap (you know, your standard trap) on one side of his base, and a "Life" Trap (The trap I've set up) on the other. This way, he chooses whether he lives or dies, I can film it, start a reality TV show and become famous! Although PETA might do the same thing to me afterwards.

Anyway, he was very quiet last night, so I slept and don't feel particularly hate-filled this morning, so I'll probably leave the Game of Death until another day.

Raiser

...Bookmarked this of course...must check back regularly to keep up with this clash of wills, two razor sharp minds at odds duelling in a fox and mouse game over sock rights....

P.S. It does worry me that your mouse hole clearly has 43 written beside it ? Best case scenario is that theres still no.s 1-42 as yet untackled? Is this fiendishly elaborate test-bed a ridiculously well funded pilot project Shroom?

shroomfox

Yeah, that confused me too. But he's quite an upmarket mouse.

kestrel

okay that box and stick idea is awful. anything that depends on you sitting and waiting is awful. just get a bucket or something deep enough that he wont get out of and get a plank of wood or something as a ramp. put a TINY bit of peanut butter on top of the ramp, just enough to entice him up, not enough to fill him, and a larger dollop on the bottom of the bucket. the food you use here is key, it has to be aromatic. so if peanut butter doesnt work (it should, but if it doesnt) try a piece of chicken or something.

the mouse goes up and in, cant get out. et voila, humane, non-murderous trap. make SURE you release it far away, cos mice tend to come back if the release site is near the house.

Raiser

I thought this too, initially, but you see [consult battleplan] the Shroomfox has tied the chocolate to the stick - hence dispencing the need for any shroom involvement in events whatsoever, brilliant I tells thee.

shroomfox

DAY THREE

The calm before the storm...or maybe just the calm

Day three, and the shoebox is still untouched. However, my nephew has made three attempts to eat the chocolate. This reflects badly on my family.

He's also been incredibly quiet for two nights running now, and I'm beginning to wonder if he escaped? Of course, that could be his plan. Maybe he's anti-Nestle.

Kestrel, that's not a bad idea. Would a mouse climb that high for some peanut butter though? And jump off? Also, mice can jump quite high*, so it would have to be quite a deep bucket. Anyway, I might try and implement that one this evening. If your trap catches Sammy (I've named him Sammy), you get to keep him; if it's Shabadu's, the prize goes to her.


*I swear, that damn mouse was trying to grab the door handle one day.

Samos

The saga continues....

Blub2k4

So if he's still alive at the weekend are you going to justify this post staying in vegetarian and not being moved to hunting by using a humane trap??

huh huh huh?

Misty Moon

Try and get your hands on a copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Tales from River Cottage first series. He had a mouse problem and got a woman in who does an exorcism type thing (that's a bit of a harsh word, can't think of what she called it) to get rid of mice. Involved burning sage, thyme and something else and three of them focusing on a nice, safe place for the mice to go to and some chanting/meditation. At the end of the series he said he hadn't been troubled by mice since then.

direbadger

Misty Moon wrote:

Try and get your hands on a copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Tales from River Cottage first series. He had a mouse problem and got a woman in who does an exorcism type thing (that's a bit of a harsh word, can't think of what she called it) to get rid of mice. Involved burning sage, thyme and something else and three of them focusing on a nice, safe place for the mice to go to and some chanting/meditation. At the end of the series he said he hadn't been troubled by mice since then.

She called it a spell, I'd say.

I just can't beleive that fella didn't round up the mice and eat them. He eats quare stuff...

Blub2k4

direbadger wrote:

She called it a spell, I'd say.

I just can't beleive that fella didn't round up the mice and eat them. He eats quare stuff...

He has done a lot for sustainability of meat and totally disagrees with bad treatment of animals and is really good for animal welfare in general, if all meat eaters would follow his credo there would be a lot less problems with mass meat production etc.

Tar.Aldarion

Well we had a mouse problem a while back.
Trust me, at this stage I am an expert at throwing a pot/my poker box/tin of sweets on a mouse. I even caught one in a glass which shocked me. It was actually quite fun catching them and the babies. Quite cute. Unbelievably fast too.
Those sonar things work by the way.
I'm a student though, so I used my hands and standing still.
The ones in our house were very forward, one tickled me. Another sat on my friends knee while she watched tv. In fact they weren't afraid at all after a while. All the better to catch you!
If you just sit still, he will run around and if you are fast, get a box over him.
Also try leavin bags around your room. You know, big paper ones you would get your clothes in. They tend to just run into them and practically catch themselves. One of them did this. I bet the family took the piss out of him.

shroomfox

Well, I was away for the weekend.

I come home and my family have killed Sammy.

So that solves that problem.

Shabadu

/me hugs shroomfox

Admit it- you grew to love the little nibbler.

Freelancer

Shabadu wrote:

/me hugs shroomfox

Admit it- you grew to love the little nibbler.

Sniff, he died as he lived, nawing through my food, rutting constantly and defecating everywhere.......

shroomfox

I wouldn't mind, but I brought him back a present and I'll have to go get a refund now. Ah well.

Shabadu

Freelancer wrote:

Sniff, he died as he lived, nawing through my food, rutting constantly and defecating everywhere.......

BANNED FOR SPEAKING ILL OF THE DEAD!!111




(not really)

Raminahobbin

the poor mouse

Tar.Aldarion

Vigil tonight?

Some of ours were killed to, the ones I could not get to fast enough...

bounty_hunter

I wanted the mouse

Catsmokinpot

shroomfox wrote:

DAY TWO

The Game of Fox And Mouse Continues

OK, so I've set up my contraption. I've drawn a diagram detailing the main parts. Here it is.

I watched the trap for a while, got bored, and left. Then, after a while...I went to bed.

AS OF THIS MORNING:

No. of Mice Captured: None
Evidence of Mouse Disturbance / Disruption: Extremely Small Scuffle Marks on side of shoebox. (They could have been me though.)

I'm considering giving the mouse an option by putting a "Death" Trap (you know, your standard trap) on one side of his base, and a "Life" Trap (The trap I've set up) on the other. This way, he chooses whether he lives or dies, I can film it, start a reality TV show and become famous! Although PETA might do the same thing to me afterwards.

Anyway, he was very quiet last night, so I slept and don't feel particularly hate-filled this morning, so I'll probably leave the Game of Death until another day.

MEGALOL!!!! great diagram

[Edit]

MEGA:( just saw page 2 shame the poor crater died, ah well put him in a box on top of the tele and watch the green mile, he might come back to life....

Tar.Aldarion

I forgot how good this thread is. Megalol indeed.