Three storage steps back...

[ukpreppergrrl]

It seems, Grenfell, you are correct! So far the trap on the site formerly occupied by the egg noodles has caught two mice The other traps remain un-triggered.

The moral of this story is:
[1] Always assume your stores will be under attack from 2, 4 and 6 legged beasties and protect accordingly.
[2] Never assume that your pet moggies will do the job for you with regard to the smaller 4 legged beasties.

I was hoping, come TEOTWAWKI, the pussies would protect me from the killer mutant rats (see "Survivors" original series). I'm starting to have serious doubts...

Incidentally, if you're a little squeamish about handling dead mice, I do recommend the plastic bulldog-clip style traps. They're much easier to empty (and set!) than the traditional metal and wood trembler style as you don't have to go anywhere near the working end. You just pinch the plastic lugs together at the safe end, and one little cadaver is deposited in the bin from the other end.

[Stasher]

A customer of mine recently complained she had seen a mouse in her house and was wanting to get rid of it but would rather not use poison or the spring traps as she didn't want to have to handle the dead ones. I leant her a humane trap , the box type with a trap door triggered by the mouse once he has entered.
That was ten days ago and since then she has caught one mouse every day. I did wonder if it was the same mouse coming back but she has assured me that she has been emptying the trap a good couple of hundred yards away across the road in the opposite field so it really shouldn't be the same mouse. Still proves the point that it's rarely just one mouse you have

Therein lies the problem. I'm betting it is the same mouse! You need to take them a significant distance away (I'm talking a least a mile) they have inbuilt satnav which brings them back to their place of origin. A friend of mine (just to be extra sure) drops hers off (or rather her OH does!) on his way to work six miles from their home.

I'm not sure how far away the mouse needs to be, but it's a lot further than you would think. A couple of hundred yards will not cut it!

Pesky varmits.....................

[grenfell]

Yes , one piece I read spoke of only a few tens of yards are needed but I honestly didn't believe it. It's definately not one mouse being caught over and over again as she has noted that the first was a larger adult and the latter ones seemed to be smaller and probably younger. It's up to 12 now although I am partly thinking you may be correct and some are coming back. I've seen mice regularly in her garden so it's also equally possible she has a large population that keeps coming into the house . She relented on the poison after her friend had a word and some was put down. When I was there I checked and it had gone so put more down so at the same time as they were eating the poison either the same mice or their friends were using the trap too.
Funny thing is I have another customer who wants to borrow the trap but luckily his mice aren't in the house and he'll drop them off in the park over half a mile away.

[preppingsu]

Well, I have to say although a mallet does the trick every time so does a big dose of industrial poison

[featherstick]

Jeez. I used to bait the bottom of the bin. They'd jump in but not be able to get out, and I'd catch 'em and kill them with my fingers. Job done.

[ukpreppergrrl]

You just pinch the plastic lugs together at the safe end, and one little cadaver is deposited in the bin from the other end.

Bin day yesterday. Rather than hooking the wheelie bin to the back of the lorry to empty it, the bin man simply leaned in and picked out the two bags in there....revealing the two dead mice in the bottom! I distinctly heard a manly squeal! Perhaps I should have put the mice in a bag...they're still there...waiting for the bin man next week! Moral quandary...

[grenfell]

I was hoping, come TEOTWAWKI, the pussies would protect me from the killer mutant rats (see "Survivors" original series). I'm starting to have serious doubts...

Incidentally, if you're a little squeamish about handling dead mice, I do recommend the plastic bulldog-clip style traps. They're much easier to empty (and set!) than the traditional metal and wood trembler style as you don't have to go anywhere near the working end. You just pinch the plastic lugs together at the safe end, and one little cadaver is deposited in the bin from the other end.

What ! Letting the cats eat or worst still binning valuable protein come TEOTWAWKI !!!

[ukpreppergrrl]

What ! Letting the cats eat or worst still binning valuable protein come TEOTWAWKI !!!

Now that there are three little bodies lying in wait for the bin man next week, they do actually start to look like a viable pie-filling option...they are, of course, very pump, having gorged on my egg noodles.

[grenfell]

If that's a dinner invite I'm , er , washing my hair that night

[itslee]

I deal with mice at work and we use sticky pads. Catch a couple a week as well. You can get pads online and you want to get the trapper ltd pads as they are the strongest going. If you have "known" sightings droppings etc... Place some jam in the middle of the pad. To remove them which you can without touching them, you can use cooking oil aka vegetable oil. Just pour it around the mouse, but be careful not to drown the mouse.

Or you can just stick it in a bag and use the bottom of your boot lol.

Don't place pads in the same place for more then two days as the mice are cleaver and will remember where it is. Don't place it on corners, outside gaps holes etc..

Also if a mouse can get its head through a hole, its body will follow lol.