Little Creatures in Your House?

Do They Look Like This! Are they always waving at you? Is Your Cat Dysfunctional?  Running In Circles Fred and Gerry have put together some solutions to help you get rid of those unwanted visitors

Mice hear sounds far above the hearing range of humans, a range called ultrasonic. Weitech's electronic sound technology uses ultrasonic sounds to effectively repel mice.

Mice are repelled because they cannot adapt to Weitech's Variable Frequency Technology. It's a humane way to drive mice from homes, garages, attics, crawlspaces, basements or anywhere mice are a problem.

Independent laboratory testing has proven Weitech technology to be a highly effective form of pest control.

Weitech offers a wide line of household, professional, commercial and industrial electronic pest repellers.

Features

*     Effectively repels mice using quiet ultrasonic sounds
*    Safe for use around pets, infants and small children
*    Plugs directly into any standard 110VAC electrical outlet
*    Attractive case design
*    Satisfaction guarantee
*    Available in Canada PCP Act Reg. # 26511

Mouse traps:

• "The Better Mousetrap" new design
• Victor "Mice" trap  will not kill the mice
• Victor "Mouse Traps"  this is the original kills them dead
• Stick-Em   yes it just like sticky paper, no springs, no snaps, non-poisonous
• Bait Blocks this is considered the best poison used in Point Roberts
• D-Con ............. this one is even approved by "Good Housekeeping"
• Enforcer Rat and Mouse Killer ......... this is the large economy pack.
  

It's a serious problem especially this time of year as food sources are becoming scarce for these furry creatures. They are common in all residences, and is a problem few people want to talk about. The idea OF A MOUSE IN YOUR HOUSE seems to give off the idea that your home is dirty. This is not the case, they (mice) are simply in search of food. Believe it or not, a mouse can enter a residence through an opening the size of a dime.

This is one of those "no we don't talk about it" home improvement problems. 

LETS GET THOSE MICE OUT OF THE HEECE!

Capture a Mouse

The kind you can't replace with trackballs!!

If you see a mouse scurrying in the corners of your domicile, you've probably got more than one (or will soon). And although the furry critters do have their charms, you really should evict them ASAP--through humane methods or otherwise. Mice reproduce quickly, spread disease and chew their way through just about anything short of concrete, leaving an entryway for their less-than-charming cousin, the rat.

Choose your weapon! There are a number of mousetraps available at any good-sized hardware store. The right one for you depends on the kind of fate you're comfortable imposing on mice:

• Snap traps are the kind that slam a metal or plastic bar over the back of the creature, thereby snapping the neck or spine and putting an end to a mouse's career. When they work as intended death is instantaneous--but they don't always work as intended. Brace yourself for some unpleasant cleanups, and the occasional mercy killing.
• Humane traps are small cages with doors that close shut as the mouse eats the bait. They're clean, painless, and mess-free, but with a slightly less-effective track record. They present the issue of disposing of the live mouse: can you set it free without it turning into someone else's problem?

Glue traps are not mentioned in this 2torial, because they're disgusting and cruel. They don't kill mice--just permanently fuse their flesh and fur to a sticky surface, making it impossible to do anything but quiver and starve to death. If you can bear to throw a still-living creature in the trash, you might find them convenient...but don't expect to get invited to any of OUR parties.

Pick your trap locations

Choosing where to locate your traps is a key step. You'll want to place them where you believe the mouse will be--but your pets, children, spouse and/or housemates will not. Along baseboards, in corners and behind furniture are good locations, since mice gravitate to darkness and avoid wide open spaces. You want places where other factors aren't likely to set off the traps (such as rattling doors or thudding feet), but also places that aren't too hard for you to check, and to retrieve the traps from.

Try finding the holes from which the mice are entering your rooms, and placing the traps as close as possible. These holes probably won't be the archway-like "mouseholes" you see in the cartoons; more likely they're the open spaces around the entry points of plumbing fixtures, or gaps between the baseboard and the floor. Remember, many mice can squeeze through an area significantly smaller than the diameter of a dime.

Bait and place the traps

First, add the appropriate bait to the trap. You don't need a large amount, just a lump well under the size of a marble. You're not providing a meal for them, just something that smells appetizing. If you're using a snap trap, avoid getting smeary bait on the latching mechanism (the little metal ridge that keeps the trap from springing prematurely).

When placing the traps, try not to touch things in the area any more than necessary, or to introduce anything that might bear your scent. You want to mice to smell the bait, not you. And orient the traps so that the bait is as close to the wall as possible: mice really don't travel any more than they have to, and placing the bait four inches away may cause them to pass it up.

Check the traps

Every morning, check your traps--even if you didn't hear a snap in the night. If you don't get results after three days, try locations for your traps; you may have just misjudged the critter's movement patterns. If another few days doesn't do the trick, replace the bait (it's getting unappetizing by now, yes?) and move on to Step 4.

If it doesn't work...

• Move the furniture around. This sounds wacky, but it works. Mice will investigate the new arrangement and will be more inclined to come across a trap.
• Consider poisoning rather than capturing.

If it does work...

...you'll need to dispose of the creature. Here are some suggestions:

• If you're using the "humane" type trap, you'll have a live mouse wriggling around inside. Resist the temptation to set it loose in the vacant lot out back; mice can very easily find their way back to your home (and theirs). Instead, go for a drive and find a spot at least half a mile away from your house (common courtesy dictates that this spot not be someone else's residence).
• If you've used a snap trap and the creature is indisputably deceased, you can attempt to remove the body (and save the trap for further use), or to toss the whole thing. In either case, the best disposal method is to wrap it in a plastic bag and dispose of it with the rest of your trash...unless you feel compelled to give it a decent burial. Whatever you do, do NOT flush it down the toilet (yes, people have done that).
• If the snap trap has trapped but not dispatched the rodent, you have an ethical choice to make. You can opt to release it at a remote site (see Tips), but if it's seriously wounded you may want to "put it out of its misery." In that case, one method is to place the mouse in a small, airtight jar for a day or so. The jar must not be too big--mice have tiny lungs, and can survive a long time even in a closed container.

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