Yesterday, I found a dead mouse at the base of my tree in the back yard. Today I found two more dead ones in the same general area. Now I know for some, three mice outside are no big deal (DH said "so what, they're outside") but I hate the nasty little vermin and I want them gone. I don't know what is attracting them because the dog waste is picked up, the trash is covered, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas for a natural, non-poison substance I can put outside to either kill them or drive them away? The dog is in the back yard and she'll eat anything (although she didn't eat the mice which surprised me) so it has to be safe for dogs. Any suggestions? This is the first time we've had rodents and I just want the creepy little buggers to go away!

It sounds like maybe a neighbor put out some poison and the mice for some reason are choosing your property as their final resting place. I'm sorry but I don't know of anything that will get rid of mice that won't also hurt your dog.

Mice have no purpose (that I know of) other than to eat and repopulate so there are lots of them to provide food for the multitude of animals that survive on them. You probably have more out there than you realize.

The best weapon against mice is a trap. Bait it with peanut butter. If you're lucky, a fox will come along and eat the dead mouse during the night and leave the trap.

If you put some snakes in your back yard, they will eat the mice. Snakes are also completely natural, so you don't have to worry about using something poisonous where your dog might get it. :D :twisted: :twisted: ;-)

Sometimes rodent control puts poison in a enclosed box with just a small hole in either end, that is fastened in place, to keep out children and pets.

The only non poison I know of, are the rodent strips...but then you have to find a way of either letting them go or killing them.

Traps put in a wooden box, in a place your dog can't get to is another alternative.

SNAKES!!!!!! I had rather have a mouse than a snake. Get a cat and don't feed it, then it will get the mice.......

I feel for you. Put up an owl house, get a cat, and a snake, sing the song from the Lion King (The Circle of Life), tell yourself that as long as the rodent is outside it is better than in. Does anyone think this kind of sounds like the "Woman That Swallowed a Fly"?

I got some barn cats. Stupid things live on the front porch waiting for handouts. You can have my cats!

you might have to feed it some to keep it around, but if it's a feisty cat, it will go after small moving :shock: :shock: :shock: objects...and why did I just have to open this thread and HELP?
I have been told I am so helpful I don't always take care of meece-self. Hmmm, but nobody here would ever think of luring Mousie into a trap...although peanut butter is a real favorite.
Did these mice have little vests on? smell like spaghetti or lasagna? ;)

Since all the mice are dead, it may be a stray cat killing them and bringing them to you as a gift. Cats will do that. YUK
Carol B

LOL!!

We had a cat one time that we took on vacation with us. Every morning he had mice and shrews lined off on the front step for us... then a neighbour told us that he had seen Charlie sitting on a rock in the river catching a salmon. He didn't share the fish with us!

Good luck with the mice!

I was going to say a nice cat, too. Some dogs will try to catch them, some dont care, LOL!

cats! I have 3 outdoor cats....no mice are brave enough to come here. They will kill anything they can. I have seen them drag big rats up through the yard. We have chickens and rabbits so mice and rats are always a possibility. The other day I saw the tomcat coming across the yard with a wild rabbit in his mouth. That's the only reason I have them...rodent control.

The absolute best investment we've made is www.ratzapper.com Yes, at $50 each they're expensive. But they work great, won't injure dogs(too big to get into it) and they knock them dead right away. We messed with all the different kinds of traps and baits for years and there's NO COMPARISON. We bought two and they are a quick and reliable death for the critters.

you can have the snakes in my backyard!

When we moved into this house, we ended up with mice!! CAN'T and I mean CAN'T stand them. UGH!!!! After literally finding 3 dead ones in my house I went on a rage!! I know this sounds weird, but I ordered those little electronic devices that you plug into the walls on your house that send out these sound waves. I've got atleast 1 in every room and 2 in the larger rooms, in the basement and garage. I am soooo happy to state that I've not seen one of them since!!! Not even a tell tale sign. WOO-HOO!! Major happy dance here. :-D :-D

I think I googled pest control for mice or something along those lines and came up with this place. I don't remember where I actually got them from though, but if you want to do something before fall and they start moving indoors.

I am terrified of snakes, I have already killed 2 baby Copperheads in my back yard and still have no idea as to where mommy and daddy are. We have an abundance of chipmunks this year and I have been taking them out with my Red Ryder BB Gun anytime I see one. I am figuring that if I eliminate their food source the snakes will go.

But for now I am carrying my .22 pistol with varmint shot loaded in it any time I am in my back yard in case I see a snake.

Billy

You didn't say if you were in a rural area or not, I'd be more concerned with what's killing the mice.....if it were natural they'd be eaten , sorry to folks with tender stomachs.... thank god your dog didn't eat them..... you might contact the health Dept, see if they have word of somethng going around.....

Since the mice are dead...it could be that a cat has killed them! My daughters cat does this then leaves them for her on her patio! Dead birds too! Of course shes not happy with that and calls me to come take them away! lol

My cats used to bring me mice (headless) as gifts...I told them I'd rather have a box of chocolates but they took no notice! lol

Karen xx

Ditto. This was my first thought too. I get the little card board box mouse traps that you assemble so they have the glue pad on the inside. They are called "Catchmaster".
Seems futile when the box stays empty for years but that is how I know I have no mice. I keep them in places I am reminded to check them. They do work.
Good luck. I understand your dislike of them.

This is more fun!!!

Billy

I agree with JanetM. To much of a coincidence.

Contact your neighbors and find out if they are using some poison...if they are..be very careful that the dog doesn't get to them...If dog eats the mice, it could kill the dog...
My husband works for a pest control company. They aren't even allowed to use the peanut butter cubes anymore because the dogs thought they tasted mighty fine.
If dog seems funny, check with vet, immediately....

On a serious note, mice and rats are very social, intelligent creatures that feel pain just like we do. Please use humane methods to rid yourselves of them. Glue papers cause a slow, extremely cruel death.

Your right about that glue papers are a rough way to die. A lot of the times they will chew their appendages off just to get away from it and then fall face first in the muck and suffocate.

Even though I have issues with hurting one of Gods creatures my Red Ryder BB Gun is quick and to the point!

Billy

Quick and to the point is often humane. I saw a mouse stuck to a glue paper once (not at my home). It was squeaking and terrified and was all bloody because it had been chewing at its front paws. There was blood all around the mouse and it was still alive. I know this is graphic, but I hope it lets people seek out less cruel ways to dispose of God's creatures. We wouldn't do this to stray cats and dogs, so why would we care any less for smaller creatures who are just trying to find food. Just because we don't watch it die, doesn't mean it doesn't suffer a horrible death.

I just suffered a mouse situation in my home :( Once I discovered they were there I couldn't sleep! I tried put'n out traps that didn't hurt them & set'n them free but the little boogers kept come'n back. I tried the ratzapper but they didn't do me any good. So in the end I had to use poison :( Then I imagined that there were dead mice in my walls & kept think'n I smelt something funny...

The good thing that came from the experience is I cleaned out my cupboards lol

:( I'm sorry. I didn't know they did that. I won't use the glue boxes anymore. I would think d-con and such would be just as painful for them. What other options are there?
(No, Billy, I am not going to go on a stakeout with my bb gun. :lol: )

I had mice for a while and my dog drove me nuts sniffing and whining in the kitchen. I bought an electric mouse trap, baited it with peanut butter and got several. I also bought an ultrasonic one and haven't seen any trace of mice since. The dog calmed down too.

I just use the regular old wooden mousetrap baited with bacon/cake/peanut paste/chocolate...whichever they seem to prefer (Yes...some like savoury, some like sweet). It is quick and effective and you can modify the trigger by filing it back a little...this makes it snap with the lightest of touches.

They say having these guys (Bobtails) keeps the snakes away...we have many of these who share our garden, this one is very young and was shedding his skin when I took the photo...when grown around a foot long and about 500g. They love slugs, snails, will eat small creatures including young mice and have a passion for strawberries and fallen figs.

Dorothy, Please don't think that I was singling you out or being critical of you. I didn't realize what happened either, until I saw it. I think most of us want to be humane, that's why I explained it. (Maybe Billy will come over and help you out, next time you have a mouse.) ;-)

Yeah I am there but I am not responsible for anything I shoot up while sniping mice!!!

Billy

Use'em for catfish bait!

Earthwalker, that is one awesome reptile. I've never seen one. Darn it, now I have to look it up.

What tha??????
:shock: :shock: :shock:

I can't decide which I like better - Earthwalker's Bobtail or Marsye's catfish. :shock: :lol: :shock: :lol:

Well now theres another thread we could start...a vote!!! LMAO! :lol: :lol:

Sadly, Billy, I am a lousy shot.