My parents report that they saw a mouse in their kitchen this morning. So my mother is freaking out.

What is the best way to get rid of those suckers?

with a cat...or if you dont want to feed a cat the glue boards work well as opposed to having posion around.

I prefer snap traps with cheese or peanut butter over glue traps. The kill happens much quicker. You may need an alternate method if the traps are set where pets can get to them. I usually have to set mine up in the attic. It's that time of year where they're seeking shelter and food.

Do they have a pest control service? You may see if they can get an audit of their house for openings that the rats / mice can get into. Mine offers a free audit and then you can go around and plug the holes yourself.

use a trap with a half a pecan attached...works better than cheese

we used a snap trap...some cheese with peanut butter spread on it

we had our pest control guys seal our house after our incident...weepholes, a/c lines, breezeway between house and garage being the main problem areas

You sealed your weep holes?

I like the electric traps. The best part is you can keep using them until the problem is elimnated.

you can stick copper mesh or steel wool in the weepholes, they won't eat through the metal.

plus i used that insulating foam to find gap in sheetrock and floor in garage where they crawled in.

snap traps and peanut butter, works like a champ.

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You sealed your weep holes?

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They used metal mesh.

[This message has been edited by SJEAg (edited 11/11/2010 9:58p).]

I own a property management company and wish I had a nickle for each time we had to come in behind the pest control company to take care of critters like mice. Two steps
a) We have nearly 100% success using snap traps and some cheap smelly peanut butter
b) must seal the openings. Small mice usually sneak in around doors, dryer vents, gaps where hosebib exits outside. Weep holes are usually not a problem unless they are really big. Do not close them off completely or you may experience water damage problems in the future. Pest control guys should be dusting the weep holes to keep insects out and to discourage mice. Large mice (attic rats, tree rats etc) usually enter through gaps in the roof typically under the eaves where the soffit meets the roof.

Key, Need to remove the critter before closing up the house or the critter might die inside the house in ceiling or behind cabinets - smelly.

Finally, we do like using the poison blocks on the inside as the critter, if it can't get out, may decide to die in the ceiling etc.

Razen....if in Houston, we would love to have a chance at your business, we already do work for a couple management companies.

Also, what others have said is true, glue boards or snap traps depending on what you prefer.

If you don't seal everything up, they will just eventually come back.

Exterior, perimeter bait stations are also a great way to deter them from coming in.

OK - so the glue traps worked and caught two of those suckers. Now I want to have someone come over there and assess how they're getting in. I think one entry point is under the sink as I can see chewed up caulk under there. I can help my Dad re-caulk down there, but what else should I do? And any recs of who I can get to assess the entire house to catch and fix all the entry points? (I am in Spring).

They called one company and they wanted $105 to put exterior traps only; they would not come inside to look under the sink or anywhere else. That obviously won't work.

JonMan looks like he does that service looking at his company's website.

Company I've been using does as well (technical pest services). They gave me an estimate and plan of attack for free...the work cost like $400. Would have been a little more, but I kept them off the roof...plan to redo my siding this year anyway so didn't see the point.

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use a trap with a half a pecan attached...works better than cheese

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Pez works better than cheese also. Accidentally found that out when a mouse chewed through the plastic packaging to get into the Pez.

In my opinion there is only ONE method for removing mice successfully.

1.) Traps...snap traps, lots of them, like one every 10 feet in the attic along the walls or the kitchen.
2.) location and sealing of entry points.

If you do one OR the other, you won't solve your problem. Go to lowes or HD and get Victor traps, buy the whole box, they're cheap.

You can hire someone, but there is nothing they can do that you can't do yourself. You know your home better than they do and you know it doesn't take much of a hole for a mouse to get in...so start looking, low, high and in between.


[This message has been edited by jed1154 (edited 12/1/2010 11:41a).]