Not a Mickey Mouse Job!
I am dealing with a Mouse Problem in the house and learning a lot. First, you will need 
to know that I have been assigned the job of extermination and that I am happy to rise to the occasion. Why has my competent, knowledgeable husband appointed me to be the General of the War? I’m relentless, I’m persistent and I’m ruthless. I won’t quit until the job is done!
First, I phoned the local Nature Center and asked about getting rid of these pests. Mistake. Their pest control advice is to feed them kale and chia seeds, lull them gently with Chopin etudes and hope that they leave for 
better environs. Poison them? Not part of their philosophy. Their operative word is “humane.”
On to Home Depot where the merchandise for dealing with household pests (rodents, bugs, bedbugs, etc.) is staggering. So, too, was the number of people grabbing items off the shelves. Must be a good year for mice! However, no poison! Nevertheless, the variety and number of choices of devices are astounding: glue traps, old wooden snap traps, new plastic snap traps (see, and you thought no one could build a better mouse trap!), non-poisonous pellets and bait traps. I chose a few different options and went home, a determined warrior.
And, yes, the skirmishes in this war have begun. Casualties so far: mice – 7, me – 0. I’m an expert in putting peanut butter on wooden traps and (more importantly) not smashing my finger; putting down a glue trap without touching the glue, using a stick to push a dead mouse into a bag and recognizing mouse poop. The war goes on. I will persevere until I no longer hear them in the ceilings and the walls nor see their poop.
You will not see any images of dead mice on this post lest PETA shut me down. But the Nature Center will be happy to hear that I say Kaddish* before disposing of each one and wish, for each, that there is an eternal after-life where it can peacefully exist happily ever after.
*a Jewish prayer recited by mourners at public services in a synagogue after the death of a close relative
- Posted in: Complaint Department ♦ Miscellaneous
- Tagged: house, humor, mouse, mouse trap, pests
(A)Musings by Arlene 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsoVcrFyrF8 for mice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqlwUXP-ubI The high tech Aussie solution
Thanks for reading and sending those links!
In case you missed this. https://millenniumconjectures.com/2016/05/31/tales-of-a-veterinary-spouse-10-what-the-cat-and-dogs-dragged-in/
Thanks, will read. I LOVE Tales of a Vet Spouse. You should combine into a book!
Be glad you don’t live at our house. We find dead vermin–sometimes whole, sometimes part, sometimes eviscerated–almost on a daily basis. We chase live critters with almost as great frequency. An overactive cat and a pet door do not make for a good combination. By our standards here at chez Sackler, your situation is decidedly minor league.
Thanks, Mark, I think we’re getting ahead of the situation. Haven’t heard activity in a few days. Last dead mouse was yesterday.
That’s why I’ve always had cats. Two to be exact and they sometimes brought me their dead prey as gifts, which to them is a big deal and a show of love. You did an excellent job of navigating this problem and finding a solution that resonated with you. Kudos to you for letting your furry friends know that they need to find a new home!
Thanks again for reading and commenting on my blog. I just mailed you the column I wrote in “Runner’s World” about 35 years ago about “stopping to smell the roses.”
Im thankful i am never an unwanted guest.
Years ago, Charleston, SC. 1997, Andolini’s Pizza… I went all hippy on when we caught the mouse. I couldn’t just put it in the dumpster. Nooooo, I had to remove the mouse from the glue, from the trap… What a disgusting ordeal. The visual of the mouse hobbling away is akin to the closing scene of The Fly with Jeff Goldblum.
Kill them quick, don’t look back. Say the Kaddish.
Thanks, Lew, as always yours are pearls of wisdom!
OY! They look so cute but not in your house.
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks for reading and commenting!