Mice Issue

I am having a mice issue in my shed. It’s about 8’ x 10’ and I’m finding stuff chewed on. I put mouse poison out last fall and within a week it was all gone. So I put 2 more trays out. THAT was gone in a week. So I put out 2 more and that stayed for a while. But with the warm weather I reopened the shed to find all the mouse poison gone again and a couple of my rugs chewed up.

I have heard that dryer sheets repel mice is that true? Should I put a box of dryer sheets all over the shed? Or do I need to get more creative?

Anyone’s thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

My mouse control is snakes and feral cats but I live in the country. First, how are they getting into the shed? or do you have a bunch living in the rugs? Coyote urine works sprayed in the engines of our vehicles keeps the ground squirrels away from chewing the wiring, maybe that would help. My guess is the shed is full of them, pull everything out and find out, and block off however they are getting in.

I get them in my storage as well, I agree on pulling everything out and cleaning, its a bitch, but it helps. Moth balls help to deter mice and I've used the fabric sheets as well. Two of my dogs are mousers as well, one goes in my storage before me and sniffs around, if she sees one its dead, and the dog carries it outside. I used some poison in an old camper, and they ate it up, but I hesitate to use it again because of my dogs. What about mouse traps?

Judy

I use this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Final-Blox-...161?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item589069dd99

It works much better than the green blocks.

Sozo said:

I use this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Final-Blox-...161?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item589069dd99

It works much better than the green blocks.

Click to expand...

LOL... It better for $95 bucks. But I'll look into it for sure.

KKC said:

LOL... It better for $95 bucks. But I'll look into it for sure.

Click to expand...

It's a 5 gallon bucket FULL.
Well worth the money.

Keep putting fresh poison out. Really, it's about the only way to keep the population down, unless you have a couple GOOD mouser/ratters (cats).

However, peppermint oil is DETESTED by rodents. You can try soaking cotton balls in peppermint essential oil (buy it online, so you don't pay an insane price for 10 mls of the stuff) and placing them around the perimeter.

Old timers used to get a bunch of boys together with some good terrier type dogs in a barn which had a rat infestation. They'd drop peppermint oil soaked cotton balls into the runs and holes, and the rats would swarm out into the open to escape the smell. The dogs- and boys with sticks- then took care of the rat problem.

We had a terrible rat problem in our old (so old the cement floor had hollow spots which the rats enlarged to use for runs) heifer barn. Talk about creepy- if you walked into the door in the dark and flipped the light switch, there were rats everywhere! There were so many, they mutating- we had pinto rats, long haired rats- it was awful.

We DID poison a bunch of them, but we lost a valuable calf to the poison- she teased one of the packets of pellets out of the rat hole (darned Jerseys are the most MOUTHY cattle, ever) and ate them. We didn't realize it until it was way too late to save her. So, we wanted a better way to control them. I ended up planting peppermint around the perimeter of the barn,... once we'd wiped out most of the population with poison, they didn't come back. I think it would be well worth a try.

Summerthyme

If you do put poison blocks out, put them on a metal clothes hanger first. The blocks will stay put much longer and not be taken away. Also try to seal up the openings where the rodents are getting in ( if that is possible). Final or contrac blocks work well. Final just works a bit faster. Good luck !

My mom used to pore a little coca cola in a bottle cap or some other little thing, and set it in the corner. Apparently the mice can't resist the sweetness, but their little digestive systems can't process the soda, i.e. they can't burp, lol. Kills them dead.

Of course, then you have to hunt them down.

Outbuildings poison blocks can be used and you will need to buy a small pail of the stuff and replace it often and it put down around the walls and near the corners to! Mice like stay close to the walls as they run . Some of these poison baits have a hole in them and take some peanut butter on a paper plate or towel and push into the hole at each end and a very light coating on the ends, this will entice the mouse to eat away at it and get a good dose. Wash your hands after handling the poison bait as the stuff is intended to kill.