Hi all,
 
Regarding the mouse problem some are currently facing...We had a slight
problem with mice within the first six months of moving into our house.
We were reluctant to try poison - not only because we had a very curious
puppy, cats & ferrets roaming about, but also because I poison/kill only
as a very last resort.  I prefer to outwit them first.  ;-P
 
Possibly the main incentive for mice to move into a hoomin habitat is
the lure of plentiful, tasty food.  We went down to Wal-Mart & PetSmart &
got every single plastic storage container with a locking, airtight lid
that we could find, and proceeded to lock up our pet food, cereal, sugar,
flour, pasta, etc.  - basically everything that was opened and not
refrigerated was sealed in one of those containers.  Not only have the
mice disappeared, but we're not going through dog/cat/ferret food as fast
as we used to; a major $$$ savings, particularly since the Totally Ferret
is no longer disappearing into the night!  We have not seen any evidence
of mice since...the problem we have now is when the cats bring mice in
from the outdoors & deposit them, still alive, on the bed, while we're in
it.  Sigh...:-)
 
This won't halt a major invasion & occupation - it is more of a "nip it
in the bud" solution.  The problem of a mouse infestation can be so
frustrating, though...my childhood home was across the street from a
saltwater marsh, which bascally functioned as a mouse maternity ward.
We always had a mouse or two that we knew of residing in the house, but
never thought it was that bad.  Until...I was helping my dad remodel
the bathroom in my childhood home when I was quite young; he was in the
process of knocking down one of the old plaster walls when he struck
"gold".  He plunged the hammer into the wall, ripped out a huge section
of plaster...and was showered with an avalanche of Kibbles 'N' Bits!
My six-year-old vocabulary was vastly enriched that day...and the
exterminator was promptly called.  As my dad continued to remodel other
rooms in the house, he kept finding giant pockets of dog & cat food.
The "mouse in the house" problem at my father's house has never really
been solved; he just tries to deal with the problem when it (seasonally)
rears its head.
 
Good luck to everyone having mouse issues - it certainly can be
frustrating!
 
jess
 
Jessica L. Manson
Whimsy Creative Photography!
28 Stafford St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
(508) 747-5505
[log in to unmask]
www.whimsyphoto.com
[Posted in FML issue 4343]