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Post by creativechaos on Jan 10, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5
I'm posting this on the general non-members board in case some "lurker" might have mice problems. Perhaps our collective solutions may help someone else besides me. (yes i know! Two units - a no no! yes i work on thinning them, and am now motivated to work on things much faster, thanks to the mice.) I need to control the mice NOW since i cannot control how they are getting in or where, and i'm only ONE person with a bad back and no help, nor money to pay help right now. Yes, I am trying to get out from under paying for these units - which for now, I mostly trade garden work.
About 35 units of various sizes "share" a building - many units, one bldg. Buildings are not "tight." There is NO WAY to block mice and other rodents from coming in, now that they have figured out how to get in. Mine likely came DOWN from the attic - so i am hoping these are not roof rats - but so far, the turds are tiny to mouse-sized. Don't know how long i have had mice. Weeks anyway in the large one. Unsure in the small one. Maybe longer in both, since both units are PACKED. _________________________________________________ Obviously, since I have never had mice in either of these units, there are two possible contributing factors: 1) SOMEONE is obviously storing FOOD in their unit. so - management is NOT liable for the mice wrecking the rest of our stuff. 2) We are having an actual winter with some colder temps - something our area has not had for awhile. The mice want to be warmer.
NOW, what to do about them? I HATE killing anything! Especially mice and voles - and I have never had to. Until now.
SOME QUESTIONS:
If I have no food in my unit, would they still nest there anyway? What do they eat if there is no food source? paper? what else? What are their favorite places to nest? favorite materials? (fabric obviously, but what else?) Will they eat through everything? What kind of protection do i need while working with stuff that they have peed and pooped on? Do I have any recourse with holding the owners of these units responsible, regarding asking them to act on this situation? Will these mice move back outdoors in spring? ____________________________________________________ I am leaning toward poison (if talking to them and asking them to leave does no good.) Snap-traps would not likely work in this situation due to the amount of stuff. i cannot bring myself to use sticky-traps. it's not their fault that they're mice.
I am looking toward getting help but i really don't know who or how, since i just spent most of my savings and extra money on the vet hospital bills for my very sick cat.
To add to my stress - we have apartment inspection next month so i can't bring any stuff here! I am slowly purging - the operative word is SLOWLY. i have cut acquiring down. I realize things are not moving fast enough. Mice call for emergency measures and quick thinking, so any help or experience on how you get rid of them is greatly appreciated. I'd rather be pro-active in this than forced to throw everything out because of mice!
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Post by sidestep on Jan 10, 2017 14:10:51 GMT -5
Hi CC, I'm sorry to hear of your mouse problem. I have no personal experience with mice, but I do have lots of experience with big ratties. Just for an example as to the non-food things they ate, this may be an eye-opener for you: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/14696/rats-eatGood Luck!
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Post by notanotherdecade on Jan 10, 2017 14:12:07 GMT -5
Just a thought,,, is there any proof that people are storing food in the units? If not will the building owners be responsible for pest control.? Strong scents like mint are said to make them move on. I'm wondering if they dislike cayanne pepper and strong spice the same way that cats & dogs do. Can your own cats n dogs come to the unit on occasion to spread their own scent? A container with cat poo in there even?
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Post by ccd on Jan 10, 2017 14:24:55 GMT -5
We had a rodent problem when our daughter was storing household belongings in our garage. They nested in the upholstered furniture and there were teeth and claw marks on anything wood--even a rolling pin.
I was adamantly anti-trap before this, but seeing so many of her possessions ruined changed my mind. I don't remember the brand, but my husband found a type of reusable snap-trap where the dead animal could be removed easily with absolutely no contact. Those little miniature peanut butter cups fit perfectly for bait and were well-liked.
Good luck.
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Post by notanotherdecade on Jan 10, 2017 14:28:09 GMT -5
They will gnaw through plastic to get at chocolate.. it would be good bait too
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Post by ohblondie on Jan 10, 2017 16:34:51 GMT -5
This isy biggest fear. Mice chew or eat anything. Paper. Fabric. Anything.
Good luck.....I wish I was closer and that I could help....
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 10, 2017 17:04:04 GMT -5
Okay, I'm going to come at this from a completely different direction--maybe this is the push you need to empty stuff out of the units? If your home is full too, there will be no way that you'll use most of the things in your storage units in your lifetime--and if you get your home emptied out for the inspection you won't want to fill it up again anyway.
Are there large things or large categories of things in there that you can donate now, while they're still good? At the very least, having less stuff in there will help you see and deal with what's left.
Just wanted to throw that out there...
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 10, 2017 17:05:33 GMT -5
Oh, and don't count on cat smell to keep mice out, I used to work at a cageless cat shelter in a three story house, and we frequently got mice in the building. They didn't last long if they ventured out on the floors where the cats were out, but the smell of cats definitely didn't scare them away.
Diane
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Post by danny15 on Jan 10, 2017 17:47:33 GMT -5
I was kind of thinking along the lines of what dtesposito said but with another twist. Don't waste time, energy, money trying to get rid of the mice. It would only be a temporary measure anyway. If someone is keeping food, more mice will come. If the building isn't mouse proof whatever you do with your unit will not prevent other mice from coming in. You could use this time as incentive to empty your units and donate or trash things. I'd be inclined to let the mice have at it. You have an inspection coming up. Focus your time preparing for that. Especially since you won't want to be moving anything else into storage with mice. After your inspection begin work on the units. Yeah there will be a lot of damage but sometimes damage might be the only thing to force us to get rid of things. Spoken from personal experience.
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Post by creativechaos on Jan 10, 2017 18:19:55 GMT -5
ok.... thank you everyone for your thoughts, ideas, and advice - most of it definitely not what i wanted to hear - especially regarding all that will be ruined...and with all my interests and hobbies, i see no way to ever NOT have things stored off-site from the 450 sq. foot apartment - unless i give up most of my interests and hobbies. that said, i'm a realist. i'd known for awhile that i'd need to reduce things all-round by about 1/2 to 3/4. now with the mice... i'm not sure - since i WAS planning still to make the larger unit a studio of sorts, and it's all set up; tables, work benches, ETC. there are some things in the units i need to save, like the best of my original artwork; there is tons of it there at both units. i made so many things throughout my 35 years of living here that the overspill is huge. the art needs saving - sooner than later. some of it is on canvas. canvases take up a lot of room. i'm going to go over there and pull out more boxes to sort and take to the thrift. while there i am going to try to communicate with the little buggers and ask them nicely to leave. it's not their fault... mice gotta eat too... i talked to my friend with the COPD about helping me. said i can't pay him for awhile due to the vet bills. but now i shall amass debt. he said he would help. but after this new cold front calms down.. so next week. being a "saver," i would rather donate what is good now than let it sit there and get ruined! things are creeping into the apartment that i can't quite let go of yet... and i am getting overwhelmed here with ANY excess.... just when i was beginning to see some improvement. i'm feeling so overwhelmed and defeated and hopeless, i don't even know where to begin.
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 10, 2017 20:41:48 GMT -5
Yes, artwork is definitely worth saving and keeping. While you're working on getting some of the stuff out, why don't you try the peppermint oil? It might keep them from nesting in your particular unit if the other units don't have that smell. Not a permanent solution, but it might delay some damage while you figure out what to do.
Diane
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Post by sparkle on Jan 10, 2017 23:17:19 GMT -5
I tried humane traps (it caught them but not humane, no matter how advertised), peppermint oil (expensive and didn't work) and finally ended up with d-con which really worked but then they quit selling trays with pellets. I tried the new stuff that they're selling now but the mice ignored it. I finally ended up buying pellets that looked just like d-con in bulk from Amazon. I had to buy a lifetime supply but I'm all ready for next Fall and years to come. I serve it now on glass condiment trays, much more attractive than black plastic. You can probably also find pellets at a farm supply store.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jan 11, 2017 3:02:37 GMT -5
You can get hantavirus from breathing the droppings or urine of some rodents. Yeah from BREATHING around it. This pdf from the CDC explains how to keep yourself safe during clean-up www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/pdf/HPS_Brochure.pdfNOTE: if your stuff has been contaminated thus, it might be an UNKINDNESS to donate it to anyone. It might be KINDER to trash it.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jan 11, 2017 3:05:07 GMT -5
Regarding poison... be sure to put it in places where no pets can get to it.
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Post by creativechaos on Jan 11, 2017 5:09:15 GMT -5
yes, lioness; agreed on not giving people "contaminated" stuff. i am discarding whatever has been fouled with pee or poop - which so far is very little. i understand that poison cannot be used near pets; i worry about my cat all the time with other people using rat poison in our neighborhood. when he catches a rat i trick him out of it, i'm that afraid of rat poison. so using poison is my last resort.
i need to get a mask. right now it is so cold i am not too worried about the hanta virus - i'm more concerned with getting out what i know i want to save for myself. the rest is expendable. it does seem for many folks that the poison is the only thing that has worked for them.
thanks everyone for your experiences, and what has and has not worked for you. i'll try calling the interim manager again; she did not return my first call. i'm pretty sure the owner will not really deal with this issue.
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