Very tricky pest control

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Hello. I am about to move into an apartment and I noticed there are mice in the kitchen. I keep my tort in an big wooden terrarium in my bedroom and I am terrified of rodents sneaking in there. If I put the terrarium up off the floor (on risers) will that help? I have a cat, so hopefully he will keep them at bay.

Thoughts?

 

[Maggie3fan]

My vote goes to cat catching the mouse, seriously. I have lived in the same house for 18 years with mice in the kitchen. My cats do catch the mice and my inside turtles are about 2 feet off the floor...Mice have never been in a tort table...but if they wanted they are fast climbers. I have a tort shed outside w/skunks, rats, 'coon and mole living under the shed. There's never been any evidence that a mouse, rats etc has bothered the turtles

 

[EppsDynasty]

Hello. I am about to move into an apartment and I noticed there are mice in the kitchen. I keep my tort in an big wooden terrarium in my bedroom and I am terrified of rodents sneaking in there. If I put the terrarium up off the floor (on risers) will that help? I have a cat, so hopefully he will keep them at bay.

Thoughts?

If you want a Guaranteed way to keep them out Mint Oil. Rodents are allergic to peppermint, spearmint or any other Mint oil. Use a cotton swab or Q Tip to apply the oil to the legs and top of the enclosure. Very little amounts are needed to keep them out.

 

[TammyJ]

You really should try to get rid of the mice without any possible harm to your tortoise or cat. Mice can carry and spread diseases like leptospirosis.

 

[wellington]

If you want a Guaranteed way to keep them out Mint Oil. Rodents are allergic to peppermint, spearmint or any other Mint oil. Use a cotton swab or Q Tip to apply the oil to the legs and top of the enclosure. Very little amounts are needed to keep them out.

I tried mint oil and it did nothing.

 

[Tom]

I tried mint oil and it did nothing.

Same here. Cinnamon too.

 

[Tom]

Hello. I am about to move into an apartment and I noticed there are mice in the kitchen. I keep my tort in an big wooden terrarium in my bedroom and I am terrified of rodents sneaking in there. If I put the terrarium up off the floor (on risers) will that help? I have a cat, so hopefully he will keep them at bay.

Thoughts?

What's tricky about it? Use traps and get rid of the mice.

 

[wellington]

Same here. Cinnamon too.

Yep tried the cinnamon also. Even tried the oatmeal, baking soda, peanut butter mixture and they never touched it. Finally went with snap traps and electric traps. Got some that way, then rats moved in and mice left lol. Professional bait in boxes got the rats.

 

[Tom]

Yep tried the cinnamon also. Even tried the oatmeal, baking soda, peanut butter mixture and they never touched it. Finally went with snap traps and electric traps. Got some that way, then rats moved in and mice left lol. Professional bait in boxes got the rats.

What bait did they use? If it killed the rats, then it likely also killed all your local rat predators. When the rats recover, there will be no predators to keep the numbers down.

 

[wellington]

What bait did they use? If it killed the rats, then it likely also killed all your local rat predators. When the rats recover, there will be no predators to keep the numbers down.

They are in bait boxes that nothing else can get into. Plus the boxes were placed where wildlife can't get. I made sure my wildlife would be safe or I wouldn't have done it.
I don't know the name of the bait, but it worked great, unlike the crap I bought from Menards. I had tried the snap traps, electric traps and walk the plank for the rats too. It was getting out of hand and had to go with the professional.

 

[Tom]

They are in bait boxes that nothing else can get into. Plus the boxes were placed where wildlife can't get. I made sure my wildlife would be safe or I wouldn't have done it.
I don't know the name of the bait, but it worked great, unlike the crap I bought from Menards. I had tried the snap traps, electric traps and walk the plank for the rats too. It was getting out of hand and had to go with the professional.

The wildlife doesn't eat the bait. The predators eat the dying or dead prey that has eaten the bait. Secondary poisoning. Unintended consequences. Your wildlife isn't safe when there are poisoned rodents running around.

 

[wellington]

The wildlife doesn't eat the bait. The predators eat the dying or dead prey that has eaten the bait. Secondary poisoning. Unintended consequences. Your wildlife isn't safe when there are poisoned rodents running around.

Yes I know exactly how it works! I tried everything first without using poison. If they didn't dig such big holes under all my buildings, many holes, I wouldn't have cared. But when they are destroying my property and eating all my chickens food, I had to do what works. Of course I don't know exactly how many there were around here. I do know I disposed of a handful or so.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Yes I know exactly how it works! I tried everything first without using poison. If they didn't dig such big holes under all my buildings, many holes, I wouldn't have cared. But when they are destroying my property and eating all my chickens food, I had to do what works. Of course I don't know exactly how many there were around here. I do know I disposed of a handful or so.

SNAKES ... EVERY snake I can catch (except the Rattlers) gets released by my house. If it'll eat a few before it slithers off great. I hear ya on the poison, sometimes there just isn't a viable option to it. If you think mice or rats are hard try killing a Pack Rat. They do not eat the poison bait they "Pack" it away. Somewhere in my other house there is over a Hundred $ worth of D-Con. It took me a while to figure it out and STOP putting it out. The only way to get em, is a Havaheart trap. The ones you use for squirrels.

 

[TammyJ]

Set the snap trap with a big fat smear of peanut butter - preferably Jif. That's their favourite. Works for me anyway.

 

[wellington]

Set the snap trap with a big fat smear of peanut butter - preferably Jif. That's their favourite. Works for me anyway.

Been there done that and I only buy Jif and it was never touched. Nope, doesn't work every time.

 

[wellington]

SNAKES ... EVERY snake I can catch (except the Rattlers) gets released by my house. If it'll eat a few before it slithers off great. I hear ya on the poison, sometimes there just isn't a viable option to it. If you think mice or rats are hard try killing a Pack Rat. They do not eat the poison bait they "Pack" it away. Somewhere in my other house there is over a Hundred $ worth of D-Con. It took me a while to figure it out and STOP putting it out. The only way to get em, is a Havaheart trap. The ones you use for squirrels.

I would do the Havaheart for anything else, but not rats. I love rats, don't get me wrong. Had a couple as pets. But I was not driving to the forest preserves to release rats every time I turned around. I tried all spring and summer. It was when my neighbor that lived behind me sent a picture of two rats playing around in the middle of the day, that I felt was time to get rid of them. I didn't want to jeopardize having chickens should the neighbors complain about the rats. The city baits anyway.
So far, all my normal wildlife has been around almost nightly.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Set the snap trap with a big fat smear of peanut butter - preferably Jif. That's their favourite. Works for me anyway.

Try to attach a peice of cloth into the bait area of the snap trap. Then smear the peanut butter on it.
Peanut butter, they'll just lick off. But peanut butter on a 1" square of a cut up rag they'll tug on.
Trust me.
I could set 6 traps right now and have 5 rats outside tomorrow. The 6th trap will have blood and fur.
Because of the abundance of fruit trees here, there are many many rats. But also probably because of the abundance of food, they've never bothered with my tortoises.
Quite the opposite. I know of 3 rats that my Redfoot have eaten. And I'm sure thst the number is higher due to them being eaten more completely.
For indoors. Sticky traps are excellent with a few GOLDFISH crackers in the center. But then you need to deal with live and suffering mice.
Same with the bucket of water with wax paper on top. Cut an X in the wax paper and smear some peanut butter on the paper. Mice will fall inside one after another and most will drown. But there are usually a few that used dead bodies as a life raft. And you'll need to dispatch them....
I'm so glad I don't need to declare war on them. And I won't unless another one comes into the house through my toilets drain vents.
Let me tell you. THAT WILL wake your a$$ up!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Set the snap trap with a big fat smear of peanut butter - preferably Jif. That's their favourite. Works for me anyway.

Once again.
Dollar Store peanut butter is good for this.
Rats love it. But it's probably not for human consumption.
One day I'll tell y'all a funny story related to it.

 

[TammyJ]

I would do the Havaheart for anything else, but not rats. I love rats, don't get me wrong. Had a couple as pets. But I was not driving to the forest preserves to release rats every time I turned around. I tried all spring and summer. It was when my neighbor that lived behind me sent a picture of two rats playing around in the middle of the day, that I felt was time to get rid of them. I didn't want to jeopardize having chickens should the neighbors complain about the rats. The city baits anyway.
So far, all my normal wildlife has been around almost nightly.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! Have a blast!

 

[TammyJ]

I kind of love rats too, and I treat my colony of feeder rats just like pets. That's why I know they love JIF (and really, any peanut butter). I always make sure they have peanut butter available when babies are being born, so they don't get any ideas about keeping the population down by eating the babies.