Keeping rodents out

[Mazo EMS2]

Lots of good ideas here. I agree with the food thing. The critters are usually looking for a free snack, and if you can eliminate the odors of any food, you're ahead of the game. Certainly they look for warm dry places to nest too. For that I like to use moth balls, and bounce dryer sheets. I'm fortunate enough to have space in the garage, so that makes life much easier. Something else that helps, is a simple night light in the area. The critters sense that if a light is on, then someone or something is likely around....a simple nightlight underneath the Spyder might help too...

 

[Motorcycledave]

 

[Eckhard]

A point to ponder. The problem with poison is that the mice don't have the good sense to die on the spot and usually go someplace to die. Owls and other predators & scavengers have been known to die from eating poisoned rodents. Live owls are our friends killing lots of these pests. Dead owls just stink up the place.

 

[Gwolf]

A point to ponder. The problem with poison is that the mice don't have the good sense to die on the spot and usually go someplace to die. Owls and other predators & scavengers have been known to die from eating poisoned rodents. Live owls are our friends killing lots of these pests. Dead owls just stink up the place.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I have seen mouse nests in many RTs but never in any other model Spyder, is that a coincidence or do mice just prefer the luxury of the RT? How about steel wool? It worked, sort of, when I had mice in IL.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

That's kind of the same thing an old farmer did one time. Took a barrel, put some grain in the bottom, a ramp board to the top, and an escape board on the inside. After several days and the mice were in the habit of running up the board and jumping into the barrel it was time. He put a few inches of water in the barrel with the grain floating on top, and took out the escape board. The mice ran up the ramp board, jumped into the barrel, and ..............

 

[Gwolf]

That's kind of the same thing an old farmer did one time. Took a barrel, put some grain in the bottom, a ramp board to the top, and an escape board on the inside. After several days and the mice were in the habit of running up the board and jumping into the barrel it was time. He put a few inches of water in the barrel with the grain floating on top, and took out the escape board. The mice ran up the ramp board, jumped into the barrel, and ..............

That works. The can in the picture has peanut butter smeared around it. The mice will jump on to the can to get the peanut butter and get dumped in the bucket that has about 4 inches of water in the bottom. They can't jump or climb out. No poison involved. They just drown in the water. You don't need to reset the trap. You just need to put fresh peanut butter on the can now and then.

When I was young we kept a bucket in the corn crib that had water in it up to about 6 inches from the top. The mice and rats would fall in trying to get a drink of water. There are devices for sale that clip on the sides of buckets to dump them in, but the rolling can works just as well. They will go out on the edge for peanut butter. It is better bait than cheese.