Help!!

[carrier]

Ok, I have a problem. Well, Chewy has the problem. He has been having visitors recently- mice!!! I have found evidence on top of his cage in the form of mouse doodles. Granted, I knew we had mice in our apartment, as I have seen the fearless little buggers walking about my living room without a care in the world. But how the heck are they climbing up
his cage? After I first noticed, I made sure to pull his cage away from the walls and any other surface I could see the mice using to gain access. They are still getting in there! Poor Chewy!

I have ordered some electronic traps, as I cannot use poison or sticky traps because of my dog(and yes, she's supposed to be a ratter! HA!)

I can't tell if they are accessing the lovebird's cage, as all evidence points to mice hanging out below on the floor.

Any other suggestions??? I want them gone!!!

[linda040899]

What you need to do first is find out where they are gaining access to your apartment. You can trust there's a hole/entrance somewhere. You should be able to find it easily enough by backtracking the trail of mouse droppings. I've found most access points are behind something such as a stove, washing machine, refrigerator or a hole they have chewed in a wall somewhere which allows them to come in. To keep them out, fill up their entrance with steel wool. Mice/rats will not chew threw metal. However, they could turn around and open up another entrance. Quite frankly, you don't want them gone. You want them dead! If you are only seeing a couple, you can believe those few have friends that will eventually tag along. My own personal belief is this. I live inside. They live outside. As long as they stay where they belong, they can live. Invade my space and you are dead!

What I usually do before I seal their entrance is put rat poison behind the steel wool so they have something to eat when they come to where they expect to find food. The mice are not normally a threat to your birds but you don't want them around cages, either, as you never know where they've been.

[carrier]

Thanks, Linda.

There are numerous holes they are using, virtually impossible for me to find them all without calling an exterminator, and I cannot afford one. The entire building needs to be treated, not just mine.

The traps I got electrocute the buggers once inside the box, and a light should indicate when one has been caught. Would it be ok to remove the food from their cages at night and return it on the am or is that a bad idea? I don't want to starve my birds or anything, but figure if the seed isn't there the mice will go elsewhere????

[lemonypickett]

How about a good old fashioned snap trap? Much more humane..... I just got some that are covered, and they are hair trigger sensitive! That way the die quickly and don't smell, and there body is right there to dispose of...

I like the spray foam for insulation....$5.00 a can and it expands to make the hole tightly sealed.

[Z28Taxman]

I had mice a few years ago. They came up from the basement behind the tv where the sattelite wire comes up. Found the little bugger in Dittos' cage eating avicakes after ditto went to sleep. What was Ditto doing? Sitting on the boing just watching him. Seems he wanted a fuzzy pet.

That was one daring mouse too. for a week he'd stand on ditto's playgym 2 feet from my face (I was lying on the couch watching tv) and stare me down. :omg:

I got some of those old fashoioned snap traps. put one by the hole they came out of and one on either side of the tv stand where I saw them come out.

Within 5 minutes..... Snap!

Well that worked once. 2 days later I saw another one scurry right past the traps and scavange under the cage for scraps. Ok new tactic. after ditto went to bed I put one by each of the legs of the cage and turned off the lights and walked to the kitchen for a drink. As soon as I got to the kitchen.... snap!

I put some steel wool around the cable blocking the hole he came in through and haven't seen one since. Mice and rats won't chew steel wool so if you can find where they come in try that.

[lemonypickett]

I once had a mouse that lived in my "rabbit barn (and ex horse barn I used to house my 50 show Netherlands Dwarf bunnies)..... he would sit on a bale of shavings when I fed. So I started leaving him a plate... lol ..... eventually, he would take a treat from my hand... I even have a pic of him somewhere.... then a few rats moved in there and I never saw him again.... sad because the rats were evil, they bit the rabbits! So I poisoned those suckers....

Hurt my babies and you will suffer!

Sorry, off topic I know

[linda040899]

Would it be ok to remove the food from their cages at night and return it on the am or is that a bad idea? I don't want to starve my birds or anything, but figure if the seed isn't there the mice will go elsewhere????
Yes. This is a very good option and your birds would be fine for the night. Once lights are out, mine don't go looking for food unless there are babies in a nest.