I See Mice Everywhere

AS I type there is the most satisfying sound of a mousetrap going SNAP! somewhere in the house. 

There are no less than 7 of them set in various places all baited with different tit bits.

In case you are wondering they are partial to chocolate, peanut butter, regular butter and one of my Mouse Busters recommended using a KP Skip.  All were met with much appreciation. So much so they cleaned their plates and asked for more.

What I’ve learned so far:  it’s not what’s in the trap, it’s the trap itself.  Three out of my seven traps are of the old fashioned wooden variety.  The other four are fancy already baited plastic gizmos that take ages to set and then go off as soon as you slide them carefully onto the ground, yet withstand the weight of a mouse nibbling at the bait.

Stick with the wooden variety.

There have been mice in every house I lived in. Except Dublin.  10 years in Dublin and I never saw a mouse.  Everywhere else there have been mice running about as I watched TV.  There were droppings and mice caught in traps baited with chocolate and peanut butter.  And up until now no odours.

What I have learned so far:  Mice don’t have to be dead and rotting underneath your floorboards to stink.  They manage this very nicely as they live and breathe.  This is down to the male of the rotten species by all accounts.   The little bastards are fond of marking their pathways apparently.  My house stinks.

I know someone who once had a mouse live in their car.  They can and will get in anywhere.  A week since we set the first traps and I see mice everywhere.  They are still running over our feet and up the stairs.  Mister Husband admitted he reckons there is a nest in his tool room as he can hear “lots of them.”

What I have learned so far:  let’s say the trap doesn’t get them.  Then a mouse can look forward to a lifespan of anything from 9 - 12 months.  They are ready to reproduce at four months old. A female mouse can have 60 offspring in her lifetime.  They are an evolutionary marvel in that water is not essential to their survival (mores the pity).  Their hydration needs are met solely through the foods they eat. Even dry stuff.

Plenty of people have told me to get a cat. I don’t want a cat.  Even one that lives outside.  I have no truck with cats.  Cats are not for me.  It looks like I am stuck with the traps for the moment. 

What I have learned so far:  Don’t share your delight over that morning’s mice cull (three!) with your kids when they come home from school and subsequently serve up sweet and sour pork.