/diy/ I have a problem and would like your input
I have mice in the walls of my apartment. As far as I know, none have chewed through the walls yet but I can hear them gnawing. Problem is I'm on a lease so I can't fuck with the property to get rid of them. I plan on living in this shithole apartment for a while so I'd like to deal with this problem. My landlord won't help and he's also literally retarded so asking him isn't an option. The building has a bad rodent problem but I live on the top floor so I figured it wouldn't be an issue for me.
Anyone know any non-destructive ways of deterring mice?
you'll never get rid of mice but you can keep the numbers down. drill a 1.25-inch hole in wall and put one of those live-capture swinging-door traps against the hole, gluing to a piece of 2x4, for example, to give it weight.
(dunno how the electric one in the pic works, i just use a spring-loaded mechanical one)
>>954887
Call your land lord and have them fix it.
>>954887
>My landlord won't help and he's also literally retarded so asking him isn't an option.
Document asking him so you can use it against him later, should any of your property get damaged or he accuses you for damage caused by rodents.
>>954957
This and literally call a lawyer. Law forces people to fucking kill pests that pose health risks
>>954887
>Anyone know any non-destructive ways of deterring mice?
Ferret, open up a hole in the wall and release it inside.
Seal up the hole for a few days, then open it again to let the ferret out.
This shit works great for rags. Should be awesome for mice.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-Super-Hold-Rat-and-Mouse-Glue-Trap-2-Pack-32433/203132001
>>954980
unless it's a very stupid young mouse, it will be very suspicious of and avoid glue traps.
moths balls might work
these traps are the best: http://www.amazon.com/Mice-Cube-Pk-Reusable-Humane/dp/B000WB13QC
>>954972
>tfw your new pet ferret dies in wall and stinks up the place
Eh. You COULD try this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GC8S6M/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_cxX1wb09T3NSQ
>We were hearing mice through the walls and the ceiling at night; kept me awake. After I installed these, I haven't heard a single noise again.
sounds like you OP
>>954972
>it finds a female ferret in there
>breeds
>You now have a ferret infestation
>>954980
I tried glue traps. Complete fucking shit. Mice just avoided it.
Live capture gravity/swing traps: likewise, the little fuckers don't go inside.
Regular mouse traps: I put these all over but have only actually caught one mouse in them.
Poison bait: not bad. It takes a while to build up to a lethal dose inside the mouse so for a few weeks it feels like you're feeding the little bastards rather than killing them. But I got two mice this way. They get sleepy and unresponsive and then die.
One of the most effective ways of trapping mice I found was to leave food scraps in my kitchen sink. They'd fall in and be unable to climb back out. I used to capture them in plastic containers and release them away from the house, but if I was sensible I should have poured boiling water on them.
I got one more mouse by trapping it in a corner, blinding it with detergent spray then hitting it with a hammer. Another fell into a storage box which I carefully emptied then also beat to death. One accidental kill when I was moving my fridge and rolled over its head. And one more live capture when I trapped a mouse in a cupboard by taping the gap along the floor, then creating a small hole that led the mouse into a pitfall trap made of cardboard tubes leading into a tall glass jar.
Tl;dr: commercial rodent traps are distinctly underwhelming.
Fogger inside the walls, get a cat, and watch them feast on those little fuckers as they try to escape.
>>955274
>>955270
That's when you release a snake to get rid of the ferrets.
>>955086
stink would only be temporary - it will go away after a while... might be months but it will go away after the body decomps enough.
>>955274
>One of the most effective ways of trapping mice I found was to leave food scraps in my kitchen sink. They'd fall in and be unable to climb back out. I used to capture them in plastic containers and release them away from the house, but if I was sensible I should have poured boiling water on them.
I did something similar. I couldn't deal with the horrifying glue traps and watching them squirm, traps didn't do shit.
I would eat a big bag of Doritos and leave it empty on the floor.
When I heard crinkling, I'd walk over and pick it up with the mouse inside.
>>955237
dunno if they really work for the bugs but they do seem to work for mice - I too used something like this and have not had mice in attic or basement again for many many years.
I know the thing is doing something - had a guy out to trace a possible coolant leak. he was using some gadget. after a bit he asked if I had some ultra sonic something in the basement as he could pick up readings or hear it or something with his gadget. I remembered I had that mouse thingy plugged in - unplugged it and he said OK, now the 'noise' is gone and he could trace the leak...
>>955274
>I tried glue traps.
>Live capture gravity/swing traps:
did you add any bait to either of these? like peanutbutter plus something else they would like.
I have a metal box trap (they walk in but the door is one way, can't go back out the same way - catch multiple mice at a go). anyway, they ignore it unless there's a nice smelly food inside they want. then it works great.
>>955274
also if you want to seal up cracks and holes the mice are getting through use steel-wool. pack it in there nice a tight. they won't like to chew thru that to re-open the hole.
>>955274
>but if I was sensible I should have poured boiling water on them.
My dad used to either drown mice or smash them with an old broom when he'd catch them on glue traps. My mom caught one and just threw it in the garbage can outside (garbage day was the next morning) and my dad said that's "inhumane" and should drown it instead.
>>954997
A drop of peanut butter, dead center of the trap usually does the trick
this is literally why the health department exists. call them.
>>954997
glue traps work really well. the mouse gets one foot stuck in the glue, and then tries to use another hand to free itself and gets that foot stuck as well.
best of all it doesn't kill them. they can live out the remainder of their days on the trap in a landfill somewhere.
>>956251
The Department of Health (DOH) has established a comprehensive, sustainable and responsive rodent control and animal disease prevention program. This program will use an integrated approach that includes community outreach, surveys, abatement, enforcement and cooperation with other District agencies to protect human health and the environment.
