I hate them meeces to pieces!

[LizStreithorst]

I could live and let live if the darned things weren't so destructive. As many of you know, I live way out in the country. Mice find their way inside a couple of times a year. This time was the weirdest. Every time I closed the door to the dish washer dog kibbles would fall out. I put a trap by the dishwasher door and one by the dog food bowl. I caught a couple of dogs before they learned their lesson but no meese. Finally today, I pulled the dish washer out and holy moly!!!! They had eaten a hole through the wall and apparently were having a party in there.

After I vacuumed up all the torn insulation and mouse poo and have a couple of traps by each of the 2 holes, but I can't put the washer back in place because it will snap the traps. Tomorrow when I go to the store I'll get some copper wool to plug the holes, but I want to catch as many of the intruders as I can before I plug the holes with it. Otherwise the others will just chew more and make a new entrance. They must have climbed in under the siding to eat those holes because there is no evidence of anything on the outside.

I have a customer coming tomorrow. She will see the dishwasher half way in the kitchen. I'll have to tell her she has brought her 2 dogs into a mouse house. Oh well...

[RogueDiscus]

That's lousy Liz. Your customer should understand you're in the country, and at least you're dealing with it. The wall around our fireplace is an annual problem when the weather gets bad. We can hear them (rats) in the wall, but they come and go from under the house. Once in a while one will venture into the house from some opening, but our cat gets them. Otherwise, we set traps outside. I use the glue traps in some places, even though they're probably less humane. One year we had a family in the wall and I but out a glue trap near where I thought they entered outside. I think it must have been the kids first trip out of the house, but I came out one morning and there were 5 juvies all stuck to the same trap. Mom probably knew to avoid it.

[LizStreithorst]

Steve, if she doesn't understand there's nothing I can do about it. You gave me a good idea, though. I can tell her that at least it's not rats like my poor friend in Oregon has. My cat hauls in mice and rats from time to time, but this is more on the side of the house where my worthless dogs hang out. If I were to put out a glue trap, which I would have a hard time doing because if their inhumanity, I would have a sticky mess on my dog's hair. I've had good luck with good quality traps. Sometimes I wake up when I hear snap shut.

[coralbandit]

No fan of mice ! I found one of my fish food containers tipped over once in the fish room ! They are on a shelf on the wall so ..
https://i.imgur.com/NjPgRWGl.jpg
You know that meant war !
They are a plague of winter here .. Mrs b hates them and has loaded the house with ultra sonic things in the outlets ..They seem to help ? When they were under my washer they ate the hose ! I found them by searching for source of puddle under the dishwasher !
I am just glad we don't have mating skunks under the porch again this winter ! :eek:

[LizStreithorst]

They killed my clothes dryer once. You have to jump on it right away and do something or they will ruin your electrical and make a fire. If they'd just say outside. But they want warmth and access to food as much as any of us.

[Skjohn98]

At least you didn’t find out to late that they got into your dry coffee creamer container like a friend at work did

[LizStreithorst]

Mouse pee mixed with coffee is not my favorite way to start the morning, for sure.

[Skjohn98]

Not mouse pee Liz, and he found it after he drank the coffee��

[LizStreithorst]

That's funny. Poor dude.

[Shan_Evolved]

Ouch mice. I had mice in my first apartment. Had a cat at the time and she definitely enjoyed midnight snacks. Was a very unpleasant experience waking up every morning and turning the kitchen lights on only to get a second glimpse at the critters scurrying around.

0/10 would not recommend.

[LizStreithorst]

Would you believe that I didn't catch one single mouse last night. They were spooked with the dishwasher pulled away from the wall. I'll have to set more traps outside. I know I'll catch some dogs in it before I get a mouse.

[bluelagoon]

I live in a city and had a rat come up through the sewer into the toilet bowl while I was setting on it. I looked between my legs and got shocked. I quickly jumped up and closed the lid and flushed it back down. I don't know who was more frightened, me or the rat.

[LizStreithorst]

OMG!!! I can't imagine that. It would have put a fear of toilets in my heart for life.

[jeep]

I had some chew through my back wall behind the dishwasher and they chewed through my braided stainless steel hot water hose. I was out of town and I had hot water flowing on my floors for 2 days and it soaked through and buckled the sub floor. Combine this with my water storage overflows, and this was the beginning of my new kitchen remodeling project...

[LizStreithorst]

Considering your history with floods I'm surprised that you haven't turned your water off and just dug a well that you could dip a bucket in for buckets full of water. Did insurance help with either of these disasters? It would have put me in the poor house even with insurance! I admire your tenacity.

[jeep]

Well, I never filed for insurance because they would only want to repair the immediate damaged area. I'm expanding the room and tearing out everything to bare studs, so spot repairs would be temporary and raise my rates and wouldn't fit my new design plans...

[LizStreithorst]

got it. The flood just made you do what you had planned, just sooner.

[jeep]

I wouldn't say sooner, but it at least gave me ideas, lol...

[coralbandit]

Considering your history with floods I'm surprised that you haven't turned your water off and just dug a well that you could dip a bucket in for buckets full of water. I admire your tenacity.

I am soo glad my wife does not read any of my post on forums ..She would make me dig a well if she thought that would work in correcting my overflow issues ! Fortunately you don't buckle concrete by getting it wet !
Can't blame the meeses for leaving the water running though !:o

[jeep]

Actually, I think there is a natural spring about 20 feet from my back door. That's all I need is more ideas to think about ;)

[LizStreithorst]

sorry...

[LizStreithorst]

I never caught a meese while the dishwasher was pulled out. Last night I caught 2 outside. I put 3 traps along the outside wall. I plugged the holes with copper wool.
The door of the dishwasher was still rattling like it had more kibbles in it, so I unscrewed it and got the electronics part disconnected from the pretty outside part. There didn't appear to be any wires chewed through.

Now this is embarrassing...A huge pile of kibbles came tumbling out. Thank God there was never any evidence of them in the part you put the dishes in to wash. I'd have had to toss the machine and buy a new one.