Mouse?

So this morning when I woke up, it was to the sight of a dead mouse on the floor at the foot of my bed, that one of my cats so graciously left me. I am soooooo skeeved out right now, I just want to leave the house and not come back!! I don't want to touch anything in the house or anything. We haven't seen any signs of mouse droppings or chewing on food or anything anywhere.

Can one mouse just be one mouse? Would you call an exterminator? I don't even know what to do right now. My husband of course thinks it was just a straggler, but in my head my walls are full of mice. I am also 9 months pregnant, so hormones may be playing a part in the craziness.
ewww!!!

Re: Mouse?

I have an irrational fear of mice so I know where your coming from. I once ran out of a store leaving my than 6 yr old behind because a mouse ran in front of me.

So yes, I would have to call an exterminator. I would NOT be able to sleep until I did.

Re: Mouse?

I am so glad I am not the only one. My husband is looking at me like I am crazy going "it's only a mouse" and i am like but it was in my house. I feel so violated!! Then I read about this Hanta virus and I am just freaking out!! My husband only used a wad of paper towels to pick it up, he scrubbed his hands afterwards, but still. I've been checking everywhere and don't see droppings, but what about urine, I wouldn't see that!

Mouse?

First, kudos to you that you're still breathing. I would've dropped dead on sight.
Seriously though, I would call an exterminator. Let them check around and see if it's a one time fluke or not.

Re: Mouse?

Oh, I am freaking out. I am practically in tears here. My husband thinks I am being irrational, but I am so grossed out and skeeved. How do I disinfect my entire house? I just want to move out and start over, lol!!!

Re: Mouse?

This happened to me last Easter. My dd fell asleep and I went into the kitchen to get a bottle to feed her before putting her down for the night and I saw this disgusting thing run across my counter and jump down through the slots in my stove. I near died right there. I was so grossed out i couldn't scream. I immediately ran and got traps to catch the little *******.
No luck, next am all traps were untouched. I couldn't leave the house knowing this vermon was there. I had read they are usually paired but I had only seen one and he was on the smaller side so I assumed he was alone and just dumb. I started cleaning my house, pulled out my stove and apparently that is where he was. He was definitely only in the house maybe 2 days based on the droppings. To make an already long story short I ended up catching him and like a lunatic I was screaming as I used a broom to get him out of my house screaming Get out of my house you son of a ***** lol. Does your cat go outside at all that he could have brought it in? Check your cabinets and pantry, behind the stove or dryer and see if you see droppings. If not, he may have gotten in somehow like mine did and didn't make it because of your kitty, good kitty!

Re: Mouse?

After my DD graduation I plan on pulling out the stove and moving the couches. I have kids and dogs and cats, so there are crumbs everywhere. As a matter of fact I saw some spilled lucky charms on the table that I must have missed last night, and they are all still there. I am thinking it was a straggler we did just buy the house and it was vacant and disgusting when we moved in, I know behind that stove is gross.

I think I am more worried about the Hanta virus they carry. I think it looks like it comes from the droppings, but I am still not touching anything

Mouse?

Put traps around. If you have more you will know it. My guess is if you have cats there are not a bunch of mice around. The cats are your own personal exterminator.

Don't waste the money on an exterminator cause all they will do is put down traps. Go tot he harware store and DIY.

Mouse?

We've had them so I know how you feel!

We called an exterminator one of the last times because our neighbors were having issues with larger rodents so I was worried they had come to our house as well. I don't think he charged much (if anything) but, he educated us as to where they were coming in and the best way to lay the traps. We caught a couple immediately and have caught one since.

Re: Mouse?

we had a mouse in our apartment - so the building exterminator came and in addition to putting down traps he helped figure out where they were coming from. it looks like they would come from under our sink/next to the dishwasher so he sealed it up for us...and we havent had a problem since. not sure if its standard for exterminators to do that but call up and ask

Re: Mouse?

I'm a DIYer. I hate spending money on things I can do myself, especially if i'm not even sure there is a problem. All an exterminator will do is lay the traps...and maybe come back and check them and dispose of them. But, I also won't pick up an open trap...even if the mouse is dead. I'm just too scared. We had our first mouse in 5 years of living here this winter. I had accidentally left the door open for hours one night and we think thats when he made his entrance to get out of the cold. SO...we got these traps by 3m...and they are closed and have an indicator that shows when something is in it. We caught our mouse within a few days. Just be sure your trap entrances are up against a wall bc thats how they travel. They use their whiskers against the wall to feel where they are going. Use PB or spray cheese on the trap.

use bounce fabric sheets... or cotton balls soaked in ammonia in cabinets and areas you think would be prime mouse hiding spots.

If you haven't seen droppings you are probably fine and it probably was just a loner who got in. check thorougly though...basement, cabinets, appliances.

sorry...wasn't 3m...it was ortho home defence:

Message edited 6/13/2013 10:59:37 AM.

Re: Mouse?

I am with you! 2 years ago there was a mouse in my house and I near died. I screamed, froze and worse left my 20 month old in the room as I yelled for him to come to mommy. I couldn't even get him. I tried to call my husband at work , no answer, so of course I called my dad like he was going to be able to help me. I finally told him ok, I have to go, he says what are you going to do, I said call 9-1-1! He started screaming do not call 911!! Finally got my husband and told him we had to get out and stay at a hotel. I seriously wanted to move. It is my biggest paranoia. We obviosly stayed put, we found the mouse dead behind the dryer the next day and had an exterminator come in. He didn't find signs of any others. I did however have them put a few of those big rat boxes in the scrubs around my house to ward off any more!

At least you have a cat

Re: Mouse?

Posted by GraciesMom

I am with you! 2 years ago there was a mouse in my house and I near died. I screamed, froze and worse left my 20 month old in the room as I yelled for him to come to mommy. I couldn't even get him. I tried to call my husband at work , no answer, so of course I called my dad like he was going to be able to help me. I finally told him ok, I have to go, he says what are you going to do, I said call 9-1-1! He started screaming do not call 911!! Finally got my husband and told him we had to get out and stay at a hotel. I seriously wanted to move. It is my biggest paranoia. We obviosly stayed put, we found the mouse dead behind the dryer the next day and had an exterminator come in. He didn't find signs of any others. I did however have them put a few of those big rat boxes in the scrubs around my house to ward off any more!

At least you have a cat

Re: Mouse?

So I think I found droppings :(

I hate this!!!

Did you guys clean them up? I read you should put on a mask and double rubber gloves because of the virus they can carry. I think that freaks me the most.

Re: Mouse?

Ugh, where did you find them and did you see a lot? Mice leave a lot of droppings so what may seem like a lot may just mean it was there for a short time. I did clean it by sweeping and I used a lot of bleach. Being that your 9 months pregnant is there someone that can help you with the cleaning?

Re: Mouse?

Mouse?

I tend to agree that is probably from the same mouse, but I also don't think you should have to help clean! You are working on something more important, your lo! I know how you feel I was so skeeved I scrubbed my house but I wasn't pregnant at the time either! Get some traps And put some peanut butter in it and leave them down for a few days to see. I doubt you have anymore and if you do I'm confident your cat will run them out or kill them in the process!

Re: Mouse?

I am so grossed out by mice!!!! Maybe the cat brought it in from outside???

Just to be safe, I'd set strap or two. We had seen one in our co-op and when the trap went off I screamed. The next morning our neighbors were like oh I guess you saw the mouse! They knew about it and never told us!!! Apparently there was a little family running through the four co-ops in my section but DH caught them all within a week. I bleached my whole house I was so grossed out!

Re: Mouse?

Was it a large mouse or a "baby" mouse. If it's a large/adult one then it might just be a straggler. However, if it's a baby then there are others around. Like others have said, I might set a trap just in case. My mom always used the kill traps but I just can't see myself doing that. To each their own.

And on a side note, whenever I have to pick up a dead animal (dead bird or mouse) I double up supermarket bags, put paper towels inside and then pick up the animal. To throw it out I just obv turn it inside out and tie the bag (unless I pick the dead/injured animal, typically a bird and bring it down the block to the dead end, place it under a tree and hope that it dies peacefully )

Oh, you didn't but just as an FYI don't ever vacuum up mouse droppings. If you do it releases some type of chemical into the air.

Message edited 6/14/2013 1:06:38 PM.

Re: Mouse?

My husband said it wasn't mouse droppings, it's the only ones I've seen that could have been. Tonight we are tearing apart the house room by room. Everything looks okay in the kitchen. It was an adult, we are going with it was a straggler.

I heard about the vacuum thing, they also say don't sweep because of that virus that they can carry, I think that has me more freaked than anything.

I am afraid to touch anything in the house, I wish they left a slug trail so I can see where to clean. It's so stressful and I hate it!

Re: Mouse?

I had gotten a few in to my old home. We would wear rubbes gloves and take a wad of wet paper towels to pick up the droppings, so as not to sweep with my cleaning broom and not to vacuum. Nothing will blow around that way. Then I would disinfect the area with something appropriate after the droppings we picked up.