Good news! I finally found some old-style mousetraps that I can set without snapping my fingers--and boy, do we need 'em. Last night while I was reading in the living room, a mouse (or mice?) went skittering past the sofa and proceeded to play hide-and-seek around the houseplants on the hearth. I set four traps in the areas where mice are most active, firmly expecting to see some results by this morning. Here is my report:
The mousetrap behind the desk in the hall looks untouched.
The mousetrap along the wall right next to the sofa has been stripped of peanut butter and is surrounded by mouse droppings, but it did not snap. Ditto the mousetrap on the hearth.
The mousetrap under the stove has disappeared entirely. (How do they DO that?)
I'm beginning to suspect that the only way to get rid of the mice is to burn down the house. (Don't tempt me.)
Update: My son-in-law found a "mouse superhighway," a gap in the foundation where mice and snakes and anything else could get into the house, and he and my husband mixed up some cement and blocked it up. He also stapled steel wool and aluminum screening material over a bunch of holes inside the house, including the big hole behind the stove. We know of one more spot where mice could be squeezing in, but it will have to wait for another visit. Progress!
2 comments:
Have you thought about getting a cat? From my experience, when you live in the country, you either have a cat or mice.
I have thought and thought and thought about getting a cat, and I just can't do it right now. It would be hard to have and indoor cat while I'm splitting my time between two houses, and an outdoor cat would transform my bird-feeding station into a kitty buffet.
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