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I have a 12 ga. just for use in the house. It's not for mice or appliances though. 
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Lee -
Living in the country, mice are a problem. We use peanut butter and catch them pretty consistently. If you clean really well, set a lot of traps, you can often follow their trail to get pretty close to where they're coming in. Each time we've found a spot and closed it, we've had no mice for a couple of years. Last spot I closed up kept them out for nearly five years.
They've found a way in again this year and we started catching a couple a week once the weather turned cold. We're catching all of them in the basement laundry room or under the stairs next to the laundry room. Unfortunately that's the only place in the basement where the ceiling is open to the trusses so the could be coming in anywhere and that's just where they can emerge.
By the way, we have half a dozen of the plug in sonic things in the house and I don't think they do a thing other than pacify LOML.Chr's
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An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
A moral man does it.Comment
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I believe a little research is in order. You may want to watch this informational video: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119715/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Sorry, couldn't resist. It was one of the kids' favorite movies when they were little. They still watch it on occasion."It's a dog eat dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear."- Norm (from Cheers)
Eat beef-because the west wasn't won on salad.Comment
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These mice are driving me nuts! I have a whole mess of traps all over the house and I've tried all kinds of bait and haven't been able to catch any in weeks. There's plenty of evidence they're around, though.
While we were away for 3 weeks, my dad watched the house. He's a self-professed expert mouse catcher and he couldn't get any. He even put out poison bait traps while we were gone (Tomcat brand) and examining them, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that they've eaten the bait.
We are super diligent about putting food away, too, or keeping things in Rubbermaid containers.
I may have to try the dunk tanks.Comment
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I've always used 5 gallon plastic buckets for rat swimming pools but I do not see any reason that gallon paint cans wouldn't do equally as well and not be so hard to set up. 2-3 " of water and some dog food floating on top has always worked well for me.
capncarlComment
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I setup a 5gal water bucket trap last night. Still nothing but I'll be patient. I also just setup an IP webcam on it which will email me if it detects motion. I can also login from work, too.
I think these mice have me trained pretty well. I also suspect they have peanut allergies.Comment
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Do you have a way for the rats to get to the top of the bucket? It's not going to work with just a bucket sitting around. My rat catching was usually next to a set of metal shelves that we kept the dog food on. In the attic is was next to some boxes they were getting into. I don't know that if you put a couple of small boards for ramps that they would go up it to the top of the bucket or not, it would have to be an inviting smell to coax them up. Rats like corners and travel around the walls of rooms, I would have thought that sticky traps along the walls would have caught them.
capncarlComment
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QUOTE=capncarl;536042]Do you have a way for the rats to get to the top of the bucket? It's not going to work with just a bucket sitting around. [/QUOTE]
Come on. Give me some credit.
From the poop on the floor, this is a high traffic area. Hopefully they don't mind the ramp. Seems like ones on YouTube make it up the ramp. There are 2 screws pointed down towards the bucket on either side of the bucket lip so the ramp can't slide away.
We'll see if it needs to get moved. There was one time my wife found a mouse in the dog food bin. The bag of food was sitting in a plastic tub that was at least 1' tall. I'm guessing it jumped in there from the metal shelving next to it.
Every night we find droppings on our kitchen counter next to the stove. My only guess is that it shimmies up the wall between the stove and cabinet and somehow squeezes its way onto the counter. I think I will move the camera over there tonight just to see. I have traps all over the counter, too, and they just waltz around them. I caught one up there months ago, but not anymore.
PaulComment
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I believe I'd build me a rat hotel. A wood frame box that a bucket would fit in with a burlap type fabric back that they could climb easily. Push it up to a wall leaving an inch or so for them to get behind and hide, the top would be flat with an 8-10 inch hole for them to jump into the swimming pool. Put a little dog food on the top to encourage them up and more food floating in the water.
Have you tried a sticky trap with 1 piece of dried dog food in the middle of it?
capncarlComment
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If they are ignoring the traps they have enough to eat. As long as they have other food sources, I think you will have trouble. The other things they are eating have to be unavailable. There can't be exceptions.
We had a bunch of mice in the back yard of our ~50 year old house. I am spray foaming all the cracks as I find them but we have seen no sign of mice in the house. Maybe we're lucky. But when my son wanted to harass a large black snake in the yard last summer I stopped him. Black snakes love to eat mice. I also killed a couple small poisonous snakes, however. But harmless snakes are your friend. I don't know how you get some to hang around but if you see them, you certainly don't want to harm or harass them.Comment
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According to the camera, there was at least one mouse in the kitchen off an on from 11:40pm--about 1/2hr after we went to bed--to 6am--about 15min before my wife went downstairs. I couldn't tell where it came from, though. I am truly baffled at what it's after.
My mom cleaned the kitchen thoroughly while we were away and we haven't really prepared any meals since my mom gave us a bunch of food to heat up. Dishes are cleared nightly. We have a toaster on the opposite side of the kitchen (same countertop), but there are no droppings on that whole section of counter, just by the stove--nightly. We have two cooking oil bottles next to the stove with hinged pour spouts. My mom said she's heard of mice dipping their tails in oil and licking it off. Don't know about that.
Anyway, I stuck dogfood in the middle of two different sticky traps and will see if they make a return while we're at work. I also moved the dunk bucket in the basement next to some shelving where there is a lot of visible activity.
PaulComment
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You may have to use some other bait that they like better than hard dog food. The little buggers could be use to it or relate it to danger. Our southern rats can't hardly resist peanut butter or pecan pieces. Try dropping a clump of peanut butter on the dogfood that is already on the sticky trap.
capncarlComment
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I have wooed them with everything but caviar at this point. They haven't had access to dry dog food in a long time so maybe they'll want to revisit. I never baited a trap with it. Anyway, we'll see what the day brings.
Peanut butter worked and then didn't.
Bacon worked and then didn't.
Hard, stinky cheesy worked and then didn't.
Wet dog food didn't work.
Canned spray cheese didn't work (although one of the dogs set off 3 separate traps trying to get to it)
Dried shrimp--pretty strong smelling--didn't work.
Dried fish--pretty strong smelling--didn't work.
If anything I'm accelerating the evolution of these creatures so ya'll better hope I kill 'em all or who knows what's next.Comment
twistsol
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