I think theres a mouse in my kitchen..

[Saphellae]

Nick and I had dinner a couple of hours ago and I didn't bother cleaning up until now, when I went into the kitchen and saw something that didnt look like it belonged. I had made hamburgers, but I used a paper towel to split it in two and it definately looks like poo. What do you think? Ew! I live on the 19th floor of a 35 floor building, do they really come up this high??

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!

I can't believe I have mouse poo on my kitchen counter.

I'm gonna cry. What should I do? Tell the building admin?

Actually I think it's a rat.. Curse these big cities Ew ew ew ew ew...... it was a longer piece of poo, and only one piece...

 

[Katie H]

If you have "meesers," you should definitely contact management. Mice can infiltrate any level. Doesn't matter what floor you live on.

As a test, I would suggest setting a couple of traps, baited with peanut butter, in your kitchen. One nearest the trash can, another under the sink, and a final one near the base of the stove.

These are the most likely places a mouse would frequent. Do it several days, or a week at a time, because mice can be elusive.

Best of luck. Mice are the friendliest of apartment dwellers.

When I lived in apartments, roaches were the worst pests, no matter how careful I was.

 

[pacanis]

......I live on the 19th floor of a 35 floor building, do they really come up this high??.....

I heard the only floor they won't live on is the thirteenth.


Call your super. Ask your neighbors if they have a problem, too. Sometimes in large buildings pests will relocate.

 

[Jcas]

They are not frightened of heights, and will visit any level, the peanut butter definately works, we actually trapped one on my computer desk with it, maybe he thought my current mouse wasn't good enough !!!!

 

[bethzaring]

there is a definite difference in size between mouse and rat poo. If I were you, I would want to know what critter I was dealing with. Mouse poo is about the size of a grain of rice or smaller, rat poo is much bigger.

I am extremely successful in catching mice in traps using peanut butter. But I am also careful to not use my bare hands when setting the trap. If the mices detect a human scent on the trap, they may avoid it no matter how enticing the bait. Use either plastic/vinyl gloves, or even manueveur and set the trap with a paper towel.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Peanut butter is excellent bait....So is a small piece of bacon...it drives them nuts.
After handling traps, that have been used before, (if ya don't use gloves,) Good handwashing/sanitation is a must! Don't leave food stuff out uncovered until the critter has be executed!!...

 

[pacanis]

I never reuse the trap. I always figured the scent of a dead mouse would be a lot worse than human scent, which is all over your house and they are used to anyway (I would think). Those 3-packs of wooden traps are cheap enough IMO to toss them along with the mouse in it.
The two I recently eradicated, one was caught on cheddar and the other on peanut butter. I didn't have any PB in the house when I set the first trap or I would have used it right off the bat.
The new traps (same old style though) don't seem as sensitive, but they seem to still do the job. Of course they won't work on a rat. Good advice to find out what you are dealing with first. If it is still "handy" you could take the turd to an exterminator and they will tell you what critter produced it. There are some good online sites for identification, too.

 

[quicksilver]

Fortunately I've never had the problem, cause once upended, I don't think I could touch it to dispose of it.

 

[bethzaring]

I never reuse the trap. I always figured the scent of a dead mouse would be a lot worse than human scent, which is all over your house and they are used to anyway (I would think).

My experience shows just the opposite. I have kept the same mouse traps in the barn for over 20 years now, they gross me out. Last week I saw fresh mouse turds in the milk parlor. I keep white feed bowls to make it easy to find evidence of mice in the barn. One night I set all four traps with peanut butter and gloved hands, next morning had 4 dead mouses and more turds. That night I set the same four traps again and the next morning had 4 more dead mice and no turds. Set them for a third night and got nothing, new residents all gone. The mice are much more sensitive to human scent on the traps and don't seem to care that their spouse/whomever was caught just the night before in the same trap.

I'm kinda into animal behavior

 

[quicksilver]

bethzaring, then you would have loved my 2 ex s. What pieces of work.

 

[pacanis]

I can't speak from any experience in reusing the traps, beth. That's why I said I figured, because I really don't know. That's good to know they can be reused.
I do know that I have no problem catching mice in traps that are heavily human scented. The last two mice I caught I used the same traps I used to teach my dogs to keep their nose where it belongs, as in off the couch, not on the remote either, nope, not the kitchen counter, stay away from the new TV, too . Ahhh, the pitfalls of having tall dogs . They have been heavily handled since I got my pup 8 months ago.... by me and him

 

[expatgirl]

bethzaring, then you would have loved my 2 ex s. What pieces of work.