Mice - EEK! (A neighbor vent!) About This Page:

[minemoz1]

We live in a wetland area. We have a beautiful nature area behind our townhome. Of course, that means critters. It's getting colder which means the mice are coming in to our garage to look for food and live in my rollerblades. Because of that, we use bait. It keeps them from setting up residence. My dear friend and neighbor is an animal lover and does not like finding dead mice on her driveway. But unfortunately, they end up there sometimes. We throw them away and all is well. I told her that we have to bait as we think they lived in our walls. I also found mouse poop in the garage attic (this was many years ago).

Well, her DH (who is OCD) freaked out. He's on the board and called the board members. My friend called me today very upset and almost crying because her husband told the board it was a health hazard. Um, we live in a WETLAND! There are mice EVERYWHERE! So, most likely, we will get a letter requesting an exterminator to come out. I have no problem with that as long as the Association would like to pay for it. I've never had a mouse in my home and I've had cats for 12 of the 13 years we've lived there. I think I would know. I wonder if he wants to get rid of the mouse living under my air conditioning unit and the shrew that eats the nuts I throw out for the squirrels.

I feel sorry for my friend for having to deal with her crazy DH. Oh, and by the way, we are the ONLY unit that uses bait to control the mice. They other 5 units do not. I wonder how many mice are living in their garages over the winter?

UPDATE: As our neighbor is on the board, apparently the whole building is being inspected by the association. I'd rather have them get rid of the ants and earwigs. At least they find their way inside our home.

[CinderAbby]

I'm sorry - about the mice and the neighbor. Both are pests IMO (thankfully I have neither). I too am an animal lover and while I hate the thought of using bait for the mice, I understand you have to do what you have to do. And IMO, the rodents pose more of a health risk than the bait you're using (has the neighbor thought of that?).

[Huntermom]

I live in wetlands too and have baited mice when they decided to live in my space. I have never seen a dead mouse in the area but we have lots of space and no clse neighbors.

The only concern I would have would be were one of your cats to eat a poisoned mouse. A small dog at my DD's barn died after ingesting rat poison and they are not sure if it was directly or through a dead animal.

[minemoz1]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

The only concern I would have would be were one of your cats to eat a poisoned mouse. A small dog at my DD's barn died after ingesting rat poison and they are not sure if it was directly or through a dead animal.

I would too, if the mice were in my home, but they are not. They eat the poison in the garage and die right away. My cats do not go outside or in the garage.

[lazanya]

[JoanneS]

I love animals, too, but, not mice. (Unless of course they're wearing pants and white gloves) I hate the stinking rodents. We live in a very wooded area and use traps and my DH is in charge of loading and unloading. Sorry about the neighbors. I don't care if they're living outside, but once they come into my home, they're dead meat.

[Teresa]

We use traps - nothing stinks more than a baited mouse who died in the walls!
If you get a letter from the HOA, you can always say "Look, we've been doing it for X number of years, and no problem. Show me in the covenants where it says we can't bait"

[Cam22]

[Luvsun]

[rescuesk]

[Little Wish]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

I live in wetlands too and have baited mice when they decided to live in my space. I have never seen a dead mouse in the area but we have lots of space and no clse neighbors.

The only concern I would have would be were one of your cats to eat a poisoned mouse. A small dog at my DD's barn died after ingesting rat poison and they are not sure if it was directly or through a dead animal.

We bought our house a year ago, inherited a huge mouse problem and actually had to deal with this. After our dog ate a poisoned mouse we called the vet. They told us that mouse stomachs are so small that there wouldn't be enough poison to harm a dog (or even a cat) they might get an upset stomach from eating the mouse itself but not the poison. Our dog ended up eating a few of them, and nothing negative really happened.

I don't blame you for using the bait, yeah - its a little irritating finding dead mouse bodies all over the place. But sometimes its all you can do. We even had mouse babies and traps don't work for them, you have to do the bait.

I hope it all gets worked out, and nothing to terrible happens with the board

(((hugs))))

[RoonieRooToo]

I've shared this conversation on Passporter before. But hopefully the story will at least bring your a smile while dealing with the mice invasion.

Several years ago, I had the following conversation with my next door neighbor:

Neighbor: Are you having problems with mice in your house like us?
Me: No, I have 5 cats.
Neighbor: Yeah, but do you have a mouse problem?
Me: No, I have cats.
Neighbor looking confused that I seem to not understand her question: Yes, you have cats but do you have a problem with mice getting in your house??
Me: I have cats.

It was a painful conversation. I did eventually relent and clue her in to why my answer actually did answer her question.

[Little Wish]

Originally Posted by RoonieRooToo

I've shared this conversation on Passporter before. But hopefully the story will at least bring your a smile while dealing with the mice invasion.

Several years ago, I had the following conversation with my next door neighbor:

Neighbor: Are you having problems with mice in your house like us?
Me: No, I have 5 cats.
Neighbor: Yeah, but do you have a mouse problem?
Me: No, I have cats.
Neighbor looking confused that I seem to not understand her question: Yes, you have cats but do you have a problem with mice getting in your house??
Me: I have cats.

It was a painful conversation. I did eventually relent and clue her in to why my answer actually did answer her question.

LMAO

It's probably better you didn't say anything, or your poor neighbor would have felt really stupid.

I wish we could have cats, everyone but me is allergic. I grew up with cats, and sometimes I miss them..

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by DisneyDana

What do they think an exterminator is going to use? A hose to suck them all out? He'll probably do the same thing you are doing. I hate home owners associations with a passion because somebody's always got their panties in a wad.

You made my day!! "A hose to suck them all out"!! OMG! I'm picturing an exterminator dressed like the guys from Ghostbusters, running about, sucking up mice with their little back-pack type vacuumy thing.

[minemoz1]

LOL! Thanks for the laughs! The exterminator came yesterday. He left more bait in the garage. He also said we had a little activity in the attic above the house and for some reason left a bait under our sink. I think DH is going to move that one to the garage. If we had mice inside the house, the cats would be all over them. Even if they didn't kill them, they would still be going bonkers and waiting for them to come out of the hiding places. Plus, we would notice the droppings. They would have plenty to eat with all the cat food laying around. The exterminator found evidence in other units in our building. Not bad, just minimal. We live in a wetland/nature area, so we are always going to have to deal with critters.

My OCD neighbor wasn't concerned about the bait, he was concerned that (hundreds of) mice were dying in his walls.