Mouse in the House

/ J. F. Riordan

We live in the country. So, when the temperatures dipped into the teens this week, of course, that brought an influx of mice.

Mice are a houseowner’s horror. They are destructive, filthy, and carry disease. But—and I know how this sounds—I cannot bring myself to kill them. I see their big black eyes, and their tiny feet, and they are so frightened and vulnerable. They are like very tiny puppies.

By the way, did you know that mice sing to one another?

So I buy humane traps, bait them with the dogs’ freeze-dried liver treats, and early each morning load my catch into the car and drive out to a cornfield a little more than three miles away. It must be three miles, because, apparently, mice can find their way back over any smaller distance.

Yesterday I caught three. My 13 year old grandson willingly accompanies me because we stop for a doughnut afterward, and he then gets a ride to school. It’s a bit of an adventure.

Last night I set three regular traps, and something new: a bucket trap, with a little ramp and a trap door. I filled the bucket with dried leaves for a soft landing, and smeared the top with peanut butter with dog treats stuck into it. Although I can’t be sure whether anyone is in there this morning, there is a hole in the center of the leaves which suggests there might be. I’ll know when we get to the cornfield. When I dump out the bucket I will be sorry to lose the cache I’ve saved of dry leaves for soft mouse landings, but it can’t be helped.

I don’t know whether the farmer has noticed a car stopping by his field in the early mornings, but it’s a nice field, with corn stubble and lots of kernels scattered in a mouse-friendly way. I have some minor concerns about whether the mice are too cold, but I am doing my part. They are on their own now.

Godspeed, mousies. Don’t come back.

77 thoughts on “Mouse in the House”

  3. Thank you for sharing this lovely vignette. So beautifully written. But then, I’m a big fan of your entire family (including sweet Pete, may he be resting). Have a beautiful day.

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  4. So very kind of you. We do the same thing. I’m terrified of mice (although I’ve never heard of a180 pound woman being carried off by one, you can’t be too careful!) I cannot kill them. So we also send them off to a field down the road.

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  6. You are a kind soul. I also grew up rural and though rare, we did have a few mice enter the house over time. We also had 3 cats and a female dobe with a high prey drive. The mouse was very lucky if it made it to the humane traps we had set up. The first cat we got was a male that someone had “dropped off” in front of our place. (We had a barn). My father recognized the driver and “re-dropped” the cat where they lived, it was about 8 miles away. The cat made his own way back to our place.. twice. After the 2nd time, we kept him.

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    • I wish we could have a cat, but we are both allergic. The Germans, if they see a mouse, simply regard it with interest. We once found Moses looking down at his water dish, and discovered a mouse swimming in it. I have occasionally contemplated getting a terrier, but I’m not sure I’m up to it. So, traps it is.

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      • As a dog mom who has had both, and loves the GSDs that have been in her life, say no to the terrier temptation (they are great dogs, just not for someone with a GSD mindset, in my belief) Mouse relocation is seasonal – terriers are not. Additionally, you are making a great memory for your grandson as he will talk about this to his grandkids someday!

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  8. You are a much kinder human than I am……

    When my uncle in Maryland had knee replacement surgery a few summers ago, I was in charge of baiting his squirrel traps and disposing of the victims. I would put the cage/trap in the trunk of his Honda, drive them over the small creek bridge and set them free in the nature preserve about a mile from his apple trees. The family joke was that they were building tiny squirrel kayaks and making their way back across the creek to his place!!

    Although I caught mostly squirrels, I also caught few slow possums and a couple of blue jays. They were just allowed to scamper off once I opened the trap…..they just wanted my apple, seed and peanut butter bait, not his apples!

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  9. You are a much kinder human than I am……

    When my uncle in Maryland had knee replacement surgery a few summers ago, I was in charge of baiting his squirrel traps and disposing of the victims. I would put the cage/trap in the trunk of his Honda, drive them over the small creek bridge and set them free in the nature preserve about a mile from his apple trees. The family joke was that they were building tiny squirrel kayaks and making their way back across the creek to his place!!

    Although I caught mostly squirrels, I also caught few slow possums and a couple of blue jays. They were just allowed to scamper off once I opened the trap…..they just wanted my apple, seed and peanut butter bait, not his apples!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. You are a much kinder human than I am……

    When my uncle in Maryland had knee replacement surgery a few summers ago, I was in charge of baiting his squirrel traps and disposing of the victims. I would put the cage/trap in the trunk of his Honda, drive them over the small creek bridge and set them free in the nature preserve about a mile from his apple trees. The family joke was that they were building tiny squirrel kayaks and making their way back across the creek to his place!!

    Although I caught mostly squirrels, I also caught few slow possums and a couple of blue jays. They were just allowed to scamper off once I opened the trap…..they just wanted my apple, seed and peanut butter bait, not his apples!

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  12. You are a hoot! And, such a kind, warmhearted soul to catch and release these mice in such a humane way. However, I did hear that they do tell tales to their friends of this wonderful lady that goes to great lengths to gently catch them and even provide delicious treats, which they adore. You may have more visitors. But the best part, is that you get to share this adventure with your grandson. You’re imparting a wonderful message of kindness that I’m sure he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

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    • What a wonderful example you’re setting for your grandson. Just one of the many adventures I’m sure you’ll be sharing on Washington Island.

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  14. If it’s any help, I got a rodent repellant spray from Amazon that is all-natural essential oils, etc.—mostly mint, clove, cinnamon— I spray their sneaky little entry spots a all around the perimeter of every closet and especially right on the space between the cellar door and the hallway floor. I’ve been using it about a year and no mice…I spray about once a month.
    The only other solution is to get a pet snake… which I do not plan to do!!
    So glad Aggie is better.

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  15. I had a mouse problem when I lived on Long Island. They loved the kitchen, especially the warmth offered by the dishwasher. They eventually ate through the hose connecting the water supply to the machine. The ensuing flood set my husband into action. Traps were set in cabinets all over the kitchen. We never caught a mouse. However, they ate through the back of a kitchen drawer and found comfort there until my husband introduced more traps. Nothing. But one morning I found the labradors running after the critters who had a new point of entry in the dining room. We stuffed the hole with steal wool. Problem solved? We moved. Now we live in New England and concentrate on the bears.

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  16. I live out in the “Boondocks” in Vermont. The little field mice have been moving in since early October… and I do the exact same thing! I set the Have-A-Heart traps every night, 6, then head out each morning to a wooded area about 2 miles away, dump a pile of black oil seed, cracked corn & cotton balls and wish them well. They’re just trying to survive. Love that you do this, too.

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  17. What a wonderful example you’re setting for your grandson. Just one of the many adventures I’m sure you’ll be sharing on Washington Island.

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  19. Soft hearted and we love you for that.
    We have to do the same in our city – trap them and leave them somewhere else (no fields in our vicinity of course). I absolutely cannot use traps where they get stuck to the sheet and perish. So trapping and leaving them elsewhere is the best.

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  21. We have put down loads of mouse bait in our Winnebago RV in the hopes that it keeps the beasties from trashing it this winter. You are very humane. ❤️

    I see that you are still not able to access Twitter. You are not missing anything.

    I saw this just now and thought of you.

    Colleen D.

    [image: bingo.jpg]

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  24. I spent years doing what you’re doing. I did know I was dropping them off in some other critters territory which probably meant a death sentence for them. Still, law of the jungle and all that.

    Then one day, on a whim, I bought one of those sonic plug in pest controls, even though I was sure it was a scam. Plugged it into kitchen counter outlet and within 24 hours all the mice disappeared. It’s been three years now and they’ve never returned.

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  25. I’ve started following several animal sanctuaries on Instagram. Before it’s over I’ll be a vegan! Maybe it’s all the turmoil in the world, but I find myself more in harmony with the four-legged variety – even mice. Thank you for saving them.

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  29. If they wee only as innocent as they look….. I have indoor cats that will stun then, so they can be taken outside. Not three miles, but I maybe get one a year. The cats prefer treats I have to spend money on, I reckon. 🙂

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  31. I love this story! I couldn’t kill them either. I endorse your method wholeheartedly and the grandson and donut afterwards is the icing on the cake.

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  32. What a wonderful story. I too can’t bring myself to kill them. I’m not scared of them as I played with them for hours as a child eventually depositing them safely into our barn. Mitzi , our cat, however had other plans. She would also play with them for hours then hastily dispatch them off to mouse heaven.

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  33. I, too, am an animal lover. Though I’m not quite sure I would take such good care in trapping & releasing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading of your Mickey & Minnie adventures.

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  34. When I’ve had a mouse in the house, I do the same thing. Use humane traps. Chocolate pieces works for me. Drive them to a city or county park and release.

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  35. This is by far and away the dearest mouse solution I’ve ever heard. The time and effort you go to to save these little guys is beyond wonderful. You’re providing such a happy ending, or new beginning, for them all. Your mice are very lucky mice.

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  36. I’ve been doing the same thing for years! (There are no cornfields along Narragansett Bay, so I drop them in a park 3 miles away.) I’ve never been able to get the bucket and ramp to work, so would love to know how that turns out.

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  38. Everything you said about mice is true, as I found out in the 80s when I rented a 350 sq ft roughly remodeled former dairy on 640 acres. My first Autumn I thought, “don’t bother me and I won’t bother you.” I was 22, but admittedly dumb in country things. This story would be unpleasant if I gave details, but suffice it to say I declared war in short order. I did, however, succumb to tears occasionally. You are kind.

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  39. Yikes … mice. Poor things, and yet, I get your point.

    Once, Sally, my beloved pit bull, excitedly kissed me awake from my bed.

    I planted my feet on the floor and something small and white near my feet caught my eye. I bent to get a closer look. It was a dead mouse with blood around its mouth. 😬

    I ran into my bathroom and gargled and washed my mouth and face.

    Do the boys not catch those small critters in your house?

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  41. We had a winter mouse problem at the independent pharmacy where I worked in Tn. We were in a small, rural town with open fields behind the building. Our mice all had sweet teeth which ultimately were their downfall. We originally found traces of their activity in the candy bars by the cash register. The favorite were Butterfingers and Three Musketeers bars. But of course only a bite or two out of each bar in the box! We started placing the boxes that contained any candy product on a tall shelving unit when we closed each night until they started honing their climbing skills. Our boss wasn’t as concerned about humane treatment so he tried regular traps and glue boards which were baited with the favorite products. All of us would cringe when we would come in to work each morning and try not to be the first person to go check the traps. But it was still not as horrible as the snakes that would enter the CVS through the rear door when I worked there in the same town!

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  46. LOLOL. True confession time: For years, I trapped and relocated pack rats that lived under the ranch house apparently. Local ranchers looked at me disbelieving, saying they “relocated” them differently. But I was told I only had to take them one mile (and preferably across a busy highway which was about a mile away). Indeed one time, when the cage opened, the packrat headed back home, across the highway but was then put off by the traffic and scurried onto the ranch on the right side of the road.

    I draw the line at mice in the kitchen. But I do feel sad about that.

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  48. What a wonderfully sweet post. I too live in the country and trap humanely. I’ve always taken them to a wood shed about 1/4 mile from the house and wondered if they were hiking right back. I’ll re-think this, thanks. You’re very generous sharing freeze-dried liver treats; my traps get a dollop of peanut butter and nobody complains.

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