If you haven't been following this whole saga of mine, there a mouse in my house. I know because anytime I forget I have some kind of food item in a bag that I put in my room, it inevitably and eventually gets nibbled through. So my roommate got the sticky mouse traps which I wasn't too keen on using, which caught the little sucker once, but it managed to escape that. Then I set up a shoebox trap, which was rendered ineffective, mostly because it didn't want the Triscuit I left it.
I figured after the sticky trap incident, it was gone.
BUT NO.
I discovered it was still around when I had accidentally (maybe this is my way of learning a lesson, perhaps? Because it's worked!) left some food in a bag, and the little bugger gnawed THROUGH the bag to get to the food! Then it did it AGAIN for another bag that had a pouch of instant oatmeal I completely forgot about!!! HOW DARE YOU. That was it!!!
So I took the shoebox trap from its original location to my room. I restrung the trap, made the triscuit piece smaller and covered it with peanut butter. I then took the other Triscuit bit, covered that in PB and put it at the opening of the box (like a lure) and for good measure and since it would be a waste otherwise, I took some of the oats from the pack and sprinkled a bit of that in there.
The next morning, I saw that it took the morsel at the front of the box. I just hoped that when I got home, it would maybe try for the main course.
When I get to my room, I see that the box is closed. Not all the way, but closed where the edge of the lid and the box proper were touching each other. I carefully lifted the box and gently tipped it from side to side to see if there was something in there...nothing. I then notice a bit of gnawing at one corner of the box where it wasn't closed all the way. THE BASTARD ESCAPED!
OOOOOOH that was it.
In the meantime, I put up an ad on Freecycle to see if anyone had a no-kill mousetrap they weren't using. I got one reply to use the Victory traps, which is one of those spring-loaded, kill traps...I guess someone didn't understand the no-kill part of the no-kill mousetrap. But I did get a response that was constructive exchange from this person, like using peanut butter instead of cheese, etc. and finally mentioned he had a trap that I could use and pick up. He gave me his address and said he'd have it next to the trash bins for me to pick up. I was fine with that.
I went to go map where it was, and following his instructions, saw the area where I was supposed to go (Thanks to Google Street View). For some reason I'm not going to get very detailed right now, I got a slightly strange vibe from the whole situation. Not that I thought that this was all bogus, but something didn't seem...right about things.
Either way, I asked if I could pick it up today as I was going to Pasadena tonight and going there would be along my way. He said it was fine. Only, when I emailed to see to confirm all's good to pick it up today, I get no answer. So, I didn't get it.
Now I'm just tired of this mouse. Sometime within this hour, I was sitting here in my room with the lights on, and hear this scurrying. I quickly look to the door, and see the thing wriggling from under my door and dashed to behind the fan. I'd otherwise try to tear up all that junk I have there, but I know it would be a waste of my time and it would just get away.
I think it might be time to buy myself a proper trap...until I used the Internet.
I had found this trap before:
(click on image for full instructions)
What you basically do is flatten one part of a toilet paper roll, tape coins to it, place it at the edge of a drop and leave bits of bait near the trap and at the edge of the trap. The mouse will get the first bait nibble, then will want to go to the one at the end of the tube. The weight of the mouse with the coins will cause it to fall, where you should have a pretty tall plastic bin where it will stay until you can take care of it. They recommend putting rags and towels at the bottom to soften its fall.
I would do this method, if it actually went on high enough surfaces, but it doesn't.
Then I finally had the wherewithal to scroll to the bottom of the page to look at related projects! Viola! I found THE ONE:
(click on image for full instructions)
Jar or weighty glass, check. Nickel, check. Peanut butter, check. Mouse...let's see about that.
If I were a little more clever and had more time (and if I wasn't so cheap since I've been using materials I have around the house), I'd want to make this one:
(click on image for full instructions)
I find it ingenious that the kill mousetrap is used to create a quite literal catch all device. The image above is the trap already executed, so basically the wire mesh is laid out like a ramp as the mouse goes for the bait on the trap, and when it's triggered, the mesh just shuts in on it. That's awesome.
Once I'm done with this post, I'm going out to the kitchen to get my ingredients for the glass trap. Maybe I'll catch it tonight. I am slightly worried the thing won't be able to breathe if under there for too long, which would defeat the purpose of going though all these no-kill efforts. I'm debating whether I should use an actual jar, or one of our mugs that are heavier and larger...the mouse may be dirty, but that's what soap and water's for right?
*sometime not now, preferably of natural causes, not by my own doing. I don't want my room/house to become like this:
I would rather be doing this in the very near future, but not in the snow:
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