Brownstone owners- do you always encounter mice?
We are starting our house search and trying to decide between a high end condo/coop and brownstone. We are up for the general maintenance associated with a brownstone in terms of constant repairs, etc. However, one thing that keeps giving me pause is the rodent issue. So I wanted to ask those of you who…
We are starting our house search and trying to decide between a high end condo/coop and brownstone. We are up for the general maintenance associated with a brownstone in terms of constant repairs, etc. However, one thing that keeps giving me pause is the rodent issue.
So I wanted to ask those of you who have brownstones to describe what type of mouse encounters should be expected.
If we buy a house that is in great condition, is it still a guarantee that we’ll see mice annually when the weather turns cold? Or is it more just a common occurance? We live in Manhattan now in an old building and have encountered mice but it was just once and they have not turned up again after we caught them.
So I just want to understand whether I can expect this to be an ongoing problem (as in, catch mice frequently throughout the year) or whether this is typically more of an isolated incident that, if properly addressed by exterminators, etc.- can be dealt with.
I’m just trying to understand the nature and severity of the mouse situation in most brownstones. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Everyone is going on about how cats pose no danger. Just what is the danger the mice present?
Putnamdenizen, I’m going to guess that you, like Tom Cruise, have never actually experienced pregnancy/nursing hormones. Just because you have never felt something does not mean someone else’s experience is so unreal or irrational that they must be faking.
9:45 back again.
It is called the rat zapper.
http://www.ratzapper.com/index.cfm
We have the ultra version. Pinchick carries this model.
And for the scare tactic cat person. Our head snuggling cat wanted nothing to do with our baby until recently (4yrs old) The dogs are much more interesting to play with. Children exposed to animals early (the more the better) tend to have fewer allergies.
What do you do about rats? We don’t have them inside but they have dug a couple of holes in our yard and there are about 10 holes in the neighbors yard. We’re on a commercial block with the subway so I don’t think we can totally eliminate the problem but I’d love to figure out something to do besides bait stations and keeping our trash in sealed metal containers.
When it was warm and light late we kept filling the holes and all the redigging by the rats attracted a couple of neighborhood cats. They seemed to kill a few but now their numbers seem to be growing.
Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
I’d add that we only get them about once a year, for a few weeks, when the weather turns cold (September/October). I have no idea where they go the rest of the time.
rats are really the issue. all my neighbors along 2nd street and 8th had them one year. I almost moved
If there are mice around (and it varies year to year), there is a strong chance they will get into your brownstone.
Even if you close up every possible hole you can see, they will still get in if they want to. A mouse can squeeze through any hole that is big enough to fit its head, and mouse heads can be as narrow as one centimeter (3/8″). Unless you’re investigating every square inch of your building, you probably have at least one or two 3/8″ wide holes.
Cats are helpful, but they don’t solve all the problems. We had mice last year who were crawling between the plaster and the brick up into our ceiling, and then coming down from above to raid our upper cabinets. That said, we were quite proud of our cats for catching the mice who ventured down to the floor level.
Serious answer: had mice (and a rat) in my house a few years ago. Haven’t seen evidence of them recently (closed up a lot of holes, etc, tenants have two cats downstairs).
Perplexed answer: is this post for real? OP sounds like such a fearful person it is hard to imagine that any response except “nope there are no mice in Brooklyn” will make him/her feel safe. I have never heard of any children being molested by the occassional mouse.
I would NEVER get rid of our cat after we have a child. The upsides of having a pet with children are much greater. There was a recent study that showed children who grow up in their early years and beyond with pets develop a greater ability for empathy. Plus for all the rumors or fears of cats smothering a child, when have you ever read or heard about it actually happening? All SIDS cases require autopsy and a smothering from a cat would be very obvious to a coroner, with the fur they’d find in the mouth, trachea and lungs. Not to be tragically graphic about it, but unsubtantiated medieval rumors that result in cats being taken from their homes, brought to shelters then put down is really sad.
Developing empathy is a good thing when you want your child to be a person who doesn’t hurt others, emotionally or physically.
Anyway, to answer the OP question, my husband had mice in his coop until I moved in with my cat then they went away. Except for two mice over a period of 3 years that she caught and killed. Now this is interesting, when we moved into a house (a one-family attached house) we’ve never had any mice. Ever. Nada. I wonder if some houses that are multi-family with a tenant are more likely to get mice. Because of two kitchens and two families creating garbage, not just one?