Good exterminator for mice problem
I have a mouse problem in my house. I would get a cat but am allergic to them (and even then I’ve considered it). These mice are driving me crazy. They leave droppings, so I put traps near the droppings and nothing, except new droppings the next day somewhere else. It’s almost as if they…
I have a mouse problem in my house. I would get a cat but am allergic to them (and even then I’ve considered it). These mice are driving me crazy. They leave droppings, so I put traps near the droppings and nothing, except new droppings the next day somewhere else. It’s almost as if they are watching me and having a good old laugh. I need an exterminator who doesn’t just bait a few traps and sprinkle them round the house–I can do that– but someone who understands mice, the way they tick, and how to get rid of them. Anyone got suggestions, please, I’m going mad.
See thread, “Tenant has a cat.” There might be one available…
If still looking for an exterminator, try Bob’s Pest Control and Exterminating: (718) 768-6430. He’s knowledgable, affordable, pleasant and local.
Having done all the aforementioned things at one time or another, I found that cats still win. You do need to do the other stuff but cats, thank goodness, are smarter than mice- if the cat can’t follow it, they stalk until the mouse makes a fatal mistake. When I lived in B’klyn Hgts. and all the downtown construction started, the area developed a huge rat problem. On my street there used to be a cat colony that kept them down for years but either they were all finally rescued or CACC was called. The rat numbers jumped exponentially. We had rats climbing the fire escapes and going into tenant’s bedrooms- one woke up to find a rat sitting on the bed- lots of screaming and running down the stairs-.
But talk to a vet- several breeds don’t seem to trigger allergies (like some dog breeds too). Never know. Good luck.
Cat allergies are often not just about sneezing once in awhile. They can trigger serious athsma attacks.
And not everybody who lives with cats and has allergies gets used to them. Some allergic friends of mine think they are used to their cats, but then they are constantly having serious allergy reactions which they attribute to anything else – dust, mold, etc. They don’t realize that their immune systems are already majorly stressed out by being allergic to the cats all the time, and pretending not to be.
I too had a bad mouse problem for a while. I have a cat and, as one poster mentioned, cats can only get to the mice in the spaces the cat can fit into. Ergo, the cat did nothing to prevent the mice from coming into the apartment and leaving droppings in my stove and in the cabinet under the sink. Forget the zappers and traps, etc. and have all the holes filled in. NYC mice are a gangster breed and I found that steel wool did nothing but slow them down by a minute or two. You need to fill the holes by using pieces of wood, tin flashing or similar items that they cannot move or chew through. The holes I found to be problematic in my apartment included where the gas line comes in from the stove, the pipes to the kitchen and bathroom sink, and the gas line going to wall mounted forced-air heaters in the kitchen and bedroom. Check all of these spaces as well as any spaces between the walls and flooring (for the latter, installing baseboard molding will do the trick and pretty-up the room!) Only when the holes are filled will you see your problem come to an end. Good luck.
You could also coat your whole kitchen floor with cat poo and pee and then liberally sprinkle with cat fur. I’ve heard that works wonders with mice. Also keeps human beings out of the house too!
I’d hate to empty mouse bodies out of traps constantly more than I’d hate sneezing once in a while. If you have a severe allergy to cats no meds will help you. But if your allergy is mild, between the meds or Chinese herbal/acupuncture which is what I do, you may do just fine because exposure to the cat over time makes your allergies subside. It’s the concept behind allergy shots, which are shots that actually inject what you are allergic to, into your skin. Making you less allergic to those things.
Another solution is to get from a cat-owner friend some shedded cat hair and put the cat hair behind cabinets and in holes and backs of closets, places that won’t bother you but the mice might find. So they think a cat lives there. I’ve also heard you can put dried cat poo in some hidden places, if you have the stomach for it. So the mice find it and think a cat is there.
Find every possible source of entry and patch. For those intrepid creatures that make it in some other way, use Ratzapper. It works and is instant death for the mouse, rather than extended torture.
Cats can only get mice that are in locations the cat can fit. We had great mouser cats and still had mice that just didn’t come into the open areas of the house.
Seal all holes you can. You may have open holes behind cabinets that you can’t get to. In that case you need to seal any access that lets them move freely behind the cabinets.
Under the stove is always popular with mice so don’t let them get near it. Also, if you store garbage under the sink and your kitchen pipes aren’t sealed you’ll find them under there.