Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
EDIT- Almost a year later... they are back! UGGGGGGG!!!!!! And I am on the warpath AGAIN!
It's that time of year again. Cold weather is arriving and the farmers are clearing the fields and harvesting their crops.
And every dag blamed stinkin' mouse in the county is looking for a nice warm place to hang out. So they migrate to the nearest building, taking their whole mouse neighborhood with them.
And every year it is the same thing.
First the really stupid mice sneak in the house. You know... the goofy mice that just waltz across the floor like they own the place... while you are sitting right there in the room.
They are at a disadvantage. They don't know about humans.
They foolishly think they've reached the ultimate kingdom because they've found a totally furnished, heated mansion to live in.
They are the happy little mice. Stupid, but happy.
Catching them with a dab of peanut butter is sooooooo easy. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Snap snap.. bye bye mice.
When that little two day festival is over and done...
Then you get to deal with the smarter mice. They seem to have a sense that they should not show their little mouse faces and usually they aren't seen... but their little "calling cards" start appearing here and there.
You might see one scurry quickly across the floor, like their tails were on fire... but mostly they stay hidden from view.
They aren't as easy to catch as the happy stupid mice... but with a lot of persistence and a little peanut butter, it can be done.
The trick is to get them all BEFORE they reproduce.
After eliminating them... you then have to deal with the dreaded resident mice. Oh MY. NOT an easy thing to do.
These mice are under the mistaken impression THEY are paying rent and THEY have a right to be in the house.
These mice LOVE the fall because they know the home owner will start setting out little plates of their favorite food... peanut butter... and will also make the intruders - the happy stupid mice- magically disappear- never to be seen again.
These mice require a lot of time and effort.. but they can be had if someone wants to play their game and stays on top of the situation.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Every once in a while, the "get the mouse out of the house" campaign fails. Oh yes, it can happen.
Every once in a while, a genius mouse is born. It is rare, but it DOES happen.
And this year, the rare genius mouse has decided to take up residence in MY house.
What an honor to have bestowed on me.
NOT!
Every day and every night I take my broom and snap the EMPTY traps I set earlier so I can refill them.
I then get out the mouse peanut butter jar and load the traps up.
Then I re-set each trap... trying not to let them "go off" while I am holding them- which makes me jump 1/4 mile in the air every time they do....
I place them gently on the floor- hard to do when bending is difficult and leaning over makes you a bit dizzy... but I do it. I feel it is my civic duty.
Once I get the traps all set, put away the peanut butter and walk around like a rooster with my chest stuck out thinking all the while...
THIS time I WILL get those little brats..
I go on about my business- knowing I WILL capture them this time and be done! No more nasty mice!
His name is butt head.
Somehow, butt head manages to steal the peanut butter from ALL the traps without setting them off.
Not just one trap, but ALL 8 of them in just a few hours.
Without me seeing or hearing him!!
And the traps are not just in one room.. they are in 6 different rooms, on two floors of the house.
It seems butt head has a little mouse map with "X" marks telling him where the goodies can be found ... and he makes his rounds, licking clean all the peanut butter from all the traps.
WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT!!!
UGGGGGG!!!
For the past FOUR days I've tried to catch butt head.
I've failed.
He eats better than we do at this point! He has had to gain a few pounds with all he is eating.
I am thinking maybe I'll just start putting out a jar of jelly and maybe even a loaf of bread for him. Why not?
I've got a genius mouse in my house. A genius mouse named BUTT HEAD!
And if this keeps up... maybe I can just leave a note telling him to fork up some cash for the rent... or I'll have to cut off his food supply?
What do you think?
Will butt head ever be caught?
I hope so.
If not.. I'll be in the poor house and there will be a 200 pound mouse living in my house!
Ocean
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3496
posted
Tincup, You are so clever and witty. I'm so sorry about butt head (the name made me giggle, don't think I've written that since the fourth grade, hehe).
Do you have a kitty that may be able to outsmart him? Or buy one of those live traps, where he will have to go inside of it to get the peanut butter? If you catch him that way, don't tell us what you did to him when you got him though
Keep us updated on Butt Head, we certainly don't want to hear about you being in the poor house.
Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
If the mouse is Butt Head....are you Beevis?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
The edible poison has always worked for us.
Just got to make sure Butt Head doesn't die inside a wall.
It could be worse. At least you get to feel proud for a little while.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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sizzled
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posted
"..jar of jelly and maybe a loaf of bread..."
HHHAHAhahahahahahahahaaaa!
okay...it's 'get butthead time!'
Do you have the plastic traps that snap on their head??? They open by squeezing the opposite ends open...so you don't worry about them snapping on you!
Maybe you have 'giant mouse'? Or mutant mouse with six arms?
posted
This was funny. Sounds like my house. Thanks for the chuckle.
Posts: 79 | From Rhode Island | Registered: Jun 2008
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hshbmom
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posted
Hi TC, try salami or pastrami and you'll get your man.
This hint is from an experienced exterminator.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
tincup, heehee!
you clever little devil! what no ice cream?
we got our 1st mouse in house 2 wks. ago out of 34 yrs. of marriage. i bought 2 plastic traps; and your butt head twin; hasn't been around to eat the cheese!
best wishes on your 8; and you bet; i jump a mile when they snap!! takes me awhile to get my breath back.
wishing you luck on yours; appreciate yours back!
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Tincup
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posted
I know. I haven't been online much. I really can't be right now. Sorry.
This is a war! And I am in full battle gear.
The good news is.. I got butt head's cousin and one brother so far...
However...
The bad news is... I'm on my second jar of peanut butter... and...
I haven't managed to outsmart the genius butt head yet!
Can't talk much now.. quick answers only. In a hurry.
Got to go reload traps.
You are right... just when you need one.. but no, I have no putty kat.
And no smarty pants... I am not Beevis... but did I hear you were a distance relative of butt head's? And thanks for asking you goofy girl you.
Mutant mouse with 6 arms? Thanks for tonight's nightmare topic! HA! And yes, a dear friend once sent me two of the special traps she used several years ago. But I've managed to wear them both out. And you are right... they WERE good ones.
Tick tock... glad you chuckled. Just hope YOU don't get a butt head in your house.
Will try the salami. But I've never heard if I eat it I will get a man. But then, I once ate salami.. and I did get a man. My question now would be... what do I have to eat to get rid of him? HA!
NO WAY butt head is getting my ice cream! Not unless he can figure out the combination to the lock on my freezer.
Back to the war! Will report again from the front lines, later.
posted
darn, we have NOT seen our mouse since the night i 1st saw him, and hubby saw him while i was gone that evening.
everytime i got by those 2 mouse traps, i watch my toes as i don't want to get caught.
speaking of getting caught, i have a habit of putting tv guide lying OVER the sofa next to me. when i grabbed one, the other went BEHIND AS USUAL THE SOFA!
so i got my reacher and brought it out just hitting the trap and my oldest tv guide was CAUGHT! boy i hate setting them and keeping my fingers away while putting it back on the floor.
posted
Tincup, do you wear camos and full gear for this battle?? I have to say I'm getting a VISUAL!!!
Let's see You're from the moon I've heard the moon is made of cheese You have mice. Yup, makes perfect sense to me!
-------------------- Wishing You Showers Of Blessings! Lyme since Fall 1983 = Diagnosed Summer 2008 IV Rocephin 7 weeks Stopped due to drug fever Now doxycycline "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Posts: 430 | From Sunny South | Registered: Jul 2008
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aklnwlf
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posted
TC, you're so funny! I can relate so well to this.
I use plastic traps and peanut butter.
I've got 2 traps but maybe that's not enough.
And you're right, it's WAR!
-------------------- Do not take this as medical advice. This comment is based on opinion and personal experience only.
Alaska Lone Wolf Posts: 6159 | From Columbus, GA | Registered: Jul 2004
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hshbmom
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Member # 9478
posted
Our weapon of choice today:
Great Stuff...the expanding foam you spray from a can. It fills up gaps so the critters (and cold air!) will stay outside.
Be sure to check for gaps or holes around all the pipes that come into your home, such as electrical, water, gas, and AC drain pipes.
Also check inside your home. Seal around the water pipes under your sinks (kitchen & bathroom), around any water line that supplies your refrigerator/freezer, around the water pipe at the shower head, around the electrical wiring behind your stove, and around the electric wire over the stovetop...the exhaust hood light.
You can spray Great Stuff behind door facings and around switch boxes to insulate your home.
If you continue to find "evidence", look for another gap or hole and fill it with Great Stuff.
Has anyone ever put Damminix cubes/tubes in their house?
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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just don
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posted
I have heard peanut butter is good,,,but never had mice that liked that flavor I guess.
I use a little slice of half dried out non edible cheese,,,it still works better.
Yes I agree on going around the house and sealing ALL cracks and crevices.
Openings you can get a common pencil eraser in,,is big enough for a mouse,,,one you can put your finger in,,,invites RATS!!!
Forgot how small of hole it takes for bats,,,but its VERY small. NOTHING worse than bats in your bellfrey.
besides they smell bad and promote diseases.
OR you can borrow a 12 gauge,,,that works as good as your aim,,,and ability to fix remnants of your house!!
Nice to see your alive and kicking up your heels by the way!! (AND back to your normal humerous self)while IB--just don--
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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just don
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posted
Oh yeah,me forgot,,,somebody once said to feed them regular coke,,,they cant burp and the insides sorta tears up!!(from expanding gas)
they cant resist it and pets dont really like it.
Another way for hard cases is take Gold Maldrin fly bait and mix with a bit of coke,,, Even hard headed ones get thirsty for sweet coke
(specilly if its there ONLY water source)
raccoons in(and out of) your sweet corn patch are no match for this either,,,if they get more than 10 feet from the pan before toes point up,,,mix more fly bait in!!
I am NOT in favor of killing animals so much,,,but rodents are rodents and DO carry diseases,,,worst being mice,rats,coons and opossums,and pidgeons.
Other birds DO make BAD messes to clean up after so some may be included,,,like starlings,sparrows,and crows
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
NEWS FLASH-
In spite of all the efforts to date...
Butt head is alive and well.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.....
BUT.. I got another one of Butt head's cousins!!!
And this was rather weird....
While sitting at the kitchen table I looked in the living room and saw activity AT the trap, while I was sitting there. How BOLD can they be?
Suddenly the trap snapped... and a mouse took off running.
When I walked in the room and looked at the trap... a mouse was in it!
As it turned out... two mice were feasting on MY peanut butter trap at the same time!
DOUBLE TROUBLE!!!
That is kinda like going fishing and catching two white perch on the line that you had two hooks on. You don't expect to catch two at once.. but it is fun!
But the problem here is.... ONE mouse got away!
Guess I need double headed snap traps?
As for all the good ideas you've provided...
THANK YOU!!!
Nice to know the mouse troops at Lyme Net have experience and are willing to share their military secrets.
Tomorrow I will add the new battle plans you've provided to my Mouse Manual... and implement them ASAP.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
And oh... ho ho ho Just Don..
Quick question..
If I feed them coke and old chunks of cheese.... and like you said, they don't burp ... well .... do you think they might start passing gas?
If they do start a stinky mouse gas party in MY house... making my life even more gross-a-mungo ... and making me have to walk around wearing a standard issue gas mask to be able to breathe....
just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
YOU need one of those wind up tin traps that revolve around and catch them live,,,sometimes,,,if they dont get caught in the wheel .
Farm stores carry them,,,called tin cats or whatever you want them to be called.
They cant resist the little enclosed tunnel they can 'hide' in.
Can take it miles and miles from home and release them in the wild OR do the water dunk thing,,,OR feed the 'herd' of hungry outdoor cats you have there!!!
Best rule is to have about twice as many cats as mice when, you open the door so some dont 'reinfect' your dwelling.
another thing mice cant resist is popcorn,,,good for the bait tray in a wind up,,,HARD to keep on the head snapper ones.
Those traps that whirl and hide the varmit and you throw away,,,look good for the squeamish of the group.
BUT If you have THAT many mice,,,you need to FIND there access point. One of there fav's is the dryer vent,they crawl inside cause lint keeps the flopper open,,,and they chew thru that flex hose like crazy.
Last house did that. I went to the air stream pushes vent lid UP,cleaned the lint out every time I walked past it,,,and put ALL solid alluminum pipe clear to the dryer,,,NO more meeces in da house!!!
Last time I had a couple the FIRST thing they attacked of all things was the bannannas on the counter.
I didnt know mice LIKED bannanas,but obviously they do,,,I baited the traps with the 'leftover' and quickly they were outdoor front lawn ornaments
Just thought that was interesting,,,good use for over ripe nan-ners!!But it does dry up rather quickly,,,takes daily baiting.
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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aklnwlf
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posted
THOSE WHO HAVE A WEAK STOMACH SCROLL ON BY.....
OK. After reading this yesterday I decided to check my trap.
Well, it wasn't where it normally is. It was in the back of the cabinet with lovely droppings everywhere.
So, thinking the critter got away, with gloved hands I picked up the trap and squeezed to reset when......
.........there was a mouse head in there!!!
But where was the rest of it???
I took everything out, vacuumed under there but alas, haven't found the body.
Actually I found no evidence of anything outside of an awful lot of droppings.
Right away I'm thinking S N A K E !!!
What came to mind immediately is a reaction Just Don might have had....
Where's that d***n gun?!?!
Anywho, caught another whole mouse last night around 7:30 p.m.
If anyone has advice about what it could have been that ate the mouse and how to get rid of it outside of shooting holes in my floor, let me know ASAP PLEASE!!!
I thought dealing with the mice was bad enough but now I'm not so sure......
-------------------- Do not take this as medical advice. This comment is based on opinion and personal experience only.
Alaska Lone Wolf Posts: 6159 | From Columbus, GA | Registered: Jul 2004
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Has it occurred to you that maybe Butthead is a RAT? Just wondering......
Haven't been around lately to say
I wuv u!
Janet
-------------------- DISCLAIMER: No information presented above should be considered medical advice or take the place of advice given by a medical professional. Links to other sites are provided merely for ease of research. Posts: 287 | From Tennessee | Registered: Sep 2006
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Tincup getting a Tincat.
ho ho ho
That sounds good Just Don!
But pray tell... what could I name the Tincat?
And the bananas- hmmmmm.... good idea too? I think?
But I have to wonder.
If I use a banana and catch a monkey will you come empty the trap for me?
Ever been bitten by a monkey? They aren't real nice sometimes.
And popcorn you say..... another hmmmmmm???? Gotta wonder...
Shall I put the trap filled with popcorn by the TV and turn on a movie for them?
You maka me laugh.
Littlewolf. YULK! Good thing you had a warning with your post.
Blaaahhhhhhhhhhh......
I've had that happen too. It could be another mouse... but watch for rats. They are known to do this too.
And do me a favor. Don't tell me how it turns out. YULK!
HA!
NICE to see you.
Sky said.. "Most of our cats are afraid of mice so my idea is to let the chickens roam the house for a while. Aside from the chicken droppings no more mice."
Funny one you are too! hehehe
Ya know Sky.... I think we should go into business together. Like the folks who sell vacuum cleaners. You knock on doors and when someone answers you let your chickens in the people's houses ... and I'll come along behind you with my special invention.
I haven't put a patent on it yet.. but picture this.... kinda like...
A leaf blower and power-washer combined to clean all the rooms INSIDE the house.
Cool, eh?
And Stephanie Plum? You guys always keep me guessing when you say these names. Someone here got me on a fellow the other day. Last name.. ummmm... Timberwolf I think?
So yes.. I looked up this Plum person. HA!
That wasn't too bad. Might even have been a compliment?
And don't tempt me with using a gun against the enemy- especially against the big bad butt head.
I've got a house full of guns and ammo- all ready to go. Big guns- little ones- and all sizes and kinds in between. Not to mention cross bows, musket loaders and baseball bats.
And since I've been known to shoot the nose off a bull frog at 200 yards- certified sharp shooter - it IS tempting to bring out the old 12 gauge to end this mouse war for good.
You got me thinking and now I'm laughing too.
Ya know how there are pool hustlers that go in bars and play strangers for money? NOT that I use to do that with my girl friends on a slow Saturday night to make rent money years ago... ha.... I'll never tell...
But... I could be what you'd call a shot gun hustler. I am really laughing now remembering back.
Boys would REALLY REALLY hate me when they would try to be all manly and stuff and try to show me how to load and shoot a gun-
Background- I worked with a group of all guys (dear friends) during the winter hunting seasons in several states for many years- all of them were hunters and expert hunting guides who were the best.
Plus- my daddy taught me to be VERY good with guns when I was 7 or 8 years old... maybe younger. (Military- and he kept loaded guns in the house- so he trained us all). Then I worked in law enforcement... so very versed. Anyhow...
New hunting groups would come in every three days during the winter season to try their luck... so I had lots of fun with this...
The hunting guides would set up the nasty customers they had after hours...
And hey! It's the customer's fault they lost a pocket full of money.... they never asked if I'd ever used a gun before-
Anyhow... they would take their time and show me how to shoot skeet.... or at a target... not always doing too well themselves... but of course I'd be wooing and wowing at their skill the whole time.... after all it IS the polite thing to do.
And they would warn me to be careful and ask if I really wanted to try to shoot.... telling me it is so hard to shoot skeet and only someone with their experience can hit 3-4 out of every 10 hits... and not to feel bad if I miss them all...
Then I'd pick up the gun and show them how it is done.
Yep... they hated me. HA!
And like when fishing... those boys in their fancy boats with big vroommmm vrroommmm motors would sit there and watch me in my little old canoe with my broken in 1/2 fishing pole and using bologna or corn for bait rather than their $3.00 soft shell crab or expensive shrimp....
They again would hate me when I'd out fish them....
hehehe
But with the guns...
It would be REALLY funny when I'd wander over after work to chat and would casually pick up the most ratty tatty gun you can find and outshoot them.. especially when they were using their new hotsy totsy high dollar model guns and were strutting around thinking they were so almighty and special... and I was nothing more than a lowly GIRL.
And if they were really stuck on themselves, it would be even more funny when all their boy buddies would be there and start laughing when they would get whipped by a GIRL.
And yes, I'm cruel... but I don't like people who automatically think they are a gift from heaven and that girls are inferior because they are girls ... while saying with a smirk that a woman's place is on the home and they should be kept barefoot and pregnant.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Ok, ok. I didn't really find a note about french toast... but might as well have.
The little PIG!
Anyhow...
Something happened today... and not in 100 years would I believe this could have EVER happened. I STILL can't believe it.
After going to the voting place... and the drug store... and to get some groceries...
I went to my doctor's appointment.
It was a rainy dreary day. To note- Rain and cold always makes me have to go .. well... to say it nicely.... to the ladies room.
After a short chat with the doctor's secretary, I excused myself and headed to the throne. I closed the door and actually locked it... mostly because I was not at home... and sometimes, as you know.... folks don't knock.
While sitting there accomplishing the task at hand... and...
You aren't going to believe this, but tis true, tis true...
A mouse sneaks out from behind a 3 foot tall fake potted plant that is setting on the floor in the corner, about 4 feet away.
Before I could say butt head... this little whipper snapper runs across the shiny clean floor, slides a short distance... does a little cha-cha-cha... and then has the nerve to boogie woogie right across the toe of my shoe!
Of course I am in the squat position at the time... full stream ahead.
AND...
Of course I had my britches down close to the floor too.. making it nearly impossible to move my feet and legs without getting all tangled up.
I couldn't have possibly jumped out of the way... and I didn't want to scream and freak out anyone because there was this little wild animal locked in this VERY small room with me.
Nor did I want to call attention to myself while sitting on the pot... so basically all I could do was to sit there and smile.
I watched intensely as this little fool ran over to the door and then jumped up on the baseboard next to it.... pretending he was a surfer dude, no doubt...
And then I watched as he ran a little sideways for a moment... then while he reversed his direction and did another zip zip maneuver in the other direction.
I guess he was thinking if he dashes along the base of the door.. back and forth multiple times.. it will magically open and he can get out?
He must have been absent the day they taught "door handles 101" in mouse school... ya think?
Figuring about that time that he couldn't get through the closed door... he started to panic and just took off on a full run.. going here and there and everywhere... bouncing off walls ... and once again, coming within inches of my feet...
Not ONCE... but two times!
I STILL couldn't move out of the way... at least not without drowning the both of us... so I just sat ... and waited... and watched while this idiot ran wild.
Let me tell you something. Noah could have built the Ark in the time it took me to do my business today... and it NEVER takes that long.
Guess I've got a hang-up about rodents crawling on me while trying to pee? Ever heard of anyone else with that kind of phobia?
Once the well FINALLY ran dry.... and the mouse had about exhausted itself in this panicked state... and I could GRACEFULLY get off the pot....
I did.
But not before starting up a conversation with my new best friend.
Hey... I figure he now knows me about as good as anyone else does at this point... so why not chat?
I asked him if he was related to a genius mouse named butt head ... who lives about 30 miles from the office.
He didn't answer me.
But he did stop dead in his tracks and looked my way in a vicious sort of way.
I then said in a gentle but demanding tone...
"Ok Slick... now don't be freaking out, but I need to get up.. and I'll do it slowly so you don't get scared... and then I need to go over there (motioning toward the direction of the sink) and wash my hands... sooooooo ..... just do us both a favor and sit still ... and stop acting so nuts."
I never knew in mouse language that the word "nuts" actually means "begin attacking humans".
BTW- You might want to write that little tid-bit of information down in the event this ever happens to you. And after doing so.... try to remember...
Whatever you do while in the company of a mouse...
posted
I have had a few battles myself with mice, rats, shrews and bats. Have you tried rat glue???
When I have a rodent that seems too smart to get caught in a trap, I put some rat glue on a board with the bait in the center of the glue. When butthead comes for dinner, he becomes one of those guests that just won't leave. The gross part of using rat glue is dealing with the live mouse that you catch.
aklnwlf
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5960
posted
TC,
I would freak out! Are they starting to follow you around or what?
Maybe it's time to start carrying around some extra traps on a trap belt or something.
Everytime you have to sit somewhere just lay a trap down.
My rodent or rodents are starting to avoid my trap too. Maybe glue isn't such a bad idea. But how do you get the critters off?
I don't know, can't really think about that. What if they're still alive?
Ok, gotta come up with another plan.
-------------------- Do not take this as medical advice. This comment is based on opinion and personal experience only.
Alaska Lone Wolf Posts: 6159 | From Columbus, GA | Registered: Jul 2004
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just don
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posted
I musta died and came back as a DUCK,,,you guys quacked me up so much!!!
Dizzy up,,,IF thats your actaul pic,you dont look dizzy to ME!!
Better break out the Golden Maldrin fly bait and mix with alittle diet coke and see what turns up??
Heard it is practically goof proof.
PLEASE report back anyone that trys it,,,would really like to know how it works,,I never tried it myself.
I guess its like baiting a coon trap with a marshmellow cause pets dont like sweet things.
I had a pet that did,,,once!!
The glue sounds promising too.
Whatever you do,,,dont let the rodents win,cause they cause lots of problems!!
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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hshbmom
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Member # 9478
posted
Glue trap disposal: (gross!)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the glue board is simply disposed of in one piece after use, victim and all.
You cannot free a mouse from one of these "traps" without doing major damage to it. It's not a pretty sight.
I don't ever want to see another one of these.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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Dawnee
Unregistered
posted
" which makes me jump 1/4 mile in the air every time they do...."
LMBO.. I know that feeling so very well.
My sister had a genius mouse one time. It kept setting the traps off and eating all the peanut butter. We finally hid and watched what he was doing. He would come out, snag the corner of the trap in his tiny sharp teeth and drag that sucker all the way to the cabinets. He would then walk backwards, going underneath the cabinet and when the trap hit the cabinet it would set it off. He would then let go of the trap and happily lick up all the peanut butter!
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Dawnee
Unregistered
posted
AND... I once set those glue traps out for these gigantic warf rats in our back yard. One of em took off with the trap... and brought it back a week later, to the exact same spot where he'd found it... with some fur attached.
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hshbmom
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posted
Butthead has a takeout request: salami
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
we had a mouse in our old motorhome when we were out on our last camping trip. A little rustle here, a little rustle there, a little nibble here and a little nibble there. Kept us awake ALL NIGHT.
Posts: 234 | From BC Canada | Registered: Aug 2008
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
YES! It's over!
Butthead's funeral was 4 days ago.
Hot diggity dawgs!
And NO mice have been caught in any traps for over a week now. And the peanut butter is still there.
Of course the sticky sweets left in the traps have been attracting ants... but that is another story! HA!
BUT-
I'm afraid Butthead got the last laugh. Tis true, tis true.
He managed to escape all the traps... and instead he must have eaten some left over mouse poison from last season. I didn't put any poison out this year because I REFUSE to have to smell any more dead mice rotting in the walls and under the floor boards again this year.
GROSS!
But.. in genius fashion... as he WAS the genius...
Butthead ate his last meal... then consumed some poison... then crawled..
OF ALL PLACES.... and unbeknownst to me....
Under my desk.. and he DIED there!
GROSS!!!!
I THINK it was his way of getting the last laugh?
He put me through two days of smelling dead mouse... which had me crawling on my hands and knees all over this small office... till I found him.
But at least I know I DID eventually GET Butthead.
So I shall retire and place my military gear in storage... till the next time I hear that familiar scratching, nibbling sound. Or find another calling card.
I thank each of you for sharing your experiences with me. The tips were invaluable.
Just goes to show... when we all put our partial brains together.. we can accomplish something BIG!
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Oh.. and Dawnee...
Is that story true? You've got me paying attention. ???
And hshmom...
Was it you that mentioned the Great Stuff?
I had to laugh. I meant to respond sooner and got distracted.
Although I love it... I am no longer allowed to use that Great Stuff. The contractors in my family have chewed me from here to the next state over it. A couple years ago I filled every crack, hole and nook and cranny with it.
It has taken them hours to cut out the mess I've made.
My response to them has been...
"If you'd have finished the job I wouldn't have had to use it to fill in all over the place."
I didn't make any points with that answer. Not at all.
PS... I am also not allowed to use a caulking gun either.
posted
hooray; butthead dead and buried ... under your desk; how cute remembering that little gem ...
i don't remember who was looking for you the other day.
ther eis a good new post in activism that needs to be read from you about congress and using her contacts; can't rmember who posted in last 2-3 days about that.
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Tincup
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Geneal
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posted
Twas the month before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse!
Congrats on winning the war!
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Dizz yuppie said...
"You should really be a writer, you are so hilarious!"
Ya know.. I was thinking about that.
Maybe someday... when I grow up, of course... I can be a writer?
BUT.. I'd ONLY want to write about funny things at this point. NO MORE LYME writing. After living it daily for 1 zillion years... and having written emails and posts galore... I am pretty burned out on it.
However...
Reading what you all write is what makes me laugh... then, when I respond.. I laugh too.
Soooooooo...
You all would have to tickle me every day to keep me laughing... so I could write.. IF I could write.
Yep... maybe someday when I grow up this would be a possibility.
Although... if you aren't there to help... it may still be something to consider.
I am finding I can often entertain myself these days. Not sure if that is a mental illness... or just my OLD self coming back?
joalo
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Member # 12752
posted
Thanks for the laughs guys!
-------------------- Sick since January 1985. Misdiagnosed for 20 years. Tested CDC positive October 2005. Treating since April 2006. Posts: 3228 | From Somewhere west of the Mississippi | Registered: Aug 2007
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Ocean
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posted
TC,
We got 2 indoor kitties for Christmas last year, both females, because well, you know how lazy the boys are!
In the past 2 weeks, they've caught 2 mice. The first one, they weren't sure what to do with it. So they played with it, it would run under the couch and the kitty would sit and wait...
when the mouse thought the coast was clear, it would come out and the cat would pounce on it. I couldn't catch it and was afraid it would bite me, so I just let the cat play with it...later that evening...our 6 year old daughter came down. She'd caught it in a baggie, didn't even touch it!
Would you like to borrow one of our cats or our daughter (JK!)?
It always seems like this time of year, they know the weather is getting colder and they want to find a warm place to stay for the winter.
posted
TC when I worked in the oil field and we had problems with rats we used to leave a small dish of Pepsi/Coke for them to drink because we were told that mice couldn't burp or gas and the carbonation would make them explode.
Don't know if it worked but the rats did disappear (as did the drink).
-------------------- I have a good time wherever I go! Posts: 665 | From Lost Wages, NV | Registered: May 2006
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posted
On the other hand, when my folks lived in New Hampshire they had a mouse problem one night. Daddy was shaving just before bed, my younger brother was asleep in the basement, Mama was in her nightclothes and curlers.
They had a huge window that faced their little neighborhood in the living room and as Mama passed by to go draw the drapes and go to bed the mouse appeared.
Mama screamed, jumped on top of the hassock in the middle of the living room. Daddy came out of the bathroom in his boxers with shaving cream on half of his face. Mama points, yells "mouse!" and Daddy grabs a broom.
Younger brother (6'4" hairy, no shave, in briefs without his glasses-can't see a things except shapes, looking like a bear disturbed in midwinter) runs up stairs sees Mama twirling on the footstool, Daddy circling Mama and the footstool beating the floor with a broom, grabs a mop and runs after Daddy.
Mama said the neighbors probably thought there was some kind of "ritual" happening as if they looked into our living room they would have seen two half naked men, one with shaving cream flying like spittle and the other a nearsighted bear, beating the ground with cleaning implements running around a crazed woman in her nightdress screaming and pointing and dancing on the footstool.
Life was so much fun before the internet.
-------------------- I have a good time wherever I go! Posts: 665 | From Lost Wages, NV | Registered: May 2006
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Can yours entirely disappear a glue trap baited with peanut butter? It is gone, totally gone!
First trap caught a mouse, second trap caught a mouse. Third trap was rejected, shoved around, littered with wood shavings, etc. Covered up the glue.
Fourth trap baited with peanut butter. Disappeared.
All were on a narrow board where basement wall meets above ground wall. There just is nowhere for the trap to go.
Mice caught were cute, hated to do them in, but considering ticks and hanta virus, had no choice.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Those glue traps are the most inhumane things ever.
The mouse that disappeared with the glue trap is probably dragging it around on it's body. It will die slowly.
How about humane traps? Then you could release them somewhere. I've used them and they work.
If this is not an option, how about the quick killing traps as opposed to the glue traps. They at least involve much less suffering.
Sorry to put a damper on any humor in this thread but those glue traps make me want to cry. I've heard horribly sad stories about them and how the mice suffer a slow and terrifying death.
Some have even given birth while stuck to them. Then the babies are stuck...how awful this all must be for the poor things. Can you imagine?
Posts: 423 | From Upstate NY | Registered: May 2009
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posted
Dead is dead, and you have to draw the line somewhere. Lots of mice outside, don't need to harbor them inside, with their ticks and viruses, and who knows what else. You are invited to my house, topaz, with your traps to do the job, if you are interested. I also have skunks and groundhogs, one or the other of whom is digging a burrow under the house.
With so much suffering in the world, even as an animal lover myself, I can't take on the "terrifying death" of a handful of mice. Do you know how many mice are used in medical experimentation? Or are you opposed to that too? There are more mice than people in the world.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I agree 100% about not wanting mice in one's home or yard. I don't want them here either and I've taken measures to get them out and keep them out.
I was simply pointing out that there are more humane ways to get rid of them.
And I was certainly not trying to make you or anyone else angry and defensive but it seems I have.
So there are more mice than people in the world. And? I have no idea what this has to do with anything.
Regarding medical experimentation on animals, I'd rather not hijack this thread to debate the issue. I feel I've hijacked it quite enough already and will quietly bow out now.
And thanks for the invite to your home but I'll have to decline.
Posts: 423 | From Upstate NY | Registered: May 2009
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Ocean
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3496
posted
Topaz,
I agree with you. Some people don't 'get' it and I've accepted that now. I'm personally a vegetarian and for awhile was po'd about factory farming. It just makes me sad now. We live in a broken, fallen world and there is nothing we can do..except to do what you feel is right.
So keep using your humane traps. It's true that the mice carry diseases and such, but it isn't their fault. I felt so bad when our cat was playing with the living mouse, but I didn't want to grab it because I didn't want to get bitten and perhaps get yet another disease! I tried to shoo it outside with my foot when it was near the door, but to no avail! Glad my daughter caught it in the plastic bag and took it outside to let it go.
I don't think Lou is trying to be mean, probably defensive because it hurt his feelings by saying what he was doing was inhumane? I'm just guessing...
posted
Well, we didn't know any better and had pet rats when I was growing up - we had Amy, Mimi and Sophie in one cage together until 13 babies showed up one day. Then I think we decided we had Amos, Mimi and Sophie.
They knew their names, too - AM&S did - not the thirteen - they were just numbered -
We made a home movie with the pet rats on our shoulders - after it got shown to our relatives in the midwest, um, I don't think they wanted to come out and visit anymore!
Of course, no pet rats here any more - no way - they might have ticks on them today!
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
TC and others- You have got to get out the video or dvd called Mousehunt. It was out about ten years ago and it is SO funny. You would really appreciate it after all you went through with Butthead!
PB
Posts: 78 | From Maryland | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
OK, for the softhearted, does it help to know that the glue traps have an anesthetic? No mouse suffering?
BTW, that glue trap was not gone, just further away than expected. Evidently floated quite a ways from the top of that wall.
About the humane traps, if I just turn mice loose outside, they will find their way back into the house, and I am not going to take a mouse on a car trip! But maybe in the yard of the neighbor who has a riding mower which sounds like a jet engine up close, and starts mowing too early in the morning.....
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
I came here NOT happy and you all made me laugh again. Now I forgot what I was so MAD about!
Elaine... and Peanut Butter PB 4.... I have not seen that movie... will try to. I DO hope the humans win in the end.. but don't tell me what happens!
Siz said.. "They were fighting to see who could get to the pond first to drink!!!"
I am really laughing now. I can actually picture that in my mind... too funny!
And you are right... these mice may be the only ones in the state that like spicy food.. but I will try that!
And hide the Rolaids before I do! NO mercy!
James, you'd look cute in a Bell Boy outfit, with a little mouse sticking out of your pocket.
YO Robin 593758683...
RATS as pets? OH MY!
GEEZE! When you were a kid... did your folks make you play in the septic tank and tell you it was really a swimming pool?
Did they give you liver for breakfast and tell you it was really called cereal?
Were there briars and rusty nails wrapped up in pretty paper under your holiday tree instead of REAL toys?
You know I like you... but I am sure glad we weren't sisters growing up together! Rats for pets? Ugggggg!!!!!
Hey lou....
And I thought you liked fun and excitement. Guess not?
You said.. "I am not going to take a mouse on a car trip!"
HA! That is TOO funny! I guess we all have that one thing we just won't do! Now we know how far you will go! Or not!
I can just picture you putting a mouse in a little car seat and buckling it up so you can take him for a ride.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Oh... a note that may help others...
The idea of putting coke out for the mice to drink.. well, I tried it.
NOT willing to give up MY soda.. I used some Mountain Dew and placed it on the counter in a large plastic lid.
Two days and nothing. It just sat there. The following day I noticed no signs of mice... but I had drowned 8 ants in the process. Guess that is my bonus prize for not getting the mouse?
Anyhow..
Last night, for some reason, the Dew mostly disappeared. Just a few drops were left.
Now.. my question is...
Are butt head's friends using my computer when I am not around and reading these tricks you all are posting?
My thought is the mouse KNEW the Dew would give him gas.. and waited till the fizz was fizzled out?
PLEASE tell me they aren't THAT smart!!!!
I refilled the lid tonight.
If the mouse again waits for a few days before drinking the Mountain Dew... that's fine.
But I will be expecting him to take the empty Mountain Dew bottle to the recycling center when he is through with it.
HEY!
I feed them. I give them something to drink. I clean up their messes. I provided a warm home for their sleeping pleasure.
I even allow them access to my computer...
But I'll be darned if I am going to take their bottles to the recycling center too!
Just like lou, who won't give them a ride in the car....
I too, DO have my limits!
But maybe if they pitched in some gas money I'd consider it?
posted
Wait a minute, TC - you're missing out on the thrill of realizing a rat knows its name! They're smart! And adorable! And cuddly! These were '60s rats - they got liberated in that era...
Upon being called, they scampered all the way up our pants leg to our shoulders and perched by our ears.
Maybe if you name the mousies, they'll come shooting over to drink soda water with you.
Btw, a precedent for smart mice - Amos the mouse in Ben And Me was responsible for most of Ben Franklin's inventions, AND he helped with the French Revolution as well...
[ 11-09-2009, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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ping
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6974
posted
Hypothesis - Fat mice (all that PB, etc.) don't move as fast, therefore, SNAP!
Way to go! Fat, lazy mice!
ping "We are more than containers for Lyme"
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
I guess since someone just told "seekhelp" to shut up on a post in the medical section... hahahahaha...
And that came from a moderator.... double ho ho ho...
It is ok to tell Robin 59365937 that she is NUTS!
A rat climbing up my pants leg is NOT what I want to think about!
posted
Rats!! Well, the devil may care, but I better not rat on you and tell the spirits of Amy/Amos, Mimi and Sophie and the extended family what you said here - it might hurt their little rat feelings, and then they won't come out of their spirit cage to play...
Sigh - so maybe back to mice. Now, as I mentioned above, my favorite Smart Mouse is Amos, as in Ben And Me by Robert Lawson circa 1939 (well, more specifically, Lawson says he found, edited, published and illustrated the mouse's text).
Amos the mouse helped Ben Franklin invent the Franklin stove and the printing press AND discover electricity after he rode a kite for Ben in a storm.
Here are some customer reviews about the book - I kid you not:
It's the tail of Ben Franklin's mouse.
If you want history as it "really" happened, through the eyes of a rodent who was there and can really write, this is the book for you.
I enjoyed this, yet I seriously doubt that all of Franklin's brilliant ideas were thought up by a mouse.
I got a little confused because it came from a mouse's point of view. It would be better if Ben told the story.
On one occasion Ben attempts to find out if lightning is electricity. Amos was strapped to a kite in the middle of a thunderstorm. He was up there for about a half hour to find out. His answer was "yes."
PS And now you must be wondering if I have nothing better to do than stay up all night writing about rats and mice. I can assure you, I am going to bed, but only after I put out cheese for all...
[ 11-08-2010, 04:01 AM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Well here we go again!
Sorry it took a year to get back to you Robin3857635395. This is getting to be a habit it seems!
I did enjoy your Ben stories... and have great regard for the famous Ben Franklin... not to mention the Ben that makes ice cream too.
I gotta say though.. lou made me laugh out loud again with this comment...
"... and I am not going to take a mouse on a car trip!"
posted
OMG...this has been an awful two weeks, and I come in here and laugh for the first time.
I owe y'all for that one.
Just want to let you know I'm reading every post involving HOW to get rid of them. I just wish I'd known how lazy male cats were before I got mine.
This is the only cat I've ever had that would NOT jump up on counter tops. Too much effort. So is chasing mice, for that matter....
Posts: 624 | From Oklahoma | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
Thx for bringing this back, even if you are a year late - I had to do some editing of the mouse's name - it's Amos.
And what a year it's been. Amos went to the winter Olympics, the basketball madness, drove a race car, wrote articles for May Mouse Lyme Disease awareness month (just squeaking by on deadlines)*,
testified at an IOM listening session about the need for more research on Lymeburger cheese, and for not using mice for research purposes if cheese was not involved,
organized a LymeScamper in San Francisco recently in the fall - all participating mice had to see how quickly they could shake off any ticks on them,
dressed as a rat for Halloween, immensely enjoyed all the confetti at the victory parade for the SF Giants, and most recently nibbled on some ballots.
And how are anyone else's mice faring?
*Amos reports that he is a bit relieved that what first appeared to be a mouse retrovirus causing chronic fatigue now looks to be a human one, so that his species is not to be blamed.
[ 11-08-2010, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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sizzled
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1357
posted
They're BBBAAAAACCCKKK!
The mice and rats, that is!
Habanero sauce???? Posts: 4258 | From over there | Registered: Jul 2001
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17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
Well, this is the LAST time I will read this thread!! Apparently it brings bad luck!
I read the first 8 or so posts last night and laughed and laughed at all the funny mouse stories (didn't even realize they were out dated).
And today, THIS morning, I'm standing in the kitchen, my husband behind me making an egg, my son in front of me eating his breakfast, and around the corner from the living room, RIPS a MOUSE!!!! He runs to the corner of the fridge, like 2 feet away from my 2 bare feet, and turns around and rips back around the corner of the living room!!!
AAAAAAAACK!!!!!!
I start screaming and jumping around and start yelling, "where is the dumb cat?"!!!
I turn to my left and there oh there is the dumb fat cat, sitting in his box eating his cat food, with his fat tail hang out and swishing from side to side in kitty food bliss!
He didn't even notice all the screaming and jumping and barking (because by then the dog had started running around barking - not at the mouse, he hadn't even noticed it, but at me screaming)!
And we're out of mouse traps! Well, I know what I'm doing today...I'm picking up Tincup to come and help me!!!
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
OH Tincup!! Thanks for reminding me about Ben and Me. I know I've read that one to my students before! GREAT book!! I may have to trot off to the library and read it again.
--sorry about the mice -- great story though!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Hey one hen short of 17...
It's NOT my fault that you bring the mice out of the woodwork with your laughing!
HA!
And I think we should all do Sizzled's idea. Habanero sauce for all!
Mice and rats that is!
Of course, now that you mention mice and rats... a serving saved special for the IDSA's next function would be nice too.
We could rid ourselves of three types of rodents at one time!
17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
TC, Habanero sauce is a great idea! I don't think ducks are rodents but I get the idea...
How did you know I lost a hen to a hawk this summer? (Well, actually I lost two, so I'm two short, but don't want to change my name.) Or were you referring to my lyme brain... short a hen... the nerve!
Darn, I read this post again... what will happen to me tomorrow in this mousehouse?
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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