Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie

[hummingwolf]

Yesterday morning I discovered that one of the traps downstairs had had all its peanut butter cleaned off. I moved a different (and hopefully more sensitive) trap to that spot, cleaned the remaining traces of bait the first one and re-baited it with bread. Then, in doing some research online, I discovered that these traps do have different settings, so I went 'round the house resetting most of the ones that were set too far on the less-sensitive side. Although my manual dexterity is well below average, we have a total of eight snap traps out, and I've set and re-set most of said traps, I've only managed to catch my finger once. Go me!

At about 5:50 this morning, I was awakened by the sound of a trap in my room killing a mouse and flipping upside down. I sat in bed reading for a while waiting for morning light, then grabbed some clothes and put the trap and beastie in the garbage can outside. I considered opening up the trap so we could re-use it since it is now the one trap that's been proven to work, but then I noticed the spider who wanted to make either a meal or a home out of the mouse's ear. I normally don't have a problem with spiders, but dealing with a live spider and a dead mouse at the same time was just too much to ask of myself. I am now consoling myself with a cup of good tea.

(While I was making the tea, my alarm clock (which I'd been sure was off) started sounding the alarm, waking up a housemate. I apparently left it on when I left the house last weekend as well. Oops. I hate to do that to anyone, especially after I've made fun of a different housemate for leaving their alarm on so many times.)

I've checked the mousetraps in the common areas, and the one in the living room has had peanut butter removed again, though not so thoroughly this time. Since I doubt the one mouse caught so far is the only mouse around, I suppose I'll try to think of some way to make beasties in that area work harder for their meals.

I honestly do feel bad about killing mice. They don't belong in our home and I obviously will trap more if I have to, but I'm not happy about it.

Comments

[kitten-goddess.livejournal.com]

First of all, mice can spread disease. Think of what you're doing as a way to stop flea-borne illnesses from spreading throughout your house. (Bubonic plague was carried on the fleas on rats.)

Second of all, mice do not belong indoors. It's their fault for going where they do not belong.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know mice are disease vectors; it's my biggest reason for wanting them out of my living space. Yes, I'm willing to kill them to get them out of here. I still don't enjoy taking their little lives.

Heh. Mus musculus has been living in human spaces for at least ten thousand years. If they could speak to us, they might argue that they belong in our homes at least as much as we do!

For cheerful reading...

[rialian.livejournal.com]

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-bubonic-plague-black-death.htm

===That all said, this area does not have a confirmed resevoir for the disease. (There are a few on the west coast, though,....)

===Mice...the reason to have fine feline friends (and reptilian ones as well!) (grins)

Re: For cheerful reading...

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

I had a mental list of people most likely to give me a link like that. You were in the top three.

The landlord still will not let us have a cat! I haven't yet asked him about snakes, though.

Re: For cheerful reading...

[animangel.livejournal.com]

No snakes, please. I don't mind them in the wild, but I do not one slithering around in my house. Especially since I really don't want to wake up with one in bed with me come winter! >_<.

Re: For cheerful reading...

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't want to wake up with a cat in my bed. Much as I love them, I'm still allergic to them! Snakes, as far as I know, don't make me sneezy.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the mouse had a quick death, anyway. Much better than those sticky things - if they do what it sounds like they do.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Yes, poor mouse died quickly. The trap was pretty darn loud, too. What a way to wake up!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Yikes! That'd give me heart failure if I heard that in the middle of the night. I'd wind up deader than the mouse!!

[bluegreen17]

i hate even killing bugs,but sometime i get overrun with fruit flies. this year i put my apple cores and banana peels in the freezer instead of the trash. it seems to have helped. if i had mice,i would flip out too. i'd probably try the have a heart traps first,but if they didn't work i'd resort to what you are doing. anyway,i sympathize on both counts...having to deal with mice and having to kill them sometimes.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

I did try a live trap (not Have a Heart's brand, but the same idea) first, which confirmed that (A) I wasn't imagining the mouse, and (B) the mouse didn't want to go in the trap. If the mice won't go quietly into the humane trap, I'll do what I have to in order to get rid of them, for the sake of my physical and mental health!