I live in a townhome which is a 2nd and 3rd floor unit. On the 3rd floor is a closet with a crawlspace entrance which is the attic. There are definitely mice running around in there.
I tried to setup mouse traps to catch them near the entrance, but none worked for a couple reasons. One, there is an attic vent in there, and the wind comes down into our attic pretty strong which sets off the classic mouse traps, and also flips over the flimsy glues traps. Two, I highly doubt they come close to the entrance of the crawlspace, which is the only place I can set the traps because 80% of the attic is insulation. I only ever hear them running, from the 2nd floor, in the ceiling, underneath the attic, in the back of the house. Third, it sounds like they are using my attic as a "highway," only scurrying from left to right. Never to the front of the attic.
We have 2 cats so I am not really worried about them getting into the house. I assume if they every do make it in plain view, then the cats should be ale to chase them out. But, our cats are never hanging out in the cabinets, so I assume it is a matter of time before they find their way in. Also, I am still concerned that they could be nesting in my attic, which could mean there are hundreds up there. Gross!
I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. I can't set a trap all the way in the back of the attic. I cant set traps outside because they could be entering from someone else's house so it would be really tough for me to find the access point, nor do I think my neighbors would appreciate me setting traps with cats and kids running outside all day.
As a side note, my wife thinks I am nuts and isn't too concerned about it. She thinks they will not enter the house because of our cats.
Being the persistent man that I am, I still want them gone. What is the best way to get rid these critters? I really want them completely removed from the house, but I am not able to find a good solution. I am seriously debating buying some of that d-con poison, and chucking it all the way in the back of the crawlspace, or my last resort is to call a professional…
Best Answer
I used a tall plastic bucket once to catch the mice in the garage - I just put a small amount of dog food in the bottom, they could not climb the walls or jump that high to get out. I used a "ramp" made of simple cardboard to the top so that they could hop right in! Safe, no poison and easy to carry out when "full".