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amanda starts with ... Hi All, Please Help!? we have a mouse plague and they are eating everything!! Does anyone have any ideas for homemade traps or baits at all? They are driving me nuts :-( I buy 2-5kg of bait at a time and go thru it in a week - it's very expensive. I have 8 "jaws-of-death" on the go and 3 commercial live traps (which they have got used to and don't go in anymore!) I would be really grateful for any help? | About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 15th March 2010 7:41pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
BJ says... My cats are excellent micers - perhaps someone local has a cat they could loan you for awhile. My neighbour (inner city) had a mouse plague so he asked another neighbour to mind his dog when we let our cats out (they have "ablution time" as I don't like changing kitty-litter-trays) and they were catching 2-3 mice each every hour I let them out. I didn't have to feed them for a week and in that time they had shown me over 70 mice they caught. Cats are effective! | About the Author BJ11 15th March 2010 8:56pm #UserID: 3414 Posts: 215 View All BJ11's Edible Fruit Trees |
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amanda says... Hmnn..no cats BJ....plenty of dumped half wild ones here..plus I have Ground Larks nesting....thanks tho' :-) Was hoping someone may have a brillant trap idea? Or maybe there might be a home made bait recipe out there? I also have families of raptors on the block now and am really worried about poisoning them too.. I am thinking over some trap ideas involving lengths of greased plastic pipe and a bucket of water at present... | About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 15th March 2010 10:13pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Original Post was last edited: 15th March 2010 10:20pm | |
About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 15th March 2010 10:54pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Peter says... Hell, Just wondering were you are? Look at www.gettrapped.com for mouse and rat traps Peter | About the Author Peter22 Brisbane 12th April 2010 4:02pm #UserID: 3599 Posts: 1 View All Peter22's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author Jimmy Perth 12th April 2010 5:38pm #UserID: 2548 Posts: 511 View All Jimmy's Edible Fruit Trees |
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About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 12th April 2010 5:45pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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John Mc says... Aren’t they frustrating? I buy those wax baits AFTER I lose a pot of seeds. Last night they ate my Jujube seeds I got from Beautanicals and those seeds are quite small. I've lost some expensive stuff lately including 20 Saffron bulbs. The rats don't seem to eat the seeds or bulbs after germination. I've heard of the bucket of water trap similar to the one uploaded. I suppose you put a counter weight on the bottom of the tin so it rights itself after the first catch. Do you put a long sock up the outside of the bucket for them to climb up? I remember something like that anyway. Would you be kind enough to explain the greasy pipe trap? | About the Author John Mc 12th April 2010 7:30pm #UserID: 3496 Posts: 132 View All John Mc's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author gus2 Innaloo 12th April 2010 8:30pm #UserID: 3405 Posts: 37 View All gus2's Edible Fruit Trees |
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About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 13th April 2010 1:05am #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Jantina says... Hi Amanda,don't know if this is any good but think they have a moneyback guarantee- check out mouse and rat repellents at www.birdguard.com.au Good luck, I think mice and rats are up there with cockroaches as those who will inherit the world. | About the Author Jantina Mt. Gambier S.A. 13th April 2010 10:22am #UserID: 1351 Posts: 1272 View All Jantina's Edible Fruit Trees |
amanda says... Hi John Mc...I was toying with the idea of a length of pipe on a pivot (a bit like those water features with bamboo that tip when a certain weight fills the end??) I would have a nice glob of peanut butter at the end (to entice them in) and then when they get to the end it tips them into a bucket of water. The pipe would need to be oily or slippery in the end half - otherwise they would scoot back up it, maybe. The can idea did not work well 4 me (i smeared peanut butter in a circle around the middle so it didn't need to right itself) I reckon a piece of smooth dowel with a little tack in the middle to hold a piece of pork rind is the go...it would roll around well (and yes - something for them to climb up the side of the bucket) Thanks for the link Janitina - i will see what they have too! | About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. WA 13th April 2010 6:37pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
Lissa says... Having a lot of trouble with the rats eating my seeds right out of the seed trays lately. Many of my brocolli and cauliflower seedlings were nibbled clean off as well. My dogs are keen raters but I think we've killed off the stupid ones and only the smart ones remain to avoid capture. They're in my ceiling (again) and we throw bags of rat poison around up there but can't use the stuff around the yard due to the dogs. A funny aside - I thought for a time it was slugs eating my seedlings and left out beer traps....which the rats obviously enjoyed very much as they drank the lot. I've bought a wizzbang trap with little elastic rings that snap around their throat and throttle them. Yet to catch anything with it. A gardening friend yesterday tells me of a recipe he found online for rat cakes - equal parts baking soda, sugar and flour mixed with enough water to make patties. The digestive system of rodents cannot expel gas and the idea is that bicarb produces CO2 when it comes into contact with acid (in this case stomach acid). The gas causes the stomach to expand, resulting in either an implosion or suffocation - by pressing up against the lungs. Not a nice way to cause something to die, but then neither is rat poison. | About the Author Lissa Strathpine Qld 30th May 2011 5:25am #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |
Brendan says... Hi Lissa, Have a look at this site, they have smaller models as well. I'm having trouble with bandicoots at the moment, this should fix em. http://www.derwenttraders.com.au/contents/en-us/d398.html | About the Author Brendan Mackay, Q 30th May 2011 7:39am #UserID: 1947 Posts: 1722 View All Brendan's Edible Fruit Trees |
Sambo says... We've had a mouse plague in western QLD for the last six months, where I work we have tried all the different traps and baits and there is only one trap which catches bulk amounts of mice! similar to the bucket idea above, all you need is a stick about 2 metres long and tape a beer bottle to the end with the neck pointing away from the stick. Place the bottle above the bucket so the mice can run up the stick to the top of the bucket and onto the bottle. Grease up the bottle with some margarine and put a blob of peanut butter in the bottle opening. The mice run up the stick and slip off the bottle into the bucket full of water. We've had up to 40 mice a night caught in these traps just inside the office... but down to about 15 a night now! | About the Author SE Qld 30th May 2011 4:11pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |
Jason says... I have lots of mouse problems where I live also at this time of year. I don't like killing them but on the other hand it's better to kill 3 than have to kill 200 in a few months time. That way if you are poisoning them you are less likely to kill major amounts of other animals up the food chain. It's a bit of a bad circle, since there shouldn't be this many mice and there should be more birds eating them,,, but with all the poisons all all over the country the birds are already dead etc. Anyway, I like to get rid of them all as soon as I see one and then there's less suffering for everyone. The most important thing is to find the bodies and get rid of them before a bird can eat them | About the Author Jason Portland 31st May 2011 7:00pm #UserID: 637 Posts: 1217 View All Jason's Edible Fruit Trees |
Julie says... Someone on a forum I visit had success with this. www.earthkind.com He used it in a shed, as the mice were eating the horse's food (I think - a while ago). | About the Author Julie Roleystone WA 4th June 2011 5:19pm #UserID: 154 Posts: 1842 View All Julie's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author ringelstrumpf1 Blue Mountains 6th June 2011 6:31pm #UserID: 3535 Posts: 148 View All ringelstrumpf1's Edible Fruit Trees |
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amanda says... Probably true ringelstrumpf - I bought an expensive multiple live catcher (a neat set up too) and it caught 8 in the first night...now I am lucky to get 1 in there...? My best traps have always been the 'jaws of death' and the live catcher "cray pot". I stopped using bait because I was told that it would kill the snakes if they ate the poisoned mice...?? I don't know if that's true - reptiles a bit different to mammals..? Anyway - I have young childrens pythons around the place now... | About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. Mid West WA 7th June 2011 4:50pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
MG says... We use a homemade water trap like this (but with a lemonade bottle) smeared with peanut butter. As long as the mice can reach the top of the bin, they tightrope walk along the fencing wire, the bottle/can spins and they fall into the water and drown. Catches many in a night! My father also used this and caught too many to count in one night. Just make sure the water is deep enough to drown them, but not high enough for them to get purchase to get out. Good luck | About the Author MG Canberra 7th June 2011 8:45pm #UserID: 5402 Posts: 1 View All MG's Edible Fruit Trees |
Lissa says... Thanks once again Brendan :) It's been a while since I posted the comment above, and I've bought a kind of throttling trap from Bunnings in the interval. It has a rubber ring that you stretch and this closes around the rats neck when the rat triggers the lever. Quicker and more humane than poison. Having said that, we had to throw poison around in the ceiling as we can't get up there to do anything else and it has killed two of the rats. There has been no sign of activity since so the new trap is yet to be tested. Interesting bit in the link you sent for the cage trap: "Best to wear gloves when setting up the trap to avoid transferring human odours onto the trap." | About the Author Lissa Strathpine Qld 15th June 2011 6:09am #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author Brendan Mackay, Q 15th June 2011 9:16am #UserID: 1947 Posts: 1722 View All Brendan's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Lissa says... Good lord! Watch your step won't you. Worst I've ever had around here is yellow eyed whip snakes and pythons trying to eat my cockatiels. I've put all the good suggestions into the Brisbane Local Food group site http://brisbanelocalfood.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=25t0o7h11ojsm for perusal when the problem returns.....which it will. | About the Author Lissa Strathpine Qld 16th June 2011 6:19pm #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |
amanda says... They have these fairly humane new traps that electrocute the mouse/rat as it passes over a sensor in the tunnel part...the only trouble is you can only kill one at a time (as the dead one then blocks the passage way..) At $40 - $80 a unit - it's expensive if you have a big problem and need a few... I never use gloves when handling my snap traps - it's never put the mice off (and neither has the smell of their dead mates on the trap either!!) I like these the best (as they are fast kill) but can't find good quality ones these days - they are all plastic and don't last long? I also need at least 10 set every night when there is a plague. If you use a "cray pot" style one - u can drown the mice in the cage all at once and much faster (by holding it under the water) The bucket method is excellent for plagues - if a little stressful for the mice - but waht can u do. I am hoping my baby pythons will hang around too Brendan! They are the Ultimate mousers! :) | About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. Mid West WA 16th June 2011 9:17pm #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
Brendan says... Hi amanda, Someone told me to mix Plaster of Paris with wholegrain flour, leave some water next to this. The little critters get a bit constipated after eating this! Don't know if it works, but it should. I've got some left-over (old) grated cheese, I was going to sprinkle that brew on the cheese, and see what happens :-) | About the Author Brendan Mackay, Q 23rd July 2011 8:58am #UserID: 1947 Posts: 1722 View All Brendan's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author amanda19 Geraldton. Mide West WA. 23rd July 2011 10:41am #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Lissa says... Re the plaster of paris mix - have a look at the link in my last posting. There's a similar recipe in there. Basically blows the mouse up. Since I bought my whizz bang trap (throttling one) there haven't been any rats or mice around. It's just sitting there with it's nut bait probably going soggy. What would you recommend is the best bait for traps? | About the Author Lissa Strathpine Qld 27th July 2011 6:11am #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author Julie Roleystone WA 27th July 2011 8:02pm #UserID: 154 Posts: 1842 View All Julie's Edible Fruit Trees |
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About the Author Katoomba 28th July 2011 1:39pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |
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John Mc says... Read an interesting paper online entitled "MYTHOLOGY OF VERTEBRATE PEST CONTROL" published by University of Nebraska - Lincoln Year 1990. In a nutshell it debunked all the claims about plaster of paris, portland cement, carbonated drinks, electromagnetics and ultrasonic, amongst others. If anyone wants to read it, here's the link: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=vpc14 | About the Author JohnMc1 28th July 2011 6:47pm #UserID: 2743 Posts: 2043 View All JohnMc1's Edible Fruit Trees |
Mike says... In Australia bird and bat control has been very unsuccessful with noises,lights,reflectors,birds of prey and anything else they get used to.Enclosing an area with electrified strands or nets or other real physical barriers works however.All of the major vertebrate amphibian,avian and mammalian introduced pests have basically spread until they reach all suitable habitat.They typically haved a big impact at first then reduce population and stabilise and get more vulnerable to diseases and predators. | About the Author Cairns 28th July 2011 7:05pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |
Lissa says... I will keep the pumpkin seed in mind Julie, thank you. I think the rodents are starting to make a comeback already as my dogs are hunting around the rats usual haunts in a very interested manner. Something is eating every strawberry as it ripens. Half missing, so not the dogs who would eat the entire thing! | About the Author Lissa Strathpine Qld 13th August 2011 6:43pm #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author Cairns 13th August 2011 6:52pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |
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About the Author nicole the cat hater 12th November 2012 2:17pm #UserID: 7415 Posts: 1 View All nicole the cat hater's Edible Fruit Trees |
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lenn says... If you do not want to kill good predators like owls and snakes that keep rodents under control , do not use poison that says "one feed kills". Much safer for predators are the older warfarin poison that requires several feeds to kill; a bird eating a poisoned rat will suffer no consequence if the rat died from warfarin rather than one of the more potent baits. | About the Author lenn5 12th November 2012 2:59pm #UserID: 7416 Posts: 1 View All lenn5's Edible Fruit Trees |
About the Author amanda19 Leschenault (160kms south of Perth) 15th November 2012 10:26am #UserID: 2309 Posts: 4607 View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Lissa says... Went along to a field trip last week at a Persimmon farm on the sunshine coast and Heinz the owner/grower talked about Biodynamic Peppering. Well worth a look at to deter pests. You basically get hold of one of your pests (rat or whatever) and cook it until it's ash. Mix the ash with water and spray it around the area they frequent. Googling will bring up lots of info. Much of it refers to doing things by the phases of the moon etc. Heinz does not bother with any of that and has great success. | About the Author Lissa 29th November 2012 11:55am #UserID: 3797 Posts: 189 View All Lissa's Edible Fruit Trees |