I feel like a total jerk

[Red Squirrel]

I'm a MURDERER. I have this mouse issue in my attic and as much as I hate to see those cute critters die, they're in my house and I can't let them multiply up there and potentially cause damage. So I set traps. They're so cute though, with their whiskers and little nose. It's one thing to dispose of one that is already dead from the trap, but I caught one just now and it was by the leg so it was perfectly fine and still alive and struggling and looking at me with eyes begging for mercy.

Almost felt like just releasing it but it's only going to come back and eventually die anyway. Wish I had a way to put a GPS tracker on it though so I can figure out how they're getting in. Dropped it in a plastic bag, wacked it against the basement floor a bunch of times to knock it out (and probably instantly kill I hope) then I stomped on the bag to ensure the deed is done. Was quick and painless at least. I was going to drown it but I prefer something more quick.

I don't get where they're coming in from. I would much rather prevent them from coming in first place. This is the 3rd one this year too.


Cliffs:
Squirrel: 1
Mouse: 0

 

[Newbian]

Better now then popping out of your air conditioner and killing you when you sleep.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't like killing mice, but you gotta get rid of them. They're destructive little shits. My girl cat will sometimes find one, and play with it. She lacks the killer instinct, but between the two of us, we do pretty well catching them. If I get one alive, I take it for a long walk and let it go. Usually the snapper traps get them, and they get dumped in the yard as a warning to the rest, but those warnings seem to go unnoticed :^D

 

[Ichinisan]

Yeah. I also don't understand why mice and rats are revolting to some people.

Other than giant testicles on the males, I think they're pretty cute.

 

[Baked]

Yeah, you should get one of them taser traps for rodents. Only takes a couple D batteries and kills the motherfuckers instantly. Use PB&J for their last meal.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You'd think the dead mouse in the first trap would have been a warning to this mouse to not go to the other trap, nope lol.

I was very tempted to let it go in the house so I can get entertainment watching my cat go after it.

Ironicly, my air conditioner is stored away in the closet where I access the attic and where the traps are. I'm starting to think mice are attracted to air conditioners.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah, you should get one of them taser traps for rodents. Only takes a couple D batteries and kills the motherfuckers instantly. Use PB&J for their last meal.

I have the traps wired up in a way so I can remotely check them, but I did see one of those zap traps that also has an optional connector for remote monitoring. I think if it really becomes a huge issue I'll look at getting one of those. They're pretty much as humane as the snap traps, if better as the kill is guarantee. In rare cases such as this instant, they wont die on the snap trap.

 

[olds]

If it makes you feel better, I never thought of you as an asshole.
A naive, ignorant dickhead, yes.

 

[Papa Hogan]

I should have taken some photos of a mouse nest I saw at work a while back. I took a cover off of a locate ped and out fell 4 or 5 baby mice. It startled me and I involuntarily shook and tossed the tiniest one--didn't even have any hair yet--about 3 feet. I proceeded to grab all the little ones and put them back in their little house, and gingerly picked up the pink one with no hair, set him down and put the cover back on.

I saw a quick streak of movement the other day in the laundry room going from the washer to the spare refrigerator, so I'll have to get some taser traps for the cute monster before he chews any wiring up.:'(

 

[ch33zw1z]

I don't love killing mice, but die you little shits.

 

[RossMAN]

How did the little critter make it from Hawaii to Canada?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=1440

 

[GasX]

This thread brings back memories...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=778732&highlight=squirrel&page=2

 

[RossMAN]

This thread brings back memories...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=778732&highlight=squirrel&page=2

Lots of interesting usernames in that thread.

 

[pauldun170]

In these parts we eat what we kill.
Keep that in mind next time you kill one

 

[amdhunter]

Whenever one gets caught in a trap here, I'll go to the hallway of my building, fling it up in the air and let my dog catch it or chase it down for a nice quick death.

The crunching sound it makes as he bites down is ultra satisfying.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Here's a song about a man that feels like a total asshole for having killed a worthless rodent (which he named posthumously RockNRole):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM5zR4nqoug

 

[midwestfisherman]

Damned rodent killer!

 

[Farang]

Ha! If it makes you feel any better..

I got a pet rat from a sketchy pet store a few years back. It came in a box. Sitting in my ex-GF's car, the thing jumped out like a wild rat (pet rats are much more docile). Ran up and hid in the dash. As much as we tried to coax it out.. eventually we had to set a trap. Went out and bought your classic wood kind with a piece of cheddar. Set it, left it overnight.

Come back in the morning, ready to feel like an asshole.

The cheese is gone, trap had been set off.

I go out and buy another, fancier trap. Same idea.. place the bait and smash the rat. I leave it there overnight.

Back in the morning, cheese is gone. Trap had been set off.

We give up for a few days, hoping we'll just catch the little guy one day hanging out in the backseat and be able to wrangle him.

The car begins to have electric problems. The rat is chewing through the wires in the dash.

We sort of give up for a couple of weeks, living with the problem and hoping we catch the rat unawares at some point. She lets her car get cluttered.

One day she decides to clean the car, and we'll solve the rat problem for good. Underneath some old school assignments laying around in the back seat, is the decomposing body of a rat.

A month or two passes by. We're sitting around watching TV. We're baking a pizza. A flash passes by in front of the TV stand--a mouse!

We chase it with a broom, with whatever we can find. We get it trapped in the corner.

The apartment is old and has an old gas oven, elevated off the ground. We've got the mouse trapped in the corner behind it.

She has one corner covered. I make a move with the broom for the other so we can grab it. The mouse climbs up the leg of the oven and out of sight.

15 minutes pass. The apartment begins to smell of burning flesh.

 

[Imp]

We used sticky traps way back when. They were not much more "humane". They usually get stuck and become completely immobile, then starve to death or someone has to deliver the killer blow. One time two got caught side by side and one started eating the other one.

Also, glue traps aren't guaranteed if it's only partial contact and then they figure out how to avoid them. Worst thing is that I remember stepping on them as a kid... wow that shit is hard to get off.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

From a previous mouse thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=33891045#post33891045

 

[Red Squirrel]

Glue traps are the worse, I'd never use those. IMO they should not even be made, there's no reason to use them over traditional traps.

 

[chuckywang]

Better now then popping out of your air conditioner and killing you when you sleep.

I have been here long enough to get this reference. Oh god.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Caught 2 more. Got called into work since the night shift guy got the flu, reset the traps on my way out. Definitely need to try to figure out how they're getting in. Wish thermal imaging cameras were not so freaking expensive. Could probably track them from inside.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

they are cute but they gotta die asap. if you let them go it will turn into a huge mess overnight. theyll go in your drawers, under your fridge, in your sofa, and crap and piss everywhere. your place and stuff will never be the same. i recommend a professional exterminator to get rid of them asap. some places have enough around for them to eat (neighbors house/condo or garbage area) that they cant all be baited the traps before they make a mess. one mouse can have 10 babies. mice are NASTY!!!!!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yep that's my fear, that they find a way in the living space. At least right now they're only in the attic. But there's plenty of damage they could do up there if they start chewing through wires. The more I think about it, this is actually a big issue, I'm surprised BX is not code for in attics.