A Damn Mouse

[sailorboy1]

maybe there is an opportunity for a new "make money while cruising" item:

- rent-a-cat

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I wouldn't count on there being just one!

I'm more than happy to kill a thousand of them. But so far we've never heard noise come from two places at once. And the damage, from what we can see so far, seems limited. I'm operating under the premise that one opportunistic a-hole got onboard. But plenty of poison and traps to go around; the more the merrier.

[Cormorant]

FWIW, we use mouse poison in our drfty old farmhouse (after all thetrapping in the world didn't make dent) -- and the mice fequently come out into the open to die. I'm sure some of them pass away in wall cavities, but not all.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

maybe there is an opportunity for a new "make money while cruising" item:

- rent-a-cat

I hear people talking about cats and dogs but this rat moves under floorboards and through spaces the size of a quarter.

The only cats I that would be worth a damn are the evil wharf cats with big scars and ripped up hair that I keep my distance from. But once onboard, with all the nooks and crannies, there are just too many places to hide. And a big enough rat, certainly a few of them, could damage/kill a cat in no time.

Maybe mice are a different story but rats are tough little bastards.

[Kenomac]

It's time to go all in with the poison.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

It's time to go all in with the poison.

Yeah. I'll give that a week. Next stop is flooding up the floor boards with the garden hose, removing every item and panel from the boat, and going through with an improvised flame thrower. Not even kidding.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

it's not like the thing isn't crapping and pissing all over the place.

Oh?...Is it using the head or just holding it?

[rhr1956]

I'm totally surprised the peanut butter hasn't gotten the little bastard. He must have a stash of food somewhere. Maybe he has a source of MRI's or something. You'll get him...just stay on it. Don't sink the boat yet!

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Oh?...Is it using the head or just holding it?

It's most likely a composter.

[Mahana]

Avoid the temptation to move your traps too soon.

If you have a juvenile, consider using a small (mouse-sized) snap trap as well as the larger rat traps.

Consider new placement strategies for new traps, but make sure they are level and preferably against a bulkhead or other vertical surface...somewhere dark is good.

You can find poisoned rats by the smell. I had no problem locating one behind a drawer by the smell alone.

If your cabin has a liner, consider the possibility that they are over your head.

Eventually, you'll see fly maggots crawling away from an inaccessible carcass. They will pupate and emerge about 10 days later. Lot's of flies will appear at the beginning (to lay eggs) and end of the decomposition process. They ultimately help eliminate the odor of rotting tissue and you'll just have a pile of fur and bones. The bones will be eaten by the next rat that comes on board.

Maybe it's time to rent the DVD Mousehunt?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Mahana

.......
You can find poisoned rats by the smell. I had no problem locating one behind a drawer by the smell alone.

If your cabin has a liner, consider the possibility that they are over your head.

Eventually, you'll see fly maggots crawling away from an inaccessible carcass.

They will pupate and emerge about 10 days later.

Lot's of flies will appear at the beginning (to lay eggs) and end of the decomposition process.

The bones will be eaten by the next rat that comes on board.

I am sure both Rebel and Charlotte found all this information VERY reassuring

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

Some people have all the luck..........

Caller : Hi, our printer is not working.
Customer Service: What is wrong with it?
Caller : Mouse is jammed.
Customer Service: Mouse? ... Printers don't have a mouse!!!
Caller: Mmmmm??.. Oh really? ... I will send a picture.


.

gawd that's funny.... I'm rollin on the floor.....

[Cheechako]

You need to pick up a stray mexican kitten. Clean it up and let it guard the palace. If nothing else he'll make the rats go elsewhere due to discomfort....

[Sailor g]

So sorry you are having this problem. You guys REALLY don't need this with the current and soon to be baby. I hope all of your efforts work to remove the nasty creatures.

I agree with cat usually. I think it's the smell of cats that make the rats/mice find another place. Rebel's Multiple Means of Death mode seems like a sure fire method. Mexico does have great chemicals for killing creatures. We found a cockroach in some packaging (inside the side fold of a food wrapper as we checked it before bringing it aboard). Even though I killed it as it woke from it's nap (ugh, with my hand!) we bought and put Super Roach killer granules in tiny cracks around the galley. Either it worked or we got the one hitch hiker. I hope you get results!

[Seaworthy Lass]

I would be concerned with the risk of toxoplasmosis (for both Charlotte and particularly the foetus) with introducing a cat on board.

Be very careful with the use of rat poisons as well.