How to capture a Rat Creature

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Louise E. Rothstein

Arachnobaron
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Feb 10, 2005
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430
How do your mice get in?
If more can keep coming in poison may not "work" for very long.

Please look for cracks,holes,or both that LOOK "too small,"
-But which are not.

And,then:

Please RATproof these-most makeshift "plugs" can be chewed.

And better luck next time...

P.S. Your white-pawed "deer mouse" looks like a white-footed mouse,aka Peromyscus leucopus.

P.P.S. Although I have trapped and...eventually... released a family of deer mice and,the year after that,a family of their white-footed relatives
none of my native mice have either trashed electric wiring or ever infected me.
 
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PrettyHate

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
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Messages
409
Louise E. Rothstein said:
How do your mice get in?
If more can keep coming in poison may not "work" for very long.

Please look for cracks,holes,or both that LOOK "too small,"
-But which are not.

And,then:

Please RATproof these-most makeshift "plugs" can be chewed.

And better luck next time...

P.S. Your white-pawed "deer mouse" looks like a white-footed mouse,aka Peromyscus leucopus.

P.P.S. Although I have trapped and...eventually... released a family of deer mice and,the year after that,a family of their white-footed relatives
none of my native mice have either trashed electric wiring or ever infected me.
Click to expand...
I looked up both P. maniculatus and P. leucopus species online, and am having trouble telling the difference between the two as they look quite similar. I am curious as to what suggests to you that it is one instead of the other? From some quick reading it seems that the P. maniculatus is the species most commonly found in Manitoba, with P. leucopus being located in the eastern USA and the lower tips of the eastern provinces. Regardless, both can carry Hantavirus, which is why we do not want to expose ourselves again now that we know they are not common "house mice".

Our attic is located above the second story of the house, thus, the only want to access it is from the roofline. My dad and I looked all under the eavestroughs, at the edges of the roofline, and at all vents. Anything that was 1/2 an inch and bigger we filled with highdensity foam spray. Most of this spacing was between the shingles and the roof itself, we were unable to locate anything around any of the venting. After filling the gaps we secured the shingles to the roof right to the edge.

So far there has not being any more noise from above...
 
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freedumbdclxvi

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1,421
I saw this thread title, and all I could think of was the rat creatures from the comic Bone by Jeff Smith. "Stupid, stupid rat creatures!" Had it been one, I'd have suggested using a quiche to capture it...
 
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PrettyHate

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Messages
409
I have never heard of that comic...although I am not really a comic book person, so that doesnt mean anything. I looked up pictures of the rat creatures from Bone, that is pretty much what I was hoping was living up there (thus bringing the hammer up with me).

PS. I love a good quiche.
 
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bugmankeith

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Billy always wears black jeans or leather pants and a cowboy hat your lack of those must have scared the real invader off! :biggrin: You sure there isn't a squirrel nest there?

Get a cat, your mice problems will be over. Used to have field mice in my garage, our cats smell deters any mice from even coming on the property now. No chemicals/traps needed!
 
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BQC123

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bugmankeith said:
Get a cat, your mice problems will be over. Used to have field mice in my garage, our cats smell deters any mice from even coming on the property now. No chemicals/traps needed!
Click to expand...
My parents old farm house had milksnakes living in it. Found sheds, and the occaisional snake when remodeling. I never saw a single rodent in that house, even when we had an active farm. I will agree though that the presence of cats does help deter rodents.
 
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Arachnobaron
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Messages
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bugmankeith said:
Billy always wears black jeans or leather pants and a cowboy hat your lack of those must have scared the real invader off! :biggrin: You sure there isn't a squirrel nest there?

Get a cat, your mice problems will be over. Used to have field mice in my garage, our cats smell deters any mice from even coming on the property now. No chemicals/traps needed!
Click to expand...
No noise from above at all since mouse #1 was removed, bait was set out, and outside cracks/holes were filled in.

The cat isnt a bad idea, except that I am not a cat person at all ;)
 
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Louise E. Rothstein

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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430
White footed mice appear to wear white "mittens" and white "socks."
They really do have white feet-ALL white feet-whereas deer mice have SOME white on their feet-but their feet are not really ALL white.
 
L

Louise E. Rothstein

Arachnobaron
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Messages
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Bugmankeith's mouse does appear to have all-white feet...but I would haveturned it over to; make completely sure that it did.
 
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Arachnobaron
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Winnipeg Man Dies of Hantavirus (27/10/2012)

Story found at: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/city-man-dies-from-rare-hantavirus-176076221.html

Provincial health authorities urged Manitobans Friday to take precautions when cleaning mouse droppings as they confirmed a rare death from hantavirus.

A middle-aged Winnipegger died of the viral lung infection last week. It was the first hantavirus fatality in the province since 2000.

Health officials refused to identify him.

Dr. Richard Rusk, a provincial medical officer of health, said officials are not certain whether the man was infected at home or at his cottage. He apparently cleaned up after mice in both places in recent weeks.

The health official refused to identify the cottage community, except to say it was on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. "If you pinpoint a specific community our worry is that you create a lot of panic within that community when this is a very rare occurrence," he said.

In Canada, hantavirus occurs mainly in the four western provinces. There have been about 70 recorded cases of the disease across the nation.

People who contract the infection will suffer severe flu-like symptoms. The symptoms develop within one to six weeks of exposure. Prompt treatment is imperative since the mortality rate is about 50 per cent.

"So, if you're feeling like this is the worst flu and you've had that sort of exposure (to mice droppings), then definitely you don't want to say I'm going to be able to fight this off," Rusk said.

Past surveys in Manitoba have shown about 11 per cent of deer mice have been infected with the virus, a 2006 Manitoba fact sheet says.

Health officials warn people not to vacuum or sweep mouse droppings as that can stir up dust that can be inhaled and attack the lungs. It's better to dampen the droppings with disinfectant and remove them with a damp mop or cloth.

Rusk said the province is setting traps "in the local vicinity" of the Winnipeg man's home and cottage to try to pinpoint the virus.

The latest death is the third recorded in Manitoba from hantavirus. There have been only four lab-confirmed cases of it since record-keeping began in 1999. Deaths occurred in 1999, 2000 and this past week. There was a case in 2007, and that person recovered.

There is no vaccine for hantavirus. If someone becomes ill with the disease, doctors will try to keep the patient's lungs working while antiviral drugs kick in. Patients may end up in intensive care.

There has been no documentation in North America of the virus being spread from person to person, nor is it spread from pets or livestock. However, cats and dogs may bring infected mice into contact with humans.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

How to protect yourself

What is hantavirus? Hantavirus infection is a rare viral disease found in the urine, saliva or droppings of infected deer mice. It attacks people's lungs.

How is it spread? The virus is spread to people when they breathe in air or dust contaminated by deer mouse saliva, urine or feces, or they rub their eyes, mouth or broken skin with infected deer mouse droppings.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms are flu-like and include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain and shortness of breath.

How common is it? There have been four cases and three deaths in Manitoba since 1999.

What precautions can you take?

Avoid disturbing areas of rodent infestation;

Seal homes and cabins so mice can't enter;

Air out enclosed areas or closed-up buildings before entering;

Wear gloves and masks when cleaning nests, droppings and areas that may be contaminated;

Dampen areas contaminated with mouse droppings with bleach disinfectant and remove droppings with a damp mop or cloth;

Wash your hands after cleanup;

Put hay, wood and compost piles as far as possible from homes;

Store pet food and water so mice can't get to them.

For more information, go to: www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/fs/Hantavirusfs.pdf .
 
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