Also, if you find the path the mouse takes is along a wall, putting the trap up against the wall will help.. The mouse can't really see too well, so they just cruise along the walls and then SNAP.. Bait itself does not usually matter at that point... I've placed traps with no bait on them at all, and still get the little buggers...

If you find that they are inside the walls or up in the attic, then try the same thing along the joists or the inside the wall itself.

 

We've always used sticky traps with a couple grains of milo in the middle. The only thing that works better is a .22

 

That could leave holes all over the house. A gamo air gun will work nice too!

 

Mouse trap with a little pb in the center set against the wall - look for an entrance point / droppings / urine / etc. Otherwise glue traps work well too. Just make sure (obviously) they are well away from the pets / children (don't put them up high where they can fall down, don't put them where fido can jump to, etc).

Good luck and LMAO at the mice on the clothes lines

 

A Jack Russell Terrior works well.

 

I started hanging my underwear out on the line now I don't get mail anymore, not even bills.

 

I had this problem and bought an electrified trap called the "Rat Zapper" from a local hardware store. It came included with dog food as a bait and killed seven rats. It is a squared tube with an electrified pad that zaps the mice. May want to be careful, as I think the opening may be big enough for a small child's hand to get into. It was around $40, but it was not messy and is supposedly humanitarian (if you care about that).

 

Apparently, these actually work pretty good:

http://www.martleyelectronics.co.uk/...epeller_4_pack

 

my pitbull/lab mix grabs them and takes them outside for us. diddn't even hurt it, i opened the door for him, he laid it outside, and it ran away.... never had one since

 

We have a cat and a Jack Russel. NOTHING smaller than them has ever existed in this house, not even insects. And for our entertainment, when there is no invading enemies to conquer, they hold their own UFC matches in the living room. The cat is bigger than the dog, but he usually ends up on the receiving end of a hysterical humping session...

 

Totally agree with 1muddytruck:
Our Jack Russell, now deceased and buried in the garden with her own headstone, was the best mouser/ratter we ever had. She would also kill gophers, lizards, insects and, sadly, the chipmunks that live in our tie wall.

We now have a former yard cat that has become my porch cat that has taken over that role. Normal stray grey striper that lived for two years in the empty battery box of one of my 56 F100s in the driveway.

All kidding aside, a mature female alley cat, in our experience, has always been a good deterrent for mice and rats. You can get them at the pound, they don't bother you much, don't eat much and if you are lucky, they are good pets with kids.

My other suggestion was to invite all the AR15/Glock/.50Cal Sniper Rifle owners in your area that post on this Forum to a Grand Shoot Out.

I'm sure your wife wants the house painted anyway, they all do, and once you patch the drywall you are good to go with a new interior paint job.

And...I don't like the chemical or electrical solutions. When we were without dogs or cats we used them and I still find the chemical ones in the basement where I forgot where I put them. I was usually the one that got shocked with the electrical ones.

Bill