This is very bad (mice)

1 DONT! let the cat run around in there! wild mice are nasty little creatures who will bite at your cats feet AND the cats will injure the mice wich will cause the mice pain, 2) You can find some tank like traps that you lure the mice into, and they cant get out they have to be checked every few hours or so, but they dont cause the mice pain. You could also get a "live trap" and 3) yes, put the pig cages on a table and pet proof it, Mice are incontinent so will pee EVERYWHERE.

Hope you get it sorted soon!

Well for sure you need to do something. Wild mice can carry all sorts of diseases and parasites that I believe are transmissible to cavies. Your metal bin and higher table sound like great options. Maybe the cat- though I would be afraid for your piggies in that sort of situation. That really stinks, though. I don't know if they will go away just with decreased availability to food or if you're going to have to trap them... There are humane mouse traps that won't kill the mice. If you check them every day (as obviously dying of dehydration is less humane than blunt trauma killing you quickly) then maybe you could use that to catch them up. Releasing them might be tricky, though, especially this late in the year. You would want them far enough away from your house they won't come back, but outside their home range they probably won't have food reserves, etc. It might be a good idea to call a humane pest control company just to chat about options.

Usually pest control wil tell you to use the in-humane traps that will grab the mice by the head and kill them :-(

If you want to get rid of them without hurting them, use humane traps! Please don't call pest control or kill them. We had a mice problem over the summer (in the kitchen, well away from the pigs) but we never killed any- via the cat, or with a mouse trap, poison, etc. We got three humane traps. They were simple inexpensive trap-door like cages that we got at Walmart where you put bait in the back of the cage, then the unsuspecting mice push up the door to go in, but it only opens from the outside so they are trapped inside. We would put out the cages at night (when most mice action is) and then in the morning they would be inside. (They do work!!) We would then safely release them far away from home in the backyard. Actually, the way the cage is set up you never even have to touch the mouse. I'm not sure of what the specific name of the traps are called though. But there are many similar no-kill traps like this out there, so please use them!

If your cat is a mouser I doubt it will be harmed by mice, but yes, cats have an unpleasant and downright cruel tendency to play with half-dead prey. The smell of it in there might act as a deterrent though. Your major problem is, once the easy-to-reach food is gone, they'll head for your pigs' cage and mice can get through a hole about the width of a pencil. Even very fine mesh might not stop them, they will chew through the correx.

Some people think mice have a homing instinct and will come straight back. Hey - they just found a luxury hotel, why leave? Once mice have found a way in they will keep coming in, and where there's signs of a couple of mice, there are many more that you don't see. A rodent pest problem has to be dealt with very quickly before they get right through your house and you have no option but to kill them. The cat will only take care of a couple of them, and if you're going to use humane traps, get right on it. Keep all food in glass or metal containers, or check packets before you use them and wipe all food preparation surfaces. Allow no crumbs. Mice will eat and survive on anything, even non-food items.

I wouldn't like to use traps either, but mice quickly become a serious problem and carry nasty nasty diseases, they shouldn't be there, they are a pest, not just a cute little mouse, so prepare yourself, you may need to use non-humane traps, depending on the size of the problem.

gpigluver14 said:

If you want to get rid of them without hurting them, use humane traps! Please don't call pest control or kill them. We had a mice problem over the summer (in the kitchen, well away from the pigs) but we never killed any- via the cat, or with a mouse trap, poison, etc. We got three humane traps. They were simple inexpensive trap-door like cages that we got at Walmart where you put bait in the back of the cage, then the unsuspecting mice push up the door to go in, but it only opens from the outside so they are trapped inside. We would put out the cages at night (when most mice action is) and then in the morning they would be inside. (They do work!!) We would then safely release them far away from home in the backyard. Actually, the way the cage is set up you never even have to touch the mouse. I'm not sure of what the specific name of the traps are called though. But there are many similar no-kill traps like this out there, so please use them!

Click to expand...

This is the kind of trap I was trying to describe but I am VERY bad at describing things anyway lol

There is one type of humane mouse trap which I have heard of which is particularly good, it is called Have Heart, or Have A Heart? I am unsure which one but it is one of those. Apparently they are very successful. Good luck with the mousey's.

A metal trash can is your best bet. I tried the humane traps and the mice came back. I ended up adopting 2 15 year old cat brothers. One is a slacker but his brother is a hunter. Not only do mice leave their smell and droppings but they can chew a house's electrical wires which could start a fire and burn down your house. Mice were living in my oven walls and removing the insulation. I ended up using traps.

Ew yes mice are so annoying, I remember as a kid they were in our house and used to sometimes always find their way into the wall in my closet, consequently die, and you would know when they started to decompose and stink, my dad had to cut the wall out of my closet several times to get them out. Blech!

I would also recommend to try and find out where they are coming in. It's cold so they want to be warm! We had a mouse problem in our apartment a couple winters ago. We bought a can of spray foam, I don't know what it's called but you spray it into holes, and it grows and fills the holes and then hardens. We went into cabinets, closets, under the sinks etc, and we filled in all the gaps and holes we found, there was a lot. It worked though no more mice.

This is just something that worked for us.

Good Luck!

Maybe its just me but we have a mouse problem at the moment as well and the little buggers terrify me. I have regular mouse traps out and have caught several. I personally dont see them the same as pets. My pets dont carry diseases and I certainly dont want them catching anything from pests. If need be get some live traps and drive them out to the country.

I'd use live traps if I encountered that problem. Though I'm not sure where you get those. A pet control place may even have access to them and i fyou let them know that is the method you want to use I don't see how they'd argue that. Then when they are caught - you just let them go outside - far far away from your home

I couldn't ever kill a mouse - they are so cute. I just love rodents lol!

We started getting mice in our apartment and I found one sleeping under the ramp in my piggies cage!!! It has been stealing pellets. Now I'm worried my pigs will catch something from these dirty mice. Has anyone had this problem?? The only thing I can think of is to plexyglass the outside of the cage about 6-8 inches up so the mice can't climb the cage bars.

I would get traps ASAP! You can get live traps for mice at Home Depot or Ace Hardware. I used to work both places and sold a lot of them. I used them once too and it worked! If they like the pellets so much try using them for bait. If you catch it though, don't just take it outside and let it go, take it up the road or it might come back.

I have traps setup in the apartment where i know they have been hiding, but they seem to be smart little buggers. We caught one Saturday and I saw another one taking a nap in a pile of pellets dust under the ramp! GRRR I am going out today to get some better traps. I also noticed my piggies stopped pooping under the ramp the last 2 days, when that was their spot to do the deed.

This hasn't happened to me yet,(finding a mouse near our darling piggies) I am just waiting because we have had mice problem in the past. This is a very helpful thread. We use the traps that get rid of the mouse, because we tried others and the mice do come back. I feel badly but I'd rather keep my family and pets healthy, and not worry night and day that the mouse will come back and I'll find it in the piggie home.

Just be careful if you use the humane traps because some areas will fine you for releasing a "pest animal" with out a permit. Especially if you are transporting them off your property.

are you sure it is mice?
a guinea pig could have chewed it.