After the installation of a new wall heater in our rental apartment in December we began receiving visits from a member of the Mus musculus family. He was tiny alright -- tiny and terrifying.
At first the little guy only came out late at night. The second he became aware that there was a giant in the room, albeit one who was cowering on the sofa with knees pulled in to chest, he would dash back to the mysterious hole from which he emerged.
We grew up with hamsters for pets, so we responded with a dab of Nutella and one of those cruelty-free traps, the kind that tips and shuts when the mouse enters in pursuit of a snack.
But our mouse didn't seem to like Nutella. Several days passed, the trap stood empty, and our mouse grew bolder. He came out during the day, and instead of dashing madly about, he began to saunter slowly across the floor, sniffing as he went and not paying us any mind.
It was time to call in bigger, less chickensh*t guns.
We dialed Proof-It, known for humane pest control, and two very humane-looking guys arrived the next day. They surmised that the mouse was coming in through the new wall heater, which had been installed in such a way that it fronted a huge, gaping hole open on the other side to the empty space between the floors in our building. Still, they thoroughly searched the entire apartment for other possible points of entry.
They made a list, checked it twice, and after we approved the estimate, patched every little chink in our defenses. They were pretty creative, using wood, metal, and ingenuity to close up some strangely-shaped and hard-to-reach holes.
The work (five patches, some small and some large), took two morning visits and cost $475. We haven't seen the mouse since, and are relieved that we didn't have to resort to poison.
Tim, who owns Proof-It, does etimates and is most easily reachable by a pager. He and his crew are friendly, honest and professional, and they get the job done.
I'm the same way with bugs. If they're stupid enough to let me see them, they deserve to be evicted, one way or another.
although i can truly sympathize w/ all that you went through, the pic of the mouse you have on this piece is so cute and makes me go awwwww...
Next time, try a small piece of Snickers. Works every time.
But then you would have had to deal with him, which might have been okay. Maybe a nice drive to Golden Gate Park to release him.
What do the humane pest controllers do when they catch one of these little guys?
Nothing beats a big, fat cat. Like mine: big enough to frighten the mice, but too lazy to catch them.
Though it doesn't work with bugs, and I find the Proff-It idea pretty neat.