Little Monsters… by JoAnn
They are so cute! They are downright adorable when you look at them closely. But they can be the dirtiest little monsters that could ever invade your home. I’m talking about mice.
I never knew of these tiny critters until we moved to a rural farming community in Tennessee 30 years ago. I was immediately introduced to the tiny terror known as the typical field mouse. With its brown fur, tiny black eyes, and adorable little hands, it is hard to believe that this little cutie can cause so many nasty problems.
Usually, the little guys are just looking for a warm place to survive during the cold months. At least that is when they seem to prefer to make their entrance into our homes. I had never had such visitors before and was taken aback when they first invaded our house.
I could manage if just one mouse wanted to come in to keep warm, but they also wanted to bring in all of their family and friends. Someone once told me that if you see one mouse, there are sure to be at least ten right behind it. I learned the hard way that this is the truth.
I first noticed the small black droppings, or poop, that a mouse would leave behind, usually in a kitchen drawer full of clean towels and potholders. They seem to prefer a nicely laundered item. Then there is the unopened bag of noodles or rice. They love chewing a hole in the side to let the contents spill all over the pantry. I was mistaken when I thought mice only entered the kitchen of a lousy housekeeper. It turns out they love a nice clean kitchen as much as I do.
As an animal lover, I hated having to exterminate these little creatures. But after having an entire gang dirty up my clean kitchen, having to throw out all of the food in my pantry, and following up with bleaching every shelf and drawer, I was no longer the mild-mannered animal lover. I started with a “humane” trap. It was a clear plastic box that the mouse would crawl into but could not crawl back out. It worked like a charm. The only problem was, releasing the mouse outdoors did nothing to solve the problem. The mouse quickly found its way back into my home.
After dealing with the disgusting mess for a few weeks, I’m sad to say my heart hardened. I eventually got to the point where I could kill the mice. I even caught many by grabbing their tail and throwing them into a plastic grocery bag. I then took said bag outside to the pavement and smashed it. I’m not proud of this by no means. It hurts my heart to share that memory. But when these little monsters invade you, it’s all about who will survive, and the human has to win!
The last technique I used was the sticky traps. I have to say that I believe those traps are the most inhumane of any out there. After hearing a tiny little voice squeal for having its leg stuck and unable to free itself or finding one that had been stuck for several days but was still barely alive, I found the sticky trap to be too gruesome, and I stopped purchasing them.
Then a miracle happened. I purchased a gadget that plugs into an electrical outlet. It sets off a silent frequency that only certain small animals can hear. It supposedly irritates their nervous system so severely that they flee from the space. It has worked brilliantly for me! I have not seen a mouse in all the years I have owned this gadget. It also drives insects crazy. Even if one does come into the house, they slow down and are easy to catch. They are mesmerized and don’t know where they should go.
It is strange what predicaments we humans find ourselves in during our walk in life. I would have never thought I would be killing a living creature like a cute little mouse to protect my home. I genuinely hope those days are over for me. I want to leave the mouse hunting and trapping to Owls and other birds that need them for their food.
