My terrible, no good, fright.
 

I need to tell someone about my night. I found it so upsetting I could barely sleep. So I'm telling y'all.

It all began when I saw the most shocking sight. It was so scary that my heart rose up and tried to run out my mouth. A mouse was scurrying across my bathroom floor! Instead of my heart, a scream leapt from my lips. It didn't help that I felt vulnerable sitting there on that toilet. Worse, that little cuss ran right over my feet! For a second I thought my dog would protect me, but he did not. He just sat there looking at me calmly as if to say, "Whut? Inside the house is your responsibility."

Instinct kicked in and I sprung into action. In an instant I became a completely helpless damsel. Don't get me wrong, I'm steadfast in believing women need to be independent and self-sufficient. But this was an exception. Wildlife was involved, and dealing with dangerous animals, like mice, is assuredly a man's responsibility. With that in mind, I called my friend and neighbor. I needed to borrow her boyfriend. Thankfully I heard, "we'll be right over. Go buy a trap."

Once the traps were set, operation "Calm Dixie the F*** Down" commenced. We settled into the den drinking wine, listening to music, and talking. After a couple hours we heard a trap go off. Thankfully my neighbor's boyfriend disposed of the corpse. There's no way I was going to do that.

Today is a new day with new challenges like, how did the mouse get in? Are there more of them inside my house? And most importantly, will they eat my toes while I sleep? Ugh, the challenges I face are real.

If you see one, you have 10…

Set 5 traps for a couple days and you should be good.

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Reuben would have been happy to save you! He got this one in the back yard.

He is my early warning system for all critters. If he starts circling the storage building, I know it is time to put out the traps.

He has also "saved us" from a killer young bunny rabbit, and a killer squirrel.

Glad you were able to solve your issue with a tap and one thing to remember, if there was one, there is almost assuredly more. Keep the traps set.

Mice in the house sucks, but they are small and any hole big enough for their skull to fit through is enough for them to fit through. I think that means that a hole the size of a dime is big enough. It doesn't take much. If there was one, then I'd assume that there could be more, and I'd set another trap or two, probably around the perimeter of the room where you saw the first one. Leave them setup for a week and check them in the mornings. If you're lucky, you caught the scout. If not, then you may catch another 1-3.

I've had mice in a house that I was in a few times over the past 50 years. Usually a few caught via traps does the trick.

There is never just 1 mouse.
Looks like you need to wear boots to bed.

Well Dixie I hear ya and can empathize. Spiders freak me out! All those eyes and legs!! But, I'm a male LEO and able to put up a brave front because that's what's expected of me.

My wife's best friend is freaked by spiders. She hates Halloween, as people decorate with spiders and spider webs. Even the cheap plastic spider shaped rings freak her out. Yet, she has killed dozens of copperheads with a hoe at the rural house with no drama.

I have never understood phobias. As far as I know, I have no phobias. I don't play with spiders or snakes, but I have no special fear of them. I have killed a lot of mice with traps, and I have no problem disposing of them.

I've got rats ever since the renovation of the dumpy house next door that looked halfway decent from the outside. Rats are extremely smart and each generation becomes more intelligent.

My efforts have been extensive but I have a cat and he will make sleeping impossible if he doesn't have food to nibble. And animals need access to water 24/7 so that's a target as well.

Just 2 examples of failed efforts are a dozen traps baited with peanut butter with some having a raisin as a nugget. All handled with gloves smeared with PB. Then there's the bucket of bait from the pest control that are little blue blocks. I could build a Lego style bridge out of them and the rats would use if to cross a gap and not even lick it.

Dixie, if you got your mouse in 2 hours that's great. You might want to get traps that are concealed so you don't see the result. Close the flap, bag and dispose. I could send you mine but they are rat sized. My rats must sit around them and have a good laugh.

Desposed of the corpse?
In some places 'that's good eatin!" Okay you need a bunch to make a meal.
+1 there is never 'just one mouse'

I fenced in a corner of our balcony for the cats.
One night I get up to use the bathroom... I hear crunching at the cat bowl, kitty getting a midnight snack, no alarm.
As I walk down the hall I look into the room with the cat bowls and in the dark I see a a cat size critter, it sees me and runs away. I think "odd, the cats normally don't run from me' and it has a weird gate so looks like kitty has a bad foot.
I investigated, went to the kitchen where I installed the 'cat flap'.
Look out the window...
And I'm nose ot nose with a racoon.
I installed a top on the 'catio'

Years ago I had foxes in my place twice where I lived. They came in after my cat. I had the door partly open & secured with one of those chain things so the cat could comei in & out. The fields across the road were being developed into homes and displacing the animals that lived there. So we had racoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, possums, etc., etc. always around. My wife was sitting on the bed, & the cat ran under her legs around the back of the bed, then something else (the fox) ran under her legs. That's when she yelled to me there was a fox in the house. Bet that would have freaked you out.

I thought this was going to be a follow up on your recent date thread.

Did he have another misfire?

Don’t keep us hanging.

Cats. Mice know a predator is around and stay away.

One day our cat brought a small (1 foot, pencil diameter) rat snake into the house. I see it wiggling on the tile floor (no traction). Anyway, I go to grab it with a towel and I look to ask Mrs. Beard to get the door. I look around and find she has already levitated to the kitchen counter. I have no idea how she got up there that fast!

Made me LOL.

There be creatures everywhere...We are not alone, ever.

We have cats and dogs on the farm for a reason.

There are plenty of them out at the Armadillo Ranch. I they get into the main house by squeezing in at the corner of the screen door on the front porch and just waltz in through the double doors that are usually left open when we are there. This one took the bait.
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Many times one will build a nest in the gas grill on the back porch. Back in 2011, when we were having a major drought, the woods were tinder dry. I did not open the lid to light the grill like normal and just clicked the starter button. A flaming mouse dropped out of the bottom and headed for the woods. I managed to run it down and stamp out the fire on the critter before it reached the woods. The mouse did not survive. This one was ushered out before I cleaned out the nest and lit a fire.
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Oh joy (not), yet thanks. I didn't know this. I'll set more.

Our worst night was when Reuben was out on patrol oof the back yard. We heard a lot of angry barking, and I knew had something cornered. It was a skunk. It sprayed him in the face and chest. We had to give him a bath with: 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. The house and back yard stunk like a skunk for while.

A skunk trapper was hired and he trapped momma skunk, and 4 kits. He took them "to the farm in the country" and euthanized them with nitrogen. I poured two bags of concrete mix into that den. No more skunks.

LOL, that picture made me throw up in my mouth a little. Ruben's services would be much appreciated right now. It turns out Shiz Tzus are the stoners of the working breeds. They're broke, unemployed, and lay around all day waiting for handouts.

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Our female dachshund, Reese got a mouse once as well. It was running from Reuben, and in terror ran right to Reese. She just grabbed as a free treat.

Reuben is a total hunter. In the summer when the cicadas are emerging, he will roam at night looking for newly emerged ones and he can smell them about to emerge, and he dig a little crater in the yard to get to them. Cicadas are his favorite treat. I was at my business partner's house and there were three dead cicadas on his driveway. I brought them home to Reuben. He loves the crunchy flavors.

He hates the toads that invade his back yard, but he finally learned they make him foam at the mouth and just ignore him.

Dogs have been eating mice since the first wolves and dogs.