I saw a mouse in my unfinished basement on 11/30 evening (just moved into this house in Spring) and noticed that it was happily living off a bag of sunflower seeds. I removed the sunflower seeds immediately , set up a trap and on 12/01 morning threw out the dead mouse. And while I was doing that, I spotted another mouse that scurried away!

My unfinished basement only has cardboard boxes, my son's toys and sunflower seeds was the only food item. I found the nest inside a pile of heavy curtains... no babies or anything, just a gathering of sunflower seeds. I threw the curtains out as well. I set 4 traps [bait: raisin dipped in peanut butter] for it on 12/01 but the trap didn't catch any when I checked this morning on 12/02.

But now I am scared. If the mouse is not in the basement, where could it be? Please don't tell me it has moved upstairs (upper two floors) from the basement because I took away its food source and threw out the nest.

1. Should I set traps on my upper two floors as well? If yes, where should I place them?
2. Do I need to call an exterminator? Can they confirm and declare a house mouse-free?
3. What materials other than concrete can I use to seal the entry point in the ground/mud? And where do I buy it? I saw a hole under the tile leading to my walkout basement.
4. Is it possible the mouse left the way it came in?

Thanks,
K

Mice getting into the house is normal in the fall and winter as the days get colder. They can get through any crack that's large enough for their head to fit through (about the size of a pencil) so you'll need to fill anything that fits that description. You can use steel wool mixed with caulking to seal small holes but you'll need metal or concrete to seal larger ones if you want to guarantee they can't chew through it.

Mice can chew through plastic so keep those sunflower seeds (and any other pet food) in a sealed metal trash can and keep people food in glass or metal containers. I keep all my stored non-food stuff in plastic containers (Rubbermaid, etc.) because cardboard makes great nesting material.
Ber

This is unbelievable!! I went this evening (12/02) to check on my traps and I found that the bait (raisin dipped in peanut butter) in all the 4 traps was gone!! And the traps were exactly the way I had set them... absolutely undisturbed!

I am sure the traps are working because I had caught a mouse the previous night (bait: sunflower seeds) using 1 of the traps.

Yikes! What's going on? Do I have smart mice? Or do I have rats instead? I am pretty sure what I had caught was a mouse. Or do I have a different pest altogether? Please advise... I am going nuts!

Thanks,
K

Rats are gigantic compared to mice, you would be able to tell the difference. Mice are pretty intelligent when it comes to fooling traps. I finally had to set glue traps around the standard snap trap where I put the bait because the mice kept taking the bait and getting away. You'll have to outfox them, good luck!
Ber

Thanks, Ber, for your suggestion. The glue trap worked and I caught the sucker... it was a mouse.

How long should I leave the other glue traps and snap traps in my basement to make sure there are no more mice? Also, how do I systematically do the same for the upper two floors?

BTW, would it help to leave unbaited snap traps outside the walkout door to my basement. That way, I can trap the mice before they think of digging holes?

Regards,
K

Leave the glue traps outside not the unbaited traps. The mice did not travel upstairs as they shy away from noise and humans. Just keep setting the traps until they no longer are caught. It should take about one month to be sure you are mouseless.

I'm with Twinkie, leave the glue traps outside; the mice are probably not going to venture near the snap traps without bait. Keep in mind everything sticks to that glue including dirt/leaves, bugs, curious pets and children so place/monitor them accordingly.

I leave glue traps in out of the way areas where mice historically traveled in my house.
Ber

Hi Ber and Twinkie:

Here's an update with a quick recap.

BASEMENT: I caught two mice (one on 12/01 and the other on 12/04) in the basement and removed their nests and the food source (bird seeds). I have left unbaited snap traps and glue traps in the basement since then (yesterday being the 6th night after catching the last mouse) but I haven't caught anything. I have these traps set along the walls (since I have noting but plastic boxes [threw out all card board] in the unfinished basement) at a distance of 5 - 8 feet. And I have also plugged the holes in the garden with steel wool and caulk.

1ST and 2ND LEVELS: Since 12/04, I have a snap trap and glue trap under every sink and every closet in the house. I also have them along the walls in every room of the house. Additionally, all the food source is now ONLY in the kitchen, and neatly packed in plastic containers. I have a snap trap and glue trap inside of every kitchen cabinet and pantry, and on the kitchen floor. All the snap traps were unbaited until a few days back but now I am using cotton as a bait. So far I haven't caught anything at all and I haven't noticed any fresh droppings. No scratching, scurrying or squealing noises either.

1. How long should I have to lay these traps to be sure I do not have any more mice?
2. Were the mice in my basement because of the bird seeds and cardboard boxes or is it because it's winter and my house backs to a park?
3. If I still have mice in the house, what are they eating for their survival? And how the heck are they traveling if I have snap traps and glue traps along every wall in my house?

Thanks for all your help!

Since you're not seeing any fresh signs of mice you may have gotten them all. I would leave the traps out a couple weeks after I stopped seeing fresh signs. They probably came in because it's winter. They can get inside your walls and travel through the attic as well but if you don't hear any scurrying or squealing they probably aren't there.
Ber