6.4
December 4, 2008

Mice Problem? The ‘Buddhist Solution.’

Just caught 3 mouses the humane way. (see below for photos).

 

Mice are cute and smart and feeling & have families but they poop & pee in our houses. So they have to go, but how? Let’s not torture/poision/kill/freak ’em out.

No torture, no death, no cost.

I’ve got Mice all over my kitchen countertops and in my cabinets and even in my toaster. Doing this tonight:

“This ingeniously simple mouse trap really worked. Thank you!” [see three photos at bottom]

Update: I’ve now caught four mice this week, three the first two days, and haven’t seen any traces of new mice activity around my kitchen or elsewhere. They’re really cute and sentient and freaked out and I kinda like ’em. I don’t really get this whole attitude of “exterminate/poison my own house.” It’s expensive, it’s aggressive, it’s stupid, it’s bad for me, too. This is way easier (see images at bottom).

The below query was sent to the Shambhala Buddhist community recently.

If you have experience removing mice from your building in a sane and compassionate way, please send your thoughts.
~ Thank you, Noah

Replies:

Hi Noah,
If you can find where these little beings are entering your dwelling, you can block the entry with a spray foam product: Great Stuff: Insulating Foam Sealant. You’ll need to reinforce the foam with some steel wool, however—otherwise they can chew their way back in.
~ Cheers, Mike

Dear Noah, et al,
Here at the Halifax Shambhala Centre, and also in my flat, we use the high-pitched frequency sound producers which plug into electrical outlets in all rooms. They are sold at hardware stores.
It takes about a month for them to move elsewhere, but the mice seem to hate it so much they do leave – and new ones just pass through very briefly.
~ Cheers, David

I’ve used cheap, simple Have a Heart-style traps I found on http://www.ebay.com by searching ‘mouse trap’…I put a little peanut butter inside, then let the mice go a few blocks away in a park. I haven’t had mice now for six months, and I used to have a ton of them, eating stuff on counters and pooping everywhere. And their poop is supposed to be awful, some sort of disease is related to it.

Would love to hear from others on what they’ve done, so I can share with our readers who want to be compassionate when it comes to this common problem.
~Yours, Way

Everyone,
Until we plugged in our high frequency sound repeller thing, we used the Have-a-Heart traps successfully.
However here in the Haight Ashbury the mice preferred organic crumbly feta over organic crunchy peanut butter (your mice may vary).
~ Sean

I have used the “sound ” device also, but find a product called Shake Away which you get online. This is an organic repellent of bobcat and fox urine. No odor to you. You place it it the holes they come in , under condition of snow and rain and best sprinkled around the perimeter of the building. Works well and is not harmful to any one. I use the number on line to order direct which saves money for me but may be a moot point for you as you will have it shipped to Canada. Perhaps, in Canada there is a product made there. Humane collection of the urine is assured. Make sure all food products or any other attractive mice materials are not available, ie good housekeeping practices.

The shake away is not harmful to us or pets and I have read the sound does not harm pets or animals. I have one in my chicken coop with no effect on birds .
~ Cheers, Merle

Question for David (answer above in Merle’s reply):

Do these affect our pets?
~ Steve Quiney, Kamloops

Concluding advice:

I find marching around with a flute gets them to follow me and then I can lead them out the door.
~ Yours, Chris

Easy, free, humane method, and they don’t die of fright. Cats are great but if you like mice/rats (you know folks have ’em as pets, they’re smart, sweet, can do as many tricks as dogs)…cats also have issues with decimating birds if they’re outside, and may not be fully happy inside only, but that’s another question others will know more about. Anyways, this is what I do:

…paper towel roll or brown bag, peanut butter or something on one end, half off the counter over a (tall) trash can, they fall, get the peanut butter and something to hide in, you put the lid on, walk/bike/take them to nature/a park or put ’em outside as you would with humane trap, yay! I have to do this somewhat ongoingly, but it keeps them out of the house for weeks on end and prevents them from making a mouse hotel in the basement or whatever (they can’t settle in). They’re cute, don’t kill ’em!

~

Bonus: from an expert: Creative Ways to Drive Out Mice.

More ideas and photos: Ban Glue Traps: Here’s an Easy Alternative.

via Imgur, Reddit: This ing

Mouse Trap

Ingeniously simple mouse trap really worked. Thank you Reddit!

More:

Who cares about Mice & Rats?

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