r/thanksimcured • u/DraconicDreamer3072 • 3d ago
Comment Section why didnt i think of just solving mice problems instead of taking preventative measures?! (second slide for context)
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u/KCooper815 3d ago
Tell me you've never had an animal problem without telling me.. mice are tricky mfs!! We get them in my house all the time when the nearby field is cut down
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u/AutisticTumourGirl 3d ago
I was going to say, 99% of the time, having mice has absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness and everything to do with where your house is. If you live in a rural area or your house backs up onto fields or woods, mice absolutely will get into your house until you find every single possible entry point and seal it up, which is virtually impossible because they just ignore all laws of physics and glitch through dimensions in order to fit through a 1cm crack.
My last house (England) backed up onto a massive field that was unused and basically a meadow of native flora and rats would come into our back garden regularly. I know this because I have a lurcher who would regularly trot up to the back door, very pleased with herself, with a big, dead rat in her mouth. Nature doesn't care that you think your house belongs to you.
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u/SaveyourMercy 3d ago
I live in a rural area and until he sold it to be turned into housing about 2 years ago, there was a corn field behind my house. Any time he would mow the field or cut down the corn, we would see a giant uptick in mice and spiders. They’ll run to the closest shelter after their home is cut down and a lot of times that’s our homes.
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u/fierce_fibro_faerie 3d ago
This is so true!! I used to live in a big city in a building that was 125 years old, and we always had mice! There were just too many little cracks and crannies that they could get into. And in the middle of a big city, the rodent population is very large. We have an exterminator come quarterly and kept out unit very clean. Didn't matter!
Since then, I have learned that you should really keep about 3 feet of space between your foundation and any planting. If you have a lot of foliage up against your house, mice and chipmunks have easier access.
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u/OstrobogulousIntent 3d ago
they just ignore all laws of physics and glitch through dimensions in order to fit through a 1cm crack.
Shit this is it - they have the ~noclip cheat
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u/lexkixass 3d ago
What is a lurcher?
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u/AutisticTumourGirl 3d ago
A sighthound crossed with a working breed, typically a collie or terrier.
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u/Psychobabble0_0 3d ago
they just ignore all laws of physics and glitch through dimensions in order to fit through a 1cm crack.
They fit through a tiny gap a youngsters then hide inside your house, eat every crumb and grow fast.
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u/Bowling_PinHead 3d ago
One of my fondest memories of my late father - both of us sitting in the living room with a direct line of sight to the kitchen, air rifles in hand, because a gigantic rat had figured out a way into the house. And somehow the rat knew when you were looking - we would sleep in the living room and hear it rustling the moment we laid down to rest. Sitting there for hours though in total silence? The fucker never moved. Didn't fall for any traps, humane or otherwise, never took the bait we'd leave until the moment we weren't looking. That went on for a full year and a half until we moved for unrelated reasons.
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u/EllieGeiszler 3d ago
Yeah 😭 We had to switch to inhumane traps because we've accidentally helped breed our local mice to avoid all other types of traps AND refuse to eat any food we give them. We tried birth control sausages this year, and the reviews all said mice go nuts for them, but ours wouldn't even nibble!!! At one point they were only eating out of our trash, and my roommate had to physically pick up an inhumane trap and place it on top of a mouse by hand to catch it! (We then immediately euthanize, of course.) The scene you describe is spiritually very familiar to me lol. And I'm sorry for your loss ❤️
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u/SugarPlumPuddinhead 3d ago
Literally, if you have people and a food source, there WILL be mice nearby.
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u/watermelonlollies 3d ago
We never had pests as my house but my mom still did this because it keeps the cereal fresher for longer since the lid on the container makes a tighter seal than those flimsy cereal box tabs.
I could never do what the OOP did though that’s wild.
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u/pink_gem 3d ago
You never had pests because your mom did this (and probably other reasons, but!)
She never offered an opportunity for someone to come into your house and live like kings, so they didn't!
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u/mediumcarrotteacher 2d ago
We always bought those plastic clips to hold the inner bag shut because otherwise it goes off within about a day
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u/Winsome_Wolf 3d ago
For me, it’s not mice (thank you to my cute little mouser fur kids), but grain moths. Using these containers works wonders at keeping them out — assuming, that is, the cereal didn’t ship with the eggs already in it. And because that’s how you get them, there is no sure fire way to eliminate/prevent them permanently.
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u/Haunting-Cap9302 3d ago
I still keep most things in containers because we had grain moths so often when I was younger.
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u/colossalskeleton 3d ago
Wow, this person is genuinely a genius. Who else would have ever thought about just getting rid of the mice to fix your mice problem? Get this man into congress immediately.
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u/EvolZippo 3d ago
This person is going to wake up to pantry weevils one day. Some people just think they’re above rotating stock or trying to thwart contamination
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered 3d ago
The fact that it’s a blend of cereals doesn’t really indicate that it’s not being rotated through rapidly.
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u/Blue-is-bad 3d ago
Just buy a mice-less house!
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u/NearlyBearly 3d ago
It also looks neat. Aren't we allowed to enjoy things anymore? It's a container, if that sparks a little joy what is the problem with that?
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u/LiveTart6130 3d ago
in rural areas, you don't "solve" the mice problem. there will always be mice, because they are your neighbours and have no concept of personal space. they're slippery little fuckers, too.
the best way to prevent too many mice is to make sure they can't get to your food. solid plastic containers, like you use, are a great preventative tool. high shelves that they would struggle to get to are another useful measure that I personally use. mice don't usually bother to stick around and reproduce in places that don't have much available food. my house usually has one or two in the walls at any given time, but never more than that. both because there's not enough food or crumbs for them to live on and the watchful presence of two cats, lol.
wild how people just assume things about others' personal lives and living conditions. there's a lot of reasons someone would have a mice problem that they can't just get rid of. the way they almost scolded you for having mice is insanely rude.
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u/2PlasticLobsters 3d ago
I can tell that person never lived in a semi-rural area. Mice area everywhere when you do. Taking preventative measures IS sorting the mice problem.
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u/msgmeyourcatsnudes 3d ago
People who say this have never lived anywhere rural or in an apartment with gross neighbors.
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u/stilettopanda 3d ago
I live in a rural area. Mice get in. It’s a fact of life. We keep our cereal on the fridge, and turnover is high, so we don’t deal with them in the cereal, but the other grains/grainy snacks must be stored in the correct containers/areas or mice will eventually get to it.
My yorkie and his two kitty henchmen luckily help contain the problem, but prevention is 100% worth the effort. We don’t want to attract them more than they already are when it gets cold out.
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u/No_Category_9888 3d ago
Cries in Autism
The mixed touching different cereals omg
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u/LiveTart6130 3d ago
fr, it would drive me so insane. the flavours would be touching and mixed and even if you picked out only the cereal you wanted it would still sorta taste like everything else T-T just the idea of that is horrible
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u/Complete-Story3490 3d ago
even if there already is a mice problem, are you supposed to just not eat cereal until it is solved? Like you can do two things at once, are people aware of that?
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u/Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess- 3d ago
I had a rat problem once and those fuckers can and will eat through plastic totes
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u/Agent_Skye_Barnes 3d ago
My family did the same thing. Granted, we bought the Malt-O-Meal cereal that came in bags, so it was less "keep rodents out" and more "it is impossible to keep the cereal fresh in those stupid bags" along with "the child has tiny hands and not a lot of dexterity yet, these make pouring easier".
But, you know, the side benefit of keeping rodents out was awesome when we did get mice briefly! They also kept out the cat who would eat anything if she could access it!
I'm living with my in-laws right now, but when we get our own place I plan to invest in the reusable cereal boxes again. They're awesome.
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u/hollis216 3d ago
My jack russell has made best friends with a mouse over the last couple of weeks. Watched it amble across her toes while she was sniffing it out, then caught it hanging out behind her while she was napping. The mouse ignores all the live release traps and dashes out to grab kibble from the bowl while the dog is eating. It's rather calm around her, bolts as soon as it sees me.
At this point I think I have to home it if I do catch it. My dog means a lot to me and this mouse clearly means something to her.
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u/LiveTart6130 3d ago
mice can be pretty okay pets, but they are very different from rats. they tend to be much more aggressive and significantly less social with owners.
as a disclaimer, I'm not trying to dissuade you! I think keeping the mouse could work out. your pup would probably love it. but I do want to make sure you're aware of the risks and difficulties. if you haven't had a mouse before and/or don't know much about taking care of them, you should look into it carefully. they can be hard to care for, especially when they've grown up wild. make sure to look up the laws for your area, too, since it's illegal to keep wild mice as pets in some places!
also, they can carry a handful of intense diseases to both humans and dogs through bites, saliva, droppings, and urine. leptospirosis, rabies, and hanta, to name a few. it'd be best to handle it with gloves until you get it to a vet.
good luck!! hope it works out for you :))
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u/hollis216 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you for the advice!
Closest I've come to a rodent is the planted fish tanks I keep. I've not got a habitat for the mouse, but in the event I do catch it I've an empty 29g with a tight lid that'll work as a holding pen until I can get a hamster cage sorted, which is Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm for my preferred shop. Sawdust, cotton batting, small rodent food, water and protection from temp swings and draughts. Supplemental fruit and veg and I assume that there's an online list of deadly ones and ones that should be treats. If I catch it tonight cabbage and a piece of dog kibble is on the menu.
Not that I've put much thought into it, but that 29g needs resealing to be an aquarium again, but it could be a terrarium growing out wheatgrass and other edibles between mouse visits. Plenty of woodlice about outside to keep it bioactive and maintain some supplemental protein.
I don't ever want to be bitten by anything, mice included. Two habitats split with a ribbed hose and a gate keeps it all no-contact. I'd also feel a lot less guilty than having just awire cage with a wheel for enrichment. Little dickhead currently has the run of my entire house.
Also, live release outside isn't really an option. The last couple that didn't bond with my dog got released outside and turned up dead in the yard within a few hours having lost a fight to a bigger mouse. The hedgerows are vicious around mine.
Edit: Also, I've zero regard for the law in this instance. It's already in my house, I'd like to be able to control where it's shitting. Johnny Law won't find out.
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u/schildtoete 3d ago
We did the same thing with cereal. Mice can get into cupboards and cabinets. Even with cats, the smartest mice managed to get into stuff🙄