Yes, you likely need to kill mice to solve a problem with mice in the attic. But, killing them is not the most important part of the equation. The most important thing is to addressing the ROOT of the problem -
the open holes in your house that allow mice inside! You must find these holes and seal them shut, or you'll never solve a mouse problem. Only after you have sealed the house, should you kill the mice, and the
most effective method by far is the use of snap traps. Here is how you kill mice in the attic, in 4 steps:
- 1 - Inspect the house and find out how the rodents are getting inside.
- 2 - Seal up every single last entry/exit hole and gap with steel.
- 3 - Trap, properly trap on rat runways, to kill ALL the mice, and remove them from the house.
- 4 - Clean up the attic space (vacuum droppings and spray) once they are all gone for good.
- 5 - If you need professional help from an experienced pro, click my Hire a Pro page.
If you have seen signs of the presence of mice in your house, then you should seriously consider getting rid of them. There are many ways to do this. Some include kicking them out of your house while alive, while others include dealing with their corpses. If you are wondering how to kill the mice in your house, then you should try any of the following methods;
Mousetraps
Attracting mice to a trap can be a very difficult task. However, it is easier if you use baits from materials that mice love. The two common bait materials are chocolate and peanut butter. The traps that are effective for killing mice are those that snap the head of the mice. Just set the traps in a known mice path and leave them. You should also ensure that it is far from the rich of your children; traps are not choosy, and could snap a finger or two if mishandled.
Use of poison
This is by far the least effective, though perceived easiest method to kill mice. However, the downside is that most mice poisons can also harm your pets. As such, you should either keep the poisons out of reach of your pets, or buy poisons that are not very harmful to pets. However, if they are not harmful to pets, what is the assurance that they will kill the mice? When you note that some mice have fed on the poison, you should search for it and get rid of the body, since mice corpses can smell very irritably after a few days of rotting.
Use of inert gas
Carbon dioxide is a very deadly gas to all animals. This is because it kills painlessly and very quickly in high concentrations. Buying the necessary tools for the task can be cumbersome as they are only used by professionals. Furthermore, carbon dioxide is a very dangerous gas that can cause fatalities if mishandled. You need a special airtight trap that acts as the execution chamber. The trap has a door that closes when the mice gets into the trap, or when the mice bites on the bait; depending on the model. After closing, the trap automatically fires up the gas cylinders and gas is released into the trap. The trapped mice die slowly due to suffocation and then you can deal with the corpses as you wish. The downside is that the equipment is very expensive and also needs specialized installation skills.
Use of glue-traps
This is the easiest method as it involves placing a board-like glue trap on a mice path. When the mice step on the glue, they get stuck and there is no way that they can get out unless you pull them out. The mice die of hypothermia and thirst. It is an easy method since the glue-board is all you need.
Go back to the
How To Get Rid of Mice in the Attic home page.
Or you can read more mouse control information, on these topics:
How to kill mice
Does mouse repellent work?
Get mice out of the wall
Mouse poison analysis
Do mice live in urban or wild areas?
Do mice make good pets?
Do mice come through the plumbing?
Are glueboards good to catch mice?
Can you catch a mouse in a cage?
What can mice climb?
