On Monday night while putting curlers in Winterlyn's hair I heard a noise in the ceiling. We banged a broom and whatever it was actually hissed at us, it sounded like a buzzing sound.
I immediately called the Exterminator and made an appointment for this weekend because that is when I can afford to pay him.
I searched the internet for what it could be. I was thinking the worst, like a Raccoon (again!) or a Rat (oh there are Roof Rats and Norway Rats.. gosh just the thought!). However, it seems based on the noise it is either a Deer Mouse or a Field Mouse.
So, quickly the kids and I ran to Home Depot and got a few mouse traps. We got the kind were we don’t have to see the mouse. The mouse goes into the white enclosed trap and a spring lever closes the door, killing the mouse.
I placed one in the kitchen and one in the attic. That night the one in the kitchen was not touched (Thank God!). However, the one in the attic was.
We took it down and all four of us were standing around it. The lever was moved from “set” to “caught mouse”, but yet there seemed to be no mouse.
I was looking at how something chewed the trap and I opened it and saw little mouse droppings. I was immediately worried because I knew it is a mouse, which to me is a big problem!
I started to say…
“Well, it is a mouse but we didn’t catch it……..”
And that is when I saw it. A mouse, a rather big one stuck in the corner of the trap.
Smashed, actually.
Immediately I throw it into the kitchen trash can and put my face in my hands and started to cry.
I am a baby.
I know.
Jacob was rubbing my back as he said “Mommy it's OK, everything is going to be OK”.
My head was spinning with questions and worries like:
How many are up there?
How much is this going to cost?
Are they in the house or just the attic?
How are they getting in?
Can I do this?
Can I handle this?
Who can I call to help me?
What about Christmas?
After a bit I looked at Jacob and I could tell his head was spinning too.
Jacab suggested that we look at it closely and figure out what it is, exactly. However, both he and I were too scared to do it.
Julian is very much the brave one in the family. He said he would look at it and tell me what it looks like. Bad move on my part, I Know.
He picked up the trap, pulled the little lever down and looked at the mouse.
Slowly he began to get tears in his eyes as he said “Mommy, he is dead and that is so sad”.
He dropped it in the trash can and ran to me. Now the two of us are crying.
Winterlyn was next to look at it. She picked it up, moved the lever and said “Yep, it’s dead alright. Its face looks like this…….”.
She scrunched up her face, crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. We were all laughing.
The tension was gone.
She was describing it to us as Jacob walked closer to her. He is the biggest chicken in the family! Slowly he was getting more comfy..
Closer
Closer….
Eventually he was right next to Winterlyn and paying to what she was saying while trying to get a closer look into the trap.
Suddenly it moved! Its tail flipped out of the trap..
Winterlyn screamed, I screamed, Julian ran and Jacob stood in shock with his eyes focused on the trap.
At this point the trap was on the kitchen floor because Winterlyn had dropped it. We were all coming up with scams on how to get it back into the trash can without actually touching it. We were all positive that the mouse was not dead even though technically that was impossible.
I finally picked the trap up (with a fireplace poker thingy) and put it in the garbage again. I tied up the bag and RAN it to the outside garbage can.
My poor kids!
We raced to Home Depot for the second time and got more traps and some posion.
We put the poison in the crawl space and also in the attic. We also put up three traps in the attic and one trap again in the kitchen.
This morning we caught two more mice. Both seemed smaller than the first one and both came from the attic. There was nothing in the trap in the kitchen.
Again, thank God!
I am positive that the mice are only in the attic. I have never seen anything unusual in the house, and no droppings. I am assuming that they are getting in the attic by way of the crawl space or perhaps the AC unit.
A few weeks ago I noticed a stray cat hanging out and stalking by the AC unit. He did this for a few nights in a row.
Unfortunately I am on my own with this. I cannot afford an exterminator until later this week. I also have no one that I can ask to help. In the meantime I will keep placing traps nightly and just “deal”.
Two more nights.
It is my hope that an Exterminator will find the area in which the little boogers are getting in and seal it. They are good climbers so there might be an open vent on the roof or a hole. It also could be the crawl space or the AC unit connects to the house.
I just don’t know but I feel like I want to just move. Just the thought of it all is killing me. The fact that they can easily chew on electrical wiring and start a fire is keeping me up at night. The concept of them moving around just above the heads of my children angers me! And, I keep thinking about the diseases they carry.
Mostly I think about how the only person who is willing to help me is my 70 year old mom or an Exterminator that I clearly cannot afford.
And, its Christmas time.
Remember that mountain? I am still climbing…
