I hate mice. Despise them, really. I loath mice with an intensity that can't really be described. When they're in my house, that is. Otherwise I think they're kinda cute.
But, my house is creeping up on 100 years old. There are holes and gaps in it, no matter how many I plug. Every-other fall or so, there's that scratching again... mice.
This year I was sitting at my computer desk when I heard a thump from the direction of the hall closet, and turned around to see a good-sized mouse dragging something across the floor. I, of course, screamed.
The mouse shot under the gap in the closet door. When I went to investigate I found my Dagoba eclipse 87% chocolate bar on the floor... high-grade chocolate that had been stashed in the closet for late-night chocolate cravings. That bloody mouse had pull/pushed it off the shelf and was dragging it home.
So I bought traps, and I've never had much luck with traps. The instructions always recommend using peanut butter for bait, and I've only ever caught one mouse that way. I usually end up plugging gaps with steel wool and poisoning the things... but this mouse had shown me its weakness.
I filled the bait cups with pea... well, cashew butter. I don't have any peanut butter. And pressed a chocolate chip on top of each one. How could it resist?
Now I just have to hope my mice are not chocolate snobs. I had to use ghirardelli chocolate chips, and milk chocolate instead of dark.. it's just not the same.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Oh man, I really thought you had misspelled mousse, but even that couldn't be right...
Posted by Defenestraitor (Member # 6907) on :
((ElJay)) You know what else works? Try Froot Loops. It was my secret weapon in college during my frat's "Great Mouse Crusade". I caught 12 of the little buggers in less than a week!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Froot Loops, huh? If this doesn't work...
And Reeces Peanut Butter Mousse sounds pretty good.
I just hate it that I scream every time. I mean, how flippin' girly. And then I do what I need to do, of course, but it always startles me to see one and I scream.
[ October 20, 2004, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
Posted by dabbler (Member # 6443) on :
I admit, I let the mice roam free in my last apartment. We had to safe-guard all our food on the shelves, but I wasn't willing to kill mice. I never felt we were in danger of disease, though you could argue that that was naive of me. They were cute, scuffling around.
We did catch one, once. It was rummaging in a plastic bag on a shelf, so I picked up the bag. Kept the mouse in a bin for about a week, feeding it pistachios and water. Let it loose elsewhere.
Course, when we moved out I discovered mouse poop _all over_ the edges behind the furniture. If I had realized how bad it had become, I might have acted differently.
The landlord tried poison boxes, but we still had a consistently large mouse population in our apartment. In fact, it might have grown due to heavy trap-usage in the neighboring apartment.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Froot loops! Now why didn't I think of that? We used to use them as rewards for the rats in a behavior research lab.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I had mice in the house I first lived in in Texas, and someone convinced me to use the glue traps because they were more humane. It was HORRIBLE!!!!!! One mouse was caught only halfway, and his lower half wasn't int he trap. He's scooting pathetically across the tile floor, I'm standing there horrified and my roommate is yelling at me to do something. We shut it in the closet and convinced that same someone to come and do something about it. Holy crap, that was awful.
Good luck with the peanut butter chocolate thing. I have ants right now, and I'm trying to picture what would happen if I had to trap mice with gooey yumminess on one hand and try to keep everything clean away from the ants with the other. I left an apple core in the trash can by my computer last night, and this morning my desk and keyboard was covered with ants.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Snap traps break their cute little necks quickly and cleanly. With glue traps they either chew body parts off trying to escape, starve to death, or you have to deal with them. How in the world did someone think that's more humane? I knew a someone once who flipped glue traps over, so the mice died of brain embolisms... slow and painful. Cruel, cruel cruel.
I use this handy little covered mouse trap... you don't have to see the buggers or come anywhere near touching them. Yes, I am a wuss. I'll handle snakes, I can deal with spiders, wasps are no problem. Rodents are a problem.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I agree, although I'm kind of squicky about bugs too. They're little, and I've seen Star Trek II.
The glue traps were just terrible. The idea was that you can get the mouse free with vegetable oil, but it was an awful experience in the meantime. The whole scooting and mournful squeaking gave me nightmares for a couple nights after.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Damn. I thought they'd come out with a new candy...you know, like the peanut butter eggs and pumpkins.
space opera
Posted by whiskysunrise (Member # 6819) on :
I once got a mouse in a bathtub and had it in a peanut can, I wanted to keep him, but my mom told me no. I took the mouse down to the school and let it go.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:I agree, although I'm kind of squicky about bugs too. They're little, and I've seen Star Trek II.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Defenestraitor (Member # 6907) on :
Ugh, those glue traps are really sick, aren't they? The more they struggle the more... I don't want to even describe it. It's not something one wants to see at 7 a.m. before heading to class.
I must say though, my days of killing mice are over. I once trapped a cute baby mouse by luring it into an empty water jug filled with froot loops. I was so happy I found a benevolent mouse trap! I carried the jug outside and dumped the little guy onto the sidewalk. I guess I thought it would scamper happily away, but I didn't realize that semi-damp mice in 0° weather really just want to do one thing: immediately freeze to death. I've felt guilty ever since.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Bah, I grew up with wharf rats in the backyard.
You haven't lived until you've reached for a box of cereal at a really absurd hour and seen a pair of red eyes staring back at you from the shelf.
And offering to arm-wrestle you for the box.
-Trevor
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Hey Trevor, who won?
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
We split the box over a bowl and saucer of milk.
It was too early and neither of us felt like making the effort. He ruffled his whiskers and I half-waved an arm for appearances' sake.
-Trevor
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
About four years ago I was a few minutes late getting to church one afternoon when the afterschool kids club was meeting. There had been a mouse problem at the church, and someone had put out some glue traps. And one of them had caught a mouse. When I got there, the kids had lifted the trap onto the table and were gathered around feeding the mouse oreos.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
"The accommodations around here suck, but the food's pretty good."
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I live in a tropical country. We don't have mice - at least, not in our house - but imagine what we do have.
Geckos. I scream like a little girl every time I see them. And that's pretty much every day. Problem is, how do you kill them in a way that doesn't cause you more problems? I know of no traps, and they're poisonous to human skin. So, I don't know.
Roaches. Cockroaches. Luckily, though, fat cat Oberon chases them and plays with them until they die of exhaustion. Good going, Obie! But then he leaves them there - they're no more fun any more - for the . . .
Ants. Who, just this mornng, were carrying a cockroach body from the kitchen, I presume, through the living room, and towards the front door. It took about a hundred ants to do the job, but they're good about teamwork. They go anywhere and everything - they steal the catfood. They gather around drops of anything sweet that landed on the floor. They invade our sugar container which has since been relocated into the fridge because that was the only true ant-free zone we have. They invade anything and everything. And they're everywhere. Big ones, medium ones, little ones, tiny ones, and even tinier than those ones. Flying ones. All sorts. And I hate them all.
Spiders. But we let them live. Because they kill the other bugs.
Mosquitoes. We have a bug killer. It kills about a hundred or so mossies a week. I love it.
Um, yeah. Those are the highlights. Welcome to hell, er, I mean, my life. (Can I use that h-e-double toothpicks word here without getting banned?)
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
quote: And offering to arm-wrestle you for the box.
Oh, that's great. I haven't laughed that hard all day...Wait, it's 1am...Umm...Haven't laughed that hard since yesterday?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
It won't be tomorrow until after I go to sleep. That's the rule. Midnight is just a guideline.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"I live in a tropical country."
You know, you could move. Man was not meant to live anywhere the insects are larger than he is.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
quote:You know, you could move
She did.
Posted by sarahdipity (Member # 3254) on :
I find that chocolate covered peanut butter cookies are a great way to find out you have mice. That's how we figured out we had them when I was living in student housing at one of the national labs. The lab housing service used glue traps... poor cute little mousey.
I am more in favor of the live trap option. Then you take them hours from your house and release them into the wild.
Just 2 weeks ago I woke up to discover that my cat was about to bring a little present she'd caught onto my BED for me. ewwww At least the little present was entirely dead by that point but still in one piece.
I'd been gone for a week to that conference and left kitty w/ friends. While we were away apparently someone had moved in. Of course Lily, the cat, was insufferably pleased with herself for days. She just walked around smiling. It's so weird when a cat smiles.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Quidscribs, why on earth would you want to get rid of your gekos? They're great at keeping insects out of your house, and they don't spread disease or anything. Personally, I find them cute, and loved watching them run along the walls, but that's just me.
As for mice, I always use sticky traps, and then take them out someplace remote and free them (all you have to do to free them is pour vegetable oil over the trap. That seems like the most humane way to get rid of them that actually works. I've never managed to find a live trap that the mice weren't able to outwit.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
By the way, ElJay, you have good taste in chocolate (and so, apparently, does your mouse). I've been eyeing those 87% bars for some time, but I keep being seduced by the ones with the chilis in them. Good brand though.
What did you do with the chocolate bar? Since the mouse has already demonstrated his fine taste in chocolate, why not use it as your bait?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I just don't think I could bear the whole "picking up a glue trap with a live mouse on it and transporting it far away" part of that process, although I agree it sounds much more humane.
I threw the original chocolate bar out. Wasn't thinking far enough ahead to save it for bait, I was still busy being upset that a) I had mice and b) they ate my chocolate.
The dagoba with chilis is excellent. I bought an assortment a couple of months ago that had one of every kind they made... lavendar & blueberries was particularly good, as was rosemary & mint, but the dried cherry & vanilla was probably my favorite.
So... I was drifting on the edge of sleep last night, when I heard a "Snap!" Of course, then, I'm wide awake. 10 minutes later, again almost asleep, and there's another one. Two of my three traps were filled this morning, and I removed and replaced them... I know intellectually that I need to do this, but I feel rotten about killing them. Not enough to try the other options, but I think it's good to know your own limitations. Mice can reproduce every 10 days, so if you have a breeding pair in your house you can quickly be overrun. Ick ick ick.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Regular peanut butter always worked very well for us -- hate to see you waste good chocolate.. *grin*
However, don't have to set traps at all now that we have a house cat and a chihuahua. Haven't seen a mouse in the house since.
Farmgirl
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: Quidscribs, why on earth would you want to get rid of your gekos? They're great at keeping insects out of your house, and they don't spread disease or anything. Personally, I find them cute, and loved watching them run along the walls, but that's just me.
I reserve the right to refute the charges that geckos are a contributing member of society until such time as I have had the time to do the necessary investigative work to ascertain the truthfulness of that statement.
Geckos. Why would I want to get rid of them? Why, because:
*they get into everything. dishes. suitcases. beds. cupboards. storage compartment under the oven. they know no bounds *they leave behind their defececatory matter. white and black poop. everywhere they go. *I have to wash everything before I want to use it. I hate doing dishes twice, both before and after I use them. *they freak me out. every single time. and the last one. because *every time I see them, I scream like a little girl. Oh, this is the real last one. *And because my husband laughs at me every time I scream like a little girl when I see them.
quote: By the way, ElJay, you have good taste in chocolate (and so, apparently, does your mouse). I've been eyeing those 87% bars for some time, but I keep being seduced by the ones with the chilis in them. Good brand though.
Chocolate with chilis in them? I could cry.
Would someone be kind enough to send me a care package of these marvellous sounding chocolates? Please? Please? Pretty please with a gecko on top?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
quidscribis, I will happily send you a care package of assorted frou-frou chocolates, for the pure and simple reason that I feel your pain... I, too, would scream if I had geckos running around my house, and everyone around would laugh at me. I hate it. But small things moving quickly where there are not supposed to be small things moving quickly makes me scream, period.
E-mail me your addy at eljay @ hotmail.com
Edit: Oh, but you can hold the gecko.
[ October 21, 2004, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
Cute as they are, they'll chew on your wiring and quite possibly start a house fire. It's sad, but necessary to get rid of them one way or another.
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Every fall we get mice in our basement, we put snap traps (or actually the Tick does) and once in a while we catch one. I won't go in the basement in the fall/winter because I don't want to see one. Last year we had someone put out poison and I was afraid of stepping on a dead mouse in the middle of the night so I turned on all the lights when I got up.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
ElJay, I've tried most of those, and I'll agree that the cherry-vanilla one is damned good. There's another one...raspberries and something else (is it rosehips?) that's amazing as well. Have you tried the lime and macadamia nut ones? They aren't bad either. The only one I didn't care for that I've tried so far has been the lavendar and blueberries one. It tasts like it was enfused with Essence of Ragweed to me.
FarmGirl, having a cat can definitely help, but not always. When I was a kid, we had a cat who was a fairly fearsome hunter. She generally kept the house clear of vermin, and brought in snakes, birds, rats, etc. on a fairly regular basis too. There one one mouse that we got that proved to be the Moriarty to her Holmes though. I'm not sure where the thing lived, but among its favorite places to hang out was in one of the burners of the stove. It would just sit there with its little head peeping out, and if it saw or smelled the cat coming, it could easily duck down to safety. Eventually, out of what I can only assume was frustration, the cat expressed her displeasure with this arrangement by peeing down the burner.
My god that was disgusting. I'm glad I was a kid at the time, and not the adult whose responsibility it was to clean that up.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
That's awesome...maybe she was trying to flood it out.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
My dad has a story about the mice in his house when he took his first teaching job, out in the middle of nowhere in western Kansas. His apartment was completely overrun with mice--he said that he probably had over a hundred of them in the place. He set a bunch of traps, but they were pretty wiley mice, and didn't generally fall for them. One did though; he heard a snap from under his bed in the middle of the night. The next morning when he retrieved the trap, though, he discovered that the other mice had made a meal of the one he'd caught. Some of its well gnawed carcass was still there, but not a lot. How's that for foul?
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Eeeewwwwwwww.
It is indeed raspberry and rosehips, and it is indeed good. Now I have to go to work, and I am craving delicious chocolate and have none. But perhaps I have time to stop at the co-op on the way...
I cannot imagine having to try to clean cat pee out of my stove. Wow. Thank goodness.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Yes, I'm the designated mouse hunter. Complete with Croc Hunter accent.
Now if I could just get rid of the squirrel that eats its way into my garbage can lids...
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Noemon -- well just the scent of a cat is sometimes enough to make a mouse not go to an area -- maybe your cat was trying to help you with that? I mean, afterwall, the mouse was already peeing in the burner, you can count on it.
Tick - I hope you have no other animals around (pets) if you are putting out mouse/rate poison, It can kill a cat or dog quite easily if they think it is tasty.
Farmgirl
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I've never seen mice in our house, thank goodness, but I've seen the local cat playing with them outside. Mice don't really squick me out much, but I don't want them hanging around.
However, if I ever see a spider bigger than the palm of my hand crawling around, I'm going to want to move. I had to kill a black widow down by the door to our basement apartment, and that got me scared. We have lots of spiders, but they're usually of the non-threatening variety. We haven't had to deal with a lot of nasty vermin yet, and I've gotten complacent. I don't expect to see really big spiders anymore. Really big spiders really squick me out.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:I am craving delicious chocolate and have none.
I'm enjoying a Chocovic Guaranda bar right now. I'm usually more partial to their Ocumare bar, but somehow the Guaranda just seemed more appealing this week. Unfortunately, I'm near the end of my weekly chocolate allotment, and it's only Thursday.
I find Chocovic's descriptions of their chocolate bars to be pretty funny actually. They're very snooty, in a wine tasting sort of way. The Guaranda is described as follows: [QUOTE]Perfumed aroma with fruity, acid notes and floral tones of acacia honey, with milky and exotic wood nuances. Typical personality of cocoa bean: Smooth dark chocolate taste with notes of sweetened citric frutis and with floral tones of honeyed character.[QUOTE]
The thing is, I can taste what they mean by all of that. It's an incredibly pompous sounding description, I think, but it's also fairly accurate.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
No other animals, and strictly in the basement where Thomas never goes. I think it's all gone now anyway.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah Farmgirl, I expect that that was actually what she was trying to do. Or most likely, she was hoping to flush (so to speak) the mouse out of its safe hiding place and into a spot where it would be more vulnerable to her. I was just being funny when I said she did it out of frustration.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: quidscribis, I will happily send you a care package of assorted frou-frou chocolates, for the pure and simple reason that I feel your pain... I, too, would scream if I had geckos running around my house, and everyone around would laugh at me. I hate it. But small things moving quickly where there are not supposed to be small things moving quickly makes me scream, period.
E-mail me your addy at eljay @ hotmail.com [Smile]
Edit: Oh, but you can hold the gecko.
ElJay, you're my hero!
Honestly, I don't expect you to actually mail me a care package. On the other hand, if you insist, well, then who am I to stop you? So, on the off chance that you're going to insist, oh heck ya I'll email you my addy!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
quidscribis, I am considering it my random act of kindness for the week. I can't think of anyone more deserving of kindness than someone cut off from good chocolate.
I bought 4 dagoba bars at my stop, but they didn't have the chili ones. I'll try the Wedge next. However, I am eating a Chocolove XOXOX Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate bar, which has freeze-dried orange peel. It's subtle, but quite good.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I've been having fun reading the descriptions of the cocoa beans, the various drying and fermentation processes and all that on the chocovic site. I had no idea it was such a complex undertaking.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Mmmm-Dagoba. I love the New Moon 74%.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Re: Glue traps vs. snap traps - if you're concerned about a vector borne illness from the rodents, it's a good idea to use a trap that doesn't kill the mouse/rat, because it's not really the rodent that spreads the illness, it's the fleas. If you kill the rodent, as soon as the body cools, the fleas will hop off, searching for another host, which will likely be you or your pet. When we had a bad outbreak of murine typhus a couple of years ago, we recommended catching the rodents live, then drowning them to kill the fleas at the same time. It seems heartless, but vector borne illnesses are nothing to mess with.
As for peanut butter as bait, I've always used that and it works great. (In fact, most glue traps are PB scented, I think.) I've also used small pieces of fresh apple. Many years ago, after watching too many cartoons, I suppose, I baited a trap with cheese. Of course, that was more than useless, because it attracted ants, and the mice stayed far away.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
quidscribus
Don't kill the geckos!!!!!! They are harmless and they eat the roaches. They are your friends.
I love all the geckos in my home. I cheer them on as they race to catch bugs. I'm comforted by their little chirps at night, knowing they can eat roaches larger than themselves.
Geckos are GREAT!!!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
No pets. So you're saying now I probably have fleas? Lovely.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Well, the fleas probably won't stay on you like they will a dog or cat, but they will use you for a blood meal until they find a more inviting host...
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Wow! Around here we buy geckos as pets. Are you saying you guys have them running around free?
Farmgirl
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Yep, geckos all over the place. I start sometimes if I see one move quickly past (thinking it's a roach usually), but they're fun to watch.
They aren't so smart about where they lay their eggs sometimes. I've found gecko eggs in very odd places around my house, and unfortunately they're quite fragile. I always feel bad when I squish one accidentally.
[ October 21, 2004, 04:58 PM: Message edited by: maui babe ]
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Can we go back to talking about chocolate? This orange peel bar I've been nibbling on all day is perhaps the best chcolate bar I've had in my life. And that's saying a lot. Plus it has 39% of my RDA of Vitamin C!
Edit: It's the fleas sucking my blood talk I am avoiding. The gecko talk is kinda fun, although I've not had the pleasure of seeing them in the wild.
[ October 21, 2004, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I loved watching the geckos running around my guest house in Thailand. I found them cute, and it was really interesting to watch them hunt.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I wanted a lizard for a pet once. I loved my brother's stories about the iguanas when we lived in Cuba. Well, I only lived there in my mom's belly. Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
Oh! Do geckos eat ants? I might want one. Or ten.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
These are the geckos we get here. I think they are wonderful. We didn't have any at our old house (because our landlady had regular pest control done ) - I was so jealous when I went to a friend's house the other night and she had 5 of them on the walls of her front porch. I hope at our new house we can get a ton of them. They're cute and very good at eating nasty bugs.
[ October 21, 2004, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
That's an awesome gecko, ludosti. The ones here aren't that colorful usually. I tried to find a photo, but I'm not sure what genera or species they are. I do know that they have chameloid properties, so they take on the color of their background. We also have skinks, which are also cool.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
(((shuddering at the idea of a raoch larger than a gecko)))) Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Yeah, and the geckos here are pretty big too... Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
You haven't seen the hissing cockroaches, have you?
They're about the size of a woman's palm and can compress their exoskeleton to become even smaller in order to fit through cracks and crevices normal roaches couldn't pass.
Naturally, as the exoskeleton collapses, the internal gas is expelled, resulting in a "hissing."
-Trevor
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Two more dead mice when I got home. I shudder to think how many must be in my walls. I have to buy more traps, only one left.
I know y'all don't need the updates, but I need to type them. This squicks me out so badly it's embarassing.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: quidscribis, I am considering it my random act of kindness for the week. [Wink] I can't think of anyone more deserving of kindness than someone cut off from good chocolate.
You want to send me chocolate for your RAK? Hey, who am I to argue? Send away!
Have I mentioned the quality of chocolate here? While we do have chocolate bars, and some that Canadians would recognize, as well as Smarties - the chocolate kind - most chocolate here is, oh, waxy. Like the baking chocolate. Waxy milk chocolate. No pure chocolate, no chocolate chips. Just slabs of waxy milk chocolate. Now that's a crime!
quote: Don't kill the geckos!!!!!! They are harmless and they eat the roaches. They are your friends.
Gecko poop! Gecko poop! I hate gecko poop!!!!!
quote: Wow! Around here we buy geckos as pets. Are you saying you guys have them running around free?
Yeah. You want me to mail you some? I can. I just won't guarantee that I won't kill 'em first.
quote: They aren't so smart about where they lay their eggs sometimes. I've found gecko eggs in very odd places around my house, and unfortunately they're quite fragile. I always feel bad when I squish one accidentally.
So now I need to be hunting gecko eggs? Although, I'm probably too late. I've seen a few young ones crawling around. Did I mention they're everywhere?
Ludosti, we don't get colorful geckos like that. Ours are a pale green or dar brown, solid color, sort of, except for their almost transparent bit.
I HATE GECKOS! I DON'T CARE WHAT Y'ALL SAY! I HATE 'EM! I HATE 'EM I TELL YOU. HATE 'EM!! <collapses in hysteria>
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I have now trapped 5 mice in 24 hours, and am out of traps. Will be buying more tomorrow. I honestly had no clue I had an infestation before this.
[ October 22, 2004, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Will they work on geckos?
I DO have an infestation, and I'm under no illusions about it. They've built condos and have an open air market and everything.
KILL THE GECKOS!!!!!! Oh hey, maybe I can stomp on them to death. Will this work? STOMP THE GECKOS! STOMP THE GECKOS!!!!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
To the best of my knowledge, I've never had a mouse in any house or apartment I've lived in. I've hardly ever even seen a mouse.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
There was one house we lived in when I was a kid that had mice. Meece? A brace of meese?
My brother, not the smart one but the "other" one, would catch them, then hang them by their tails over the toilet, then cut the tails off with his pocket knife. In front of me, a shy, innocent, freaked out four year old girl.
I've been scarred for life. Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
quidscribis: I dunno, do geckos like cashew butter and chocolate chips?
Icurus: Hmpf.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
No idea. They seem to like everything. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Here is what the ones I saw in Thailand typically looked like.
[ October 22, 2004, 08:34 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Mine are the the first ones.
Ew! I'm squicked just looking at the photo!!!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
The first one matches the room quite nicely. Nice of them to coordinate the geckos for you, hmmmm?
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
The misspelling in the title is almost as maddening as people who pronounce it "ree-sees".
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Glad to add to your daily frustration.
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
This chocolate is really good - http://www.sarotti.de/# I ordered a few 10LB. sample bars to use to make chocolate gifts for christmas.
[ October 22, 2004, 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Arthur ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: I ordered a few 10LB. sample bars to use to make chocolate gifts for christmas.
10 lbs. Sample bar. That's hilarious. Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
They sell much larger amounts to bakeries and the like. When she asked one of her companies for a sample of cinnamon, we ended up with a 5 pound bag.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Here's an interesting looking spider. Completely off topic, of course, but I came across it while looking for gecko pics, and thought it was unusual looking, and worth sharing.
[ October 22, 2004, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Hmm. Is there some way I can get a sample bar? I mean, gratis? Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Hey Arthur I just realized you probably know the answer to this. What makes "english toffee" english toffee? Is it something you can buy as a bulk ingreedient like chocolate? I mean it seems substantially the same between Heath bars and Skor bars even though they are different brands.
AJ
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Aj - it's actually pretty much the same stuff in the bars- English toffee is characterized by being hard and brittle. It's really easy to make - Take 3 parts brown sugar (molasses and white sugar works) 5 parts glucose (corn) syrup 1-1/2 parts butter 3 parts milk (sweet condensed milk) and a bit of salt
Ideally, add the butter first, next the milk and glucose, and fully emulsify before you add the sugar. Stir constantly as you boil to a high heat (295 degrees). Scraping the sides often and mixing continuously are critical to a good toffee since toffee mass does not conduct heat well and the mixture readily burns in the kettle. The mixture carmelizes as it reaches the 295 degree temperature. You can use a thermometer or do a "crack test". A crack test is to take a small sample of the toffee on a spatula and immerse in cold water. The confectioner judges the degree of cooking by the texture of the mixture. This method is quick and reliable.
Remove toffee mixture immediately from pan to prevent further carmelization. Pour into a tray, cut into bars as it is cooling or pour mixture into rubber molds or a pan covered in waxed paper and cooking spray.
Once the bars are cooled they can be dipped in chocolate and covered with nuts.
The most commonly diced nut used is the peanut because the rich peanut flavor compliments the butterscotch taste of the toffee and chocolate. The almond is the second most common for this application for similar reasons and the almond is considered a more expensive nut than the peanut so the product is more upscale using almonds.
A number of manufacturers use an assorted diced nut which has a combination of peanuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, and pecans.
It can be bought in bulk, but it is so easy to make.
[ October 22, 2004, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: Arthur ]
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
quote: Have I mentioned the quality of chocolate here? While we do have chocolate bars, and some that Canadians would recognize, as well as Smarties - the chocolate kind - most chocolate here is, oh, waxy. Like the baking chocolate. Waxy milk chocolate. No pure chocolate, no chocolate chips. Just slabs of waxy milk chocolate. Now that's a crime
Chocolate is something I know a little about - There are three basic things that must be done by the chocolate maker to make a chocolate bar:
Adding ingredients - The chocolate that we eat contains sugar, other flavors (like vanilla) and often milk (in milk chocolate). The chocolate maker adds these ingredients according to his or her secret recipe.
Conching - A special machine is used to massage the chocolate in order to blend the ingredients together and smooth it out. Conching can take anywhere from two to six days.
Tempering - Tempering is a carefully controlled heating process. According to this Chocolate FAQ, tempering is "a process where the chocolate is slowly heated, then slowly cooled, allowing the cocoa butter molecules to solidify in an orderly fashion." Without tempering, the chocolate does not harden properly or the cocoa butter separates out (as cream separates from milk).
These three steps, along with the blend of cocoa beans chosen at the start and the way they are roasted, are the art of chocolate making. The steps control the quality, taste and texture of the chocolate produced, and are often closely guarded secrets!
Types of Chocolate Baking Chocolate Pure cocoa liquor with nothing added Cocoa Powder Cocoa bean solids; cocoa liquor pressed to remove the cocoa butter Semisweet Chocolate Pure cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter and some sugar Milk Chocolate Pure cocoa liquor with extra cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids; more milk than chocolate liquor White Chocolate Cocoa butter with sugar and milk; no cocoa bean solids
Most confectioners for mass consumption add wax and a lot of cocoa butter to give their bar a longer shelf live and it enables them to use less cocoa, therefore giving you a waxy tasting chocolate.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
oooh no wonder I like toffee, I love brown sugar too. I'll eat spoonfuls of it as a guilty pleasure from time to time.
I'll have to try your recipie.
Who knew that engineering knowledge about steel would come in handy with chocolate making? I'm going to have to use that "tempering" bit sometime on the guys here.
AJ
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Arthur, you're my hero! Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Who knew being a food broker would come in handy on Hatrack -
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Honey, everything comes in handy on Hatrack. Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
though cooking for me can be disastrous... I probably should ask Steve if he thinks its safe first. Unfortunately half the time the Mac N Cheeese fights me if I try to cook. The chex mix debacle is still in recent memory too... Good thing Steve cooks or we'd starve.
AJ
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
We have geckos here like those in Noeman's first picture too. I think they're really cute. And I also think it's neat that they're translucent....
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I love how this thread has evolved from mice, to geckos and high end chocolate products. Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
quote: A special machine is used to massage the chocolate in order to blend the ingredients together and smooth it out. Conching can take anywhere from two to six days.
I would like to be massaged for anywhere from two to six days.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah Tick, isn't Hatrack a cool place? Thread evolution is something I love to watch.
Arthur, you said
quote:These three steps, along with the blend of cocoa beans chosen at the start and the way they are roasted, are the art of chocolate making.
From what I've been reading, the way that the beans are dried after being harvested also makes a big difference. Whether they're laid out on leaves (and I expect that the type of leaf matters too, but the articles I've read haven't gone into it), or directly on the ground, whether they're constantly exposed to the sun, or periodically shaded, and stuff like that all has an impact of the character of the chocolate that is eventually produced. It's an art really.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Maui babe, do you know anything about diseases that might be transmitted through gecko feces? I'm thinking of something like the four corners disease (whose actual name escapes me at the moment) that is transmitted through rodent feces.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
While we are on the subject, I'll make a bid for fair trade chocolate products. Same issues as sparked the interest in fair trade coffee.
quote:In 2001, The US State Department and the ILO reported child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa farms, the origin of 43 percent of the world's cocoa. Subsequent research by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture indicated that though child slavery is thankfully very limited, other egregious forms of child labor are unfortunately widespread. Hundreds of thousands of children work in dangerous tasks on cocoa farms. At least 12,000 child cocoa workers have come to their present situation through trafficking. Most child cocoa workers in the Ivory Coast do not have the opportunity to attend school. The same investigation identified poverty as the cause - West African cocoa revenues average $30-$108 per year per household member. These impoverished producers have no choice but to keep their kids out of school to work in dangerous tasks on cocoa farms, or even use child slaves.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Damn. Good information Sara, thanks. What is the link exactly? My workplace's smart filter is blocking it, so I'll have to wait to read it until I get home tonight.
[ October 22, 2004, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Right, Hantavirus. Thanks kat! Out of curiosity, why did you choose to make the word "the" the hypertext link?
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
The link is for http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/ . "Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the US public's global awareness while building partnerships worldwide."
You can find other links on Google ("fair trade" chocolate) that might not be blocked.
Yeah. I love chocolate, but I can't buy it without thinking about other issues too, now. Same for coffee. Luckily Madison has a definite bias towards providing the fair trade products.
We still buy the non-fairtrade stuff sometimes, but I make a real effort to spend my money for suppliers that enter into this sort of agreement.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quote:why did you choose to make the word "the" the hypertext link?
Because I was trying to be subtle in hopes that you'd click on it, but the general population would overlook it, because while it's a paper that's not bad for an undergrad, it doesn't hold up the professional standards of this crowd. I then panicked and deleted the post altogether. Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
It's called post-Post regret, and we have a program for that.
I've been through it several times myself.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
And another bid from me, this time for our children in the States.
I am humbled -- and I chose that word deliberately -- by the intensity and passion of our children for justice. Somewhere after gradeschool and by the end of college, we tend to expect that the world will suck, to accept that there is nothing we can do about it, and to learn to tune out injustice. Burnout is very real.
On the other hand, most children seem to still be outraged about something, anything, that is "not fair." They burn with that outrage, and yet they often feel impotent to do anything -- all around them are people and systems who tell them that their ideas are not meaningful, that they have nothing to offer, and that they essentially have to wait until something dies inside them before anything that children do or say will be listened to.
Not true. And given that we are pretty sure that being a part of something bigger and meaningful to you (be it sports, or music, or activism, or what have you) is an important part of developing grounded self esteem and resisting peer pressure, why not tap into some of that passion for justice and watch them have at it?
Pretty cool stuff from the above link:
quote:Producer poverty comes at the hands of large chocolate corporations, such as M&M/Mars and other members of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association of America, that manipulate the market to keep profits high while producer incomes stay low. The industry has developed a Protocol to end abusive child labor, but it doesn't guarantee the minimum price producers need to meet their costs and thus cease needing child labor. Without a stable and sufficient income, producers will remain trapped in poverty and forced to rely on child labor against their heartfelt wishes to do otherwise. The Protocol also unjustly lays the blame on producers and their strapped governments instead of admitting the role and responsibility of the industry in exacerbating poverty and child labor problems.
The solution is FAIR TRADE (denoted by the "Fair Trade Certified" or Fair Trade Federation labels) , which ensures that producers earn enough to send their kids to school and pay their workers. Since 2002, Global Exchange has been demanding that the US chocolate industry, solve this crisis by selling Fair Trade chocolate. M&M/Mars and its industry partners have refused the demands of over 200 organizations, thousands of K-12 students, and thousands of concerned adults who have contacted them to demand Fair Trade.
We need to come together in even larger numbers make it clear that we will accept nothing less than Fair Trade from M&M/Mars and the US chocolate industry. We also need to work to make existing Fair Trade chocolate and cocoa products available in our communities through school/youth-club fundraisers, stores, campuses, community groups, faith-based groups, and more. Join us today to make chocolate as sweet for cocoa producers as it is for you. You can get involved wherever you are:
Links to projects for K-12 graders follows.
And if you or your kids aren't bitten by the chocolate bug (though this is usually a relevant one, as kids both tend to like chocolate and to empathize with other children in slavery), there are other areas to feed that flame. Take, for example, some tobacco companies' own internal documents which detail both plans for hooking kids on nicotine early (nicotine-laced candy was proposed) and demostrate the gall of laughing at kids' gullibility.
I love to see kids go to town on that one. They are sharper than the industry thinks.
Regardless, Halloween is a great time for discussing chocolate with your kids. If you want a project to keep that passion alive, this is a good one.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Now instead of handing out Jack Chick tracts this Halloween , I'd love to hand out a nice well designed flyer to every child that comes to my door about this subject. Is there anywhere you could obtain something like this?
But I don't think it is appealing enough. We need the chocolate makers illustrated in full color with pitchforks and horns to drive the point home and fully exploit the guilt complex.
AJ
[ October 22, 2004, 01:29 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
My remarks above were meant in a sarcastic humorous vein. However right they might be about child labor (and I think they are)I've got a problem with the organization calling for the "fair trade" campaign. The "Fair Trade" products they are advertising appear to be their own. I'm wondering if their particluar products are the only products authorized as "fair trade" and how actually "Fair" that is.
Chocovic doesn't appear to part of any kind of fair trade movement. That's really too bad.
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Most of the chocolate that is going to readily available is stores won't be fair trade, to get fair trade chocolate you need to buy from places like Global exchange http://store.gxonlinestore.org/chocolate.html Divine http://www.divinechocolate.com/ and places like that, the local health stores around here do cary a few.
I think that the chocolate market should be run like the sugar market- There are 2 markets for sugar (in the US only) the US market and the World sugar market. Most sugar in the US is grown strictly in the US, we pay the farmers a lot more that anywhere else. The US Sugar market is usually double what the world market is. If a company wants to pay the world sugar price they must obtain points from the goverment, the points are based on how much the company exports. Those points are then traded in for World sugar contracts - the same sugar but for around half the price of the sugar for the US market. Unless you export a huge amount of product it usually means youonly get maybe 10-20 truckloads a year of world sugar product. That way our famers can afford to feed their families.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Interesting Arthur. You wouldn't happen to know if Trader Joe's carries much in the way of fair trade chocolate? Unfortunately I'm a long way from any good natural food stores.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I see some of their coffee is, but a cursory search didn't find anything about chocolate.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
quote:Now instead of handing out Jack Chick tracts this Halloween, I'd love to hand out a nice well designed flyer to every child that comes to my door about this subject. Is there anywhere you could obtain something like this? ...We need the chocolate makers illustrated in full color with pitchforks and horns to drive the point home and fully exploit the guilt complex.
I was thinking more along the lines of parents discussing issues of substance with their children at the dinner table, if the parents think their children would be interested -- which was how I was raised.
But if the first thing that leaps to your mind is propaganda pamphlets instead of rational discussion, well, more power to you. I guess. *wink
quote:The "Fair Trade" products they are advertising appear to be their own. I'm wondering if their particluar products are the only products authorized as "fair trade" and how actually "Fair" that is.
They do advertise their own products, but they are a certified nonprofit organization in the States. They are a member of the Fair Trade Federation: "At the time of its founding, anyone interested in joining FTF could be a part of the organization. However, in 1996 the board defined and instituted the fair trade criteria by which we now operate. The criteria were instituted to preserve the integrity of the fair trade movement and so FTF businesses could promote themselves, telling the public that they could be assured that anything they bought from FTF members was a fairly traded product."
FTF is allied with other fair trade organizations, and the links to these organizations are provided. Additionally, FTF offers direct shopping online for its member companies.
There seems to be a great deal of information readily accessible through Google about the fair trade products movement. I think that there might be answers to further questions out there, waiting to be found.
[ October 22, 2004, 02:10 PM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Banna, here is a list of wholesalers who are members of the Fair Trade Federation. You can find specific products or types of products by doing a search on the page.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Noemon,
To answer your question about geckos and related illness, we do ask about exposure to geckos and other reptiles in our salmonella surveys, although I think we're really interested in turtles more than lizards.
Yes, it is hantavirus that is spread through dried rodent feces, but that is also very species specific - it's not just ANY mouse that transmits it. Murine typhus and plague, although associated mostly with the fleas from rodents, can also be spread through inhalation of aerosolized rodent feces.
Just to be safe, rather than sweeping dried feces of any kind, it is best to wet them down with a 10% bleach solution and squeegee, mop or wetvac them up.
And the gecko in the first picture you posted are what most of ours look like. I had one in my kitchen this morning that was maybe 4 inches long. I thought of taking a picture, but I don't know how to post them here, so I skipped it.
If I ever figure out how to post pictures, I have one of a 5 inch centipede that died on my front porch last week. Now those I HATE!!! Not least because they eat geckos, but that is certainly on the list.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote: I was thinking more along the lines of parents discussing issues of substance with their children at the dinner table, if the parents think their children would be interested -- which was how I was raised.
Fair Trade gets discussed a lot at our dinner table, as this is a big issue for me. I admit to not buying 100% Fair Trade and I feel bad about it- I keep striving to do better. I have started doing bulk orders for Equal Exchange coffe, tea, and cocoa with my friends. Folks who might not have gone out of their way to buy FT but will if I offer to deliver it to them. I do it through a Lutheran World Releif program at my church.
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
Noemon, From what I got from the buyer at Trader Joe's headquarters, they do carry a few kinds of free trade chocolate. It is only carried in some of their stores and you need to read the label to find it. Can you tell I'm not busy today?
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I guess the fact that I dislike coffee and rarely eat chocolate helps alleviate some personal guilt on my part.
And I got a grandma letter last night complete with the usual literature though it wasn't quite as bad as Jack Chick, which probably led me to the propagandist mindset.
AJ
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I understand completely.
I think my family was unusual in many ways. We had our problems, but from the first moments I can remember, my parents both valued and sought out my opinions and ideas. We didn't just have opinons, though; we were clear on what they were, had researched other alternatives, and could justify what we said. I grew up certain that I was worth listening to and convinced that I had something worth saying, in large part because critical analysis was served right alongside the mashed potatoes.
That's something I would wish for all the children I know.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I love the Dread Pirate Romany.
You are my hero for the day!
*becomes a romanyhead, grooving to the cool chick vibes
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Sara, you made my day! I was just sitting here, thinking what a lame mom I was because my kids are glued to "Labyrinth" while I play on the computer instead of doing something constructive, educational and bonding. Rainy Fridays do that to me though.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
Fair trade is still a relatively new concept in the American marketplace and there are still many problems with the concept. There are several organizations throughout the world that certify fair trade, however, they don't always have the same criteria.
Also, for most small producers, who stand to benefit the most from 'fair trade' and 'organic' iniatives, there's only been limited success. With coffee (which I'm most familiar with), most small farmers aren't able to produce enough quality beans for marketing.
However, I think as demand for these products grow and farmers gain more experience with the standards, things will improve.
And of course, now I want some fair trade organic chocolate.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I've been out looking at chocolate sites, and while I haven't had any luck yet finding Free Trade sites that my work doesn't block ( ). I have found a number of chocolate review sites, which have ranged from the really bad to the fairly good. Here is one of the better ones I've found.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
That's a very neat site, Noemon. I was reading up on the Chocovic Guaranda. It is exactly like a wine review, isn't it? Did you find the following accurate when you ate yours?
quote:The initial taste is acid with iron notes and hints of chilli. Once the melt gets going the chocolate dissolves nicely on the tongue turning to citrus, balanced with a woodiness that has a little fire behind the flavour. Ends in coffee with light caramel and chocolate extending into the length. Lingers pleasantly and fades away gracefully.
dpr:
[And Risuena, thanks for the balanced viewpoint. That was cool.]
[ October 22, 2004, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by Arthur (Member # 4026) on :
There is actually a chocolate academy run by Barry Callebaut in Quebec that teaches you to taste chocolate and to be able to describe it like that. I think they do it 2 or 3 times a year for a week.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Next time I buy a bar I'll try to create description like that, and we'll see how closely they compare. I think that stuff like that is so subjective, though, that while there may be internal consistency within a single person's experience, it's pretty unlikely that two people will describe the flavor in the same way. There was a thread somewhere else--sakeriver, I thought, but now I can't find it--in which I talked about this and said some stuff that I don't know that I still think is right.
In looking, though, I did come across this related thread, which I thought was worth linking to.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I, of course, immediately thought of Bernard Callebaut, thinking the Barry Callebaut reference must be a little confused. Turns out Bernard Callabaut has no stores in Quebec, so it can't be them.
Ah well. They still have excellent chocolate. Yum!
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Last night, my cat caught a mouse. She kept letting it go, just to chase after it and catch it again. Then she'd look up at me and yowl. After about the tenth time, she let it go.
So tonight, she caught another (the same?) one. Again, she'd let it go, catch it again and yowl at me. So I went and got a glass out of the kitchen and sat down in the middle of the living room floor.
She immediately brought the mouse over and set it by my knee. Of course, it tried to run away...poor mouse. She's just too fast for that.
So, after about the third try, I got the mouse trapped under the glass. Then I slid a thin hard book under it so I could move it. Then the dilemma: What to do with this friking nasty vermin?
If I let it go outside, it'll just come back in. If I put it in a jar to relocate it, it'll invade someone else and waste a jar. If I give it back to the cat, she may very well just turn it loose again.
I'm cruel. I flushed it. Then I flushed again. And again. And again. And again.
I hate mice. That's why I got a cat: to eat the nasty little things. But my cat has decided she's too good to eat them, or else she's just trying to teach me (her kitten) to hunt and eat them myself. Goofball.
Edit: speeling mystake.
[ October 25, 2004, 12:20 AM: Message edited by: Boon ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
She just wants to share the joy of the chase! Posted by Intelligence3 (Member # 6944) on :
I have read, but not sure if it's true, that the stalking/catching behavior is instinctive in cats but that the kill behavior is learned.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I've read that as well. I read a book on how animals learn, and there was story that was raised from a cub who could eat dead animals and chase them just fine, but never learned how to make the kill. He was learning how to be an adult from a sheep dog, and the sheep dog didn't do that.
Poor thing, wasn't even good at being a sheep dog. Scared the snot out of the sheep, and to no real purpose.
I hadn't thought of that - I'll bet that's it. Boon, did you get your cat as a kitten?
[ October 25, 2004, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
No, she's about a year and a half old, and I just got her last month. So, do you think if I (descriptive murder scene removed) the next one, she'll start eating them?
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Hmm...I don't know. Could you do it with a cat hand puppet?
...and have someone take pictures?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yep, definitely take pictures.
My cat learned to kill them. Cockroaches, not mice. On his own. But then, when he played with them, they'd wind up upside down and probably just died because they couldn't get anything to eat. That, or he just played with them to death. Huhn.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Your chocolate is on its way. Should be there in about a week. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Which ones did you get her ElJay? Very cool that you did that, by the way.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
This thread is awesome. Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I can't tell. That would ruin the surprise.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Okay, good point. Quidscribs, you have to post when you get the care package and tell us what she got you.
twinky--isn't it? It's a perfect example of what's great about Hatrack.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Eljay! You're the sweetest!!!!!
But a week? Unless you sent it by courier, it'll probably take 3 to 6 months. Oh, unless you're talking strictly about it arriving in Sri Lanka, in which case you're probably correct. But then it has to go through customs, and then I'll have to go down and get it from customs, have them poke through it, hope they didn't open it before I got there so they can steal everything. Did I warn you beforehand that it might actually never arrive? I should have...
Welcome to Sri Lanka Post. Where absolutely nothing is guaranteed, and sleet and rain and hail and tornado and hurricane and monsoon and flooding WILL prevent us from delivering our mail.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Oh yeah! I'll definitely post when I get it and what's in it. No worries about that!
Did I mention that my sister mailed a package to my husband and I in May and it arrived a week before she did - in September? Only 3 1/2 months. Not bad.
Some people from church received a parcel in September that was mailed in March. And it didn't contain any of the candy that it was said to contain on the outside of the box. It was a care package from friends of theirs in Canada.
Eljay, you're the greatest!!!!!
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Hmmm. Well, they gave me the choice of airmail at 7 - 9 days or by ship at 4 - 6 weeks, so it seemed an obvious choice. But the customs declaration just says chocolate, so if someone's feeling hungry you'll never get it.
Anyway, now I'm going to stop reading that silly game and go to sleep.... honest...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
ElJay, you might consider using de-con...I had to use it 2 years ago, and it worked great.
Sounds like you have a few too many to trap them if you have already caught 5 in this short amout if time.
Alos, what are you doing, throwing the traps away after they kill a mouse? They are reusable, you know...
Kwea
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*has reused rat traps*
*shudder*
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Eljay - if it's by airmail - which costs a lot more, so thank you even more - it might actually be here in a week or so. Hmm. Probably two or three.
My sister's parcel had "sea freight" stamped on it, so I'm guessing that's why it took three months.
Thanks again, Eljay! You're my hero! Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:I was thinking more along the lines of parents discussing issues of substance with their children at the dinner table, if the parents think their children would be interested -- which was how I was raised.
Well, this certainly explains a lot. . .
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Kwea, you obviously have not been listening to me. Traps are not reuseable. That would involve emptying them. *shudder*
But I haven't caught any more since those first five... not sure if they got smarter, or that was it and they all just ran out right away.
quidscribis, you're welcome. The difference between air and ship wasn't that much, and I figured ship had a higher chance of being exposed to extreme temperatures. If I'm sending you chocolate, it should get there in good condition.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Eljay, you are ever so considerate.
My sister's package, which contained a book, a stuffed moose, a kitty fur brush (rubber), and a foldable double six-pack holder, cost her $40 CDN to ship sea freight. That'd be about $25 US.
Maybe that's just because it's from Canada, though. Sigh.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I've found that with whatever method of trap I've used, the first few mice are caught pretty quickly, and then the rest wise up. Might now be a bad idea to rotate through a variety of trap designs--keep 'em on their toes.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I try to try all bad ideas as soon as possible.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Actually, I already switched trap designs, and I was wondering if that was why I wasn't getting any more. But Target stopped carrying my preferred traps. I'm going to try to find more somewhere else and go back to them and see if I get more mousies.
[ October 26, 2004, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: ElJay ]
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
You could just bleach the little mouse skulls and stick them up on poles along the perimeter of your house.
From a distance, I'm sure they'd look like daisies...or something.
Trevor, lemme clue you in on my OCD as regards to dead mice. First off, I have to use traps that cover as much of the mouse as possible. I do not wish to see the dead mouse.
Then, I put on my thickest leather gardening gloves.
Then I get a plastic bag, and pick up the trap with the plastic bag, like people with dogs pick up their leavings while on walks. Keep in mind that the trap is a box of plastic that completely surrounds the mouse except for its tail sticking out the little hole it scurried in through. Doesn't matter.
Then I tie off the bag, and take it directly outside to the trash. Oh, did I mention that I unlocked the back door and opened it before I put the gloves on, so I can just push through the screen and not have to touch anything?
Then, after I have disposed of the bag with the mouse in it, I come back inside, take off the gloves and wash my hands. Tell me how my hands could have gotten the slightest bit contaminated in this process. Go on, I dare ya.
So, what I'm saying here, is that while I'd have no problem taking bleached mouse skulls and mounting them around the house, if I thought that would help, there is no way that I'm skinning the mice and boiling the flesh off their bones.
Um, before y'all write me off as totally insane, please note that I function completely normally in society, and don't act this way about everything. Just dead rodents. Honest.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Ask her sometime about her system for dealing with live bats. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Does your house have a belfrey?
I mean, you already have a wicked sister......and I am sure you have some steps....
Kwea
Posted by Intelligence3 (Member # 6944) on :
Eljay is sitting next to me and I doubt I've ever heard her laugh louder than that, kwea.
She claims I have heard her laugh louder.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Well, she obviously didn't get that fact that I was kidding about reusing the traps (even though they are reusable.. ), so I guess that makes up for that....
I was serious ablut the De-Con, though...it works great. I had mice about 3 years ago in another aprtment, and it got rid of all of them right away.
I would put a bit down under the house, too...that is where a lot of them live and breed. Don't put it anywhere small kids or pets can get it though....it is pretty nasty suff.
Which is why it works so damn good!
Kwea
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Hello to ElJay via Int3.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Hey ElJay (and Intell 3), we are having fun in here , at dkw's expense...and you are missing it! Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
ElJay: There's no way I could even manage to do what you described. No mouse traps for me, ever.
I *heart* live animals. I freak out over dead things.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
As part of my job, I am heavily involved in West Nile Virus surveillance, which, if you've been following the news at all for the last 5 years, means that I am collecting dead birds for WNV testing. Most recently, I've been tasked with bleeding live birds for virus detection. So I had to learn to handle the birds, find they's little veins, poke them with a very tiny needle, and take they's blood. Sometimes they die of shock in my hands. It is very sad.
BUT I guess that's why I get the big bucks right?
Posted by Intelligence3 (Member # 6944) on :
Sorry, Twink... after Int3 posted that we left the computer for chocolate and whiskey, so the hello didn't get through 'til now.
Going home now that I'm sober, see y'all later...
ElJay
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Sun, I know what you mean--I hate killing things (and yet I enjoy eating meat. Hypocritical I know), and do it as rarely as possible. If possible, I try to come up with a way to solve or manage a pest problem that doesn't involve killing, or at least gives the pest a choice in the matter (I'll put out honey for ants, for example, being well aware that many of them will drown themselves in it). With mice, though, it can be necessary to kill them sometimes. I use live traps as much as possible, and haven't had to resort to a lethal trap in ages, but in certain circumatances I'd use them. Mice can do an incredible amount of damage, including gnawing through the insulation on wires, to a house, can destroy your food stores, and can spread disease. As much as I would regret it, there are circumstances in which I would use a lethal trap. Or a cat (which, if they're good, are fully mobile, low light capable lethal traps with built in Model of Mind for a range of prey).
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Oh. Turns out I'd missed quite a few posts in there, which means that Sun wasn't saying what I thought she was saying. I'd delete my post, but I like my description of a cat, so I'm leaving it.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I like your description of a cat, too.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
They're here, Eljay!!!! The chocolate's here!!!!!! Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I take it they make it through customs then....
ELJay rocks...
Now where is MY chocolate???
Kwea
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Take little bites, quidscribs--that's not a chocolate bar to be eaten in one or two bites.
Now, what flavors did she get you?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Nevermind--found your new thread.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
So, just cuz this is one of my all-time favorite threads and there's currently two mouse threads on the front page, I thought this deserved an honorary bump.
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
Oh man, I really thought you had misspelled mousse, but even that couldn't be right...
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Froot Loops, huh? If this doesn't work...![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I have ants right now, and I'm trying to picture what would happen if I had to trap mice with gooey yumminess on one hand and try to keep everything clean away from the ants with the other. I left an apple core in the trash can by my computer last night, and this morning my desk and keyboard was covered with ants.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
I could cry.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Evil Laugh]](graemlins/evillaugh.gif)
![[Party]](graemlins/party.gif)
Will this work? STOMP THE GECKOS! STOMP THE GECKOS!!!!
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Hail]](graemlins/hail.gif)
Arthur, you're my hero! ![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
). I have found a number of chocolate review sites, which have ranged from the really bad to the fairly good. Here is one of the better ones I've found.
![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
![[Monkeys]](graemlins/monkeys.gif)
![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
Hello to ElJay via Int3. ![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
![[The Wave]](graemlins/thewave.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)