mice deterant

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Psaltee

Hi All

Is crushed rock, river rock, 3/4 minus a good deterant against mice around the foundation of the house? I need to put some sort of safeguard in place around the foundation that will deter the small creatures from getting underground. Are there other resourses that are eqaully as good or is rock the best answer?
Appreciate your help,
psaltee
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Greg S
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Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

Rock is a good deterrent however I have found poison to be the best deterrent of all.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
1987Commodore
Posts: 383
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:53 pm
Location: Steuben County, NY

Mice will tunnel under skirting if they have to. Go down at least 6".
Psaltee

Thanks Guys!

You mentioned crushed rock is a good deterant how much do I need to put down? An inch or two or is three inches better and how far out from the foundation does it have to be spread? If I choose to use poison what is your recommendation on amount and application. I want to stop the opportunity before it happens. Appreciate your feedback.
psaltee
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Greg S
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Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

When I do my skirting I dig a trench about one foot wide centered under the skirting, set the metal skirting down about half way and fill with gravel.I use pea gravel (river rock) as it is more attractive than crushed stone.

As for the poison I use rat poison in empty tuna cans distributed under the home in locations I can easily access, near openings like the access door and ventilation points. I have found that once a mouse infestation is cleared up it covers a large area surrounding a home and once effective very little poison is consumed in the future. Check the tins yearly and top up as necessary.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
1987Commodore
Posts: 383
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:53 pm
Location: Steuben County, NY

You can also get bait blocks in a plastic package that only allows rodent access, if you are concerned about other pets potentially accessing the area.
Psaltee

Can I apply the crushed rock around the foundation up against the house and let it go at that or do I have to spread it out about a foot. I'm not to concerned about looks just that the application will work. After I'm done with the cleanup I will go back and fancy it up a bit. What do you all think?
psaltee
1987Commodore
Posts: 383
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:53 pm
Location: Steuben County, NY

I would think you would have to go down about 6" below ground level to do any good.
Steve S.
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Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:41 pm
Location: Maine

My MH sits on a concrete slab...in my headlights at night I've seen mice leap from the ground to the top of my vinyl skirting and somehow squeeze between the panel and the upper trim piece. I had all the holes in my belly wrap sealed up, yet I still had mice in the house...my solution, a cat. I've had cats now for at least eight years, and guess what, absolutely NO MICE! My first cat caught a few in the house, and now I haven't seen any in the past 5 years...I guess the word gets out. I think they've all moved to my shed now :wink:
Psaltee

Steve,

The idea of having a cat seems reasonable to me. We have two small dogs and I'm not sure how they would all interact. Has anyone ever used hazel nut shells as a detterent? A neighbor told me that cracked hazel nut shells present a great deterrent to these critters since they are sharp and pointed. The critters are not willing to track around a property on cracked hazel nut shells. I like the idea of cats. I'm still wondering about crushed rock.

Anybody else can chime in on this discussion. Looking for a solution not only for myself but for other MH owners as well.

psaltee
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Greg S
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Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

I seriously doubt nut shells would be any sort of deterrent for mice.
Cats, well cats are a nuisance, not well liked by some neighbours, often play with mice more than actually hunt and kill them and frankly cats stink but that's only my personal opinion.
I have had cats and had mice. The cats don't get rid of mice you may just not see them any more unless the cat presents you with the carcases, which many house cats do like to do. This may mean that you will still have mice and they may still be doing damage in the walls and ceiling.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
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WildIrish
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Indoor cats aren't a nuisance to neighbors. :)

And they won't stink if you keep the litterbox changed and fresh. If you don't...well, cat urine is not exactly room deodorizer, LOL.
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Greg S
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Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

Obviously I do not like cats. As a landlord tenants with cats have created issues.
However my approach to rodents is to take action before they enter the home as opposed to having a deterrent inside waiting for them to enter. The proper poison, when positioned properly, I have found to be the most effective method to control/eliminate mice and rarely effects other animals. Although I consider any creature small enough to gain access to under or in my home to be a nuisance requiring elimination. All methods other than placing poison under the home are simply designed to catch mice once they are in the home. The inherent problem with that approach is that generally they make themselves at home in your walls and begin to breed and stink up the home before they are eliminated by traps or cats.

Rodents are serious business and for this reason I prefer to take a very proactive approach to preventing infestations as opposed to eliminating infestations.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
hhb
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Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:14 pm

Greg, do you put the poison inside the skirting or along the outside?
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Greg S
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Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:13 am
Location: Kingston Ontario Canada

I place it under the home as well as in sheds, under enclosed porches, and anywhere else around the property that it can be safely placed where house hold pets do not have access.
I have in the past place the poison inside boxes I have constructed that have very small openings that will only allow rodents to enter.
There are also poison bait traps designed specifically for this purpose. They only allow small rodents to enter and exit.
The nice thing about poisons is that once the animal has consumed the poison they seek water to drink, which assuming you have none available around the home, the rodent drinks elsewhere and dies never to return.
An individual must enforce his own meaning in life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. (Anton LaVey)
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