Sunday, November 11, 2007

In My Kitchen

I just saw a mouse peek its little head out from beneath the kitchen sink.

A MOUSE.

In my kitchen.

Dad friggin gummit.

10 comments:

FancyPants said...

No we do not leave food out.

Yes we put our bread in the fridge.

Yes we keep our food in plastic baggies.

And yes I am scared to death.

What if it crawls up in my bed at night?

Anonymous said...

Don't sweat it. You don't have anything to worry about until you're on a first name basis with it and it gives you a wink and head-toss when you get home.

Chaotic Hammer said...

Heh. We had a mouse several months ago, and my cat actually caught the mouse. But then he played "cat and mouse" with it, and while he was batting it around, the mouse ran into a nook where kitty couldn't reach him any more.

So we eventually set traps, and (more importantly) sealed some openings around some pipes in our kitchen floor where the mouse came in. We never did catch a mouse in the traps, but the mouse left and never came back when we sealed the holes.

In your case, it's not a matter of your level of kitchen sanitation. You share a common building with many other tenants and spaces, and the mice could easily be living comfortably all around you with or without your help.

So I'd say carefully examine ALL possible routes of entry (yes, mice can get into VERY small holes), and see if you can provide a physical barrier against them entering. You may have ductwork or something you share with others in the building, so there may only be so much you can do.

If you're careful about where you place them, you can also set traps (careful so you don't catch your own hand or foot, I mean) to try and get rid of visiting rodents. Smear a little peanut butter on the trap trigger. This won't eliminate all mice from your building, but it should help you in case they decide to actually take up residence in your unit.

FancyPants said...

Cach, how consoling of you.

C-ham, maybe we should get a cat.

Amy said...

ewww.

you should definitely get a cat.

euphrony said...

Was he playing cards with the bed bugs?

Douglas said...

Is there any kind of rodent/bug that you do not expect to find in your apartment before moving out? You've done a pretty good job of seeing a wide variety in your short stint there. Might mites be next? Perhaps the scabies variety?

FancyPants said...

Amy, I agree...ewww

Euph, perhaps, or maybe all bed bugs will be attracted to his blood rather than mine. (And for the record, and knock on wood, we have not seen any (bed bugs) for a very long time and I haven't been bit.)

MB, knock on wood. FAST. I'm knocking for you.

Super Churchlady said...

Mouse or Rat? Mice can be kind of cute - but RATS - especially the NYC kind that hang out in KFC's in Manhattan with their long, long tails make my skin crawl. Here's something that will make you feel better about your cute little mouse: my husband - the G-Man - saw AND photographed a 4 foot alligator in the pond behind our house (not the one directly behind our house but one pond over!!!). I'm thinking I'd rather have a mouse.

FancyPants said...

Super Churchlady,

A four foot ALLIGATOR??? Yikes. I must say, I would rather have my mouse (for mouse it is, NOT rat, thank God) in my kitchen than your alligator. But I think an alligator would have a much worse time sneaking into your kitchen, so you need not worry.

How in the world did that alligator get there in that pond anyways? Maybe he stowed away in a golf cart.