Mice problem? The "Buddhist Solution"

Editor-in-Chief Waylon Lewis (ElephantJournal.com); Shambhala Buddhist Community; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

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Why would you want to kill us? We're cute!

Mice are cute and smart and feeling and have families, but they poop and pee, shred and get into foods in our houses. So they have to go, but how?

Let’s avoid torturing, poisoning, killing, or freaking ’em out. No torture, no death, and NO cost.

Look, I’ve got mice all over my kitchen countertops and in my cabinets and even in my toaster. I'm doing this tonight:

Mice walk into tube, fall into can.

“This ingeniously simple mouse trap really works. Thank you!”

UPDATE: I’ve now caught four mice this week, three the first two days, and haven’t seen any traces of new mice activity around my kitchen or elsewhere.

They’re really cute and sentient [feeling] and freaked out. I kinda like ’em. I don’t get this whole attitude of “exterminate/poison my own house.” It’s expensive, it’s aggressive, it’s stupid, and it’s bad for ME, too. This is way easier.

This query was sent to the Shambhala Buddhist community:

• If you have experience removing mice from your building in a sane and compassionate way, please send your thoughts. ~ Thank you, Noah

Many replies, many compassionate solutions

I just caught three mice the humane way for catch and release. (See below for photos).

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Need a monkey? Use a monkey trap.

Hi, Noah. If you can find where these little beings are entering your dwelling, you can block the entry with a spray foam product: "Great Stuff: Insulating Foam Sealant." You’ll need to reinforce the foam with some steel wool, however — otherwise they can chew their way back in. ~ Cheers, Mike

Dear Noah, et al., here at the Halifax Shambhala Centre, and also in my flat [apartment], we use the high-pitched frequency sound producers that plug into electrical outlets in all rooms. They are sold at hardware stores [about $20]. It takes about a month for them to move elsewhere, but the mice seem to hate it so much they do leave – and new ones just pass through very briefly. ~ Cheers, David

Mice are smart, kind, but reproduce too much

I’ve used cheap, simple Have a Heart-style traps I found on ebay.com by searching ‘mouse trap’… I put a little peanut butter inside, then let the mice go [catch here and release elsewhere] a few blocks away in a park. I haven’t had mice now for six months, and I used to have a ton of them, eating stuff on counters and pooping everywhere.

[Fear] And their poop is supposed to be awful. Some sort of disease is related to it. Would love to hear from others on what they’ve done, so I can share with our readers who want to be compassionate when it comes to this common problem. ~Yours, Way

Everyone, until we plugged in our high frequency sound repeller thing, we used the Have-a-Heart traps successfully. However, here in the Haight Ashbury [neighborhood of San Francisco] the mice prefer organic crumbly feta over organic crunchy peanut butter. (Your mice may vary). ~ Sean

I have used the “[ultra-high frequency] sound” [no sound to you] device also, but find a product called Shake Away which you can get online. This is an organic repellent of bobcat and fox urine. No odor to you. You place it in the holes they come in. Under conditions of snow and rain it is best sprinkled around the perimeter of the building. It works well and is not harmful to anyone.

• Don't kill, repel animal pests the easy way

I use the number online to order direct, which saves money for me but may be a moot point for you as you will have it shipped to Canada. Perhaps, in Canada there is a product made there. Humane collection of the urine is assured.

Make sure all food products or any other attractive mice materials are not available, i.e., good housekeeping practices. The shake away is not harmful to us or pets, and I have read the sound [device] does not harm pets or animals. I have one in my chicken coop with no effect on the birds. ~ Cheers, Merle

Concluding advice: I find marching around with a flute gets them to follow me and then I can lead them out the door. ~ Yours, Chris Easy. It's a free, humane method, and they don’t die of fright.

Cats are great, but not if you like mice/rats. (You know folks have rodents as pets. They’re smart, sweet, and can do as many tricks as dogs)… Cats also have issues with destroying birds if they’re outside, and they may not be fully happy living inside only, but that’s another question others will know more about.

Don't worry. You're about to be released into wild

Anyways, this is what I do: …paper towel roll or brown bag, peanut butter or something on one end, half off the counter over a (tall) trash can. They fall, get the peanut butter and something to hide in, you put the lid on, walk/bike/take them to nature/a park or put ’em outside as you would with humane traps, yay!

I have to do this somewhat regularly, but it keeps them out of the house for weeks on end and prevents them from making a mouse hotel in the basement or whatever. (They can’t settle in). They’re cute, so don’t kill ’em! ~ Metta

Bonus: From an expert: Creative Ways to Drive Out Mice. More ideas and photos: Ban Glue Traps: Here’s an Easy Alternative. via Imgur, Reddit: This f'ing ingeniously simple mouse trap really works. Thank you, Reddit! More

Compiled by Waylon Lewis, founder of Elephant Journal and how of Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis. He is a first-generation American Buddhist "Dharma Brat." Voted #1 in U.S.... BIO

• Mice Problem? The ‘Buddhist Solution.’ | elephant journal