Day one
I awoke early in the morning about 3:00 A.M. to the sound of stirring above the drop ceiling in our basement bathroom, the weather-had turn cold and had driven something into our warm home. We have lived in the same house for more than thirty years and have had only one mouse get in during the first few years that we occupied the house, so I was surprised. As I do most of the work or had in the past, I was sure that there were no openings that a mouse could get through but apparently I was wrong. Our parents live upstairs on the main floor and we no occupy the basement.
Over the years we have on two occasions a squirrel came down the chimney and at that time with a cat in the house it caused quite a sene with the cat guarding the fire place and the squirrel starring back through the screen. Before it was out the door, the squirrel ran down the hall and into the bedroom, bounced off the wall and then returned to the front of the house and out the front door.
The second squirrel came down the chimney after we had an evening fire or maybe during the fire. The next morning we could hear him in the chimney and he did not sound too good. Later in the day it got quite and I knew that something had to be done. Chimneys' have a space behind the flue to prevent rain water from entering the fireplace and I assumed that must be where he was, dead I hoped. I put on a glove and tried to see if I could get my arm up and through the flue opening. After twisting and turning my arm, I manage to get my elbow up above the flue, now to find the squirrel. I was not sure if he was dead, but at least he was not moving.
Back to the mouse, we found mice droppings in the upstairs kitchen and a box in the pantry behind the stairs that had been chewed into. He had found his food supply. After cleaning up the mess all agreed that something had to done immediately. So off to the closest store to find a mouse trap. Do you know how hard it is to find a mouse trap today, after checking four stores I finely located a package of two old fashion spring loaded mouse traps?
That night I set one in the kitchen loaded with fresh cheese and another above the drop ceiling in the basement bathroom.
Day two
I awoke again early in the morning to the same sounds and was eager to see if we had trapped the mouse, no luck, he ignored the cheese and went for the bag of potato chips in the pantry. Mouse droppings now left a trail down the steps and toward the washer and dryer located under the steps. After cleaning up the mess again, it was decided that a more serious plan had to be developed. Dad mentioned that the liked bacon better than cheese so that would be the bait for night. I stuffed a sheet under the basement door and set the trap at the top of the stairs. I had rebuilt the stairs and have not gotten around to painting them so the wood is unfinished but clean.
Day Three
About 1:30 in the morning I heard a loud noise on the steps and I relaxed knowing that I had succeeded and won the battle. The next morning I was in shock, no mouse just blood about half way down the steps, soaked into the fresh new wood. After about an hour of scrubbing and cleaning the search was on. I had to find that mouse. Two hours of search with mirror and flashlight into every nook cranny and hole I could find would produce no mouse. The basement got a thorough cleaning that day. The only sign that I could find was a drain pipe that had the dust wiped clean in one spot at the furnace. We had the furnace replaced the year before and I could see completely around it and even with a mirror I was able to check under the tub in the adjacent bathroom. Now we had a different problem with a possible dead mouse to start smelling. Just to be sure that he was dead, I set the trap again at the top of the stairs and blocked the space under the door.
Day Four
All was quite, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, where is that mouse? Well I gave up for now and sat down and wrote this article. If the story develops or we start smelling the mouse, I will edit the story.
Day Five
The mouse survived! Last night at the dinner table I prayed that the mouse would not smell, well the prayer was answered, he apparently recovered after a day of rest and is as active as ever.
Yesterday Anthony came by for our scheduled filter changes and check out the new furnace, I shared about the mouse, and he told about his father having horses and when they would move the hay in the barn the mice would run everywhere. Badger, I believe that is what he called is cat, would have a time chasing them. He was getting out the Gravely, I assumed to be a tractor, which I found out more about on the internet, php.iupui.edu/~harrold/Gravely/tractor.html. He spotted a mouse under it and yelled for Badger to come, as he moved the Gravely, Badger jumped on the mouse which was huge, more like a rat. Badger was bit on the lip and let go with only a wimp.
Before we turned in for the night we decided not to take a chance and go ahead and block the space under the upstairs door again. I assume that the mouse, if still alive would not be able to climb the stairs so I set the trap behind the washer in the basement. A little after midnight my wife placed her hand on my chest and said, did you hear that! Yes I hear the mouse above the ceiling stirring around again, he seemed very much alive. In the morning I found one mouse drop on the sheet that I used under the door and the trap was empty.
The best I can tell he must have been on top of the trap when it tripped two days ago and it threw him up against the upright corner of the hand rail on the stairs. This would explain the blood splatters on the first step down with none on the trap or on the top step. That must have been quite a ride. I believe that he is wise to the trap and I will have to find a different type or maybe some poison.
Day Six
This morning was quite, and there were no signs that the mouse had been stirring around during the night. Last night, I placed four of those sticky traps, two spring loaded traps and crammed the sheet under the upstairs door again. I doubt that he has left and I think that he may still be very much alive. Now this has become a test between man and mouse, the score is man = 1, mouse = 0. He apparently decided that the stairs are blocked and his food supply has been cut off. He has learned about those spring loaded traps. He must be just laying low and waiting for me to give up. Of course there is always the possibly he has left, though I don't know how. We live in a brick home that is quite tight and I know of all the outside openings that have been made over the years and have checked them to be sure that they are still plugged. I will give him a few more days before giving up.
Our parents are ninety and ninety three, they both get around fine but Dad seldom goes out. They attend church on Sunday morning by watching TV. We had gone to church and just before it was time to start, I received a frantic call from Mom. They had just finished breakfast and she was straightening up the pillows on the built-in bench at the end of the small eating area at the end of the kitchen. She told me in a strong voice to come home as soon as church was over and take care of this rat! She was in her chair and would not be moving until I got there.
It was hiding in the pillows, apparently during the movie the wife and I were watching, the mouse or rat went up the steps and into the kitchen and hid. After the movie I blocked off the door at the top of the stairs and went to bed.
I got the whole story when I arrived, Mom said it was the size of a squirrel and it jumped off the bench when she moved the pillows and ran into the living room, around the corner toward the TV console. I checked everywhere, and could not find a thing, not even droppings. I don't think he has had anything to eat in at least three days. By now we have placed all food into plastic containers, microwave, oven and the refrigerator. I shuffled all the traps around, placing two upstairs and four down stairs and baited them with peanut butter. Phil, my son-in-law, said that was the best bait. Now we just wait again and the score is man.