Flickr photo by dimodi
No one ever wants to admit that they have ever had a mouse problem...yet everyone has a mouse (or worse, rat) horror story. And since now is the time that mice will start migrating into your (or "your friend's") home in order to stay cozy through the cold months, we think it's high time we've addressed the issue. We'll be posting the top expert-tested solutions for getting rid of mice on Friday. Until then, let's do a little "mental cleaning" by sharing our worst mouse/rat horror stories.
To get you started, here's one from a best-selling author and a bunch from the Stylelist/Stylelist Home staff. Want to share yours? Simply click "Add a slide" with a pic of where the sighting took place...or share with us in the comments section. And if you want to get really fancy, contribute your story via twitter with the tag #MouseOfHorrors
Share away!
What's Your Worst Mouse/Rat Encounter?
Rat in the Shower Head(01 of11)
[The plumber said] "Vermin sometimes climb up into the plumbing and get trapped in the shower head." Which meant I may have been showering, may still be showering, may someday be showering with piping-hot water filtered through a dead rat, without even knowing it. [...]These things happen to people 'all the time,' the plumber said.- Augusten Burroughs, from 'Magical Thinking'Flickr photo by gcfairch
Stepped on a Rat(02 of11)
During my freshman year at Barnard, I was crossing Broadway in a snowstorm and as I put my right foot down, a gigantic rat ran under it. I froze for a minute in disbelief, and when I lifted my foot he just ran away, completely unscathed.-Anya Strzemien, Editor-in-Chief, Stylelist, Stylelist HomeFlickr photo by jason_burmeister
Mice in the Cabinet(03 of11)
My roommate and I are were having a quiet dinner when we heard some tapping noises coming from the cabinet above the stove. You shouldve seen the looks of pure horror on our faces. We knew immediately what was wrong and opened the cabinet to find tons of mouse droppings and an entirely eaten bag of macaroons (coconut). We threw away everything and laid out those awful sticky traps with peanut butter. Whenever a boy was over my room mate and I would make them check "the mouse cabinet." Alas, one day a male friend discovered the rodent and we screamed like babies.-Sarah St. Lifer, Associate Editor, StylelistFlickr photo by sskennel
Rats in the Wall(04 of11)
I lived in an apartment 2 years ago where I would hear knocking, gnawing, and what I think was cracking nuts inside the walls behind my headboard. My ex-boyfriend was convinced that it was squirrels but my best friend astutely pointed out to me..."Dickson, if there are squirrels in your walls, why would your landlord climb through that barely covered hole to the rooftop and put out peanut butter for them? You have rats."-Dickson Wong, Deputy Editor, Stylelist HomeFlickr photo by andybutkaj
Mouse in the Paint Can(05 of11)
I was helping a friend of mine re-paint his apartment back to its original color before moving out. It was an act which already ranked pretty high on the "Why did I agree to do this?" scale. An afternoon passes, we've nearly used all the paint in the (old) bucket. When we pour the remainder out into the pan...a dead mouse slowly slides out. Have you ever been so horrified that no sound will leave your mouth, instead you dumbly gaze at the unspeakable thing before your eyes? That was my reaction. To this day, my life is defined by everything leading to and following that moment. The moment when I saw a paint-drowned mouse ooze out of a can.-Brie Dyas, Editor, Stylelist HomeFlickr photo by Daniel R Blume
Three not-so-blind mice!(06 of11)
Mom was horrified to find these three mice in a coffee can, happily munching on seeds for her bird feeders. She covered the can with a lid, took the mice outside and turned them loose under a honeysuckle bush.The next morning, the same three mice and another trip to the honeysuckle bush. Talk about Déjà vu! This has been going on every morning for over a month now. I believe she has named them.Scary. :/
World's Smartest Mouse(07 of11)
We laid a sticky trap in our crawl space to capture a noisy one. He/she took bits of the fiberglass insulation to make a path to the peanut butter in the middle. And not once but TWICE! In the end it took vast quantities of poison to do him in.
Vengeful mice(08 of11)
It was snowing, so my kids & I had all of our winter shoes out in the mud room. I had put out d con trays to kill the mice that had gotten in the mud room & made their way up into the walls. Before stuffing the holes in the walls I had found mice in my daugthers dresser, on the floor, on my window sill above my head (live) & various other places. So we stuffed the holes & put the dcon out. The next morning I come out to find the tray of dcon gone..GREAT!! Not so great...they had taken all of the dcon out of the tray & put it in ALL of our shoes!!! They also took the fuzzy insides of my boots out to make a nest!! My mice tried to poison us back!!
Mouse breaks snakes out of cage''(09 of11)
Mouse talked his way out of being eaten by making a deal with my two pet snakes '' To bust them out would be the only answer''
Mouse makes deal to live with to large hungry pet snakes!(10 of11)
A Mouse was going to be lunch for one of two of my very hungry snakes''But the only thing that could have saved him? Was to make a deal ''Dont eat me ' and I will bust you two snakes out for a life of freedom. And the Mouse did!!! He chomped out a hole in screen so all could be free.''
my cats early Christmas present to me (11 of11)
Denise Guzzardo:
my cat came up to the bedroom a couple of weeks ago to give me a Good Morning hello..I was asleep and I felt what I thought was her face in my open upturned palm....Uh nooo She gave me an early Christmas present..a warm dead mouse dropped in my hand...Good Morning Mommy..Of course the mouse hit the wall and I told Lyle you find IT!!! LOL Im not looking for my new little friend...ugh
my cat came up to the bedroom a couple of weeks ago to give me a Good Morning hello..I was asleep and I felt what I thought was her face in my open upturned palm....Uh nooo She gave me an early Christmas present..a warm dead mouse dropped in my hand...Good Morning Mommy..Of course the mouse hit the wall and I told Lyle you find IT!!! LOL Im not looking for my new little friend...ugh