Mouse In The House? Testing 7 Ways To Get Rid Of Rodents (PHOTOS) | HuffPost Life

PHOTOS: Mouse In The House? We've Tested 7 Ways To Get Rid Of It

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Flickr photo by twoshortplanks

As we geared up for our guide to getting rid of mice, we asked you for your awful rodent stories. (Because seriously, you're not alone.) We got a great response, but our favorite is the story of how a mouse made a nest in a car's glove compartment.

Now to the good part: We had a self-proclaimed "mouse-ologist" test the top seven ways to get rid of mice. This expert is more of a casual one, having reportedly seen at least a dozen mice during their tenure as a college resident advisor. The tester, along with their college, will remain anonymous.

These solutions are for those who can't exactly afford an exterminator, or need temporary relief before an exterminator shows up. If you have a serious rodent issue, we highly suggest finding a good one in your neighborhood. Further precautions for getting rid of mice include plugging up any wall openings with steel wool and sealing any small cracks with caulk.

So what worked and what didn't? Click through the slideshow to find out.

Testing 7 Ways To Get Rid Of Mice(CLONED)

The Bait: Pistachios (01 of07)

A friend of mine worked at a concession stand that was fancy enough to have pistachios. And not to gross you out, but a mouse once got into a stored-away bag, leaving nothing but shells behind. Terrible. But I thought this would be a logical bait to try. I ground up a few and left them on the trap. When I checked in, I found something odd: The pistachios were gone, but there wasn't a mouse in the trap. Did I have ghost mice? The verdict: Mice like pistachios, but maybe it's better to use a pistachio paste. Inconclusive.Flickr Photo by zanastardust

The Bait: Chocolate(02 of07)

I had a few squares around and figured, hey, why not. This was unfortunately a gruesome test for me. When I came back to check on the trap, I found a mouse, still living, with its tail caught in the trap. And even worse, the chocolate was covered in ants. The verdict: Too gross, don't try it.Flickr Photo by John Loo

The Bait: Chocolate Candies(03 of07)

Before I had discovered the unpleasant results of using chocolate as bait, I also decided to try chocolate candies. This result wasn't as gross as plain chocolate, though. But it was weird, like the pistachio attempt. When I came back to the trap, there wasn't a trace of the candies anywhere, yet there was no mouse in the trap. The verdict: Don't bother. Flickr Photo by Alexandre Duret-Lutz

The Bait: Cheese(04 of07)

What, you've never seen a Tom & Jerry cartoon before? Mice love cheese, right? OK, I know this was going to be silly, but I was curious anyway. I baited the trap with a cube of cheddar and waited. Looks like only cartoon mice love cheese, because the cube just got dried-up and old from being ignored. The verdict: Don't bother.Flickr Photo by Anne Hornyak

The Bait: Soda (05 of07)

This was dubious anyway, because the "logic" (if you can call it that) is based around mice passing gas. Allegedly, mice can't burp or pass gas, therefore they will explode if they drink something, well, gassy. I left out soda and waited for tiny fireworks. They never happened. The verdict: Don't even try it.Flickr Photo by Wojciech Kulicki

The Bait: Peanut Butter (06 of07)

Peanut butter is what my father always used in our mouse traps, so it didn't surprise me that it was an effective bait. Did it make the underground rec room smell of PB sandwiches? Yes. But it also enticed mice. The verdict: It works.Flickr Photo by Dr Stephen Dann

The Bait: Peanut Butter And Birdseed (07 of07)

If peanut butter works fine, this works brilliantly. I got this idea because a. I saw a comment on the original mouse post about how mice couldn't keep away from a homeowner's birdseed stash and b. birdseed alone wouldn't stick to the trap. So I made a paste of birdseed and a little bit of peanut butter...and really, it was only moments later that I heard the telltale SNAP of the mousetrap. The verdict: This is the best bait.Flickr Photo by Glen Edelson

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