Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I tried every trick in the book for these damn mice and the only trick that worked a year ago that got rid of most of em were mice poison.The problem with the mice poison is that they die in my house and they begin to rot and that stinks up my house so i wont be doin that again.The question is can i use my ball python as a predator to eat off these pest?Or are these mice bad for my snake.Oh yea i almost forgot i live in new york.

I wouldn't use them.

DragonDavy

Oh boy.

I was serious when i sed that these mice were driving me crazy.They are getting overpopulated and are even eating my clothes.The exterminator cant even do anything!

Get a cat!

as long as you keep your home at 80-85 degrees and have snake access to all the cuboards and closets and all...yes you can let balls run the house eating mice for you.....

of course the snakes will deposits urates and defecates all over the place from time to time...

of course the snakes will have access to knocking stuff off of everything like shelves and all......

of course the snakes will peobably catch pinworms and tapeworms within a meal or two......

....but yes.....you can do it......

*(actually had a guy I knew that had like 50 snakes running all over his apartment...big black rats ,waters,red sided gartes(bred and dropped babies in the apartment too).....but yes.....defecates all over the place and germs from feeding mice and fishes on the carpet.......and yes they got into and under everything.....one would watch TV with them ....big 6' 6" black.....male.......)
(should have heard the rumble when he made a cup of coffee in the micro-wave oven and found a 3 foot water inside getting zapped *(back on unit).........

..........do not try this at home........

*(he then got rid of snakes and had rats running the house........duuuuuuuuuh.........).........I bet they loved him at the VA hospital too.........

.........

people.........hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Alright Juan...
Here's what ya do.
1. Go to a store. Get mouse traps. Set them where you see evidence of the mice. Wait. Collect mouse carcases. Dispose of the carcases in a trash receptacle. Repeat as needed.
2. Find a nice snake person to adopt your snake so as to keep it from being used as your exterminator or who knows what else. Maybe you should try a goldfish?
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annjaret

"When I die, I want to come back as one of my animals."
0.2 Cats - Cordelia and Chloe
1.0 Dog - Jake R.I.P. I miss you little buddy.
1.0 Leopard gecko - Joey
1.1 Ball Pythons - Niame and Nala
0.0.1 Snow Corn - Gandalf
1.0 Aberrant Cali Kingsnake - Cicero
1.0 Husband - Shaun
(Not always in that order...but sometimes)

Hey Juan, if you care about your snake, do not do it. wild mice may have just eaten decon in the next appartment. They also carry all kinds of diseases. Best thing you can do is get out of there, but if you really cannot, get two male barn cats. They should do the job for you. Andy

A single cat is a wonderful idea. After all, they are the expert mousers. And I'm sure they'll cut down on many other pest populations. My step-father has a female cat that often wanders around the basement. Many times it has killed various non-venomous snakes -- sometimes once per week. (He owns a lot of wooded property.)

The thing that makes them such wonderful mousers is that they actually seem to enjoy it. A mouse is a toy to swat around and chase. The more mice you have, the happier your cat will be.

Chris
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"I don't know about you...but I find comfort in that." -- Cowboy

Don't let the snake free, it won't do anything to get rid of the mice anyway. Even a full grown ball python wouldn't put a dent in the population of mice. It may eat 2-5 a week, but giving an average mouse litter is around 8, there will still be more mice than the snake can eat.

Also, since you have already laid out poison, you have a higher chance of poisoning your snake. Any mouse that it eats could have eaten enough poison to kill it and the snake.

Best thing to do is get alot of mouse traps and set them all over your place where mice feces can be found. Check them once to twice a day and replace as needed. Seal any cracks, holes, openings and spaces large enough for a mouse to get through or chew around to make bigger. Use steel wool in places you can't seal with plaster, wood etc. If you see mice running around often enough, get a long strong stick and use it wack and poke mice to death. A corned mouse can be knocked unconscious or outright killed with a poke from a stick towards their head/neck area with about as much force you would use to break in pool or snooker.

Lastly, seal any grain based foods in tight plastic or glass containers. This includes all cerial, bread, pasta, oatmeal, crackers, cookies etc. Pretty much if it's not in the fridge/freezer or cans/glass, seal it. Keep the house clean as well. Don't leave uneaten food and dirty dishes lying around, vacuum/sweep up crumbs etc. If you live in an apartment complex, get your neighbours to take the same precautions and if all are diligent, eventually the mouse problem will be solved. You can also complain ot the land lord about the infestation.

Out of curiousity, why did the exterminator say he couldn't do anything?

Thanks everyone for the input.The exterminator didnt say he couldnt do anything but within a week after he came the mouses were back.My House is kept clean but its that the lady that lives in the basment is a pig.I wasnt gonna put te snake around until i got the problems that the snake could run into.I really love my snake i had him for two years since oct 3.I would have tried to get a cat a long time ago but unfortuntly i am alergic to cats and dogs.

The problem deffinitely would be due to the lady in the basement. If mice are breeding in her apartment, that is where they keep coming from. The only way you can get rid of them completely is to ensure no mice get into your place (assuming they are not in the crawls paces and just chewing new entrances into your home. If you own the house, have the exterminator do her place as well. If you don't own the house, complain to the land lord to exterminate the entire place. If he won't do it, complain to health commitee. Wild mice can carry disease, that can be transmitted to humans.
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PHLdyPayne

mouse traps are a lot cheaper than a cat...

Troll. *PLONK*
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

I like mouse traps better than cats. A mouse trap leaves you all of the mouse instead of half of it.

I have been releasing ball pythons in my home for years now to cure my mouse problem. The are excellent and I have yet to see a mouse in my house. I found the Spider balls and the Mojave's are the best at finding them too. Everything the ball pythons don't get, the variety of free roaming Bitis and Naja always seem to make up for it. Only problem is I live in Illinois so I need to go around in the winter and collect all the frozen snakes in my basement if the O. hannah hasn't found them before I do. At least I don't have mice.