I just moved into an old farm house that I have discovered is inhabited my mice and I think rats HELP?

I am strapped for cash and exterminators cost alot so trying to do this on my own for now....I just moved into an old farm house that I have discovered is inhabited my mice and I think rats HELP?
Yoy need to do a couple of things. get traps and put them in cupboards and by base boards especially where you see signs of vermin such as dropping, chewed flooring, baseboards etc., nest materials, etc., etc..





I find peanut butter is about the best bait there is.





Cats are good defense against rats and mice but you will have to allow them on counters and table tops as well as in cupboards in order to do their job. Many people would have a problem with this. Poisons are effective but if you have cats you could poison them if they eat a poisoned mouse or rat (this is also true of wildlife-if a hawk or other animal eats a poisoned rat they will get sick and probably die). So I stay away from poison baits. not to mention if you have kids or pets they can and do get into such things and get very sick.





You need to check the perimeter of your house for holes that a mouse or rat can get through. Rats can get through a hole the size of a quarter, mice can get through smaller openings. Any you find you can temporarily block using steel wool-just stuff it into the hole. They cannot chew through it and if they try they get a tummy ache. permanent solutions would be cover all holes with a material they cannot chew through such as metal. if you don't do this step the rats and mice will continue to come into your house all year round and you will never be able to get them under control. This is VERY IMPORTANT





It is not expensive to control vermin in your house-you should spend no more than $50 (mostly for traps). But it will take you most of a day to secure the house from invading forces (which this is the time of year these critters want to come inside and use your heat and food to get through winter). And you will have to set and empty traps dailyI just moved into an old farm house that I have discovered is inhabited my mice and I think rats HELP?
Traps and poison. Studies have shown that while cats and dogs are excellent for preventing infestations, they do little for a house that is already infested, and cat and dog food is especially good food for rats and mice as well. You will find that with winter coming on more and more pests will be coming inside so your best defense is to try to locate their entrance holes and block them. In the case of vents cover them with hardware cloth, wire mesh, not regular screen. A rat can and will chew a hole through window screen in a few minutes. Check around drains and pipes, holes in roof soffits, vents or siding. A rat can squeeze through a pretty small hole and, of course, a mouse can take advantage of an even smaller entrance.
Hi Big Mac


Contact Cats Protection and give a home to some rescue cats. They will ensure the rodent problem is addressed. It would be nice having moggies around your old farm house.


Good luck and best wishes.
I have found that well placed moth balls work pretty well. Put 1 or 2 near every opening (small hole) along the wall and floor line. Even right inside the holes.





The down side is, moth balls stink.
You need cats to get rid of the rats.