clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2020-12-26 11:32 am
clevermanka) wrote2020-12-26 11:32 am
Turns out I had roommates after all
Many thanks to write_out who listened to my entirely-too-long-and-detailed voice narration of this saga.
Last Saturday I heard a noise coming from the kitchen and I thought oh god, here we go because Landlord Melinda mentioned the fridge was old and to keep an eye on it. But when I went to the kitchen, it was definitely not the refrigerator. I stood next to it and listened and realized ohhh, no those are small, unwanted mammal sounds, coming from the (empty) cabinet above the microwave. I q-u-i-e-t-l-y pulled out the stepstool, got up on it, s-l-o-w-l-y opened the cabinet door, and this (fuckin’ adorable, tiny) gray mouse looked up from where it was vigorously chewing the edge of the hole where the microwave power cord goes into the wall. I mean, it stared at me as if *I* was the one intruding. For a good count of five we just looked at each other and then I was like okay, welp, and I closed the cabinet door so it could continue gnawing the particle board in peace.
I texted Landlord Melinda and was like UH BAD NEWS GOT MICE? To myhorror surprise she was all “oh yeah, mice, we get them here sometimes” and I was like no? “we” don’t??? But she's got a contract with one of the local pest control companies (the one I used to use, actually) and said she’d ask them to come out. She said she’d look for some traps they left last time (last?? time??) and bring them over the next day.
Before I went to bed, I pushed a metal scrubbing pad down into the hole.
Got the trap from her the next day (singular trap, one, because there is never more than one mouse) loaded it up with almond butter, set it, and hoped for the best. Less than two hours later I heard scurrying but no snap. So I repeated the previous performance with the step stool and this
happened.
Also this.
And then this.
Little fuckers were practically vogueing for the camera I swear to god. Look at that last one! Almost standing on the (emptied!) trap! Jesus Christ. The only reason the photos are blurry is I was laughing too hard to keep the phone steady.
Texted Landlord Melinda again like OKAY NEED BETTER TRAPS and she said the pest guy had been in touch and would be out the next afternoon (Monday). GREAT.
Two o’clock Monday rolls around and Pest Guy shows up right on time. It was deeply weird to have a stranger! in! my! house! but he was pretty cool. He actually trained the guy who used to be my regular contact back when I had a contract with the same company. So that was fun and could’ve been so much more awful. I’m convinced though that most pest control people think I’m off my rocker because I think mice are just REALLY CUTE OKAY and I tend to anthropomorphize them. A lot. But they are unwanted tenants and did not leave when politely asked and a girl’s gotta maintain her boundaries. He left me with five loaded traps—three in the cabinet, one by the fridge, and one just inside the garage door (where he suspects they got in).
Within a few hours one of the traps snapped shut so I texted him (as instructed, so he could come get it because that’s a service they provide you can see why I paid for this back when I could afford it—they’re great). Another one got caught early Tuesday, so he had two to dispose of. We kinda hoped that’d be it (two parents and maybe some pinkies in a nest?) but nope, heard another snap Wednesday morning. I told Pest Guy we’d got another but I just put it outside and he could come get it after the holiday (it’s cold enough it won’t start to rot and smell that way).
No more catches since then, so fingers crossed that's the end of them. After a week of no catches we can consider the area devoid of life and plug up the holes.
write_out who listened to my entirely-too-long-and-detailed voice narration of this saga.Last Saturday I heard a noise coming from the kitchen and I thought oh god, here we go because Landlord Melinda mentioned the fridge was old and to keep an eye on it. But when I went to the kitchen, it was definitely not the refrigerator. I stood next to it and listened and realized ohhh, no those are small, unwanted mammal sounds, coming from the (empty) cabinet above the microwave. I q-u-i-e-t-l-y pulled out the stepstool, got up on it, s-l-o-w-l-y opened the cabinet door, and this (fuckin’ adorable, tiny) gray mouse looked up from where it was vigorously chewing the edge of the hole where the microwave power cord goes into the wall. I mean, it stared at me as if *I* was the one intruding. For a good count of five we just looked at each other and then I was like okay, welp, and I closed the cabinet door so it could continue gnawing the particle board in peace.
I texted Landlord Melinda and was like UH BAD NEWS GOT MICE? To my
Before I went to bed, I pushed a metal scrubbing pad down into the hole.
Got the trap from her the next day (singular trap, one, because there is never more than one mouse) loaded it up with almond butter, set it, and hoped for the best. Less than two hours later I heard scurrying but no snap. So I repeated the previous performance with the step stool and this
happened.
Also this.
And then this.
Little fuckers were practically vogueing for the camera I swear to god. Look at that last one! Almost standing on the (emptied!) trap! Jesus Christ. The only reason the photos are blurry is I was laughing too hard to keep the phone steady.
Texted Landlord Melinda again like OKAY NEED BETTER TRAPS and she said the pest guy had been in touch and would be out the next afternoon (Monday). GREAT.
Two o’clock Monday rolls around and Pest Guy shows up right on time. It was deeply weird to have a stranger! in! my! house! but he was pretty cool. He actually trained the guy who used to be my regular contact back when I had a contract with the same company. So that was fun and could’ve been so much more awful. I’m convinced though that most pest control people think I’m off my rocker because I think mice are just REALLY CUTE OKAY and I tend to anthropomorphize them. A lot. But they are unwanted tenants and did not leave when politely asked and a girl’s gotta maintain her boundaries. He left me with five loaded traps—three in the cabinet, one by the fridge, and one just inside the garage door (where he suspects they got in).
Within a few hours one of the traps snapped shut so I texted him (as instructed, so he could come get it because that’s a service they provide you can see why I paid for this back when I could afford it—they’re great). Another one got caught early Tuesday, so he had two to dispose of. We kinda hoped that’d be it (two parents and maybe some pinkies in a nest?) but nope, heard another snap Wednesday morning. I told Pest Guy we’d got another but I just put it outside and he could come get it after the holiday (it’s cold enough it won’t start to rot and smell that way).
No more catches since then, so fingers crossed that's the end of them. After a week of no catches we can consider the area devoid of life and plug up the holes.