What do mice eat and where do they eat it?

[meirman]

I've had mice on and off for a while and noticed that they liked grain
and grain products, but pretty much ignored anything I had with sugar
in it.

A couple weeks before Halloween, I decided to buy candy early, and so
I wouldn't eat it, I put it on the floor of the dining room, among
some other junk. I had bought two bags of miniature candy bars,
Snickers (or something similar) and one other, maybe Peanut Butter
Cups. Probably 15 or 20 or so miniatures in each bag. They were in a
plastic grocery bag.

The morning of Halloween, I pulled the grocery bag out of the stuff,
and the two bags were inside, but they were open and there was nothing
in either of them!

In the weeks that have followed, I have found two miniature wrappers,
in the basement, two locations about 6 feet apart. There are still
places I haven't looked, but.... am I to believe that the mouse
removed the candy bars and didn't unwrap them until he got to the
basement? I thought normally they unwrapped the food where it was
and ate it there. And why have I only found two wrappers out of 30 or
40?

BTW, I still had time to get more candy before the kids came.)

Meirman

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[b***@bugs.com]

Post by meirman
I've had mice on and off for a while and noticed that they liked grain
and grain products, but pretty much ignored anything I had with sugar
in it.
A couple weeks before Halloween, I decided to buy candy early, and so
I wouldn't eat it, I put it on the floor of the dining room, among
some other junk. I had bought two bags of miniature candy bars,
Snickers (or something similar) and one other, maybe Peanut Butter
Cups. Probably 15 or 20 or so miniatures in each bag. They were in a
plastic grocery bag.
The morning of Halloween, I pulled the grocery bag out of the stuff,
and the two bags were inside, but they were open and there was nothing
in either of them!
In the weeks that have followed, I have found two miniature wrappers,
in the basement, two locations about 6 feet apart. There are still
places I haven't looked, but.... am I to believe that the mouse
removed the candy bars and didn't unwrap them until he got to the
basement? I thought normally they unwrapped the food where it was
and ate it there. And why have I only found two wrappers out of 30 or
40?

I would say they have eaten the candy and taken the wrappers to make a nest
or nests with, that is why you have not seen anymore wrappers than you have.
I would bet someday you will move something and BAM there they will be
several old wrappers bundled together full of droppings. They probably took
several days to do this as well, I doubt very much that they walked away
with the candy still wrapped in the wrappers, but I am sure stranger things
have happened. I suppose if they had a large enough space to move the piece
of candy around in they could have pulled it into the basement still
wrapped, but my money would be on them eating the candy and taking the
wrapper with them empty.

Got more candy for the kids...good for you!

[John]

Post by meirman
BTW, I still had time to get more candy before the kids came.)
Meirman

I’d forget the candy and worry more about the health risks and possible
serious damage the mice will cause to your home.
Mice my look cute and act cute but believe me, the little blighters can
carry a heavy punch.

John

[Lar]

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 02:08:27 -0500, meirman <***@invalid.com>
wrote:

:) There are still
:) places I haven't looked, but.... am I to believe that the mouse
:) removed the candy bars and didn't unwrap them until he got to the
:) basement? I thought normally they unwrapped the food where it was
:) and ate it there. And why have I only found two wrappers out of 30 or
:) 40?
The pest being a rat(s) is also a possibility, they sometimes will
carry off their bounty.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!


Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

[Amy D]

Post by Lar
:) There are still
:) places I haven't looked, but.... am I to believe that the mouse
:) removed the candy bars and didn't unwrap them until he got to the
:) basement? I thought normally they unwrapped the food where it was
:) and ate it there. And why have I only found two wrappers out of 30 or
:) 40?
The pest being a rat(s) is also a possibility, they sometimes will
carry off their bounty.
Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!
Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

A couple of years ago I had either a rat or a squirrel chew THROUGH my
cupboard wall and take packages of "country gravy mix". I found one
stuck in the hole that apparently he couldn't get pulled all the way
through. Of course, my husband was out on the road and my dad was in
Nebraska and I was flipping out....and they told me to put out some rat
bait. I said NO WAY....I don't want the thing dying in the walls and
stinking. My dad reassured me he would take it back to his
"home"....which he assumed was a hole in the ground. I said, "What if
his home is in my walls??"....Anyway, I cleared out the entire cupboard
and set up an arsenal of rat traps. There was not an INCH he could move
if he poked his head out of that hole without getting slammed. <I had
considered glue traps but had nightmares about a rat running around my
house trying to whack the glue traps off his feet>... No luck....the
bait was gone every day and no critter. I finally got ticked off and
stuck bait down in the hole. <Oh, in his ventures of stealing bait he
would kick the insulation back up in the hole trying to cover his
tracks>. Guess what, the freaking critter DIED in my walls or floor
somewhere. My kitchen reeked with that dead smell for months. My
husband tore out walls and floor and we never found the carcass....We
had HUGE flies for awhile....I just knew they probably came from maggots
feeding on dead rat.....

Yay....just love critters in the wall...now I have a cat that leaves
dead rats in the carport.
amy

[Bob]

Amy, I'm glad you had a nice outcome from your experience. Just think
how many you would have now, if they were left to multiply. Sometimes
you just can't depend on them going outside to die.

GOD BLESS THE USA
Member of IPCO- International Pest Control Operators
Public message board- http://www.ipconetwork.org/fmb/cboard.mv