The morality of killing mice

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Drew99GT

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What do you think? I have a mouse infestation in my garage; they've been eating the bird seed. I got that all cleaned up and in sealed containers, but there's mice EVERYWHERE.

So I bought a bunch of the regular old snap traps and am catching about 1 mouse/hour. It's pretty bad and I feel immoral and disgusted for having to do it. Most of the kills have been clean, but one was still very much alive and suffering, so I quick killed him so he wouldn't suffer anymore.

What do you guys think? I could use the live traps, but they are a royal PITA, and the mice breed worse then rabbits.

I love all animals so much, but I don't want mouse feces, urine, and various diseases all over my house! They're only in the garage as far as I can tell. My cat would let me know if they were in the house.

Thoughts? I guess I'm a big wussy.
 
Actually, a snap-trap is probably more humane than what Kitty would do if he/she caught one. From what I've heard, cats can be downright sadistic to some of their kills.

Bottom line, think of this as the animal kingdom, it's you or them.
 
I wrestle with this on occasion because I have to kill all sorts of animal "pests" at my work place. I never take it lightly and never consider it fun.

But where do you stop? Should you not kill flies,mosquitoes, or cockroaches? Is a "beautiful" deer that destroys crops, landscape trees, and forest plantings to be considered different?

I get thrilled when I see a coyote in my suburban/rural area. The local farmers treat them like mice (especially when they kill a sheep worth many $$$$$).

Can we have a rational, adult discussion about this? Can someone put this in some perspective?


Drew....check your attic!!!!! They love to create tunnel cities in the insulation.
 
Without getting too religious in a morality thread, many believe stuff was put on this planet for a purpose. Vermin is here to annoy. You could also consider it target practice.

Mice are mammals and we feel a little more murderous sometimes than when we do in stuff that isn't cute and furry. They do look kind of innocent with their last expression frozen on their faces.

Killing them protects your family from nasty diseases like hanta virus and protects stuff like your cat food and pantry full of starches. They shred your insulation in your house making you buy more foreign oil, a national security issue.

I say
39.gif
no mercy.
 
The Acurazine forum has many posts about mice consuming the insulation on the knock sensor wire on third generation Acura TLs. Apparently the replacement sensor is inexpensive but the installation is tedious.
 
Also not trying to get too far into R territory, the R's that have a say about these things tend to put different weights on the various forms. The pests have a low value.

Now, that said, I have the same feelings about not wanting to kill. I believe the mice will go away when they figure out the feed is gone. We had the same problem, rats attracted by corn meal for the lawn. They did stay around a while, but once we stashed the feed, and left the garage door open so that cats could nose around, the rats moved on.

There are stories of monastaries with termite infestations. They solved the problem by, variously, sending them thoughts asking them to move on, and (if/when that didn't work) introducing a less bothersome pest which would take care of them. The overall idea is still to tamper with nature as little as possible.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
*snip*

I say
39.gif
no mercy.


+1. don't beat yourself up about it. your family's health comes first.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Try this:

http://www.electronicpestrepeller.com/


I have 3 of them in the garage. We had about 10 of them at our cabin. They don't work for squat!


I agree. I tried one and it did squat!

I don't believe in killing things unless there is a reason, but getting in the house is a reason.

John
 
Our cats present a trophy on a regular basis. One even proudly ran in with a squirrel as his catch of the day ..meowing in demand of his reward for a job well done.


Cats will tend to play with mice to death. It is animated entertainment for them.

I think mice are real cute, but there's no room in my house for them. I think the same way about squirrels. They are rats with better PR. If rats were running around like squirrels do, you would freak.

I take no pleasure in the killing of any animal, but you've gotta do what you gotta do.
 
Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels


There are stories of monastaries with termite infestations. They solved the problem by, variously, sending them thoughts asking them to move on, and (if/when that didn't work) introducing a less bothersome pest which would take care of them. The overall idea is still to tamper with nature as little as possible.


I spent a week in Bhutan earlier this year. Our guide literally would not harm a fly.

Someone in our group asked him what they would do if mosquitoes became a serious health hazard in a village.

He said that if it was a big enough problem they would hire Indians to get rid of the mosquitoes.
grin2.gif
 
Kill the mice. They're cute when they're in a glass tank on a pine shaving bed. Somehow the cuteness doesn't translate when they're running around the garage.

Now if they were endangered, like the Atlantic Beach mouse down in Florida and limited to a few patches of beach, it's a different story. Since they are super-common field mice, kill them dead.
 
At the trailer park, we kill everything, rats, Robbins, squirrels, you name, most get eaten, squirrels are delicious, grill them barbecue them. Rat isn't so tasty, but you do what you must.
 
Nothing wrong with questioning one's personal morality, ever...IMO. It sure makes me respect you, Drew! I've often thought about this subject, especially when younger...and especially in the military--where you do what you're trained to do, and deal with the questions and consequences later (and often you deal with it all alone).

However, like it or not, morality is often conditional--depending on the immediate circumstances one finds himself. The sacredness of life should always be a factor in our actions, but there are times when self protection trumps everything else. Dispatching a deadly snake, a deadly spider, an attacking animal, or an attacking person for that matter, makes for a moot point, if you shouldn't be around to debate the morality of it all later!

Today, I kill only those life forms that represent a danger to me, or those that potentially pose a problem--like roaches, spiders, mosquitoes, termites, and yes, even mice. I rarely act without conscience awareness, even for a bug. Issues of the sacredness of all life may compromise our morality, but we have to do what we have to do to protect ourselves. That's how I see it. BTW, I don't hunt animals,(since age 27 or so) nor am I a pacifist! I have some confidence in the concept of Karma too. :)
 
I live in the country... You wanna talk about mice, we have those, squirrels, rats, raccoons and possums... You name it they get into everything.... The garage, and the 2 sheds included... We feed all of them some poison and they happily go away and never come back.

We only have problem with them in the summer/early fall, then they are pretty much gone in the winter except the occasional mouse or two.

We don't have them in the house just around the house.... We do have cow pastures behind us so I would imagine that is where they come from. Either way we kill the pests and don't think twice.

Now the only time we do it is if they manage to break into something and make a mess. If they stay out we leave them alone... Just can't handle the mess they make.

Oh and the Dog likes to find the dead animals and bring them to the porch as trophies.
33.gif


Now that said... I don't think there is anything wrong with you questioning if it is right/wrong. I grew up that it was ok to eliminate pests such as these when necessary and so I leave it at that. It's ok if anyone wants to disagree.
 
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mouse poison is good. it will anticoagulate the blood, and the mouse will get a sudden massive headache and die. that way it keeps your hands clean. unless it dies in the garage, and then you have to pick it up and throw it out. make sure your dog doesn't eat the bait, or it will die too. if there is no more food, the mice will go elsewhere.

the question of morality: I checked the Bible, and there is nothing there about not killing mice, so you are o.k. :)
 
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