# Mouse on the boat?



## Pamlicotraveler (Aug 13, 2006)

So, I think it's a mouse - I hate to think it's a rat. 

I was sleeping last night and woke up to hear a rustling sound. Whenever I moved it stopped. Sounded like it was gnawing on something. I moved to the settee and waited, and eventually it would start back, maybe in the aft berth, but I couldn't figure out where the gnawing was coming from. I can't find any trace of where it's been or where it's hiding. No other signs of it anywhere, but I know something other than me is on this boat.

Has anybody had one on their boat and what did you do? I'm at dock now - not moving, so I guess I could put mouse poison in the bilge and under the floorboards, but I can't tell where the thing is. Ideas?


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

Can't imagine having a rodent in my boat and the consequences they leave behind, chewed on wires, hoses, leaving feces behind in areas you can't remove, eating any foods left in the boat... if you poison the vermin then you will be left with the stench and smell of a dead animal perhaps for possibly months.

My recommendation is to make it uncomfortable for it to remain in the boat... perhaps use a fogger or any chemicals used to remove vermin from homes, etc. Outside of bringing a cat on-board there really isn't an easy way to rid them from boats besides traps, etc.

For this reason we do not leave any foods in the boat that would give them reasons to look for crumbs, break into boxes of foods, etc. we clean the sole, galley, throw trash out each time we're out on the boat and carry any leftover foods home.

Good luck on the hunt.


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## Shockwave (Feb 4, 2014)

If your tied to a dock it's very possible to have an uninvited guest. Once aboard they can be tough to catch. Best to set traps.


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## captjcook (Sep 27, 2008)

Do not use poison ...they will hide and die in an inaccessible spot. Spring traps work, I caught two in two days a month ago when we had cool weather. The best bait ever is my pork bbq. My friend caught 1 a day for 7 days in his warehouse, I had given him some bbq and it was all he had to bait trap...
They were rats...little doubt mice will find it tasty, All my friends do!


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## SantaFeTrailer (Mar 1, 2016)

+1 on the cat or traps - they can get in some really inaccessible places to die when you poison them.


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## Pamlicotraveler (Aug 13, 2006)

Yeah, I guess it's traps, but I don't want to accidentally step on one.


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## newt (Mar 15, 2008)

for a different point of view- we did have a rat and used warfarin. It makes them extremely thirsty, and since we were in an area of fresh water we bet they would come out to the docks and they did. Eventually found the nest next to the water heater- it's cold in winter in the PNW. They did the most damage in our lockers in the cockpit- thank goodness they didn't get into the electronics. 
Kill it, kill it now and use whatever you need. In the future I just might (nerve)gas the cabin, but this worked.


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## Flint (Apr 13, 2014)

Load your traps with peanut butter. Then wrap 6 inches of sewing thread around the bait. Gives them something to struggle with when they take the bait.

:wink and don't cheap out with that Jif stuff, get Smoothy :wink


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Don't know how much time you spend on your boat in quiet times so forgive me for assuming incorrectly.

Freinds had what they thought was a "rustling noise" in their boat and spent hours stripping out lockers and hidden spaces trying to find the rodent.

What they were hearing was the ubiquitous sound of sea life under the boat - as they hadn't spent a lot of quiet time on their new boat, they were unfamiliar with these sounds.

This may be what you're hearing - it's actually quite rare (in my experience) to have rats/mice on leisure vessels -not enough food stuffs lying around.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Close all through hulls, lest the mouse/rat sink your boat. Shut off power if you can too. 

Peanut butter in the traps is best and remove other food if possible.

If you run your docklines and fender lines through a cheap plastic funnel, they can't climb aboard.

I had a mouse aboard once. He was aboard for about 8 hrs, took one bite out of nearly everything in the way of dry goods and was gone in the morning thanks to the ship's cat "Demon". 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk


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## uncle stinky bob (Feb 28, 2016)

I remember the size of the rats hanging around the water front when I was a kid. I think they came off all the log ships that came in to load. You would not want to send a house cat after one....maybe a bobcat. damn things were really freaking big.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Got rats aboard in Marathon. Found out when electrical systems began failing as they ate the wiring.
Killed 5 in one day with sticky traps but the last one seemed to learn from it's compatriots' misfortunes. Nothing worked!
Then I heard that getting rid of all potable water on the boat would drive them away, PDQ. So I poured bleach in the bilge and in 24 hours that dirty rat was gone. Kept the bilges bleached for as long as I was in the marinas in Marathon and Tavernier ("Hey, is there a tavern anywhere near here?"), and never had another rat aboard.
Now scorpions, they are another matter completely.


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## uncle stinky bob (Feb 28, 2016)

capta said:


> Got rats aboard in Marathon. Found out when electrical systems began failing as they ate the wiring.
> Killed 5 in one day with sticky traps but the last one seemed to learn from it's compatriots' misfortunes. Nothing worked!
> Then I heard that getting rid of all potable water on the boat would drive them away, PDQ. So I poured bleach in the bilge and in 24 hours that dirty rat was gone. Kept the bilges bleached for as long as I was in the marinas in Marathon and Tavernier ("Hey, is there a tavern anywhere near here?"), and never had another rat aboard.
> Now scorpions, they are another matter completely.


Thats an awesome tip on the bleach. scorpions....damn!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If mice (and it may not be), they make plastic spring traps that will easily grab the offender, but you can put your finger in and not get hurt. There is no reason for those old fashioned, wire, knuckle/toe busters. Peanut butter is definitely the trick. 

Be sure there is no other food or water available and put a couple around. You'll know if you have mice in a day or two.

If rats, just yell out that you are sinking. I hear they flee.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

Omatako said:


> Don't know how much time you spend on your boat in quiet times so forgive me for assuming incorrectly.
> 
> Freinds had what they thought was a "rustling noise" in their boat and spent hours stripping out lockers and hidden spaces trying to find the rodent.
> 
> ...


We routinely get a "welcoming committee" when we anchor in the salt pond at Block Island. I believe it is some form of shrimp that make a muffled clicking sound--reminds me of woodpeckers. It seems to be more prevalent at night.

I'm wondering if that is not a reminder that my bottom is growing food for these critters. It isn't barnacles, but maybe slime. Time to clean the bottom?


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Plus one on the peanut butter baited traps. I found chunky peanut butter was the most effective.

Gary


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

travlineasy said:


> Plus one on the peanut butter baited traps. I found chunky peanut butter was the most effective.
> 
> Gary


Use the life traps, they work just as well as those that break their necks. Release the critter somewhere in the woods (far from boats and houses) and let them live their little lives. I am no softy but why kill if not necessary?


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## gptyk (Mar 20, 2013)

MastUndSchotbruch said:


> Use the life traps, they work just as well as those that break their necks. Release the critter somewhere in the woods (far from boats and houses) and let them live their little lives. I am no softy but why kill if not necessary?


We get mice in the house sometimes. Once inside, the cat seems to think they're pets. Tried the humane traps once. Same mouse came back (released it 500 yds or so away from the house).

I killem now. Just wish the cat would too.


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## newt (Mar 15, 2008)

gptyk said:


> We get mice in the house sometimes. Once inside, the cat seems to think they're pets.


I got one of those too. LAME Cats! How come cats are efficient for about 2 years of their life and spend the rest of the time expecting three squares a day and all the softest pillows?


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## SantaFeTrailer (Mar 1, 2016)

Well of course it is, smooth peanut butter is gross.:laugh



travlineasy said:


> Plus one on the peanut butter baited traps. I found chunky peanut butter was the most effective.
> 
> Gary


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

MastUndSchotbruch said:


> Use the life traps, they work just as well as those that break their necks. Release the critter somewhere in the woods (far from boats and houses) and let them live their little lives. I am no softy but why kill if not necessary?


I toss the dead ones in the woods behind the house, and within a few hours, they're gone. We have lots of critters here that love to eat mice, owls, hawks and snakes do a number on them, but a good, outdoor loving cat will really take a toll on their population. When we had cats, they spent most of their time outside, basking in the sun, snoozing on a deck chair. They frequently wandered around the perimeter of the house, and once in a while I would see them pounce on something. They never toyed with a mouse - they ate them. Now that the cats have passed away, and we no longer have one at home, the mice have once again began invading out attic. Decon Mouse Proof, which is very effective, keeps them at bay. They eat it, then go back outside for water, where they quickly die from hemorrhagic shock.

All the best,

Gary


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## willyd (Feb 22, 2008)

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.


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## bshock (Dec 11, 2012)

If my cat found a mouse on the boat or at the house, he'd just stare at it. Goofy cat. if my dog found a mouse, he'd try to be friends with it. Kind of like Lennie from Of Mice and Men.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I worked a solo night shift in an office for a while, and when I complained about mice everyone said nah, there couldn't be any.

So I used peanut-butter baited mouse traps, and after the first one snapped, I just put a red plastic cup over it. Waited to hear the shriek from the day staff when they moved the cup. And when they asked why, I said why what? There couldn't be any mice, they TOLD me so.

The old spring traps work very nicely. Just be frugal about the bait, so they have to trip the trap.


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

gptyk said:


> We get mice in the house sometimes. Once inside, the cat seems to think they're pets. Tried the humane traps once. Same mouse came back (released it 500 yds or so away from the house).
> 
> I killem now. Just wish the cat would too.


That's why I said 'far way from houses and boats.' I used to just put them in the garden and they were back by dinner time.

Now I take them with me to my workplace and release them in the bushes next to the parking lot. Easy enough.


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

newt said:


> I got one of those too. LAME Cats! How come cats are efficient for about 2 years of their life and spend the rest of the time expecting three squares a day and all the softest pillows?


I suspect our cat to bring in mice as toys when he gets bored.


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

Cats that are well fed usually wont kill/eat them in my experience. They will however catch them and play with them to death, at least mine did.

I purchased and used this recently and it solved my mouse problem without violence. I did have to tape a coin or two to the trigger plate though as the little suckers weren't heavy enough to spring it.

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mouse-T...d=1458339978&sr=8-1&keywords=smart+mouse+trap


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## Venturer2015 (May 17, 2015)

Hey I happen to like Jif


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## Venturer2015 (May 17, 2015)

Hey I happen to like Jif Ok you definately don't want a dead mouse, or anything else for that matter, somewhere you can't get at. Had a dead mouse in the basement for some time drove me nuts trying to find where the smell was coming from.


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## Venturer2015 (May 17, 2015)

You might need to put a stopper on your dock line


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## fryewe (Dec 4, 2004)

Last year I found what I thought was mouse droppings on the counter in the galley and saw a tail disappear behind a galley cupboard as I came down the companionway.

I bought a couple of big sticky traps, because I didn't want a dead mouse in some out of the way place rotting away due to poisoning or wounding by a trap.

A few days later I caught...a chameleon. Droppings looked just like mouse droppings.


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## captjcook (Sep 27, 2008)

On a scale of one to ten, peanut butter is a 3, rotten cabbage is a 7 and spicy/sweet bbq pork is a 10.

You can't twist tie peanut butter to a spring trap. Glue boards...about 10 percent as efficient, then what do you do with it? Give the rat a nice little plastic raft?

Rats here in Florida...we have lots and lots will jump 6 feet or more to get on a boat, farther to get off, when in a hurry... They destroy everything. Food is only a bonus compared to a nice new $3000 sail to destroy for a nest...

Don't start on the cute Iguanas...we need a good freeze...

If you want peanut butter without sugar and hydrolyzed vegetable shortening, try Smuckers All Natural Chunky...


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

where i am there are all kindsa nice critters for boats. gekkos are awesome. iguanas eat leaves not bugs so they can go away when they want to, snakees come out of cane weather onto boat with runoff, and then the koatamundi that hang in the coco trees here.. whoot some fun... under boat we have krill, the gentle clicking and scratching sounds, and oysters , jack fish, pargo, and blowfish. 
quite often there are rats in rocks. here i have seen no rats. we have cats and dogs here--and a feral kat. 
bubba takes care of all that intrude into boat. he truly dislikes intruders. it is HIS boat. good kat.
wish he wouldnt eat my gekkos. i like them. they are cute and fun lil critters


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## Koinonia M27 323 (May 3, 2014)

as above, peanut butter is best to catch these "mickeys". use spring traps and only once. DO NOT REUSE THEM IF YOU HAVE CAUGHT ONE! The death smells stays and you will not catch another if you have a family aboard. New traps every time.


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## uncle stinky bob (Feb 28, 2016)

Koinonia M27 323 said:


> as above, peanut butter is best to catch these "mickeys". use spring traps and only once. DO NOT REUSE THEM IF YOU HAVE CAUGHT ONE! The death smells stays and you will not catch another if you have a family aboard. New traps every time.


Death smell is not bothering this little fellow much! LOL


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

Koinonia M27 323 said:


> as above, peanut butter is best to catch these "mickeys". use spring traps and only once. DO NOT REUSE THEM IF YOU HAVE CAUGHT ONE! The death smells stays and you will not catch another if you have a family aboard. New traps every time.


Maybe because there is no death smell involved but re-using a live trap is surely no issue. My traps have captured many a mouse, they don't seem to mind if one has been 'inhabited' previously for a few hours.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

uncle stinky bob said:


> Death smell is not bothering this little fellow much! LOL


necrophiliac...


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## timangiel (Sep 8, 2006)

Omatako said:


> Don't know how much time you spend on your boat in quiet times so forgive me for assuming incorrectly.
> 
> Freinds had what they thought was a "rustling noise" in their boat and spent hours stripping out lockers and hidden spaces trying to find the rodent.
> 
> ...


That happened to me once, we slept on the boat and I could swear there was a mouse chewing something under the v-berth. In the morning I went up on deck and realized the sound was actually coming from a neighboring boat.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

The only time I heard anything at all was in South Carolina when I was anchored in a quiet cove just off the ICW. About 2 a.m. I heard a clicking sound. I grabbed the flashlight and gun, opened the cabin door to find nothing at all. Went back to bed, and a few minutes later, I heard it again, this time I climbed into the cockpit, shined the light around and saw nothing, that is nothing until I shined the light in the water and hundreds of pink eyes were staring back at me. I grabbed the cast net, made one toss and netted about 50 huge shrimp. I suspect they were eating the algae off the hull, which accounted for the clicking sound. Sure were tasty for the next three meals, though.

All the best,

Gary


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