Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!!

jwmahloch · 02-16-2010, 08:45 PM

I think I have some sort of rodent in my greenhouse because something is digging in my pots. Its been in there a couple weeks but I havent seen it. My wife says it might be a snake, I hope I dont have a snake in my greenhouse!!, every time I go in there I think its going to crawl up my leg.

Has anyone had problems with rodents in their greenhouse? If so, how do I get rid of it? I would prefer to let it loose outside rather than killing it. I live in St Louis MO.

I know its kind of funny but I want to get rid of it. Its been cold here so I really cant leave the door open too long for it to escape.

ron_mcb · 02-16-2010, 09:42 PM

do you own a cat??? i would ask a neighbor to loan a cat if you dont have one.. lock the cat in the greenhouse for a few hours. when the cat gets hungry he will find the animal whether its rat or snake. your biggest problem then will be cleaning up what the cat doesn't find tasty.

LilRaverBoi · 02-16-2010, 09:46 PM

LOL...a snake is a reptile, not a rodent. If you had a snake, it would be eating the rodents LOL. Well, it could be just about anything from a rabbit that burrowed in, to rats/mice or a snake. Actually the snake is the best of all options (all phobias aside) since it will eat vermin such as mice/rats. Try to set some traps for mice/rats and see if you get anything. To be honest, leaving the door open will do you no good since I'm sure it came in to get OUT of the cold. If you don't wish to kill it, either try live traps or just let it be...doesn't sound like it's really doing any 'damage' to note, so it's not the end of the world.

jwmahloch · 02-16-2010, 09:50 PM

Yes, I have 2 cats. I thought of that the other day. I dont think my wife is not crazy about me locking them in the greenhouse. I might have to try that tomorrow, and not tell my wife that I locked the cat in the greenhouse. What if the cat decides to pee or poop on my plants? then again my wife would be pissed if a snake ate the cat.

LilRaverBoi · 02-16-2010, 09:54 PM

LOL...I doubt there are any snakes large enough to eat cats here in MO....and definitely not in your greenhouse, so I wouldn't worry to much about that.

Abnshrek · 02-16-2010, 10:56 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if it were a squirrel, but more likely a mouse or rat.. not like snakes are moving in the cold to find a warm cozy spot.. Good Luck with solving the mystery :^)

jwmahloch · 02-17-2010, 08:56 AM

My wife said absolutely not to locking the cats in the greenhouse. She thinks they will get rabbies or some disease. Its probably a mouse. I am going to try a mouse trap today. Hopefully that works.

Abnshrek · 02-17-2010, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

My wife said absolutely not to locking the cats in the greenhouse.

Well I see your cats spoiled if they don't have to work.. lol :^)

jwmahloch · 02-17-2010, 03:14 PM

bought a electric mouse trap today and put it in my greenhouse. the instructions said to put some peanut butter inside, so I did that. Hopefully it works.

Yes my cats are lazy and spoiled, they get wet food twice a day and sleep in our bed most of the time. One is 14 years old and the other is 10 years old. I am not even sure they would know what to do with a mouse anyway.

My wife is a vegitarian and she didnt like the mouse trap I bought, i was supposed to get one that didnt kill the mouse. If I dont kill the mouse i might get back in again, then I am wasting my time.

Abnshrek · 02-17-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

bought a electric mouse trap today and put it in my greenhouse. the instructions said to put some peanut butter inside, so I did that. Hopefully it works. My wife is a vegitarian and she didnt like the mouse trap I bought, i was supposed to get one that didnt kill the mouse. If I dont kill the mouse i might get back in again, then I am wasting my time.

That's what a trap is for isn't it? lol I take it your not shooting any squirrels in your yard even if they are eating banana's :^) Do you have to plug the mouse trap in, or batteries, or is it solar?

jwmahloch · 02-17-2010, 04:24 PM

The mouse trap uses 4 AA batteries. I got it at Home Depot. Its supposed to trap up to 6 mice at one time and I can reuse it over and over.

sandy0225 · 02-17-2010, 05:18 PM

It's mice. They dig down into the pots and eat the roots of the plants. They love banana corms. They love ornamental grass roots too. They make nice round holes in the soil and eat the corms. You'll be able to catch them with a trap and a little peanut butter. You can help keep them away somewhat (a little) by using a little used kitty litter--dumping it around the greenhouse at the base on the outside. Not a good option if you walk around out there much though!

jwmahloch · 02-17-2010, 05:35 PM

Thanks, I just put out a trap with peanut butter so hopefully it works. It makes sense that it would be a mouse because they are doing exactly what you decribe. they are digging in the pots. I never thought that a mouse would eat the roots of my plants. They seem to like my palms in my greenhouse. Its only been going on for a couple weeks and I have not noticed any damage to the plants yet.

Patty in Wisc · 02-17-2010, 05:57 PM

I hate those meeses to pieces

Abnshrek · 02-17-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

Thanks, I just put out a trap with peanut butter so hopefully it works. It makes sense that it would be a mouse because they are doing exactly what you decribe. they are digging in the pots. I never thought that a mouse would eat the roots of my plants. They seem to like my palms in my greenhouse. Its only been going on for a couple weeks and I have not noticed any damage to the plants yet.

Well grubs, crawfish do the same thing to stay well fed. some cherios will stick good in the peanutbutter if you need more ammo to draw in your culprit :^)

LilRaverBoi · 02-17-2010, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

If I dont kill the mouse i might get back in again, then I am wasting my time.

Correction: if you don't kill the mouse it WILL get back inside. True story.

sandy0225 · 02-17-2010, 08:13 PM

yes, in spite of what they say about catch and release on mice... I had a friend who caught a mouse in the live trap. She took it way outside the house, way out to the woodpile and even threw a few pieces of bread out there. Probably 500 feet from the house. In 2 days, there was a mouse in the same place in the house (kitchen) about the same size. She caught it and put some red fingernail polish on it's back and put it in the woodpile. In about 2 days, guess who she caught in the kitchen again? The same mouse with red fingernail polish on it's back!!! She had to put the mouse about 1000 feet from the house before it quit coming back in!

Abnshrek · 02-17-2010, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandy0225

She had to put the mouse about 1000 feet from the house before it quit coming back in!

I guess it went to the neighbors then? lol :^)

thach1130 · 02-18-2010, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

My wife is a vegitarian and she didnt like the mouse trap I bought, i was supposed to get one that didnt kill the mouse.

Most vegetarian don't realize farmer kills lots of gopher and other pest to grow their crop. So unless you grow your own vegetable...

snc · 02-24-2010, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmahloch

My wife is a vegitarian and she didnt like the mouse trap I bought

Did you tell her you weren't planning on eating the mouse.

02-16-2010, 08:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! I think I have some sort of rodent in my greenhouse because something is digging in my pots. Its been in there a couple weeks but I havent seen it. My wife says it might be a snake, I hope I dont have a snake in my greenhouse!!, every time I go in there I think its going to crawl up my leg. Has anyone had problems with rodents in their greenhouse? If so, how do I get rid of it? I would prefer to let it loose outside rather than killing it. I live in St Louis MO. I know its kind of funny but I want to get rid of it. Its been cold here so I really cant leave the door open too long for it to escape. __________________ Jeremy

02-16-2010, 09:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
ron_mcb PlantamAAn ron_mcb's Photo Gallery Location: Central Georgia Zone: 8 Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,004 BananaBucks : 116,271 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Thanks" 396 Times Was Thanked 496 Times in 242 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 25 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! do you own a cat??? i would ask a neighbor to loan a cat if you dont have one.. lock the cat in the greenhouse for a few hours. when the cat gets hungry he will find the animal whether its rat or snake. your biggest problem then will be cleaning up what the cat doesn't find tasty. __________________ naw mek smaddi ditate fi yuh. naw wan gwan a pawty yuh naggo. Last edited by ron_mcb : 02-16-2010 at 09:44 PM. Reason: spelling

02-16-2010, 09:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 152,346 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! LOL...a snake is a reptile, not a rodent. If you had a snake, it would be eating the rodents LOL. Well, it could be just about anything from a rabbit that burrowed in, to rats/mice or a snake. Actually the snake is the best of all options (all phobias aside) since it will eat vermin such as mice/rats. Try to set some traps for mice/rats and see if you get anything. To be honest, leaving the door open will do you no good since I'm sure it came in to get OUT of the cold. If you don't wish to kill it, either try live traps or just let it be...doesn't sound like it's really doing any 'damage' to note, so it's not the end of the world. __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

02-16-2010, 09:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! Yes, I have 2 cats. I thought of that the other day. I dont think my wife is not crazy about me locking them in the greenhouse. I might have to try that tomorrow, and not tell my wife that I locked the cat in the greenhouse. What if the cat decides to pee or poop on my plants? then again my wife would be pissed if a snake ate the cat. __________________ Jeremy

02-16-2010, 09:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 152,346 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! LOL...I doubt there are any snakes large enough to eat cats here in MO....and definitely not in your greenhouse, so I wouldn't worry to much about that. __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

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02-16-2010, 10:56 PM	#6 (permalink)
Abnshrek Happy Growing Abnshrek 's Photo Gallery Location: Beaumont Texas Find me on the map! Zone: 8b, but 9b weather.. Name: Migael / Michael Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 9,493 BananaBucks : 320,430 Feedback: 45 / 100% Said "Thanks" 10,447 Times Was Thanked 16,443 Times in 5,238 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,318 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! I wouldn't be surprised if it were a squirrel, but more likely a mouse or rat.. not like snakes are moving in the cold to find a warm cozy spot.. Good Luck with solving the mystery :^) __________________ I'm a Nannerhead :^)

02-17-2010, 08:56 AM	#7 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! My wife said absolutely not to locking the cats in the greenhouse. She thinks they will get rabbies or some disease. Its probably a mouse. I am going to try a mouse trap today. Hopefully that works. __________________ Jeremy

02-17-2010, 03:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! bought a electric mouse trap today and put it in my greenhouse. the instructions said to put some peanut butter inside, so I did that. Hopefully it works. Yes my cats are lazy and spoiled, they get wet food twice a day and sleep in our bed most of the time. One is 14 years old and the other is 10 years old. I am not even sure they would know what to do with a mouse anyway. My wife is a vegitarian and she didnt like the mouse trap I bought, i was supposed to get one that didnt kill the mouse. If I dont kill the mouse i might get back in again, then I am wasting my time. __________________ Jeremy

02-17-2010, 04:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! The mouse trap uses 4 AA batteries. I got it at Home Depot. Its supposed to trap up to 6 mice at one time and I can reuse it over and over. __________________ Jeremy

02-17-2010, 05:18 PM	#12 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 463,698 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! It's mice. They dig down into the pots and eat the roots of the plants. They love banana corms. They love ornamental grass roots too. They make nice round holes in the soil and eat the corms. You'll be able to catch them with a trap and a little peanut butter. You can help keep them away somewhat (a little) by using a little used kitty litter--dumping it around the greenhouse at the base on the outside. Not a good option if you walk around out there much though! __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

02-17-2010, 05:35 PM	#13 (permalink)
jwmahloch jwmahloch's Photo Gallery Location: St. Charles, Missouri Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: Jeremy Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 217 BananaBucks : 73,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 120 Times in 64 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! Thanks, I just put out a trap with peanut butter so hopefully it works. It makes sense that it would be a mouse because they are doing exactly what you decribe. they are digging in the pots. I never thought that a mouse would eat the roots of my plants. They seem to like my palms in my greenhouse. Its only been going on for a couple weeks and I have not noticed any damage to the plants yet. __________________ Jeremy

02-17-2010, 05:57 PM	#14 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 416,139 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! I hate those meeses to pieces __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

02-17-2010, 08:13 PM	#17 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 463,698 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Rodent in my greenhouse - It might be a snake!!! yes, in spite of what they say about catch and release on mice... I had a friend who caught a mouse in the live trap. She took it way outside the house, way out to the woodpile and even threw a few pieces of bread out there. Probably 500 feet from the house. In 2 days, there was a mouse in the same place in the house (kitchen) about the same size. She caught it and put some red fingernail polish on it's back and put it in the woodpile. In about 2 days, guess who she caught in the kitchen again? The same mouse with red fingernail polish on it's back!!! She had to put the mouse about 1000 feet from the house before it quit coming back in! __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

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