Mouse in my chair -- seriously, please help.

[kcr]

So, we have been invaded by some mice (we put down two live traps - one in the garage, one under the sink. In two days, we got two mice in the garage trap, none in the kitchen trap) and our cat finally caught one. Unfortunately, he didn't kill it, and it got loose. He chased it into our large loveseat like chair. Unfortunately, the mouse went into the structure of the seat.

So, my question is now what. I don't want to have to throw the seat away if the mouse dies in it. SO here are my questions:

1)If the cat ever stops hanging around, will the mouse leave the chair?

2)I have one more trap. Think it would help to put the trap either on the chair (it went into the chair through a gap between the back and the seat) or beneath the chair?

3)I have two small kids, and am really worried about their health with the mice around. I am in TN -- how worried should I be?

4) Any one have any idea if an exterminator is worth the money? And how much money are they for this anyway?
thanks.

[Lorien]

1. Mice won't harm kids in any way

(that's a BS scare tactic used by extermination companies to drum up business. Norway rats carried the plague centuries ago, but mice don't carry diseases to humans in this country).

yes, if the cat stops hanging around, the mouse will leave.

Think about havaheart traps for the mice-they aren't cruel.

No, the exterminator is not worth the money unless you call Critter Control to do exclusion. Nature abhor es a vacuum. If you get rid of the mice you have, more will fill the vacuum. Exclusion packages determine how the mice are getting in, what attracts them, and how to prevent them. Exterminators who poison mice leave you with rotting mice in your walls-plus it's a hell of a horrible way for an animal to die.

[kslib]

2. Mice carry Hanta Virus

Knowing someone who got sick with this, you don't want it, and neither do your kids. Here's a website detailing risk and how to properly rid your home of rodents and their droppings.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/topics/hanta.htm

Only 14% of deer mice in the U.S. are thought to carry the virus, but that's a greater risk than I'd want to take with my family! Hope this helps, and good luck!!!

:hi:

[Lorien]

3. Deer mice???

They live in fields. She probably has house mice. I've never heard of anyone getting sick from a mild infestation of house mice.

[kslib]

4. I don't know.

My mom's a nurse, and always made us wear masks when vaccuming mouse droppings. Of course, we lived by a field, so our mice were probably field mice. I guess I didn't think about there being house mice as well since ours always came from outside to inside. Anyway, I figured it would be best to be safe! I would always use caution when dealing with any "wild" animal (not pet) or anything unvaccinated. (by the way, we always trapped the mice, and drove them to the country and released them, no head chopping or anything)

[Lorien]

5. I trap my mice too

I also have raccoons in my backyard who are so tame that they've walked into my home to drink out of the toilet. I have possums that live behind the washer and dryer in the garage. I've never had a single problem with any of the wildlife that live on my property. I did have several sick raccoons a number of years ago that needed to be trapped and taken to the wildlife center (they had been poisoned). Other than that, my motto is live at let live. We've done so much to abuse wildlife out of fear and possessiveness that I feel that I should make accommodations for them where I can. Exclusion and havahearts work, so that's always my first course of action.

[RadicalMom]

6. The deer mice around here think a house or a nice shed is

just plain cozy. I've bought many humane traps over the years, and never been able to catch one. Had to resort to regular mouse traps a couple of times. THEN we tried those ultrasonic rodent repellers they sell at Home Depot. Put a couple of them in, one in house, one in garage. They work really well, and we never get them inside any more. Been doing this for years now.