I used to think I wanted a pet mouse…when I was a lonely, only child with a workaholic mom.  There was that cheesy movie (Ben) about the lonely boy who befriended a rat…I never saw it but I was a huge Michael Jackson fan at the age of 5 and he did a song for the soundtrack…actually I think the whole album was titled “Ben”.  I remember the words….”Ben you’re always running here and there…Ben…you feel you’re not wanted anywhere.”  Well no shit he’s not wanted anywhere…he’s a damn rat.  Anyhoo, I had it on vinyl and listened alot.  Moving on.  So we had a mouse in our office recently and I was all about catching the mouse humanely and releasing him back into the wild.  I felt bad for the little guy.  Well all of that is in the past.  I have a mouse (or several mice – I’m not sure) that have taken up residence in my house and I’m FREAKED OUT by it.  It all started with these little noises in the night…scratching and tapping and it sounded like it was in the walls.  Then I began waking up in the mornings and there was all this debris around the vents in the floor (insulation, dust, hair, etc)…it was like it was blowing up out of the vents.  I thought it was odd but I just swept it up and moved on.  Then the next morning the same thing…and the next…and then the noises got more and more frequent.  Then I realized I had a critter.  I called Critter Control and they said that mice often chew into ventilation systems …OOOMMMMMGGG…really?  So I have nasty little mice running around in my ductwork and their nastiness is being circulated into the air I breathe.  WTF?

So you know how dust bunnies collect under the dryer and the stove and furniture and stuff…places you really can’t sweep.  So I would go to bed and the kitchen floor would be spotless and then the next morning I would wake up and go in there and there was all this CRAP in the floor…like dust bunnies and a even a rusty nail.  And I realized the little asshole had been creeping out from behind the appliances and dragging this crap out into the floor.  I would sweep it up and then…the next morning…more crap.  I’m literally freaking out.  In my mind this innocent little mouse has turned into a family of rats…nasty, evil, sneaky rats who come out at night and crawl all over my house while I’m sleeping…and they are secretly plotting against me.

All of that to say..Critter Control (actually name of the company) comes today and I’m very glad.  For a whomping $250 they will figure out where the mice are getting into the house, set up traps and make any repairs to my ductwork.  Also, they charge a “removal” fee for any mice they catch.  I asked if I set traps and catch them myself do I still have to pay?  haha.  I shall keep you updated since I know you will all be on the edge of your seats.