# Mice in the hay?



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Hi guys, I was wondering what you do when(if) you find mice in your hay. My dad set up a few traps(but didn't catch any before my sister got rid of them) and he talks a lot about how dangerous the dust with mouse pee/poop in it is for the horses. 
It started off with one or two mice that I would see maybe once a week... Now it's five or six and I just found a nest with 7+ babies. The babies are adorable and we've had pet mice before, but now I'm getting worried about all of those diseased mice living and running around in my horse's feed. 
So what should I do? Are they really that dangerous? I live out in California so everything is very dry, including the hay.
Thanks in advance for your answers!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Get some barn cats.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Unless you have dead mice decomposing in your hay, you shouldn't need to worry.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Get some barn cats.


Our dogs are very prey driven and I would hate it if we got a barn cat who accidentally walked into the dogs' section of the yard... It just wouldn't be right to endanger a cat like that. And we have coyotes and random dogs running into our backyard all the time, I wouldn't like leaving it out there to die.




PHM- So as long as there aren't dead ones, we're good? If thats true thats great! I really don't want to harm any of the mice, so as long as my horses are safe with them around, they can stay!


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## Aggs (Apr 9, 2013)

I would get a barn cat.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

We have 'feral cats' runnin around our yard- our dogs would try to eat them 'sept theyre ninja ferel kitties!! lol.  ..seriously-- theres even a few black ones now.. i think they belong to our neighbors? Lol.

*back on track*


I always see rats nests theyve made in our hay bails-- we do have field mice everywhere in the country- so theyre gonna get into the hay no matter how many traps are out.. a cat works better than the traps though- they dispose of the carcass-- no bad smelling dead rodents. ;-) 

I noticed the ninja kitties always hang out by our barn and the field mouse population has gone down-- havent seen one yet this year.. they do their jobs well-- best part? We dont feed em, lol.  :lol:


Almost forgot---- no the mouse droppings/urine havent affected our horses in anyway.. the smell of it in the barn is the dangerous part? The heat will make it 10xs worse too.. Thats even bad for humans to ingest.. i do know that.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Yup, cats. Don't get tame house cats. Find a farm nearby and ask them if they have any spare cats. You'll probably get a big smile and "YES MA'AM! Come right this way!" The cats will figure out the dogs in a hurry. For the most part, they can take care of themselves. Just don't get kittens - get a couple of full grown mommas. Stand guard for the first 30 minutes or until it takes for the dogs to see them and give the cats a head start. They'll stay clear of the dogs from there on in.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Icrazyaboutu said:


> PHM- So as long as there aren't dead ones, we're good? If thats true thats great! I really don't want to harm any of the mice, so as long as my horses are safe with them around, they can stay!


Live ones are not a problem, but any dead animal that's been baled up can produce botulism. It's not common, but if you're really concerned about it, you can vaccinate against it. Suggest you talk to your vet about the risk.


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## BigGirlsRideWarmbloods (Mar 28, 2010)

Live ones are a problem to people, they are the primary carriers of the Hantavirus.

Hantavirus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seriously; Google, Feral Cat rescues in your area. They take feral cats from urban areas or nucences areas, spay or nueter them and then release them on your property. The cats can and will fend for themselves vs dogs, coyotes and nature in general.

I got mine a couple years back, and I rarely seen them but I do occasionally find a wayward, present.

Also if you don't bring in cats to naturally control the problem, other natural predators will find the abundent food supply you're housing and usually that means, ESPECIALLY in California, snakes. And if you think finding mice nests, bodies or droppings are bad .... That's NOTHING compared to the sheer horror of pulling down a bale and finding a snake with a mouse shaped lump.


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## BigGirlsRideWarmbloods (Mar 28, 2010)

For the TL;DR crowd Hanta is very real and very common.

Hantavirus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Humans may be infected with hantaviruses through urine, saliva or contact with rodent waste products. 

Some hantaviruses cause potentially fatal diseases in humans, such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), but others have not been associated with known human disease.

Human infections of hantaviruses have almost entirely been linked to human contact with rodent excrement, but recent human-to-human transmission has been reported with the Andes virus in South America.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Meet Bob, I dont have mice in my hay.


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## BigGirlsRideWarmbloods (Mar 28, 2010)

Eeeek!!! Bob is a snake and not a cat!!!! I will take a cat over a snake any day of the week! Snakes mean there are too many mice and not enough cats!! There is seriously nothing worse than moving hay and finding a snake.

But thank you for proving my point.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Could I buy a snake and put it in my hay loft? I'm fine with snakes as long as they aren't poisonous and I wouldn't have to worry about my dogs killing it. I've actually rescued wild gopher snakes that weren't hibernating before. And a snake would be really good if there was a type that would eat the mice AND keep away rattlers(we haven't had any issues with rattlers on our property YET but I know there are some living in the field next door...
If a snake would work, would a boa from the pet store work?


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

boas dont belong in america. for the life of me I dont understand why it is legal to import any living animal. They cause all kids of problems when they get loose. All kinds of native snakes that eat mice just fine. read up on which ones are which and what would be a good environment for them Not sure how you would keep em around though.


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## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Wouldn't the heavy supply of mice keep the snake around?

They don't sell snakes that would be found locally... we mostly have rattlers and gopher snakes. They are illegally to actually own, but since the gopher snake would be in the yard it'd be fine. But I don't think I'd have a way to get one into my yard in the first place...


Cats really aren't an option, guys. My dad and brother both have allegries and my dad is totally against getting one. Sometimes neighbor cats come into the yard and eat the rodents but I always worry about their safety. The last tom cat that was friendly and hung around my barn area was given to my neighbor. He was too sweet to be a risk of being killed by my dogs.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Talk to your local Agriculture Cooperative Extension office. Always a good place to ask about farm problems.


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## FaydesMom (Mar 25, 2012)

If you have dogs, just add a terrier variety to the mix, and you will soon be mouse-less! I have a little cairne cross that is a wicked mouser. 

Just be sure you start with a young puppy and introduce the animals you don't want eliminated. Teach them what's prey and what's family. Mine knows the chickens and bunnies running around are off limits, that I prefer she doesn't kill the squirrels, and that the mice and gophers she catches earn a reward.

And she puts the ***** and possums off the property pronto!

Well trained terriers are wonderful, untrained terriers are holy terror!!


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Joe4d said:


> Meet Bob, I dont have mice in my hay.


LOL. I hate cats, but I would also hate the result if I stepped on Bob by accident!


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## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

Or you could really get crazy and sprinkle salt over the hay. Rodents have an aversion to salt.


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