Wildlife Critters find a new home

[karnf]

Well....I consider myself a wildlife stewart and have learned to live in tune with nature. But I am now questioning my devotion to them.
I have a small cabin/shed 12x20 that has been in the building stage for the last couple of years. It is a build as I can afford to due to a loss of income over the pass years so I only get to go out to the mountains to build about three times a year. In between the visits I put tons of peppermint oil cotton balls inside the cabin which has deterred the mice from getting in. I still haven't installed the roof fascia which has allowed the tiny mice an access but with the peppermint oil balls they are not visiting as much only when the scent wears off.
Well, two weeks ago I went to visit the cabin. The peppermint oil scent was gone and the mice did get in but I tried to seal everything so they didn't do any damage just a couple of droppings.
I decided to install the fascia which sealed the roof a bit but I still have some gaps in the exterior part of the roof that still need to be sealed.
As my husband and I where sleeping that night we heard scratching in the walls which carried into the morning. At first I thought it could be boring bees for it was small scratching but realized the sound carried around to the front exterior walls and the back as well. I got on a ladder on the porch to look at the wood planks and behold; I saw a tiny mouse eating the insulation panel inside the walls. Yes my husband installed vertical boards and gaps have occured over the years. He planned on a board and batton and never installed the strips(batton) in between the boards.
Now what do we do. We feel bad about killing the mice but now they are creating a havoc and urine infested insulation in the exterior walls.
I guess a light bulb should have went off went that night we kept hearing a barred owl hooting for hours above the cabin and some tail feathers that fell on the forest floor from his/her roosting and hunting.
Any suggestions? I really didn't want to kill the mice but now I may have to reconsider.

[UK4X4]

We had a similar issue with our trailer on our site,

just as you we love the wildlife around us.........we thought we had just 1 too...

I took me a week with multiple glue and snap traps to eliminate them on the last trip, not wanting them to decompose in the roof's and walls

we got 8 the first night.......total of 22 mice till we seemed to have got them all. and the scratching chewing and scurrying stopped.

we tried the bucket and peanut butter covered wheel, but to no avail they were happier in the roof space, walls and cupboards

[Adam Roby]

They may be small but they can do tons of damage.  My buddy's trailer has been completely de-insulated from these things to the point if you dig a hole in the yard you are bound to find insulation.

Side story (sorry for the jacking) but this spring when we came to his trailer it stunk of something fierce.  Turns out a raccoon dug up through the floor and was living and defecating/urinating in the trailer all winter.  The smell is so potent that he now has to gut the floors of the entire trailer, and reinstall new plywood throughout.  Animals can do a lot of costly damage to a cabin/trailer when left alone for a long time.
Thread jack over...

[karnf]

Having been at the cabin since the last post. I have nightmares knowing the mice are settling building their nests in the exterior walls. Money is tight being unemployed so even gas money to the cabin is a struggle so
right down I am focusing on finding a full time job. I have gotten some remodeling jobs (trying to do anything to make ends meet). Just the reality of a my husband is a white man in his late 50's ex project manager in telecommunications who since was laid off a couple of years ago. He had witnessed the reverse discrimination and upper management falling over their feet to hire and promote minorities and leaving the very experienced white guys forced to reinvent themselves. Maybe in the end it will be a godsend. I'm praying my luck will turn around so I can so and first my cabin build and eventually live there in the the mountains. Hopefully we won't be forced to sell it but only time will tell.
Anyway, we had a conversation recently about what to do with the mice in the wall problems when we go back that he wants to set poison but I have found owl feathers that have fallen from a tree near the front porch where the mice are located in the walls. The mice will run and the owl or predator will catch them and eat them and die themselves. I can't let that happen. I know when we go back we have to tackle the problem but what is the safe solution that won't harm the other wildlife. Please if someone has an answer that will end this destruction of our cabin and keep it safe and get these guys/gals out of our walls.

[flyingvan]

My grandmother used to mix equal parts plaster of paris and wheat flour to leave in the attic.  She was a nature lover too, but felt all creatures had the right to defend their nests...The mice that found their way in would eat the mixture and completely dry out so there wouldn't be rotting animal smells to attract yet more vermin.

[John Raabe]

Clever tip that makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

[upa]

We like to be considerate of our wildlife too but of the roughly 9,600,000 sq/ft available to them on our digs we consider the 1000 sq/ft that the house sits on as a absolute no fly zone for them, they can do what they want with the rest. We have had at one point or another a fisher, raccoon and even a shrew become uninvited guests. All of which were destructive. As someone else has mentioned don't feel bad about protecting your home.
I find those live metal box traps for small rodents works well. We just put some peanut butter inside and they usually pile in one after another through the one way door and die of dehydration in a contained environment, no poison required