Peppermint oil

[smithy]

We have mice in our house since we bought my little Sennie four years ago.Try as we have we can not get rid of them,tonight I found out that the mice hate peppermint oil just wondered if anyone knows if it would harm the bird used in very small doses and not placed near his cage.It would be organic. Thank you

[Harpmaker]

Hello smithy!
You are in luck that this topic was covered fairly recently: http://theparrotforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11051 The bottom line appears to be don't let them eat it.

I hope this works for you. The mice at the stable actually steal the peppermint candy I use for horse training treats. I assume different types of mice have different allergies.

[smithy]

Thank you for the link.
I think organic oil will be a bit different from the sweets you mentioned lol
By the way I kept horses for over thirty years .My little parrot has been much harder work than any of the horses and dogs I kept, and done more damage inside the house than any dog,also never got bitten or kicked from horse or dogs. Ozzy will still bite if he isn't getting all his own way.

[GreenWing]

If you have a mouse infestation, peppermint oil won't do the trick. Get traps that are humane, or, if you feel like it, call a professional to remove their nest.

[Pajarita]

I use several different things to keep mice under control:

1. Humane traps (I release them in a park)
2. Peppermint oil around the perimeter of the 'key' rooms (kitchen, pantry, canary and parrot room)
3. Eliminate the food sources (put everything in sealed containers and clean the cage completely in the evening: take out all the food bowls and clean the bottom, too (they will eat the poop).
4. Do a thorough search throughout the house and cover all their openings (even very small cracks) with steel wool and compound on top of it.