What to do after mouse?

[kul]

Hi, a few weeks ago we had a rat in the pool. Pool guy did his “magic” and we were good to go. Then about 4 days after that I found a mouse in the pool that had likely fallen in overnight sometime. This time (since pool guy wasn’t coming until a few days later) I went to pool store who gave me both shock and non chlorinated shock to put in. I put it in and of course the chlorine went sky high (dark orange in my basic test kit). Anyhow, eventually that resolved and this morning I saw another small mouse in the pool. If Chlorine level is fine, do I really need to shock again? Or just leave as is. Mouse has been removed and we aren’t using the pool anymore until next summer likely. I just don’t want to overreact and shock if it’s not needed. I have my t100 coming so can’t give much detail.

 

[mknauss]

No reason to raise the FC level for a mouse.

Never use non-chlorine 'shock' in a pool.

 

[kul]

No reason to raise the FC level for a mouse.

Never use non-chlorine 'shock' in a pool.

That’s great to know! I was told I needed the non chlorine shock because of “organic materials” - it just freaked me out and I figured it wouldn’t hurt. What is non chlorinated shock good for? I was told it was a way to help shock without raising chlorine. Also was told that it helps to break down chloramines so that more free chlorine could be “set free”

 

[mknauss]

Non chlorine shock is MonosodiumPerSulfate. Typically called MPS. When added, it shows up as very high CC. It is sometimes used in hot tubs, but is not really needed there either. It breaks down to sulfates left in your water. Those sulfates can build up and destroy metal and the plaster in your pool.
Chlorine is the only sanitizer needed in your pool. There is no magic to set the chlorine 'free'. Follow the FC/CYA Levels.

 

[Donldson]

A residential pool has a very low bather load and doesn't require supplements to the chlorine in it. Things like MPS, UV, and ozone systems are supplemental systems that have uses in public pools or spas which both have much higher bather-to-water ratios, but in a residential pool they are unnecessary and are just money making opportunities for the seller. A pool following TFPC has more than enough chlorine to adequately sanitize the water and oxidize contaminates.

Small creatures and insects will find their way in to an in-ground pool, nothing much can be done to prevent it. There's little to worry about, a tiny mouse is introducing much less "organic materials" than a human swimmer. That's just a scare tactic to sell an unnecessary product.

 

[kul]

A residential pool has a very low bather load and doesn't require supplements to the chlorine in it. Things like MPS, UV, and ozone systems are supplemental systems that have uses in public pools or spas which both have much higher bather-to-water ratios, but in a residential pool they are unnecessary and are just money making opportunities for the seller. A pool following TFPC has more than enough chlorine to adequately sanitize the water and oxidize contaminates.

Small creatures and insects will find their way in to an in-ground pool, nothing much can be done to prevent it. There's little to worry about, a tiny mouse is introducing much less "organic materials" than a human swimmer. That's just a scare tactic to sell an unnecessary product.

Ugh how embarrassing. I fell for it! Shocked it to the moon!

 

[Newdude]

Hey kul !!! We have many threads going finding just about every creature imaginable. The way I always saw it when I found small creatures, they went in fine and drowned. That’s a whole different story than a hawk dropping a decaying rat that festered all winter before you found it.

You are properly treating your pool for known reasons *and* whatever happens to happen unexpectedly.

 

[kul]

Hey kul !!! We have many threads going finding just about every creature imaginable. The way I always saw it when I found small creatures, they went in fine and drowned. That’s a whole different story than a hawk dropping a decaying rat that festered all winter before you found it.

You are properly treating your pool for known reasons *and* whatever happens to happen unexpectedly.

Appreciate that. Fortunately so far these are situations where the creature fell in and drowned. The day I find a decaying or prey release situation I will be horrified.

 

[V___25]

What everyone else said. I found a few mice over the summer. Just scoop them out continue about your day. Right now, I've got every critter under the sun. Every night, the giant spiders, crickets, lizards, caterpillars and worms are having a Dang party in there. Scoop them out and keep chlorine the same...

 

[Newdude]

The day I find a decaying or prey release situation I will be horrified

Meh. We got you there too. We’ve been to a gazillion SLAM rodeos. Just another day at the office for the TFP brain trust.

 

[Donldson]

The day I find a decaying or prey release situation I will be horrified.

And that will be a situation where you'll probably want to take the precaution of following the SLAM Process on the pool for at least a day. Probably still nothing to worry about, but for a creature that's not intact I'd rather spend a couple dollars on some chlorine.

There are a couple horror stories on here where a creature found its way under a closed pool tarp in the fall and wasn't discovered until the spring. It's rare, luckily.

 

[SecoSteve]

Amazon.com: Parentswell 2 Pack Animal Saving Escape Ramp, Inflatable Frog Escape Ramp Swimming Pool Accessories, Pool Critter Saving Escape Floating Ramp Devices （Blue） : Toys & Games

Amazon.com: Parentswell 2 Pack Animal Saving Escape Ramp, Inflatable Frog Escape Ramp Swimming Pool Accessories, Pool Critter Saving Escape Floating Ramp Devices （Blue） : Toys & Games

www.amazon.com

I'm sure most know about these. This was our first season with the pool, and before we got the "Frog Log", I was seeing a couple frogs and an occasional mouse floating when I went out to check the pool in the morning. Since I put this in, I have only seen 1-2 frogs and 0 mice the rest of the season.

 

[Newdude]

My pool was the mole/vole killer9000. They’d wander across the patio and end up bloated in the skimmer the next day. A lifetime of trying every trap and hack known to man and all it took was a pool.

 

[kul]

Amazon.com: Parentswell 2 Pack Animal Saving Escape Ramp, Inflatable Frog Escape Ramp Swimming Pool Accessories, Pool Critter Saving Escape Floating Ramp Devices （Blue） : Toys & Games

Amazon.com: Parentswell 2 Pack Animal Saving Escape Ramp, Inflatable Frog Escape Ramp Swimming Pool Accessories, Pool Critter Saving Escape Floating Ramp Devices （Blue） : Toys & Games

www.amazon.com

I'm sure most know about these. This was our first season with the pool, and before we got the "Frog Log", I was seeing a couple frogs and an occasional mouse floating when I went out to check the pool in the morning. Since I put this in, I have only seen 1-2 frogs and 0 mice the rest of the season.

I’ve seen these but don’t have one. Might be worth a try.

 

[SecoSteve]

It's not the best looking thing, but it works. Sometimes, it gets some debris on it, but it's worth it to me not having to remove dead things as much. And, it's not breaking the bank. I got the two pack, but only have one in the pool, so I have a spare when this one gets gross(dirty, faded).

 

[Newdude]

Frogs are funny like that. On land or in water they are nearly unbeatable. Going from one to the other….. notsomuch.

and they SUCK at bicycles so I’ll still win the triathalon.

 

[Lilypad]

+1 on the Frog Log. Beats seeing me on my security cam running around the pool like a
lunatic trying to net the stinkers.

Oh, and no carcasses in the skimmers anymore!

 

[revitup]

I have to laugh at all these ‘horror’ stories. You ought to have seen the ‘mess’ a raccoon family left in our pool, a couple of different times. Not to mention the ‘possum incident’. I had to invest in an arsenal of Orbit Yard Enforcers to protect the pool. I have cameras that capture the invaders being blasted at least once every couple of weeks as they wander across the pool deck.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

My pool was the mole/vole killer9000. They’d wander across the patio and end up bloated in the skimmer the next day. A lifetime of trying every trap and hack known to man and all it took was a pool.

This... I can't believe I've killed 4 moles with my pool. I have a garage full of different traps and stuff but the pool is the clear winner here.

--Jeff

 

[koffey]

Just FYI, voles/mice/ smaller rats take a few days to properly start decomposing depending on factors (heat/flies,ect) and the sulfur that is generated is actually neutralized by your pools chlorine. So, in the unlikely event of getting hit by a skunk or what not, you can use vinegar OR you can use liquid chlorine. This also works for decaying animals that take months to full decompose. I just removed a dead skunk that was about 3 weeks into cycle. Liquid pool chlorine is an amazing product.

As for getting rid of them, I use snap traps and peanut butter. I have two traps and one of them is a serial killer. Biggest one this year was 14".