Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

Jaunty_One

Any recommendations for good electronic mice deterrents for a semi-detached 3 bedroom house?

prosaver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tBO5JikbAs
the havent heared of team work lol

red_imps_2003

In response to Jaunty_One (sorry; I used the wrong 'reply' button and failed to quote your question)

We moved into a new house (also a 3-bed semi) just over two months ago. Within a week we heard scratching under the floor boards in the living room one evening and again two or three nights later and I heard a similar sound in the adjacent downstairs loo (inside the boxing around the soil pipe) around the same period. This was not persistent noise; just once every two or three days for a few minutes each time. Hardly evidence of extensive infestation.

After seeing a few recommendation on this thread for the Primrose 'PestBye Advanced Whole House Rat and Mouse Repeller' (linky from Amazon, although I think it is available directly from Primrose too) I went ahead and purchased one and it seems to have worked, although it is difficult to be certain. We did not hear any more scratching for several days after installing it. However, we had a faulty unit as the noise it emits was clearly perceptible to us to the extent that it was intrusive, so we sent it back for a new one. In the intervening two or three days when one wasn't running, the scratching returned (same place, below the floor boards in the living room near to the external wall). Since the replacement unit was installed (which is far less audible to us, although there is still a mild high-pitched whine up-close) we have only heard evidence of visitors once. This time it was moving across the cavity between the living room ceiling and the bedroom above. We only heard that for about two minutes and it was sounding quite...frantic; the noise was the thumping sound of movement rather than scratching. We've not heard anything since. We've had the [replacement] device in for just over a month now and, as I say, have just heard the one rodent in that time.

I am reluctant to draw firm conclusions on the efficacy of the device. Being new to the house we only heard the scratching sounds on three occasions before we purchased this product and they were hardly persistent (just lasted for five or ten minutes on each occasion). It did just sound like one creature (I can't tell whether it was a rat or a mouse) and it may have been 'passing through' (perhaps resident next door and reaching us through the party wall). The frequency has dropped since we installed this sonic deterrent device (one visit in a month compared to three in a week before), but it could be a coincidence. We didn't exactly have a long history of visits before to compare it with and the fact we have had a visit since (albeit a fleeting one) suggests it is not 100% effective.

Bear in mind that we have the deterrent sited almost immediately above the location where we heard the noises the first few times; perhaps it/they have just moved to the other side of the house where their presence is less noticeable to us (i.e. where we spend less time sitting down quietly for extended periods)? We have never seen the source of the scratching and I have't come across any physical evidence (poops, chewed wires, holes in cereal packets), so it/they appear to stick to cavity spaces between floors and walls).

I hope this helps. The reviews on Amazon are mixed and this is just my own, honest, perspective. I wouldn't bet any money on it working for you, but at £23 it is worth a try and you can always return it if you have no joy in the first few days (although some suggest it can take a while to for them to take effect if the rodents are settled/have babies to nurture). I will try to update this thread if further evidence emerges that this device is ineffective.

Jaunty_One

I appreciate your response red_imps_2003

I'm gonna get my own (maybe 2) and see what effect it has. Good luck to everyone dealing with similar issues

Greenbowl

Hi,

I'm absolutely terrified of mice and live alone so any advice would be great.

I live in a semi-detached house and yesterday morning a mouse ran across my living room floor and hid under the sofa. I ran upstairs and called my dad who couldn't find any sign of it. He looked all around the house and couldn't see any droppings.

The house next door said they have heard but not seen mice.
I have seen no droppings today or at all. I called pest control who also couldn't see any evidence of mice (no droppings, no obvious entry point) but they did leave traps and poison down. I'm a wimp and can't sleep in my house I'm too scared!

I have the ultrasound plug ins too.

Is there anything else I can do apart from move house?!?

SailorSam

Get a mouse trap from the £shop and a jar of peanut butter.

noelphobic

There is a thread on here about this. Will post the link if I can find it.

You have my sympathies. I am extremely phobic and have been invaded several times.

noelphobic

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/159477

ilikewatch

Greenbowl wrote: »

Is there anything else I can do apart from move house?!?

Find a way to deal with it - Therapy? Counselling? You're unlikely to 100% get rid of the mice, and even if you move there's a good chance that you'll encounter more in your new place.

FreeBear

Get a cat - If nothing else, they are good company and most will catch mice without any prompting.