Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

Evansangel

Awww! He looks like our old cat, we had to rehome him because of moving house

Freddie_Snowbits

Evansangel wrote: »

Awww! He looks like our old cat, we had to rehome him because of moving house

Freda got him from Cats Destraction, you can have him back, COD, CAT On Delivery!

jee

A mouse ran across my kitchen counter leading me to run out out of the kitchen screaming like a little girl. :eek:

I called in Rentokil same day (because I'm petrified of the little !!!!!!s) and they said it came in from a water pipe hole in the kitchen which they must be running up and down. I'm on a top floor flat so I'm gussing they travel through everbody's kitchen looking for food

He said it's low level activity and only found a few droppings behind the cooker and cupboard (places I can't get behind to clean).

I'm pretty tidy so I'm actually more than a little horrified. Also I'm in London so more than aware of the problem so have tried to keep my place crumb/ food free.

Rentokil put out the blue grain poison but I'm also busy spraying bleach in every corner/surface of the kitchen. Does anybody know how long this normally takes to work?

I've taken all food off the worktops including fruit and put them away in cupboards which they can't get into. The rentokil guy checked for signs of entry on both and found none.

I found some poop in the corner of the living room along with what appears to be an old sweet wrapper under the sofa. I vacumed and sprayed with bleach.

Does the smell of bleach repel them? and does anybody else have any tips of keeping them away.

Does peppermint oil work? it's pretty expensive so i don't want to buy it unless someone can vouch for it.

maninthestreet

Buy a mouse trap??

GlynD

I'd start by blocking the hole they come in by. Make sure you leave no food in lower cupboards to tempt them and put a couple of traps out baited with bacon, sausage or hamburger. If you don't have a kill with the big game hunting exercise after about 5 days then you're probably rodent free again. I've never heard of any smells putting mice off although that doesn't mean it doesn't work, just means I haven't heard of it but I am a country boy and know a bit about mice.

In our case we only have mice when the cats bring them in.

YorkiePud_3

First of all, I have done a search and most rat posts are in houses being bought or rented, so I thought as the rats are in my own garden, this would be the best place to ask! Apologies if I've overlooked a more suitable thread.

Please please help advise me ... I own my own house and have fed the birds for YEARS ... (there are actually 4 our us in a row who feed the birds).

I never put food on the floor and underneath the bird table I have 6 concrete slabs, surrounded by stone borders to keep any spillage in that area.

I sweep up anything that has spilled every day.

Other neighbours put bread (in vast quantities) on their lawns, but that's not the point.

One neighbour started to shoot the rats and asked if he could shoot any he saw in my garden, so I said yes.

I was out all day, came home and there were two rats in pools of blood ... well, I just couldn't stomach dealing with that, so I asked him not to do it any more in my garden. Needless to say he wasn't pleased at all about it.

Now, please don't think I am not pro-active in getting rid of them ... I have poison stashed all over the garden.

As I say, I sweep up any spills and it's certainly not a mess out there .. anyway, come today, when this neighbour has blasted me to hell, saying I am the one ticing them into the garden (forgetting how he puts chicken carcasses etc on his lawn for the birds, and the other two neighbours who put things out on theirs, as well as having bird tables and feeders) ... he says I either let him resume shooting or he will report me to the police or environmental health.

As I say, I do have poison down in the garden and I don't put much seed out at all, so what more can I do ... ? I have animals of my own so have erected a smaller fence at the end of the garden and I put the poison down there, beyond that so that my animals can't get to it.

My neighbour was just so nasty, shouting and carrying on at me ... as though I'm the only one putting things out ... couldn't believe it ... I'm certainly not like some people who, I have to admit, I have thought were asking for trouble putting as much food out as they do. Everyone says they have seen rats in their gardens and as far as I know, everyone's put poison down, but it's since I told this neighbour not to shoot them in my garden, he has turned really nasty.

Please advise ... I am turning myself inside out about this ...

UncleZen

Does he have a licence for the gun by any chance?

dibuzz

Could he not dispose of any he shoots without you having to see them?

QueenieB

What sort of gun is he using? I'm not sure how the law deals with air rifles, but if he's discharging a shotgun near houses then he could find himself in serious trouble. Might be worth a mention...

YorkiePud_3

UncleZen wrote: »

Does he have a licence for the gun by any chance?

That's a point, he said he was borrowing the gun from a friend so I would doubt it ...