Anyone had any success getting rid of mice?

Nicki

elsien wrote: »

Secondly, absolutely scrupulous hygiene everywhere. I was previously a bit of a slob who was happy to leave dishes overnight. I had to stop all that, wash up immediately after use (seeing a mouse on the cooker eating from a saucepan while I was munching on the spag bol I'd just made rammed that one home)

I might have been guilty of that as well! Though your spag Bol story may mean I am never so again :eek:

torbrex

Rentokill Alphakill poison worked for me, 3 mice dead (that I found) within 24 hours and I left the tray of food/poison there for another week before sealing the entry hole.
I have never had any bother since (10 years)

elsien

Apparently they climb up the wires and gas hoses on cookers to get to the pans. It was the bathroom that was worst though - I was stamping up the stairs, flinging open the door and turning on the light with outstretched arms to give them chance to hide so I didn't have to see them and do the whole girly squeal thing.:rotfl:

Nicki

elsien wrote: »

Apparently they climb up the wires and gas hoses on cookers to get to the pans. It was the bathroom that was worst though - I was stamping up the stairs, flinging open the door and turning on the light with outstretched arms to give them chance to hide so I didn't have to see them and do the whole girly squeal thing.:rotfl:

I did the whole girlie squeal thing last night when one came out and ran round the floor as DS1 and I were curled up on sofa together watching a movie. Bless him, he went into full Saving Private Ryan mode and organised an evacuation of the kitchen, whilst keeping himself between me and the mouse, then once I was upstairs offered to go back down and make me a cup of tea for shock :rotfl: He's only 12 but already a real hero

ETA - we are having building work in the sitting room so it is unusable for the next 3 weeks or so, hence why we were watching TV in the kitchen even though we knew about the visitors.

room512

Our cat has just run into the house with a mouse in her mouth! OH seemed totally not bothered whilst I was shrieking (didn't want her to take it upstairs) - anyway I tempted her back outside and she trotted proudly out - luckily with the mouse still in her mouth! Haven't seen any in the house though - we have 4 cats!

mrcow

Building work can disturb them, which is why you're seeing them.

I'm another fan of Mars Bar - they can't stay away from it. If you've cleared your cupboards, I'd put a trap in there too.

AprilLady

I've recently moved, and discovered that I have a mouse living with me, but it's not falling for ANY of my usual tried and tested mouse catching tricks (I can't bear to kill them as I've seen mice staggering around after eating poison and it's horrible!). I've heard that mice don't like mint, bay leaves and cayenne pepper, but the mouse I have doesn't seem to be bothered by my trails of mint tea bags and bay leaves around the house. I recently put down some small dishes of cayenne pepper though and haven't seen any evidence of the mouse since - maybe you could try sprinkling some of that somewhere?!

lesleystrawson

Crumble Cadburys Flake in with the bait (usually pellet stuff) - worked after 1 week with us.

Nicki

The pest control man cane this morning and he seemed very thorough. He said the poison pellets we had put down aren't very effective because they aren't very appetising and that traps can work quite well for one mouse but not great when you have an infestation and he thinks we have at least 3 maybe more :eek:

So he has put down his own poison in several places which is apparently fat based so much more appealing and will be back in 2 weeks to see how things are going. He said it would take 2-3 days to take effect after ingested.

In the meantime, my kitchen has never been so clean and organised! All my cupboards have been scrubbed out and are spotlessly tidy with everything stored neatly in plastic boxes. Every pot, pan, baking tray, etc has been put through the hottest cycle of the dishwasher. All surfaces have been disinfected and are completely clear bar the kettle toaster and coffee machine. And the floor has been both vacuumed and steam cleaned.

And as an added bonus, all biscuits, cereals, bread, cakes etc which could be pinched by kids and leave a trail of crumbs have been banished from the house until further notice which will be good for my waistline if nothing else. Kids can either snack on fruit, or I'll take them out for a biscuit or cake to nearest costa instead. So provided we can catch them all, maybe the mice will end up having done me something of a favour in motivating me to do a thorough deep clean and clear out which I'd been putting off for too long.

luxor4t

We get mice every summer as soon as the student houses around us empty.
Our drill includes:
- checking there is wire wool in all crevices (old house)
- scrubbing kitchen from top to bottom
- religiously wiping up every crumb and smear
- storing every food item in a tub, tin or the fridge (eg the fruit bowl lives in the fridge)
- plugging in the sonic device
- poison tray in likely 'runs'
- snap traps at the most likely spots at night ('humane traps' were useless!)
- and crossing fingers!
Usually we put up with siege conditions until our annual holiday at the end of July where the house is empty for about 17 days. They've always gone by the time we get back.