Please no babies...

Ames

This is most definitely not a pet question, but it is about animals.

Small furry ones, squatting in my flat. From the first night I moved in, Mousey made his presence clear. Being a reasonable woman, I told the him that squatting is illegal and he was being given fair warning to leave. About two days - until the humane trape and sonic thingy were delivered.

He ignored me, and spent the next few weeks ignoring me, running around in front of me while I was watching tv, not even pretending to be scared of me.

A couple of weeks ago he finally found the lure of peanut butter too much and made his way into the humane trap, and from there to a park a few miles away.

As soon as I got back from giving him a lift, I heard a mouse. Now, either Mousey was supermouse, or he'd invited a friend - Mousey 2 - to stay for Christmas.

Mousey 2 is shyer than Mousey, I haven't seen him yet, just heard him. Tonight has been the final straw. I found his droppings on the kitchen counter right below where the sonic scarer is plugged in.

Both Mouseys liked eating cardboard boxes (there's still plenty around as I've not finished unpacking yet).

Now I'm worried that there are a few Mouslets somewhere, why else would they be eating the cardboard? Or maybe they're not eating it, but carrying it away. They've both shown they can eat through plastic food wrappers, so why aren't they going for the cereal that's out in boxes?

So, does anyone have any ideas how I can tell if there's a nest anywhere, and how on earth I can get rid of Mousey 2? I'm really reaching the end of my tether now and I'm starting to think of getting a traditional mousetrap or poison.

I tried making a humane trap out of a small box propped up with a ruler dipped in peanut butter, two of their favourite foods, but with no luck.

Any more suggestions?

Sorry if this is the wrong place, and for the long post, I thought the background was important. I don't want to hurt it, but enough's enough now.

Gingernutty

Rats tend to be solo explorers around houses. They pop up, run around and go again to where it's safe and dark.

Mice show up mob handed and are happy to live in your walls, under your floorboards and any other which where you can't find easily.

Chances are you've got mice not just a second mousey.

Babbawah

If you have seen one mouse . . . then you are definately infested with many. many mice's !

You are never more than 5 ft away from a rodent . . . at any time in your life, did you know that ?

The easiest thing to do would be to contact your landlord for advice, in such a way as to hint that any rent that they thought might be forthcoming . . . probably won't be untill the mice are sorted . . .

But this is MSE.

I'm fairly sure that that the teens we employ to populate the board will have a fair few suggestions ready & waiting on their iPhones.

elsien

They may be carrying nesting materials and food away - my meece were nesting under the bathroom floor boards but they used the pipe work to move round the house so the droppings were turning up all over the place.

I resorted to traditional mousetraps in the end because even after pest man came out and put poison down they kept reappearing. Some of the mousetraps are a permanent fixture as I seem to get new tenants whenever it gets cold.

Everyone always says to block up any small possible entry holes, but in an old house that's never going to happen.

Hedgehog99

I'm sorry, but you'll have to resort to a more permanent solution than your current humane traps. Mice pee constantly, leaving a scent trail for others. They can chew through electric wire (fire hazard) and plastic plumbing (flood hazard), and they carry diseases that affect humans.

Hardware stores sell bait traps that keep bait safely away from kids/pets. The bait boxes are better than loose bait because you can throw them into inaccessible corners and they are effective for a long time. It means curtains for the mice, but, I'm afraid, it's you or them.

If you use sprung traps as well, set them perpendicular to the wall / edges of boxes etc. Much more effective than parallel to the wall or out in an exposed position.

Pthree

First off well done on being so calm, I grew up with gerbils / hamsters but a mouse running across my kitchen freaked me right out!!

In flats it is worse, you have to rely on your neighbors be responsible too and if they are anything like mine, they wont be!

I got a chap in to fill all my holes (ooh er missus) it was guaranteed for a year and cost me about £200 at London prices.

At the same time he put poison down luckily I never found a dead one, thank God!

Unless you plan on being a taxi driver for the next 6 months for Mickey(s) and lots of Minnie(s) then you need to terminate them!

Ames

Thanks everyone.

Oh dear.

Apart from a small overlap I've only heard one at a time, but I guess that doesn't mean much.

I know where (aaargh) they are nesting. There's a chimney breast in my living room (yet no space for a fire, or chimney on the roof...) and I can hear them in there. I've no idea how they're getting in there, but they've been here longer than I have.

I guess that if I've got them then they'll be in the entire block (four flats, two up two down). So even if I get rid, they'll still be coming in from upstairs and next door.

I'm not keen on poison because I don't want rotting mouseys in the walls making the place smell. So I guess it'll have to be traditional traps.

Elsien, I think they are using the pipes because I hear the radiator rattling before one pops up in the bedroom.

Babbawah, I knew that about rodents (actually I thought it was just rats and mice were extra on top). As long as they stay in sewers and pipes etc that's fine, but running across the kitchen tops is going too far.

I'm in a council flat so can't go to the Landlord as it's nothing to do with them. They'll deal with rats but not mice.

Ames

Oops, Hedgehog and Phree your replies weren't there when I started my last post.

I don't have kids or pets so keeping them safe isn't a problem.

I'm not calm, I'm suffering from moderate depression and just haven't been able to face dealing with it all.

I'm not sure how I'd stand with having the holes filled, I'll ask my housing advice worker if I'd get in trouble with the council for it.

Hedgehog99

I know you're supposed to look for the bodies if you've used poison (so as to prevent the body being eaten by another animal), but, thankfully, mice are small and their bodies dry out quickly so the smell goes quickly.

Try traps now as fits your preference, and use the bait boxes as a long-term way of stopping each first opportunist - stop the first one(s) each time and they're not there to breed more.

Pthree

I'm in a council block too, but I rent privately.

It is amazing how many of my neighbors that I spoke who were "yeah I saw something and there is a hole in me cornflakes box was it a mouse???" even though our housing association provide free vermin (including mice) control, no one would call!!

Worth a phone call surely?

Savvy_Sue

So this your new place?

I'd call a proper pest controller: as well as treatment they will give advice. The problem does get worse in cold weather.

And if there's a problem throughout the block, then ask your support worker why it's not a council problem!