Just moved into a mouse infestation - What can I do?

gadelina

After a nightmarish search for a room to rent I finally found a really lovely, affordable room in a nice large house and snapped it up immediately. Now I've been here nearly three weeks one of my housemates has clued me in to the fact that the place is infested with mice and has been for a long time (I had noticed some traps about the place, but as there's never been anything in them I assumed they were precautionary). The landlord has been aware of the problem for a while (long before I moved in) and he laid down the very ineffective traps, but has been unwilling to do anything else about it except to say "don't leave any food out". My housemate is really at the end of his rope and wants to get a cat to deal with it, but unfortunately I'm very allergic to cats.

I think the reason I hadn't noticed the issue is because my room is newly decorated without any cracks in the walls/skirting so there haven't been mice in here, but the rest of the house is quite old and not exactly well-maintained (bare floorboards, holes in the skirting in the kitchen etc.) so I can now see that it's perfect for a mouse infestation. I really don't want to have to move out (I still love my room), but do I have any right to have my landlord do anything to solve the problem?

Hoploz

Maybe the council could help? Just thinking that they might step in if the house is not in habitable condition.

Red-Squirrel_2

i'd get in touch with environmental health at the local council.

Pixie5740

You don't want a cat for a rodent infestation. You want a good ratter, usually a terrier of some description like a Jack Russell.

Although getting a dog and training it up probably isn't practical. Many councils have pest control so as others have said contact the local council, whether or not you have to pay for the service is another matter.

libf

gadelina wrote: »

but unfortunately I'm very allergic to cats.

Get a Sphinx and bathe it regularly?

G_M

The solutions are

* a ratter as per Pixie
* stopping up holes/gaps (the landlord) though it's almost impossible as mice can get through tiny gaps
* removing whatever is attracting them (crumbs on the floor, food accessible in cupboards, bins etc)
* poison (DIY stores, online etc)
* quality traps - these work well. And so do these. Don't bother with cheese, use chocolate or peanut butter as bait
* there are electonic devices that claim to deter them. Some people say they work - try them and see...

You sound like you live in a HMO. How many residents? You need to act cooperatively ie traps in all areas and joint action on cleanliness, otherwise you'll be fighting a losing battle.

Are you in the countryside (field mice) or town (house mice)?

pmlindyloo

Read this:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/common_problems/pests_and_vermin

Get in touch with environmental health at your council.

Unfortunately there is often a charge.

It is very difficult to say whether this is your landlord's problem or the tenants.

If the tenants have left food out and have made the problem worse then part of the responsibility is with them.

If there are structural problems - holes in the wall etc then it down to the landlord.

Do you know how they have got in?

Get the pest control people out and let them tell you how the mice have got in and go from there.

Do something quickly as they breed like rabbits (!) and it can be a nightmare.

If there is any dispute offer a compromise to the LL - halves/something similar, though to be fair it is really the other tenants who should bear the cost since the problem existed before you moved in.

maninthestreet

Davesnave

When I lived in a Georgian terrace in Bath during the 1970s I didn't expect mice, as my flat and all the others in our house were up-together.

I got them though. At night I would hear them trundling through from next door and, shortly afterwards, a snap from my trap. Sometimes I got them, sometimes not, but it was just something I had to deal with myself, so I did. There were never that many, thanks to vigilance.

What exactly is the problem? If you don't leave food and cooking utensils in acessible places it will help, but mice and older buildings go together and, as I found, they might not even be resident, just visiting.

bouicca21

I had mice in my rental. Traps baited with chocolate just made the b#ggers laugh. Just occasionally they'd take the bait. Wire wool and mastic to block up the holes works for a while, but then collapses a bit, it also takes ages to do an effective job (If you can poke a pencil in, the mice can get through). Besides the way the kitchen units had been installed meant it was impossible to get to all the holes.

The flat below me had an electronic device and swore it worked, which may explain why the wretched things climbed up the wall to get to mine.

If you go in for humane traps remember you have to let them free a considerable distance away (I think it is a mile) or they just find their way back.

Seriously borrowing a Jack Russell is your best bet. Acquiring one permanently is even better as there is bound to be a nest somewhere, where they are reproducing regularly. Clear one generation out and a few weeks/months later you'll have the next generation.

SplanK

If you have mice, then
1. You need to find where they are coming in
2. There must be a food source to keep them interested
3. Maybe a nest
4. Creature of habit. They like to follow walls and under furnature. See if you can watch for them, maybe a camera to see what route they take to position traps efficiently. Moving them will help so they don't become familiar with them.
5. They are clever !!!!!!s, they will quickly realise what traps are when they see another mouse in one. Ensure that traps are cleared quickly and relocate after its caught one.


You options are fairly limited. Snap traps are not great, and most humane traps don't really work that great as they can, most of the time, figure them out.


Poison works well however if they die in a void in the house you are left with the rotting body. You could consider glue traps, they are rather inhumane though and you need to keep a very close eye on them, however you will need to end its life yourself as their fur gets rather stuck and it will be impossible for it to be removed. If they are stressed enough, they may consider chewing their own legs off to try and escape.... so a rather grim option but reasonably effective.