I've got mice in my kitchen. What do I do next? DIY Pest Control or Call in the Pros? Please help

twopenny

FreeBear, is that easier or harder than the baby bunny my friend spent the early hours trying to catch.

Had been deposited in the bedroom.

FreeBear

The shrew was easy enough to catch - It was clinging to furball's fluff on his back legs.

The rat took a little longer.

mark_cycling00

Initially it's worth getting a pest control person in to find the holes where they are getting in. 
Often these people are literally "magic" and locate the exact spot.

Council aren't motivated to get good Google reviews are likely just to install traps. 

After this then it's just an ongoing but occasional task of using non poisonous traps. That's if you have permanent ways for mice to enter such as climbing plants on walls etc.

It is nearly always just one or two each year. They just make more noise than you'd expect 

goldfinches

I've had the same problem and think I've managed to sort it out by a combination of using bits of copper scouring pads jammed in every gap I could find and snap traps. I found they were using the gaps around the pipe work under the sink as a sort of super highway.
I got the copper scourers from M&S but you can also buy rolls of the mouse wire wool online.
I've tried both the little nipper type of trap and these black plastic ones which I find easier to empty the body from after you've caught it and they are also easier to reload with bait.
Good luck with catching your little pests.

FreeBear

Fully grown rat in the lounge....

At least it was dead before being dragged in.

silverwhistle

Bigphil1474 said:

I'd definitely get the pest control in - even if you kill/catch them, what are you going to do with them?

Get the rubber gloves out and chuck 'em on the roof of the adjacent lock up garages. Magpies, seagulls and red kites will make short work of them.

The dead fox I found on my patio I bagged up and took to the dump as the local council didn't want to know.. The dead cat I notified my neighbour and returned to her after initially thinking it might be Michael Fabricant's..

poppellerant

I'd try to catch them on my own, with traps, peanut butter and/or wine gums.  If you have a cat, then better still - keep the cat indoors and don't feed it for a good few days and let nature do the work for you.  The mice will soon be gossiping about your hungry, indoor cat.

goldfinches

I noticed this very timely article in Which today that you might find helpful too. 

Bookworm105

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Bigphil1474 said:

 even if you kill/catch them, what are you going to do with them? 

Put them in the bin

I do feel sorry for the poor things but can't have 'em running around the house. 

+1  to both comments   

charlieheard

Late to this, but we live in the country and get mice in our roof space almost every winter. They love the areas above the recessed ceiling lights which are warmer and have a small area free of insulation around them. We use a combination of Little Nipper and Rentokil traps: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quick-Mouse-Trap-Twin-Pack/dp/B007R2HQ4M The latter are really useful if you're squeamish as you don't have to touch anything but the outside of the trap