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

Myci85

I was going to suggest getting a cat, but some of the posts on here have reminded me that my cats have probably brought me far more live animals to catch in the house than any they've taken care of - a baby rabbit squeezed down the side of the piano, numerous birds flying around the house, and several mice, including one that made me jump when I moved the blanket off my lap on the sofa and noticed it had been hidden inside it the whole time, and another complete ninja of a mouse that my son and I spent ages trying to catch in a tub as it scaled the walls and jumped about a foot in the air when we got close!

You can get some good humane traps and just make sure you let them go a long way from your house, or they come back. And as everyone said, find where they're coming in and seal it up. 

Trip Trap Mouse Trap (Pest Control) | eSpares https://search.app/b2Ta8H73KjzsstyC6

toby3210

Albermarle said:

Even cheaper just put some mouse poison on the floor underneath the units at the back.
Normally there is a plinth at the bottom of the units that is removable.

Thanks for suggestion. The thing that confuses me is if I poison them surely there's going to be a horrible stench coming out the walls for some time and maggots and that sort of stuff. Or am I misunderstanding how it works?

CliveOfIndia

toby3210 said:

Thanks for suggestion. The thing that confuses me is if I poison them surely there's going to be a horrible stench coming out the walls for some time and maggots and that sort of stuff. Or am I misunderstanding how it works?

No, your concerns are very valid.  The problem with poison is that's not immediate.  Mouse eats poison, scuttles off to who-knows-where, dies and the body slowly decomposes.

And mice being mice, there's a fair chance it'll scuttle off somewhere indoors where it's dry and warm.  You might be able to spot the body lying under a cabinet somewhere, but more likely it'll end up under the floorboards or in a wall cavity somewhere.

Traps are a much better solution in my opinion.  Sure, it can be a bit "ikky" removing the body, but at least you know where it is and can get rid of it hygienically.

Slinky

We had rats in the garden. One we caught in a box trap wasn't dead, just caught by a foot. OH had to despatch it. Cat rushed outside to assist when she heard all the squealing.

WalshSall

Rodders53 said:

You need to find the hole(s) where they are getting into the dwelling and suitably mouse-proof those as well as eliminating the intruders.

That is, in part, what you pay the professionals to do... trace where they are getting in and stop them.  

Before they breed and cause more extensive damage.

Exactly this. Try to work out where they are coming from.  Look around the outside of the property as well for obvious holes and where they could possibly be getting in.  When you have blocked the holes then the problem will go.

Aslan69

I’ve had mice in a couple of flats I’ve rented and really hated dealing with it. I started with traps, but it felt like a never-ending job and it was awful disposing of them. Blocking up any holes or gaps with steel wool helped a bit but the little guys are crafty. I never used poison because of my pets too.

I found some ultrasonic devices against pests that work without toxic chemicals. I’ve read more about ultrasonic pest repellers on this site if you decide you want an approach that’s hands-off and safer for pets, https://sonic-barrier.us/.

MysteryMe

Good point about being careful how to dispose of the bodies so that no other animal can feed on it, a mouse or rat that is poisoned will poison whatever eats it's body.