We've Got Mice-Help!!! (merged threads)

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks for all your replies . A lot of people seem to have had success with the humane traps, so I might try one of those.

I was speaking to a friend today who works for the pest control/enviromental health department in the council and she said the council will make 3 visits to lay poisoned pellets for about £29. Apparantly they would put the pellets under the fridge, behind the tumbler, etc, where hopefully other animals/children couldn't get to them, and the animal has to eat its own weight in pellets for them to kill it (or something like that). So that may be worth considering if all else fails .

I bought some storage containers today to put cereals, etc, in so the mice can't chew them, and I shall be more vigilant about sweeping the foor after meals .

HairyHandofDartmoor

I've thought of the ultrasonic noise repeller thingummy but not sure our guinea pigs would like it! Shame they're not savage killer guinea pigs, then I could set them on the mouse!

clutterydrawer

I've had mice in my last two houses. We had success by borrowing a cat to get rid of the ones that were in the house, then blocking up ALL the gaps, even tiny ones.

Humane traps I found to be a total waste of time, we found droppings in front of one of them so he'd obviously sat outside it for a bit and not bothered going in!

If they're going on your surfaces you can make a drop trap, put a bucket on the floor and have a ruler sticking out from your work surface over the bucket, with bait on the end.

champys

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies . A lot of people seem to have had success with the humane traps, so I might try one of those.
I bought some storage containers today to put cereals, etc, in so the mice can't chew them, and I shall be more vigilant about sweeping the foor after meals .

Second the humane traps, and yes, the best baits are peanut butter and nutella. We had loads of mice the first year in this house - a cat too, but she's a lazy spoilt Persian who does not take the slightest bit of interest in rodents. DH would cycle several miles with the caught mice before letting them go again..... but it is true that one year we had a mouse with a damaged ear which we caught 3 or more times :rotfl:. After we had the roof re-done, mice became very rare. You are right, putting anything edible in screw-top jars or other containers really helps, too. Poison indeed mostly means something dying in an inaccessible spot, and having to put up with the stink for a while. Scented candles are quite good, though! We ended up getting a hunter-cat in the end to deal with the problem, but it is still not 100%! Leaving cat food out attracts rodents too, and the cat is not always on the spot when needed. Bottom line: if you live in the country, the odd mouse is par for the course, it won't kill us. We have OK immune systems, so should be fine, I'm fairly relaxed about it now when I hear this patter of tiny feet in the night........

DianneB

One christmas day I opened the cutlery drawer and found a baby mouse curled up asleep in a spoon!! Cue screaming and general panic! my son caught it in his hands and we released it near the river where it promptly fell in and drowned, I still feel bad about it!! It took us weeks to catch the mum and rest of the babies using humane traps baited with peanut butter! we then moved house in the summer and my son swore there was still one left in his bedroom.

MrsA1939

We have the electronic devices in our house and not had any mice, moths or spiders (except the odd one in the bath) for over 4 years, I would try these they are great

paberley1

I used to be a pest control officer for the the council I work for, I am now an Environmental health officer. My council doesnt charge for mice because they are a public health pest. Get a "nipper" trap and bait it with fruit and nut choc, potato or as someone else has said peanut butter. The ultrosonic devices are a scam and DO NOT work. I have seen a rat walk straight past one in a loft and never batted an eye. As for the poison , if you have an Infestation rather than 1 micky its the only effective way of erradicating them. You can get poison yourself from Wilko. Yes you may not find the dead mouse but that really isnt a problem. there little bodies simply shrival up. In years of treating them I have only had to return to one house where they had a smell. this house was alive with mice and one had died going over a hot water pipe under the bathroom floor. They can follow pipework around your house so if you have an airing cuboard bait that, and anywhere warm. Eg behind your fridge. I have found loads of mice in restuarants living in the motor housing of fridges. Its nice and warm and possibly a few scraps of food. Make sure your kitchen and house have no food around. eg teenage kids that eat in their bedrooms. Mice can have a feast on even an empty crisp packet. hope this helps, humane traps can sometimes be a challenge in that some mice have running shoes on and race straight back into your house. Block all holes they need a hole just the size of a pencil to get in eg around kitchen waste pipes or under doors, or very old victorian air bricks.
Good luck,do get rid because one breeding pair can produce 2000 offspring in year and they have no bladder control so constantly weeing all over your work tops.

Penelope_Penguin

paberley1 wrote: »

Block all holes they need a hole just the size of a pencil to get in eg around kitchen waste pipes or under doors, or very old victorian air bricks.

I agree with everything you say apart from this bit Be careful of blocking up air bricks (especially if you have open fires) as they form a useful part of ventialting your home, and assisting the chimney

Penny. x

Biggles

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I agree with everything you say apart from this bit Be careful of blocking up air bricks (especially if you have open fires) as they form a useful part of ventialting your home, and assisting the chimney.

Absolutely, never block air bricks. You can get covers from any DIY store that will fix over them and have holes too small for mice but still allow ventilation.

strawberryberry

I read a report from a university in USA where they had tried controlled experiments with rats and mice using these sonic devices to see if they were any deterrent to stop them rodents going into a room . They creatures were released and one room had the deterrent and the other did not -everything else was the same . The rodents went freely from room to room. The stats showed no significant difference in the use of the devices. The conclusion was that they didnt work.
Before reading this i was tempted to buy one but tried poison instead - this worked fine by itself and the traps i set still have chocolate in them waiting to be eaten ! Ive left them out just in case we get visitors again