Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

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  • donottellme
    donottellme Posts: 10 Forumite
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    it's great !!!
  • Dipak
    Dipak Posts: 215 Forumite
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    Hi All,

    I was after some advice, I have noticed some mice in my house. The problem is in my neighbours house as his house is full of them. The house next door is on rent and I have tracked the landlord who said she's treated it but I think she hasn't. I've contacted the council and they werent any help, basically told me to go away.

    What can I do next? I know I can't stop them coming in my house until next door treats the source. What's you advice? Can I involve CAB?

    Thanks in advance,
    D
  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,093 Forumite
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    Overkill or what. Why don't you just buy some mouse traps and bait them with chocolate or peanut butter. How do you know they are definetely coming in from next door,
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
  • theGrinch
    theGrinch Posts: 3,122 Forumite
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    everyone thinks mice come from next door. I agree with previous poster. block any gaps also.
    "enough is a feast"...old Buddist proverb
  • Dipak
    Dipak Posts: 215 Forumite
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    Not an overkill at all just a question on what i can try next. Tried traps and poison, reason I know they from next door is because the preivous tenants lived like slobs and never put rubbish out. The council knew about it as did the landlord, hence I asked the landlord initially. I've been told that the problem won't go until the root cause in found.

    So what other avenue can I persue?

    D
  • tony6403
    tony6403 Posts: 1,257 Forumite
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    Screwfix sell a plug-in product called "Procter Pest Stop" which it claims "repels rodents and most insects while not affecting humans or pets" £32.99 or £47.99 for a "Professional" version.
    Forgotten but not gone.
  • diable
    diable Posts: 5,258 Forumite
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    Mice forage for food. clean your house, place all food away and try to block all the holes.
  • Mupette
    Mupette Posts: 4,599 Forumite
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    what about going around to your neighbour and letting them know the problem.
    GNU
    Terry Pratchett
    ((((Ripples))))
  • keystone
    keystone Posts: 10,916 Forumite
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    Years ago we had a rabbit which used to live in a (decent sized) hutch in the garage in the summer when he wasn't lolloping around the garden or allowed indoors (which he was until one night he cut the wife off in the middle of a telephone call to her mother :D:beer::D).

    One day I noticed that we were starting to acquire lots of small brown objects on the floor below the table where the hutch sat. T'was mice (field mice though) that had been attracted by the food that he discarded and threw out of the hutch and which was always present 'cos as soon as we cleared it up and turned our backs the little perisher threw another lot out.

    Anyway to cut a long story short eventually he went to the great stew in the sky and from that moment on no mouse droppings because they had to go elsewhere.

    So the poster above is correct - its not next door encouraging them into you they are coming in because there is food for them in your house. Get rid of the source (ie treat the problem not the symptom) and it will self adjust.

    Cheers
    The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits. - Einstein
  • biroqueen
    biroqueen Posts: 4 Newbie
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    Hi all, been very useful reading all this so thanks.
    We live in a terrace row in the middle of a city and have a literally ENORMOUS mouse problem. Have lived in many houses like this as a student and a grown-up as have friends so have witnessed MANY ways of getting rid of mice. We have been using the snap traps (old-school wooden ones and posh plastic ones) and various other bits and pieces to try and get rid of the mice in this house, and previous. From past experience:

    1. in a city it is pretty useless with humane traps, you have to let the mice out literally miles away to stop them coming back, so just killing them cleanly and quickly is kindest for everyone and the mice

    2. glue traps are horrific, they will wriggle and pull of bits of hair and skin etc to try and get themselves free, and you have to kill the mouse yourself anyway. They are however, pretty good at catching the mice, so if you must use them and / or have someone with a strong stomach - then check the traps often and when you've got one, it's a plastic bag with a brick dropped on it = solution, it's the quickest way to put the critter out of its misery

    3. rubbish snap traps are mean too, as other people have mentioned the mice will gnaw bits off themselves and squeal in pain etc if they don't die.

    4. good snap traps are priceless, a quick, clean kill and posh ones mean you don't even have to touch/look at dead mouse. However our mice have been getting used to them so we have to keep changing the bait etc to keep them interested.

    5. poison is mixed results - some mice eat it and die and disappear, others don't eat it / don't die / die and smell

    6. mouse repellants that you plug in - don't use them if you already have an infestation as the mice get used to them apparently, but once you have gotten rid of the mice then by all means try one to keep them away

    7. read product reviews for what you buy i.e. on the b&q website there is a real mixed bag of reviews over their products, especially stuff like traps / repellants. Though I guess savvy shoppers like you guys already do that! :-)

    That is what I have already learned BUT we are facing a Really resistant bunch of mice and we are simply not killing them fast enough. All our food is hidden in plastic boxes, we are really clean, etc etc. but they just keep on coming. I think they love the terraces as they can just run between all our houses.

    Does anyone have some next-level extreme extermination tips?!!! We are at our wits end and I don't know if pest control people could do any better... plus our landlord is a bit stingy so doubt he would pay for that, he just wants us to use glue traps.

    Sorry that this is an enormous post, I wanted to share what I'd found out through trial and error but also cry for help!!!!!
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