to want to burn down my house and move

[mommy2ash]

The is something living behind my kitchen cabinets. It has ripped a cardigan in half, nibbled holes through a shirt and stolen a packet of cherry bakewells. I can see the top of the insert sticking out of a hole under the stairs that leads into the backs of the cabinets. My dd is off out with her friends for the day and I need to figure out how best to start a fire help!!!!

[gleekster]

It sounds like it's nesting

Our local council has pest control which are free. I appreciate this may not be the case everywhere and of course it's a bloody Saturday.

Do you have matches?

[MrsJayy]

Eeek run save yourself or get traps

[SaucyJack]

Is it your MIL?

[DiseasesOfTheSheep]

Well played, SaucyJack...

I'll burn yours down if you do mine? I'm fed up with clearing out to move...

[mommy2ash]

No mil lol I'm a single parent. I think this is the first time ever I wished I had a partner.

[MrsJayy]

Im well hard me but when we had mice i went to mush they terrified me get traps they like Rolos and set it

[mommy2ash]

My dd is off to her friends soon do I'm gonna try get my dad to come round to set some traps I'm clearing all the food out of the kitchen and contacting my landlord on Monday. Would it be too far to move in with my parents for a while lol

[MrsJayy]

I would as somebody else pointed out they are probably nesting you never just get a mouse we got them not long after our cat died get a cat

[mommy2ash]

I think the only thing keeping me calm is saying mouse instead of mice right now and worse still mouse instead of rats cos that packet of cakes wasn't light and I'm not sure a mouse could drag all that into hole. Worse still I'm not sure how even a rat could have done it

[Sighing]

Are you able to find any droppings? That'll make it clear what it is. If DD is out the poisions are the same for both. You could lay some down as a preemptive strike (takes a day or two to kill them).

[MrsJayy]

Oh jeez an actual packet of cakes not nibbled through

[SuperFlyHigh]

Beg borrow or steal a cat... Or get one. Preferably a farm one because better for catching any size rodents.

[Sophie38]

Sounds more like a (small) goat. Go outside and see if you have any holes into the kitchen wall where something could get in.

[Sidalee7]

I feel your pain. We had mice after next doors house was gutted, tried humane traps with mars bar but they didn't work so resorted to poison which I felt terrible about but it did work.
Bleach everything, and store cakes and goodies in bread bin or Tupperware?

[MrsJayy]

Neighbours borrowed my cat once to get rid of rats in his garage she was very efficient

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

We had a rat in our BEDROOM once. It got in through an open window (garden level bedrooms here). DH set a trap, we closed the door and slept elsewhere. Worst part was we could hear it gnawing at the bedroom door before it got trapped. Still gives me the heebie jeebies thinking about it.

Sorry OP not helpful.

Why do you have to wait until Monday to call your landlord?

[Sophie38]

Just for reference...goat droppings, and donkey I think? If you find a pile like that you will know for sure

[mommy2ash]

I haven't found any droppings. I dost even find any crumbs when the cakes went missing. There was four individual bakewells in an insert. The top if the insert is sticking out of the hole under the stairs and there is one silver carton the cake was in left behind. I can't even think how the cakes got through and mice or rats surely couldn't eat 4 bakewells in one go without leaving a mess. Or else I have a person living behind my kitchen cabinets

[mommy2ash]

I also can't access the back of my house. I have no garden or outside space the only access I have is through the front door. There is a small bit of land behind my house before the others house start but there is no way to get out there

[Bluetrews25]

I got some enclosed mousetraps in B&Q - bait with peanut butter - so you don't have to see the body until you are 'disposing' and no risk of touching it at all! Plus plug-in high pitch noise rodent repellers that I still have plugged in. Plug up any holes in the wall with wire wool or tinfoil - don't think they like to chew through that??

[SuperFlyHigh]

If it makes you feel any better OP I know friends of my parents (who I saw when they visited parents at Xmas and I dropped round).

They have rats living in their Norfolk cottage in the roof, yes roof, (I suppose it could be a thatched roof) pest control can't or won't do much, their cat is soppy and doesn't do much with the rats... They're resigned to living with them scratching away up there but don't like it....

I think after that I declined their kind offer of a visit to stay (nightmares of a rat dropping through ceiling onto my bed in spare bedroom in the dead of night). screams

[Sophie38]

Crikey. I can't imagine a person would really be able to hide behind a kitchen cabinet though. I think you probably have a rat, all things considered.

I would take some essentials, barricade the area off and live in the other rooms till Monday, then get the landlord onto it urgently. Take some photos too.

[NattyTile]

We had issues. The cats did nothing. I bought a sonic rodent repeller thingy. Plugged it in, it emits a squeak humans can't hear, and 24 hours later whatever it was had moved out.

But you can't use them if you have pet rodents.

[SuperFlyHigh]

Ps whatever it is it's a bastard for stealing your cherry Bakewells. .

[SuperFlyHigh]

Natty my parents are constantly dealing with field or house mice in their country home in France...

They use humane traps then set them free but someone said not to do that can't recall why.

They heard scratching in roof could be a pine or stone Marten or rats... My stepdad was according to my mum too scared to go up there and investigate!