MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

It's (or several of them) are running across your kitchen to get to food/water/shelter... so it may well have a family close by, under your kitchen units, in the wall cavity, under next doors kitchen units... The way our houses are built, they can pretty much have a ratty or mousey highway system taking them from one end of a terrace to another without us ever seeing them!

If one person in your row is leaving loads of food around, this then supports a population explosion... then the mouse families start shoving their offspring out (as I say, territorial little sods) so some of the braver ones venture further, and they need to to find food... so they take risks they otherwise wouldn't take... and you start seeing them.

I get mice on a semi regular basis. I put strong poison granules near the holes. Then I keep relaying the bait until it's untouched, which means they are dead. Then I fill the hole with wire wool and expandable foam. Keeps them at bay for a good while.

Yep, theres no council pest control here either. When there was, it was free if you were council tenants or on certain means tested benefits, and cheap if you were not, compared to private companies.

The whole 'theres no financial benefit in actually killing all the pests' myth has been going around since time began.

The truth is, most of the pests we call out pest control to get rid of, have always lived in close proximity to us, and it is not possible to 100% eradicate some of them from our buildings/homes/properties.

This is why places like food factories, hospitals etc, have ongoing pest control contracts to manage pests pro-actively, to keep numbers at an acceptable level.

It is expected that home owners do most of the things (keep homes clean and tidy, don't leave food sources around, don't provide shelter) on a small scale, that pest control contracts would do for such places on a larger scale - so then the home owner only has to call out pest control if theres a surge in numbers for some reason.

To an PP, I have caught many, many, mice with my bare hands over the years. They are fast, and they jump, but with practice they are easily caught. You just have to not be afraid of them, and pounce like a cat!

If I fail however, I do use snap traps, the tunnel ones, baited with nutella. Never fails.

please don't use those, they are just so cruel. Far better using a spring trap which is, at least, quick

The council don't come out for pest control in our area. They recommend a few places and you pay the going rate. It was about £200 when I used them for rats.

this is inhumane and cruel. Either get a cat or pay the money for pest removal service.

They must be getting in through gaps/holes in the outside walls etc. The issue for me was a few missing mortar joints near the ground. They only require a gap as big as a pen to get in. Fill any such open joints with mortar. Can be tricky in flats etc. Once they are in the cavity they can travel a long way.

Tell that to my poor mum who had one bite through a water pipe and cause tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage - she’s been staying with me for three months because her house is uninhabitable.

that said - they are lovely and sweet but outside!

There is never one mouse, mice do not come in ones unless dropped in the house by a cat.

Remove all food sources (or put it in mouse-proof containers) and stuff they can hide behind/nest in.

You may see mice during the day where theres a population explosion and they are forced to venture further/out into the open to find food and water.

Mice are not harmless, they spread diseases, lepto and hantavirus being two pretty unpleasant ones.

Humane traps may not kill the mouse, however if you dump them close to home they'll return. If you dump them a long way from home they'll die trying, or die because the area you dumped them in doesn't support mice, or has a high predator population... or you dump them in an area that does support mice and they're killed by the resident population (they are vicious little bastards). Humane traps are merely passing the buck so you don't have to take responsibility for killing something.

Snappy traps are the most effective kill traps - they don't suit all locations though, they need to be placed where mice will naturally go, where you can check, without disturbing them frequently (or you put the mice off from visiting the traps). Sometimes, poison is the only effective way to deal with a big infestation.

Pest controllers charge by size of the property as this affects how much work they have to do, product they use etc. They need to know this in advance or they may not bring enough traps/poison with them or allow sufficient time for the job.

Really not sure what the relevance is of the visiting fox. Having a visiting fox certainly doesn't mean you only have one mouse!

Yes, do this, but also check the outside of your house for entry points, otherwise new mice might return. The issue for me was a few missing mortar joints. They only require a gap as big as a pen to get in. Fill any such open joints with mortar. I use pest control, cost £100 I think. He used trays of poison, but I'm not sure this is suitable with young kids.

@youhavenoshameonyourface
Not really sure why you keep writing that I poured bleach on them.

But anyway, I exhausted all other options and desperately wanted rid of a whole host of mice that where causing a lot of stress during covid and pregnancy. I would do the same again. You haven't made me think twice about my actions here.

Statistically, if youre in the UK you’re very likely to be against hunting of any kind. If this is the case, then you are a massive hypocrite.

Please don’t use the sticky pads. I’m horrified that anybody would suggest that. What an utterly vile person you’d have to be.

We live in the sticks and get a lot of mice. I use the humane traps with something tasty in and check the traps every day or so. I’ll then release away from houses.

There are plenty of more humane ways (than pouring bleach on them) to rid your house of mice and keep it mouse free.

See above at the many, many suggestions.

And they all wear cutesy pajamas and lottlenold fashioned clothes, and have names, and make tea from berries, sing carols around their teeny tiny Christmas trees, and carry hantavirus, which they spread through urine, feces, and saliva.

@youhavenoshameonyourface

You are yes.
But mindless animal cruelty would be me killing mice for fun.
I will readily kill rodents for a purpose, i.e, if they're in my home.
back in the real world, people do not want to be infested by mice.

All of the above.
Keep the floors and surfaces free of crumbs .
You can block holes with wire wool. Mice hate this stuff.
Mice also come inside for water so try to make sure they can't easily access it.

Well I don't pour bleach on live mice or suggest that other people do.

I'm allowed to point out mindless animal cruelty when I see it.

@youhavenoshameonyourface

Oh pack it in. I'm sure your eco foot print is impeccable.