What the HELL is this in my sofa cushions?!

[cakeforone]

Small DS had an accident on the sofa so we stripped the outer to put in the wash and went to clean the padding and saw all these black bits under the covering 😱

They look like droppings but I'm wondering how a creature got into the actual cushion through the cover. It's only about 2 years old and we've never left it for more than a few days at a time.

Hoping Mumsnet wisdom can help me figure out what it is and what the bloody hell we should do! Really feel like we need to destroy the entire sofa 😬 GRIM!

That there is mouse shit.

Honestly, they look like mouse droppings.

If it was a mouse though surely there would be holes they had chewed to get into the sofa?

Yes, mouse droppings, sorry.

Mice.

Have a look for a hole underneath the sofa

Eek that is definitely mouse poo.

That was my initial thought but how on earth did a mouse get into a sealed sofa cushion with us all sitting on it everyday?

By cushion I mean the bottom bit that you sit on btw.

Our house is generally very clean and there is definitely no sign of mice at all.

Mice can fit through holes the width of a biro.

I bought a sofa once which had a nest in it - the mice ate their way out of the sofa! 🤢

Are the droppings old? Could they have been there since the warehouse?

There are no holes anywhere on the cushion except for the one I've just cut to investigate 🤔

Is this the first time you’ve taken the covers off that bit? Is it zips? Check the rest

They are mouse droppings. If you definitely haven't got mice, assume the sofa warehouse did. You've probably got mice though. Most people do I reckon.

Looks like mice droppings to me, my folks had them and had no idea for ages, the man they paid to get rid of them thought they had been in a couple of months. Mum was mortified as she is very house proud. Sofa was thrown out, traps down.

The thought of having mice in my sofa for possibly 2 years!!

We may have taken this specific cushion cover off to wash before. I'm not sure. Certainly taken others off.

It's closed by zips.

Will send DH out for some traps. Even if we have got mice it must've been a bloody ninja to get into that cushion. I've scoured for holes and can't see any at all. Maybe we left the zip a tiny bit open but still no visible holes in the actual cushion lining.

The sofa was from an Ebay furniture outlet type place. We needed one quickly when funds were low. Resisting all temptation to rip open the base of the sofa.

Think we'll watch tv in bed tonight rather than the sofa!

Mice can get through holes the diameter of a biro. They're slinky wee buggers.

Certainly looks like a mouse but could it be a caterpillar that has somehow burrowed its way in?

I hate to tell you this OP, I was once sat on a sofa when 2 mice ran out and over my foot. So yes, they do hide in sofas.

Not helpful.

Certainly looks like mouse droppings to me as well.

Thanks for all your comments. I'm horrified as I generally try hard to keep a clean and tidy home.

Still no idea how it could've actually got into the inner of the cushion as there are no holes at all, even tiny ones but it's been thrown away and I think we may be getting a new sofa. Putting some traps down to see if we can catch anything.

If it was bought from eBay it could of been the previous owner they maybe old droppings??

Definitely looks like mouse droppings.

We had them in our kitchen one year. The wee buggers will go anywhere its warm and soft and comfy. Like a nice sofa!

They were probably there in the warehouse but hopefully would have been scared off before or during transit. Hope so anyway.

@Palmer1983 it was new from an outlet type shop on Ebay. Was all packaged when it came but I suppose it could've been from the warehouse maybe.

We had our gas fire removed a few months ago and there was a gap of a few days until we could get a builder to fill and plaster the hole left. We sealed the hole in the meantime with blankets and plastics taped over but maybe mice came through then and made themselves at home.