Mice infestation - now what?

[MiceAttack]

NC, obviously.

So I thought we had mice as I found droppings behind the chair the other day , cleared them and cleaned but didn't see more.

Just done under the kitchen sink and realised there's lots under the bottles. I normally just fetch washing up bottle in and out etc, don't really look.
I've cleaned it with antibac spray and wipes, wiped the bottles down etc. Think there's wee in there too.
There's a weird gap behind that I can't get into so I wonder if they're down there, can't rip it out as it's rented.

I'm going to call the Council tomorrow to see about getting someone out and disinfect am the floors tonight. I assume it's coming from garage

Will the council report it to SS as a safeguarding issue?

Is it worth buying some traps for the cupboard and garage before the council come out?

Would I be better paying an infestation company to come out but will they have to fumigate? I have a 1 yo, 2 yo and 6 yo, I've with SN so there's no where we can go for a week or whatever.

They won't fumigate, just set traps. Are you a council tenant?

vermin is usually the tennant's responsibility.
you need to find out what they are (mice poo is tiny!) and where they are coming from.

yes to traps.
do not leave any food out, no fruit bowl. clean the toaster of crumbs. put food in paper packages (flour, sugar, cereal) into sturdy containers with lid.

holes you could stuff with a wire sponge (the kind for pans)

No, it’s absolutely not a safeguarding issue, people get mice all the time, it happens.

Things that helped us- peppermint oil- they detest the smell, it put them off. They are only coming into your house because there’s a food source. Find it and seal everything in Tupperware so they can’t smell it. Ours came in under our sink too and we live in a London flat, we’ve tried to block holes but impossible without ripping everything up (we rent)

Traps from Amazon. Bait with Nutella. I was reluctant to kill but we didn’t have much option. We’ve only ever got one- quick death. Makes a racket when they go off.
The rest of the time we put them off by being very clean in kitchen and putting the peppermint oil down.

I'm sorry OP but I'm not sure mice would constitute a 'safeguarding' concern unless you're in fear that the mice are going to abuse your children...

Similarly they aren't going to fumigate your home, that is for bugs (unless you want a bunch of mice carcasses around the home..) they will more likely place traps.

Actions for today: make sure all food supplies are secured in airtight containers and in a high cupboard. Make sure you re-clean things before using them such as utensils etc. Call council tomorrow morning.

@LIZS

They won't fumigate, just set traps. Are you a council tenant?

No private

If you're a private rental tenant then it's unlikely council will sort. You'll have to pay a local company to sort it or set traps yourself

@redcandlelight

vermin is usually the tennant's responsibility. you need to find out what they are (mice poo is tiny!) and where they are coming from.

yes to traps.
do not leave any food out, no fruit bowl. clean the toaster of crumbs. put food in paper packages (flour, sugar, cereal) into sturdy containers with lid.

holes you could stuff with a wire sponge (the kind for pans)

I know it's our fault, I mean council as in pest control not landlord, we rent privately.

It looks small enough to be nice not rats.

There's not much out, there is fruit and veg out, not nibbled etc. Will put it away. Cereal in plastic boxes. Sugar in glass jar.

I'll get some wire sponges and look for holes

Have a look at council website, they may recommend a pest control firm but you will have to pay. They won't just send someone round. You usually get a couple of visits for a fixed fee. Mice are incontinent so there will be wee wherever they have been. Not sure why this might be a safeguarding issue unless clutter or poor cleaning habits have created the problem.

@SmidgenofaPigeon I'll add peppermint oil to the list, thanks

@PolPotNoodle I meant safeguarding because we obv aren't keeping the babies safe if there's mice here. What if they've for into their room or their toys already. They both mouth everything. Were weaning so I spend half my life sweeping up food from the floor but they're obv finding something.

The low for cupboard is mainly tins or plastic wrapped but there's unopened sugar and cereal so I'll move them

it's not your fault, vermins are opportunists and your place is just now attactive for them.

ime pest control (our council lists some companies) will do what you can do yourself, i.e. check where they are coming from, remove their food sources and place traps.

@netstaller

If you're a private rental tenant then it's unlikely council will sort. You'll have to pay a local company to sort it or set traps yourself

The website suggests they'll come out but charge so I'll call. Worse case scenario I guess they can recommend someone

Just buy some snappy traps from Amazon and bait with peanut butter. It’s really easy, you don’t need to call the council.

Unless it’s rats. I’d try the snappy traps first.

Honestly you don’t need a company, just buy the traps from Amazon. Mice are really common.

We are battling with mice too, they are rife in the city I live in. Little buggers have eaten holes out my carpet and shredded it trying to get under doors. Only managed to catch one in a trap and pest control have put poison down. Thankfully not seen any in a week or so. Also a private tenant and the agency organised the pest control.

Definitely move sugar and flour and bits like that. Our delightful guests once got in an unopened box of bisto gravy and ate most of the contents.
Peppermint oil we got from Amazon. It’s very strong smelling but it does seem to keep them away for the most part.

And if you catch them alive apparently you have take them a certain distance away before releasing cause otherwise they just come back. Sadly those traps didn't work for us and we had to go for snappy traps.

I actually think it’s crueler to trap them and take them miles away from the territory as that’s extremely stressful for them than just finish them off quick.

Please please don’t ever use glue traps though.

The council won't do anything, or if they do they will charge. When I private rented we had mice and tried lots of traps/bait/poison and nothing worked. I think it reduced numbers but didn't actually get rid of them 100%. I actually only ever saw 1, but think there was lots more. Since we bought our own house we also got mice, got a company out who came out once every 10 days and we also had to block up lots of holes and they have been gone 4 years. I think the main thing is trying to find where they are coming in from. We realised under our bath was a gaping hole to the outside which is where they were getting in. We only realised this because pest control put poison in every room and the one in the bathroom was cleared out. Once we investigated we took the bath panel off and could see the hole. Hope you get it sorted, I felt just like you, it honestly was so stressful and I felt like crying constantly with the stress of it all

@MiceAttack you're overthinking it, no one is going to consider you a negligent parent over a mouse infestation unless the reason you have them is from living in a literal shit tip. It's really common to have mice at some point, especially at this time of year where your house is much warmer and full of food than wherever they've been living before, and it isn't a reflection on you at all.

Using snappy traps really depends on whether you can bear to clean it up afterwards. I personally would leave it to the council even if you do have to pay them, as they'll have a better idea of where they're getting in and where's best to set the traps.

Snappy traps, am i gonna have mangled bloody corpses to dispose of?

No, the ones we got just gave them a huge bonk on the head. I took it outside and the local fox ate it.

in snappy traps it's whole dead mice.
no blood. I just put the whole thing, trap and mouse into a bag and then bin.

I bought some things off Amazon which run on a battery and they are a sonic type thing Pestbye® Long Life Battery Operated Sonic Rat and Mouse Repellent - Ultrasonic Rat & Mice Repeller. It's the only thing that stops them coming into our bathroom cabinet. Recently I noticed the toilet paper was gnawed and saw droppings, realised the battery had run out. Replaced it and there's no sign now.

Yes, you need to dispose of the mouse on the trap.

What’s your alternative, leave them there stinking till a pest control company comes out and does it for you? I assure you they stink to high heaven. And fast.

It’s not pleasant to see them dead in the trap but it’s not bloody. The traps we use say they’re reusable but I just put the full thing into the bin, didn’t fancy spending more time touching it than necessary!