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Mice infestation - now what?

72 replies

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 16:16

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.

OP posts:
BluebellsGreenbells · 03/01/2021 18:25

If you pay your council tax you have access to council services.

This includes pest control of mice or wasps etc
Plus drain cleaning services etc

Don’t pay sky high prices when you can use council services.

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 18:26

@Changi

I've had the little devils come out and do a tap dance in front of me, two feet away from a sonic mouse 'repeller'.

The best repeller we have found has four legs, sharp claws, big teeth and meows.

DS would love that, DH still couldn't be convinced
OP posts:
CheshireCats · 03/01/2021 18:38

Ffs op - Social Services!!! 🤣You are off the scale overreacting here.
Mice are everywhere towns and countryside. I live very rurally and we get at least one mouse, usually a few every year. We use traps and bait blocks (as some of our loft space is inaccessible to lay traps in so we chuck bait blocks)
I have never even considered being reported to social services because of them....
Buy some traps and calm down a bit.

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 18:41

Ffs op - Social Services!!! 🤣You are off the scale overreacting here. Or anxious and panicking but golly your empathy is just so overwhelming I'm sure everything feels better already

OP posts:
mrscampbellblackagain · 03/01/2021 18:41

Mice are so common but horrid the first time you get them.

In an old house we got them all the time as surrounded by fields. I used snappy traps and also had the council pest control out, his view were the sonic things were a waste of money.

Snappy traps are the best as others have mentioned the smell of decomposing mouse, well it's no Jo Malone candle for sure Wink

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 19:02

Thanks.

Just found out school is closed for two weeks too so any hope i had of scrubbing the house etc in-between school run and baby naps has just been thwarted. Bugger

OP posts:
SmidgenofaPigeon · 03/01/2021 19:35

Actually don’t be mean to the OP if you’ve never had mice before or experienced them in your home you might have no idea how to react! I am from the countryside and loads of experience with wildlife and such but I found it horrible to see mice in my home, it really got to me!

OhamIreally · 03/01/2021 19:58

I had mice and the traps never caught them. The holes can be the size of a 10p as they have flexible spines and can get through tiny holes. It's not like Tom and Jerry with the little front doors Smile.
I always had cats before and never had a problem. This was a time when I had no cat for a couple of years. I got a rescue cat and now I have no mice problem at all.
That's why farms and ships always had a cat because they are pest control machines. (and lovely).

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 21:12

There's no way DH would budge on a car and frankly with 3 young kids I'm not sure it would balance the stress lol. Plus DS CLAIMS he likes one bit won't stroke one so I think he likes his hypothetical one more lol.

Thank you @SmidgenofaPigeon, I've quite readily admitted I'm overly anxious esp where the babies and their health are concerned.

OP posts:
bloodyhairy · 03/01/2021 21:51

Definitely not a safeguarding concern, so no worries there. It could happen to anyone, particularly in the colder months.

bloodyhairy · 03/01/2021 21:56

Definitely not ok to leave boxes of chocolates within reach. They'll simply gnaw through the cardboard and cellophane.
Tins and sealed plastic tubs only.

BMW6 · 03/01/2021 22:10

We had mice and I got two plug in sonic deterrents from Amazon, about £25 for two.

In the last 3 years none since I plugged in.

IDoAllMyOwnStunts · 03/01/2021 22:20

Wilkos sell clean kill traps that are a plastic tunnel so the mouse dead body is hidden in the tunnel when it goes off. You don’t need to touch the body at al to get it out the trap - it breaks their necks instantly.

Place the trap alongside the edge of a cupboard or wall near where you think they are getting in. Mice are nearly blind and run along edges to find their way around.

We baited with Nutella successfully.

MiceAttack · 03/01/2021 22:58

@bloodyhairy funnily enough the chocs all went into plastic tubs today. i'll do the biscuits too

@IDoAllMyOwnStunts you're a star

OP posts:
Packlunchhell · 03/01/2021 23:32

I live rural and have had mice in my house and car. I got peppermint oil and soaked it onto cotton wool balls, then placed them under kickboards in kitchen and in my car , it seemed to do the trick as I’ve never had them back in the house.

wifterwafter · 04/01/2021 10:47

I have plug ins round the house but the battery one in the bathroom.

TheNationsFavourite · 05/01/2021 16:30

Careful they don't chew through your electrics - needed major repair work last year!

katy1213 · 05/01/2021 16:42

Council take ages to come out and charge nearly as much as private companies.

DJNRotrou · 19/03/2021 17:05

mice are straightforward. they travel 10-12 meters around the nest and normally spread as a population from home to home.

If you ever see droppings or a mouse:

1- open the kickboard of the sink units and see if there are a lot of droppings
2- if you live on an upper floor, speak with the flats below, the ground is normally the gateway for mice activity
3-if you live on the ground the mice may come from the garden so check the perimeter of the building for damage on the masonry or if the airbrick need meshing
4- normally mice travel easily between terrace home under the floorboards, so please approach your neighbours and invite them to check for dropping under the sink unit

From there there is no magic, if you do not want to suffer from mice, you either need to kill them before they reach you (that would be the job of your next-door neighbour), or you need to stop them from reaching you (you need to block the access points that the mice use to get into your living space.

for small holes/gaps: steelwool is readily available from most hardware shops then you cover it with sealant to keep it in place.

For larger gaps, missing side kickboards, they can be patched with hardboard

Basically, it is down to being thorough, and proceeding methodically from one side of the kitchen, do the kitchen units, the gap under the dishwasher, the gaps inside the sink units, the gaps at the back of the fridge and washing machine. Seal around the boiler copper pipes. When you are done, it should be as if you would be living in a glass bottle.

When the kitchen is done, follow the walls and keep on doing the mouse proofing in the remainder of your home until you reach the point in the kitchen when you started.

If after the initial mouse proofing you still have activity, it means you overlooked something. So look again until you find the weakness. A fitted-in dishwasher is possibly the hardest thing to proof. So in doubt, pull it out and get the proofing done directly at the back of it, then push it back in.

DJNRotrou · 19/03/2021 17:10

I used to work for the council environmental department, and it is not about the council, it is about the gentleman who visits you. To be fair it is the same for most companies. A company is only as good as the employee they send over to do the work. The other measure of a company/service is how they step up to the plate to help a customer/resident.

The main difference between council and private is what they are willing to do to find a solution to your problems.

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