There's a mouse sitting under my fireplace and I may never sleep again. Help!

[Ella15]

Found it hiding behind a dehumidifier in corner of my livingroom earlier. After much screaming (a bit upset my neighbours didn't knock to check on me tbh) I fashioned a runway from where it was hiding to an opened back door then tried to scare it with a hoover so it would make its way out. Naturally, it ran in a different direction and has been sitting under my fireplace grate for last few hours. What the hell do I do? I've put some bait down but it's just going to wait it out till it gets dark isn't it?! I'm in a ground floor flat so how do I just go to bed in the next room tonight knowing it's wandering around? What can I do to get rid in the last remaining daylight hour today?? Whaaaaaaaa!! :(

What spider catcher do you have that can catch mice?
Another person here with mice catching cats that then release them into the house.
We have the humane traps which do work.

A mouse walked in through my front door the other day. Then ran in a corner as I screamed. The noise of the hoover brought him out into the kitchen and then I stuffed towels down under the only places he could get in ( under the freezer and a cupboard door).

Thats where we’ve left it. Not sure what’s next. Hoping he will die from boredom under the freezer. If he is in the cupboard he has landed in mouse heaven. All the dry food is in there.

Same. Cannot understand the hysteria over mice or spiders tbh.

@stuntbubbles 😂😂 I just nearly spat out my tea laughing at your Facebook suggestion 😂😂

@Notwavingbutsignalling I've learnt today that they can collapse their skeletal frame and get through a gap the size of the top of a pencil. So it may have escaped already, if it hasn't found its way into your food cupboard 😅. I've just stuffed a towel down in the space between the bottom of the bedroom door and the floor in the vain hope one can't get in here tonight while I sleep.

@Pootle40 I'm so envious of your ability not to be phased by this stuff. I realise how silly I am yet the fear takes over.

Glue traps are really cruel, it’s much kinder to use strong mouse traps that dispatch them instantly.

@Pootle40 - I agree with you re mice - they are rather cute. But spiders - I have proper arachnophobia - seriously - & I know it is unreasonable but I have it. I think it is hard for those who "don't like spiders" to understand what arachnophobia is. It is an entirely irrational and visceral thing. I would break anything precious to me if a spider came towards me A mouse or a snake - not the slightest bit bothered.

We had mice before and I swear I didn’t sleep a wink until they were gone. Kept hearing noises and wakening up my poor DH. I know I was being ridiculous but I was terrified. This happened during lockdown when no grass was cut by the council, several properties in the area got them. Did not make me feel any better! I ordered traps, steel wool, peppermint oil and expanding foam from Amazon. Filled any cracks or holes I could find and laid the traps, we only caught 4 and never saw another. I put peppermint oil on cotton wool balls in all the corners of the room as I read they hate that. No idea if it’s true but I would have done anything!

Big empty cereal boxes are your friend when mice are hiding somewhere. You can scare them from one place and they instinctively seem to go straight for the dark box. We catch and release the majority of the mice that the cat brings in like that easily.

Of course, if you're unlucky, the mouse will miss the cereal box and aim for the next dark place to hide....and if you're VERY unlucky that dark place will be up your trouser leg. True story. I ended up standing up with a mouse climbing up my leg inside my trousers, going higher and higher the more DH shook my trouser leg to try and dislodge it. I ended up having to undo my fly, reach in, take out the mouse by hand.

Fucking hell, I wish I hadn’t read this thread.

Glue traps?

This is fascinating. Glad your problem is solved OP. For next time / anyone else with a mouse…

Over the last ten years my cats must have brough a mouse in and released it maybe 50 times?

I usually get a large glass (I have a particular one I only use for mice/bugs). I then follow the mouse until I get the mouse trapped in a corner, that’s the hardest bit, then I slowly place my glass in front of the mouse, then I poke it on its bum and it runs straight into the glass 👌

Then I pop it in the garden somewhere.

I don’t mind catching them, but man I hate it when the cats injure one and it crawls under the sofa to die and I don’t know until the smell. 🤢

miceberg
O chapeau!

Glue traps 😞 they’re barbaric, poor little mouse.

Glue traps are horrendous. Poor mice

The bastards hide behind kitchen kickboards here - old house many gaps.

Bestcatmum · Today 16:19
Get a humane trap then you can release it into the wild.”

This. Please don’t use pest control, they’ll kill it. It doesn’t mean you any harm.

Name changed as I tell this story irl. One mouse was never just one mouse. If they start appearing during the day, that's a sign you have multiple occupancy problems.
We had building works going on across the road from us, near a river, which disturbed their natural habitat I think. They upped sticks and moved into mine. Then had babies. We had an infestation. As did our neighbours. Horrible. My three kids all slept together in a top bunk as they were terrified.
They could climb, they could slide through the tiniest crevice, they were so noisy at night. I was afraid to go to the toilet in case I stood on one. I did stand on several.

We set humane traps. No joy. We set normal traps. They are clever and know how to take the bait without getting caught. We tried catching them and taking them outside, but they kept coming straight back indoors.

We got pest control out. They set child friendly traps. Alas not a single beastie was caught. I moved out of the house with the kids for a couple of weeks.
We tried peppermint spray, plugging holes, wire wool, those plug in distractor thingies...

The only thing that really worked was poison. Even then they eventually cottoned on to the fact that the grain was laced... I drew the line at glue pads though.

They do reappear every so often. At the first sign of them, I put down poison.

That's horrible. Why would you poison them? What gives you the right to do that?So cruel. Just ugh.

It was becoming unliveable. I was allergic ( sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat), There was an actual infestation. Mouse droppings and urine all over the house, my children were terrified and I was absolutely up to high dough with anxiety. It was a dreadful experience.
Imagine lying in bed and being woken up by a mouse clambering over your face.

We had to do something and it was literally the only thing that worked.

Agree. Should be banned. Hideous.

What are glue traps?

I used to have a mouse run across my bed during the night