to be so creeped out by the fact we have mice...

[emeraldgirl1]

pest control came today after we saw droppings on the kitchen floor. we had them come a year ago as DH saw a mouse back then, but we thought after their visit (sealing holes etc) the problem had gone away. In true panto tradition - oh, no, it hasn't. We still have mice.

Have never seen one myself, thank God, but the thought of mice in my kitchen makes me squirm in horror. We are very clean in the kitchen and I'm upset that we don't seem to be able to keep them away. Pest control guy (hopefully not just trying to sell me services!!!) is offering a system where they come every few months to seal any new holes and put down new bait. But he thinks (again, I can only trust him) they're coming in through next door's open vents, which obviously we have no way of getting them to deal with if they don't want to.

I'm not obsessively houseproud like my mother but we are very clean and keep a clean kitchen, and the thought of rodents running over the floor is making me feel quite ill atm... :(

You need to release mice at least a quarter of a mile away I'm told.

Can anyone advise......we reckon we have mice (kids foam-y lunchbags chewed right through last week - bleugh!) but nothing since last week and no droppings but I also noticed a strange (unpleasant) smell in the dining room that I can't pinpoint - what would a dead mouse smell like??? Sorry if being too graphic!!

we had a mouse problem despite owning a cat (and having her 3 'boy' friends visiting through the cat flap!) Pest control told us worst breeding grounds were under decking!! DH was working on computer and had a feeling he was being watched....little blighter was sat on top of his golf clubs having a wash! Humane traps worked (but fill with something like chocolate as they prefer sweet to cheese!) but only really disappeared when new neighbours ripped up decking and restored to grass.

I feel your pain. I got to the stage that I didn't even want go into my kitchen in the evenings (without DP scouting the room first), I was so terrified of them. Completely irrational - but they creep the be-jeesus out of me. Like TheSecondComing, I struggle to even look at pictures of them now. I need to get a grip!

I think the fear might stem from the time about 10 years ago when I found one cooking in my toaster in my old flat. I put the bread in to toast and it started smoking after about 30 seconds and I couldn't work out why - it couldn't surely be burning that quickly? I took the bread out, looked in the toaster, and there was a mouse, staring up at me. I know that I sound like a complete wimp but I had to wait for DP to get back and for him to throw the toaster out. You'd be amazed how many people said that they wouldn't have thrown the toaster out. The mouse was stuck BEHIND the grill! What would they have done? Scooped it out?? Bleurgh.

ANYWAY, on to more recent problems - we've had mice on and off for years at our current house. Mainly in the kitchen, but a few times in the living room on the first floor and a few times upstairs in the bedrooms. I'd scream every time I saw one - ridiculous, I know. We tried poison traps, snap traps, blocking holes etc and have had more pest control people round than I can remember. In the end, it was these wonderful people who cracked the problem www.blockmice.com/

I can't recommend them highly enough. We'd tried blocking holes ourselves but clearly weren't getting to the root of the problem. These guys block every single hole/space/crevice. They give a 1 year guarantee and will keep coming back if you see more mice/evidence of mice. Apparently it usually takes no more than one or two visits. They must have come to ours about 10-12 times (for no more than the original flat fee). This is not a sign of a job done badly but of the fact that we were a tricky job (rickety georgian house) and of how thorough they were. They were determined - and said that they always get their mouse! They put down tracking dust that can be seen under UV light (do I mean UV? I think so) and ended up cutting out the backs of a couple of kitchen cupboards to get to holes in the wall behind. We've been mouse free for over a year now. It was the best money I've EVER spent. I think they still run under the floorboards sometimes but I don't care about that, the bastards can't get in anymore - every single crevice is blocked.