What is this? Piccy

[PinkPearls20]

May I stress that I AM NOT BEING UNREASONABLE .... mumsnet format has changed on my phone, and I can't get the old one back or use this new one, so I gave up trying to find my way around and posted in AIBU.

Anyway... what is this I have just found in my gas Meter cupboard in my front room... they look like some kind of seeds to me...but I'm worried they are old dried up mouse poos! 😭

We had a little field mouse constantly visiting us, and we used humane traps - the chocolate ice cream sauce drew it in a cracker :D

OH would take it miles and miles away and then a week or so later we'd be back to square one. Looked like the same flippin mouse each time and I HATED being in the house knowing it was there.

I'm super cautious at the mo as he has been finding piles of seeds... inside his BOOTS some mornings hahaha :D
As much as I'm cautious I find that part hilarious, he stands tipping it outside with a complete WTF? confused look on his face :D

Traps are back in place!

PS - the seeds look similar to the seed shells you have pictured (can't remember exact name for seed shells!)

I'm bloody gutted that I could have a mouse in my home. It's he one place I feel in control and secure atm.

I'm going to get some traps tomorrow. We havnt found seeds anywhere else ... or any evidenced of mice. Cats not acting weird. If I do see a mouse tho I'm going to absolutely shit my self and I always said I would be dead cool if I saw one.

Poor you OP, it's a horrible thing. When I found the rat in my greenhouse i spent most of the evening turfing everything out. Rats and mice pee everywhere, I would have moved out too.

I had a mouse in the house before, well several in fact, one cheeky fecker ran across my lap one night whilst i was sitting on the floor.

Jaffa cakes is what you want in a trap, they CAN'T resist them and they can't get them off without setting the trap off. I did use humane traps and then took them far away but near some public bins (not in UK) as I figured they would find plenty to eat there.....

I'm keeping my cat in the front room tonight and I'm sitting on top of DH all night

I dont feel very well

We had mice in our house when we moved in. We could hear the little bastards scurrying around inside the walls and chewing on the wood. Firstly dh put poison down and then we actually had our wall cavities filled as part of our home improvements and that immediately solved the problem because they couldn't get in, or got squashed inside the walls.

I actually heard one one evening gnawing away in the wall beside the sofa. I crept up, got right beside where the sound was coming from and thumped the wall. The frantic scrabbling sound was most satisfying.

I'm terrified its a rat.

The house across the street apparently is infested with rats. (. The people who live their don't mind)

I don't feel well and I feel dizzy now. I cant move of my sofa. I thought I suffered with health anxiety, now I am starting to agree it's just anxiety. All I can o is sit with my phone and research rats and mice.

There is no poo, so that's why I'm thinking rat. I can't move of this Sofa.

Much sympathy - been there with the anxiety and it's no fun. Worst case scenario - it's some sort of rodent. This is what will happen. You will get traps (sod the trap-and-release ones - rodents in the house warrant snap traps). You will fill all the gaps through which the rodent is getting in. You will put all food in containers and hoover up spilt food. The rodent will then be gone, and your house will be your own again. In other words, these things are sent to try us, but in a little while, this will all be something you overcame just fine.

Now, for tips. Get wire wool or those wire scrubbing balls that you use for really tough washing up. Pull them apart a bit and then mix them with wet cement and fill the holes with that. Trust me, no bugger of a rodent is getting through that! Fill every hole you can see - really go to town. Put snap traps, baited with peanut butter, mars bars or any of the suggestions above (not cheese cos the sods don't like that) alongside the walls. Rodents don't like open spaces and will still to the sides of things.

Also, the council are lovely and helpful and will have seen it all. if you have rats (unlikely given the absence of massive poos in the pictures) they will deal with them for free - if it's mice they will charge you.

Hang on in there - you will get through this. I speak as a veteran of rats-in-the-bathroom-gate :)

Thankyou, that's really good advise and it's really helped me to gather my thoughts and plan of action.

I cant hear any scratching atm so that's making me feel better

No worries - glad to help! Even if you do hear noises, don't let it bother you, as you have your plan and will defeat the little sods :)

Also bear in mind that mice, despite being tiny little things, sound like elephants in clogs, so if you do hear big noises, it doesn't mean it's from big things :)

Deep breaths whilst you digest it all, OP. I sympathise with your anxiety. You've had some excellent advice here. Go back to your parents if it helps, you have a lot to deal with right now and there are no medals for making yourself feel worse.

Rat poo would be noticeable, it's quite big and it's unlikely that they wouldn't have left any. So I really doubt it's rats.