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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to react this way to a mouse??????

73 replies

Mumyum1 · 14/02/2017 01:58

So last year we appeared to have a single mouse in the house somewhere. He'd made his way amongst the children's toys, he'd made his way upstairs despite our no food upstairs rule (an actual followed rule!) and into the children's bedroom - I know because over s period of a few weeks I found a small amount of mouse poop in all said places. Also in my bedroom. Mouse poop 1 inch next to where I left my laptop and iPhone on a folded blanket on floor next to bed. A single dropping on top of the laundry pile. No poop in any of the food cupboards.

It totally totally totally freaked me out. At the same time my son came home from nursery with scabies and I was convinced it was a mouse mite that had infected him. Even did a crazy lady and took him to GP to say I think it's a mite infestation from the single mouse invasion we have ...

Anyway over those few weeks I redid loadsbof washing, washed lots of floors and stairs and dettol-wiped carpets ... and eventually we caught a live mouse in one of those live capture traps - of forbidden DH to put poison behind cupboards etc

We've been fine for about 2 months and DH just 3 hours ago came upstairs to tell me he's just seen a mouse but no droppings so he thinks it's this mouse's first foray into our home due to the cold weather. I then went on a close investigation and found 2 little mouse droppings on the stairs. 3 on the landing outside our bedrooms, 3 inches from 2 baskets of clean washing I'd just folded and brought upstairs this afternoon. (Do I need to wash it all again???????) 1dropping in the corner of the playroom and 3 little poops in the children's den in the playroom. When I vacuumed yesterday there was definitely nothing. I'm always on mouse poop hyper alert.

I'm so grossed out. I want to throw out the playroom rug that the den is on. I want him to tear away the cupboards to fill the hole (he says he can't and agrees with my wondering whether we will now always have a mouse come in whenever it's so cold??). I need to dettol wipe all the stairs again and the landing carpets. He's just laid out about 6 live traps. I need to steam all the downstairs floors before the one year is allowed to crawl there. My skin is crawling as I type this. AIBU?????????? DH says I'm crazy and obsessed.

OP posts:

bloodyteenagers · 14/02/2017 11:08

Mouse poo is small op. Not inches long. It's about the size of a grain of coffee. Could also explain why your mouse deterrent isn't working.

nolongersurprised · 14/02/2017 11:12

Could you get a new cat but be firm in your mind that it's not a 'replacement' cat but a functional cat. I love cats and I get the emotional attachment and that you're not really ready but the angst of looking for and nearly seeing and cleaning up after mouse droppings must be worse, surely?

Original poster

Mumyum1 · 14/02/2017 11:22

The mouse poo is not inches long. Then I wouldn't even pack bags I would move right out!!!!! Hahahaha

It's inches away from the clean laundry and I was saying I really don't want to have to rewash it all

OP posts:

nocake · 14/02/2017 11:50

I got rid of mice in our house with spring traps and poison. Don't muck about with humane traps. You need to kill them and the nests or they'll keep coming back. I used a bait box with poisoned grain which they take back to the nest so it kills them all. Because the bait is dyed blue I could spot where they were going (they drop some of it) and where they were coming into the house.

HighwayDragon1 · 14/02/2017 12:03

Snap traps are pretty quick tbh chocolate works best they love it!

Sorry to hear about your cat, might be time to choose a new one?

MirabelleTree · 14/02/2017 12:08

We have a mouse under the fridge, the bloody cat has just brought it in, dropped it and it ran away.

Original poster

Mumyum1 · 14/02/2017 13:05

I've just 'washed' the upstairs landing carpet where I found three little poos, with a packet of dettol wipes and now I feel stuck upstairs. Need to venture down at some point to feed my daughter lunch. I don't mind starving myself.

OP posts:

Unicorn1981 · 14/02/2017 13:08

Would you consider getting a cat? Much better than having nice.

goldenlilliesdaffodillies · 14/02/2017 16:04

I completely understand why you feel like this! I live in a very old farm house and am having a constant battle with mice in the Winter. There are so many holes as it is such an ancient building, so no possibility of blocking every hole. We have various plug in things in virtually every room. We also put down traps of both sorts but these mice have come from medieval stock and can somehow extract the chocolate without getting caught. They also just push the humane traps around and seem to know not to venture inside.
We have just got 2 rescue kittens to assist our elderly cat so now are dealing with lots of kitten and mouse poo. Ahhhh!

goldenlilliesdaffodillies · 14/02/2017 16:06

They don't seem to like peppermint essential oil so that sometimes does the trick as it is such a powerful smell.

specialsubject · 14/02/2017 16:15

Not a cat, not poison, not humane traps . spring traps - screwfix do a new version that really works and doesn't get your fingers.

Our unwelcome guests are all either dead or departed.

Mice are a minor hygiene hazard (not scabies) and also destroy insulation and wiring so have to go.

tabithakitty · 14/02/2017 19:23

And I second the cat idea 🙂

lljkk · 14/02/2017 19:59

Was a time I had a baby mouse nestled in my hair (was asleep in bed).
DS caught it the next night. No biggie. No invasion. Just an amusing anecdote.

Heathen4Hire · 14/02/2017 20:09

I don't give the -mouse- -mice- much thought but my husband freaks out about -it- -them-. We have a cat who chases the buggers but never catches them. Before she came along I used sticky traps to disgusting results...I don't recommend...but the spring traps came up with nothing. Block up any holes or gaps, wrap up all food and put it away securely, and clean your worktops, furniture and floors clean of crumbs. Try using an ultrasonic alarm...Humans can't hear them but mice can and they can't abide the noise! Ultrasonic alarms and cats don't mix, as they send cats mental with the racket they can hear.

Original poster

Mumyum1 · 14/02/2017 21:08

DH second home is screwfix and I've now given him permission to use lethal methods so I suspect he has gone to town.

The anniversary of my cats death is next week - at the risk of sounding gruesome I witnessed someone drive over her head killing her instantly. I couldn't possibly get another cat right now I don't think so. The anniversary of our dogs death was last week. He had a sudden heart attack whilst we were out walking and also died instantly. Just don't see myself doing pets for s good while.

OP posts:

Claire3346 · 14/02/2017 21:17

Have you lived in the house long? It may have always had a rodent problem.
They have very good memories and will keep going back to the same place. You need to find where they are entering and cover up holes.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 14/02/2017 21:27

We have a chronic mouse problem. Kitchen was redone recently and all the holes plastered over (I told the factor they needed wire wool in them but I think he ignored me). Mice are worse than ever. We had mice when we had a dog but by god they've been ten times worse since he died. Considering a cat but we live right on a straight B road and cars bomb past here.

Peanut butter on snappy traps. It works.
Sonic thing doesn't work, although the exterminator told me you're supposed to keep them guessing by turning it on and off all the time.

My biggest problem is the hole behind the boiler which we can't reach. If I put traps beside the boiler they catch mice all right but the heat makes them smell horrendous so quickly. Boak.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 14/02/2017 21:29

I want a Grand Designs house designed with steel casing the foundations so no mice can get in. Forget having USB wall sockets or biomass heating. I want a mouse-proof house!

Imhavingcheesefries · 14/02/2017 21:34

OP I live in an old farm house. We're overrun with mice. I heard one earlier under the sofa batting a wooden bead around

My kids rarely to never get sick. Young female cats are excellent mousers. Poison works for a while. Remove any food sources and they should bugger off. I tend to just ignore them unless they come into the open. At which point I kill them and leave them as a warning to the others

Christinedaae17 · 14/02/2017 22:40

Yep repeat what pp have said snap traps and get rid

We were overrun one year and I mean overrun, poo all over the kitchen table all over the sides they were in the bathroom kids rooms etc. We knew we had them so had been putting traps out with chocolate but eventually they were getting the bait off without setting the trap off

Had to get pest control in who put the boxes out with bait in and never had a problem since that was 2 years ago and the boxes still have some bait in so just leave them out

Sugarlumps333 · 14/02/2017 22:42

^^as pp says - we keep baitboxes now too, just as a precaution.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 15/02/2017 08:23

OP I live in an old farm house. We're overrun with mice. I heard one earlier under the sofa batting a wooden bead around

You'll be suprised what they think they can eat. Our resident mouse which we finally caught with an old school trap and a giant chocolate button started eating away at my floor lino because there was no leftovers on the floor for him to eat. . If the trap wouldn't have killed him I'm sure the floor would have in the end.

Original poster

Mumyum1 · 16/02/2017 00:41

Oh my gosh TooExtra I just said to DH today that I want a mouseproof house built from scratch!!!! Totally like your thinking!!! But your problem sounds horrible!!! Hope it gets resolved !!

And you too sugarlump I honestly don't know how I would cope if we had such an infestation In fact I hope everyone on this thread resolves their mouse issues if hasn't already been done!!

Our lovely English bullterrier, initially bred to be ratters, used to run away at the site of a mouse!! Our cat was great but often brought them (alive!) as gifts. One day we had visitors for lunch. After eating I fetched something in another room and balked at what I thought she'd brought in - I called DH in great angst but he laughed at me to the visitors and picked up the long slender twig, rolling it between his fingers as he prepared to mock me, he said, 'Honey it's a twig For heavens sake!!!!!!' Then shock horror registered on his face as he completed the sentence .... 'with a bone in it!!!!!'

OP posts:

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