To be scared of these unwanted visitors and how to get rid of them?

[Cellardoor23]

Long story short, my flat has been taken over by mice in the past week. I live in a top flat of a 3 story building. It hasn't been an uncommon occurance at this time of year (over the past few years)

However, this year seems to be particularly bad. I've tried to cover up as many gaps as possible and put traps down, but over the past week there hasn't been one night where I haven't seen one. At one point they were running over my sofa.

I've never been scared of them, but since last week my anxiety has been through the roof. I can't relax in my own home

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? Or how to get rid of them?

Please ignore those who will come along suggesting a cat they don't work I had mice and got two cats and still it took over a year. They would catch them and kill them but it wouldn't stop the mice coming in.

I had a similar problem when I lived in a block of flats. The whole block had to be treated as the mice moved from flat to flat.

Sounds like you may need to get professional help from pest control.

Can you call an exterminator? Are other residents experiencing problems with them?

Put all food in cardboard packets and plastic wrappers in tupperware or in the fridge. They will leave if there's nothing to eat. It took me a few days of this before my mice sought richer pickings elsewhere.

If you're renting your landlord needs to get pest control in, if you own, you do unless you can face trapping them yourself. Peanut butter as bait is highly successful.

I think I saw pest control, I'm assuming that's who they were, go into the flats a few doors down from me a couple of weeks ago. This was before I started seeing them in my flat.

I haven't heard anything from other residents, but I was tempted to write a note at the front door to our main building.

They're only from what I've seen, small field mice, but it's the size of them that makes me worry. As if they are probably just the baby ones which makes me worry.

I tried putting peanut butter down as bait in the trap, but whenever I went to check they had taken it. So I don't know if it's because they're maybe that light, the trap hasn't gone off?

I was thinking of getting humane traps. Has anyone had any experience of these and if they're any good?

Humane traps work but mice will starve or freeze in them very quickly, so you need to check them once or twice a day. You also need to release them a long way from your house or they will find their way back.

Do you rent? Just tell your landlord. Otherwise I would call pest control and get someone in. The problem
with humane traps is where would
you release them? They will just come back in.

We had (have) mice. Tried regular traps and humane ones, and found the humane ones simply caught more of them. Need to release them about a mile away though which is a pain. Also got the plug in thing that makes noise we can’t hear but they can. No idea if it works. Bought loads of wirewool and literally filled every single gap. That seems to be very effective. And clean up crumbs and keep food away. We tried poison traps but they never ate the stuff. And I don’t actually want them to die somewhere and rot away. Good luck!

I don't rent, I've owned my flat for the past 6 years. I've sometimes seen the odd mouse around this time of year, very rarely though, maybe about 3 over that time. I'm guessing they're probably trying to find shelter from the cold, but this year has been particularly bad.

I don't know what else to do. Unless I ask my neighbours if they've had the same problem, but they're usuallly quite vocal if they have had the same issues, if that makes sense.

All food has always been kept up high too.

Is there a nest inside your sofa? Turn it upside down. They may have got into the lining. If you've sealed all the gaps, they won't be able to get out of the flat. Old-fashioned traps are best. I bought in bulk because I couldn't face emptying them. Chocolate or peanut butter for bait. When putting food away, don't forget to empty the crumbs in the toaster or in the oven.

I'd check for gaps again. They can get through a hole as small as a pencil. Especially round pipes, radiators or under the sink, and skirting boards, if they've travelled under the floorboards from your neighbour. Wire wool or sealant.

I don't know what exterminators do, but I'd avoid poison because they'll die somewhere inaccessible and stink the place out.

Good luck. I really can't stand them.

cochineal7 I used to have the plug in thing too! Still used to see the odd mouse, but I think I binned it when my DC was born as he just grabs everything. kicking myself now I binned it

Tried wire wool too, but they just ended up chewing through it.

Sorry to have to say this, but they can climb.

Something squishy in a trap that they can't take away, like Nutella, so they have to eat it there and have more chance of setting off the trap?

I really hope there isn't a nest in my sofa! But I don't think there is. From what I've seen they appear to be coming from the gaps underneath the kitchen. I have an opened planned kitchen/living room. I've sealed temporarily all the gaps I could see and I thought it had worked, until I found one under my bed last night.

Have you sealed them with wire wool?

Thymeout I've tried Nutella. They just took it and the trap never went off and I put a good blob on it too. So I don't know if they're just too light to set the trap off?

Traps like these are amazing. I bought one when our council refuse department (busy London borough) was on strike for over a month during a heatwave many years back. The whole place was over run with rats and mice, you'd literally see them all over people's front gardens as they tore through the piled up rubbish. We weren't too bad in our house during the strike as we were careful with what we bought, did our own recycling and paid to take our rubbish to the dump ourselves as soon as our wheelie bin was close to full.

But once the strike ended and the rubbish overflow was dealt with, there was an enormous rodent population that had just lost it's food source. And despite our best efforts we got mice in the kitchen and under the stairs. We tried all the regular traps but they weren't up to the job. The electric one was bought in desperation and it was amazing. On the first day it killed 5 mice in under 2 hours and I was clear of them within a few days.

It's less cruel than it sounds as the mice die instantly, whereas with snap traps I've sometimes found a chewed off leg or tail left in the trap and a trail of blood leading away from it. So instant death beats that fate and slow death from blood loss. And it catches them so fast. Mice and rats feel comfortable in the tunnel like structure so are less cautious about entering it. And when it's killed one it sets off a noise to alert you and you can dispose of the body without looking if you prefer to.

Link:
www.amazon.co.uk/Victor-Electronic-Trap-100-Kill/dp/B000LNX06C/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=electric+mouse+trap&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1516846639&sr=8-9

BitOfFun I can't remember, but this was a few years ago.

Marilla27 Oh I know! I still remember when I was younger, my cat leaving 'gifts' of dead mice along the path to our front door. I'll give him his due though, they were in straight line.

Log traps have worked best for us. They are easy to make, or you can order the log part. Mice go for food, log rolls and they fall into the bucket and drown. Yes they die, but where I live mice can carry haunt virus to its a good way to mane them with minimal pain to mice and risk to us!
www.amazon.com/dp/B0728KX71V/ref=asc_df_B0728KX71V5347711/?hvlocphy=9030432&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&hvnetw=g&hvadid=198081460782&creative=395033&hvpone&hvlocint&creativeASIN=B0728KX71V&hvpos=1o1&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-349327829240&hvrand=12059838248373991491

Haunt virus and manage

Thanks for the link @Tringley. I think I might be buying one of those!

Cats are the best deterrent. They will steadily slaughter them. Their presence decreases the breeding rate. Rescue a mature indoor cat from your local sanctuary!

The alternative is to get pest control in to lace the place with poison. You will probably need a few visits to win the battle.

Catching them and releasing them down the road is not a good idea IMO. What are they supposed to do? Find another house to move into? Starve? What about the nests left behind by the adults you relocate? It's a false kindness.