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Original poster

To kill the mice??

58 replies

ElephantsSitOnSmellyPants · 31/08/2019 20:19

We live semi-rurally and this time every year we end up with mice in the house. I don’t really know why but the neighbours complain of it too.

I have two small children. Keeping the house clean is difficult with toddlers but I work hard at it and I think it’s pretty clean generally.

The mice drive me to distraction. I find poo everywhere including in the toy box. I have to put food away into tubs. It makes me feel like everything is dirty and it really gets me down.

I have tried humane traps and it doesn’t work fast enough. So we bought poison blocks from b&q this year and put them down behind the kitchen units.

So today I was at my in-laws for lunch and my sister in law was there. We generally have a pretty good relationship. Mother in law asked about the mice (cheers for broadcasting that!) and I said we had put poison down. Subject was changed.

Got home and SIL has messaged me on WhatsApp basically to tell me she’s “disappointed” that we would choose to “murder” the mice in this way, she simply “could not do that” and “could we please just use the humane traps - I’ll even buy them for you??”

Honestly. I mean I like animals and I am not delighted with the fact that we are poisoning the mice. I just try not to think about it to be honest. But this is our home and I just need them gone!!

OP posts:
Bluebellbike · 31/08/2019 21:29

Please don't use poison, especially if you live rurally. Owls are at risk of dying a horrible death if they catch and eat a poisoned mouse.

HazelBite · 31/08/2019 21:33

A Cat really is the best answer, get a black female they are the best hunters!

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 31/08/2019 21:36

I also laughed at "what will the cat do all day?"

...errr.....catch your mice!

DontDribbleOnTheCarpet · 31/08/2019 21:39

I live on a farm and at this time of year the harvests are being gathered in so mice are disturbed. They also like the warmth and the temperature is getting lower outside.
If snappy traps don't work then it's likely you are using the wrong bait. Nutella works here, but in the next village the mice seem to prefer peanut butter, so it pays to try a range of things. We tried some pre-baited traps once and they were amazingly good once the mice got used to them being there (mice are afraid of anything new and it takes a while for them to approach the traps). Make sure you position the traps correctly in areas where the mice will actually go- the edges of rooms and behind furniture, for example.
But most importantly of all, you must work out how they are getting in and block their access, otherwise you will repeat the same cycle every year until you die. Look around the outside of your house and use a pencil to check for likely gaps- if you can fit a pencil through a gap then a mouse can get in.

EugenesAxe · 31/08/2019 21:39

Yes just kill them. I use snap traps though; it’s instant. I was told to put peanut butter right down low in the bait pit as they are deft enough to hook out stuff just put near the top without setting off the trap.

Original poster
ElephantsSitOnSmellyPants · 31/08/2019 21:40

Do people really just get cats without consideration though? My house is too small as it is and chaotic with toddlers. I appreciate that it’s a potential solution and appreciate the advice but I really don’t need a cat in the midst of this.

OP posts:
LazyFace · 31/08/2019 21:45

No, I wouldn't get a cat. I hate cats on worktops, keep the kitchen door closed. And of course they hide in the kitchen.
Plus our previous cat used to bring live mice in in the middle of the night.

DaisyDreaming · 31/08/2019 21:47

We have caught and released before but lost the battle in our garage and now have poison and snap ones. Humane is nicer but why should your child have Mouse wee and poo over their bed (those things get everywhere and impossible to keep everything wee and poo free) for the sake of a rodent.

Dollywilde · 31/08/2019 21:58

See yes the cat brings in an occasional mouse, but I actually think the scent of a house in which cats live deters mice from moving in... I’d rather deal with the occasional carcass than an infestation.

stillawakeat4amagain · 31/08/2019 21:58

You could get some ferrets too they can live outside don't take as much time as cats easy to care for (if you get just 1 make sure it's male though as females can die if you don't breed them) and their smell discourages mice and rats coming near them. It does work as I have used them for this and they are also a nice pet.

Turquoisesea · 31/08/2019 22:04

We’ve had mice in our house & loft. We use the snap traps. I don’t like killing them but can’t have them running around the house. We use Nutella in the traps, that always seems to work!

MaverlousMo · 01/09/2019 00:28

The other alternative is the snap traps.

I tried the humane traps but the mice just high jumped over it Confused

Ignore SIL, if you do manage catch mice using the humane traps, be sure to drop them near her home!

MillfredTheGreat · 01/09/2019 00:34

Poisoning animals because they inconvenience you is a shitty thing to do. Could you not get pest control to come and see where they are getting in? Maybe you just need to fill in a few gaps.

NotWavingButMNing · 01/09/2019 00:41

There is no room for sentiment with vermin in the house. You have a major infestation and need professional help. Pest control will eradicate them quickly and advise you on prevention. Mice are hugely unhygienic and a health hazard, they have no bladder and spread urine everywhere they go as well as chewing through wires.

Inebriati · 01/09/2019 00:42

Mice can get in a hole the diameter of a pencil, so its usually not feasible to fill in all the holes.
'Humane' traps aren't humane, neither are glue traps or poison. Other animals eat the poisoned mice and also die.
Cats also kill birds.

Breakneck traps or bucket traps are the best method for mice and rats.

tryingtobebetterallthetime · 01/09/2019 00:44

If you are going to use poison you do need to make sure the poisoned mice can't be eaten by a cat or other predator.

The other thing is that it needs to be well out of the way of little hands.

We had an exterminator many years ago in a big old house that had mice. Our son and DIL's young beagle somehow got hold of a little baggy of poison that was at the very back under our stove (range). We have no idea how he got it. It cost DH and me an enormous amount in vet bills, but fortunately the dog was ok.

Tolleshunt · 01/09/2019 00:45

It’s sad to think of killing them, but relocating is also inhumane. Please don’t poison them.

I would either experiment with bait in snap traps, or get in a pest controller with a ratting dog.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 01/09/2019 00:49

A Cat really is the best answer, get a black female they are the best hunters

I have a brother/sister pair jet black , used to be ferally . They have caught some moths and a dragonfly and TBH it's the boy who is the hunter !

I did have mice trouble over previous years ( Pre-Cats) but my neighbours did too and they had cats and dogs .We have space under the flooorboards and gaps where the central heating pipes are , had to block these up

I got some plug in sonic deterents but could only use them when we didn't have our guinea pigs indoors , they did work though ( I have no guineas now but I don't know if they sonics would affect the cats ? )

Go round checking every tiny gap , block with wire wool.

Keep all food sealed
I've tried humane traps , I'm sure I caught the same mouse a dozen times ( it had a half tail so obviously didn't learn from a snap trap)

Snap traps don't always clean kill, I've had to kill mice that have been trapped but not killed .

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 01/09/2019 00:57

Oh that bucket trap is vile - they basicaly drown Sad

TBH , the only effective and vaguely humane Non Cat method would be those big humane traps that have the see-saw door , put some peanut butter or nutella in and poison that . They cannot get out so no corpses under the fridge or risk to other animals .
And they'll die eating . Not a nice death but better than a snap trap across the face but not snapping the neck.

Inebriati · 01/09/2019 01:04

They drown if you put water in the bucket, you can also put poison in there but I don't see how its more humane than drowning. Or you could release them elsewhere but thats not without its problems either.

Dover346 · 01/09/2019 01:05

I love cats a lot - please get a cat - they are wonderful!

MiniMum97 · 01/09/2019 01:07

Humane traps are not that humane. We used one when we had mice and the mouse tried to chew it's way through the plastic and cut its mouth in the process there was loads of blood. It was horrible.

We solved our problem by just making sure all holes into the building were closed up.

MiniMum97 · 01/09/2019 01:09

A at doesn't need you in all day. They are quite happy left. Just get a car flap. You need a youngish cat if you want it to catch mice. Not a kitten as they need someone there for most of day as they need frequent feeding early on.

JoySuckClub · 01/09/2019 01:10

Victor electrocution boxes are expensive but effective - they zap them instantly

veryboredtoday · 01/09/2019 01:23

Don't get a cat just to get rid of mic as you can't be sure it will be bothered to hunt the mice (some cats just don't hunt). Or alternatively they might be like my current boys who are fantastic hunters but they bring in live mice to play with and then eventually eat (leaving entrails and the heads on the floor which is just gross).