Mice making me anxious and can't sleep

[PandaAtTheZoo]

Found out we have mice about 11 days ago. Put down some traps and caught 3 in my downstairs toilet/ laundry room. Called the council pest control and they came round for a small fee and put down some bait station boxes last Thursday. Also told us to put mesh over ventilation bricks once the mice have gone. No more mice found in traps and no dead mouse smell. Thought that might be it until I went into the downstairs toilet and saw a live mouse standing between my two snap mice traps. Have they become trap shy? Council pest control not returning until Thursday. I feel very very anxious and losing sleep. Feel like I might burst out crying. Any advice? Thanks

I caught a couple of mice in an Tupperware box when we had theme. They weren’t as quick I thought they would be.

I drive them 2 miles away and released them. They were tiny and cute!

Do you like cats? We had mice and like you say it was really really horrible. Got a cat from a rescue who was two years old. So easy to look after, cuddly and friendly, my children adore him. And. No more mice at all. Seriously, it could be the best solution

PandaAtTheZoo, the mouse-nest wasn't in the drum or anywhere that touched the washing -- they'd have got awfully wet if it had been! So you don't need to worry about the washing being moused on.

It was down at the bottom in the corner of the casing, where the drum doesn't reach.

Just to be sure they are not in yours, it might be worth getting a strong man who isn't afraid of mice (or pretends he isn't I have known men who are much more scared of mice than I am) to pull the machine forward and tip it over enough to be able to see up inside the edges and make sure. At least then you will know one place they aren't coming from and if they are you'll know where to take action.

I have found that the "humane" traps like this one www.amazon.co.uk/Pest-Stop-PSTTB-Trip-Trap-Boxed/dp/B000LXWQBW/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
or these
www.amazon.co.uk/Gardigo-623583-Trip-Trap-Reusable-Capture/dp/B072XSJFHL/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
baited with bits of Snickers bar (chocolate AND peanuts, mouse heaven) worked better than the snap-trap sort, only you absolutely must check them every three hours or so or a mouse in one may die of dehydration, which is horrible. And when you do catch one, take the whole trap at least a mile and a half from your house to shake the mouse out into some bushes, because otherwise they do come back.

I didn't believe that last bit until I had caught the same mouse (recognisable marking on head) for the second time after taking him only half a mile when he was first caught.

Snap traps caught a few as old house. Now we have two gorgeous teenage girl cats. No mouse would last 2 minutes nor seen once since kittens arrived

Highonpotandused using The Big Cheese Ultra Power Mouse Traps and baiting with chocolate buttons.

Pinkyrosie wonder if that's why many of my neighbours have a cat? My toddler tries to pull the tail and ears on my mil's dog so worried he would be too rough with a cat.

Do NOT use glue traps. Anyone who uses them should have them stuck on themselves as a punishment. Can't understand how are they legal.

You need to pull the washing machine out. More likely than not they just have a entry way behind it. Be proactive. Keep the door closed, bleach their paths (they follow the same one usually by the wall you will find it by looking for path of poop) and keep laying the traps. We found a long time ago that the best was just a piece of bred🤷 weird, but worked like a magic. Also keep toilet lid down and no water anywhere.

It's cold, they came in, found shelter and food. Block them from food, entry and water and kill the ones who refuse to leave.

Yes they can and do chew their own legs off. We haven’t had that but we have had a stomachs worth of fur left on the trap. This is why, if you use them, you need to check them really often so you can do the “kind” thing and kill them so they don’t get to the state of chewing their own leg off. Hard to believe after using the traps but I am an animal lover and I make sure they are checked every 15 minutes because the thought of one in distress, even though they distress me, is something I can’t deal with

I just went to put a load of laundry on and saw the mouse trap has been moved. And then I saw a furry thing behind the toilet. Looked like it was shaking. I screamed and closed the door then put wire wool under the door.

I'm now too terrified to go back in

I'm sorry OP, we've had mice as we back onto fields. Bear in mind that mice can get through a gap the size of a biro (pest control told me this).

We had them put poison down everywhere. In a couple weeks they were all gone. No idea where they went to die but it worked. I know it makes you feel gross but if your current pest control isn't working then definitely contact another company - there is no need to put up with this

Please don’t use glue traps. Kill them if you really have to, but glue traps are utterly barbaric and shouldn’t be legal.

I won’t repeat what a pest control man said to me about glue traps, but if you’d heard it you wouldn’t use them either.

Just get a private pest controller out, it'll cost you about £80. They use industrial strength poison and know where to put it -usually under e kitchen sink. We've had similar and I can empathise with how you feel, I am terrified of them. Even gaffataped all around the downstairs doors😂
How many pipes have you got outside feeding into your downstairs sinks? Go and have a look at their outside seals and block those Up with polyfilla and wire wool.
Do you have an air brick ? You need wire mesh over this. Is your garage inside the house? Get a bristle strip from Screwfix.
You have my sympathy. Btw I agree with previous posters, no one wants to use glue traps but sometimes needs must.

Oh I forgot to say we also tried a plug in thing that emits noise to deter them. Didn’t work

We had mice some years ago, and bought those plug-in ultrasonic things. We haven't seen or heard any sign of them since.

Country house and permanently living with mice here 🙋🏻‍♀️

Use peanut butter and FFS DONT let them use bait traps, all that happens is they wander off to die and smell somewhere you can’t get them out of! Just shut the doors on the rooms they get into and use strong spring traps with peanut butter.

Silver lining mice won’t live with rats so you know you haven’t got them!

Block up any holes with wire wool. Lay down poison and traps baited with peanut butter. It'll take a while but you'll get rid of them. Pull the washing machine out and see what's good by on behind it.

Clear away all food into containers and don't leave the fruit bowl out.

Sprinkle the floor with talcum powder and you will be able to see where they're coming in.

I think they’re more of a deterrent to them settling in, so to speak. Any resident rodent learns to tune them out. Unfortunately.
Do install them after you’ve eliminated the little bastards, though.

Silver lining mice won’t live with rats so you know you haven’t got them

Yeah,so everyone says but it's not true!

Sorry, the plug in’s, that is.

I bought an ultraviolet torch on eBay for £1.99 to see where my elderly cat was peeing in the house. Works really well. Especially when it’s dark.

Mice pee as they run so if you buy one you can see where you need to clean and reassure yourself you’ve done it properly and there are no fresh pee marks after you think you’ve got rid of them.

Ooh, what a good idea, Elieza 👍

During our last infestation I found droppings in my son's cot so i know how you feel. Thought we had got rid of them, then heard one scurrying under the kitchen cupboards last night. We've blocked up every entrance, so i think they might be coming from next door

They like peanut butter.

However the best thing is to get a cat. Preferably two.

Argh I feel your pain. I had them once when living in a flat in a really old building in Paris. Impossible to get rid of as there were so many holes between all the apartments.
The nights I saw one I literally didn’t go to sleep. My flat mate and I would stay up all night watching box sets. Even the thought of seeing them scurry around makes me shudder.

I would get a cat OP and pizza

If you're gonna use glue traps then dispatch them before you bin them!