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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Best traps for mouse

65 replies

pedropony76 · 09/08/2022 08:42

Pls help! I know people will make fun of me and tell me to get a grip but this is the first time I’ve ever had a mouse in my flat. I’ve never lived in a home with a garden as I know this is the norm for many people. I’m the sort of person that goes hysterical when a wasp flies into the house.

I have a kitchen (where the mouse is) with no door, it has more of an opening which you step in to. The kitchen is attached to the living room which also has no door! I live here with my two babies and will probably be going to my mum’s as my ex tries to catch it.

Can anyone recommend the best traps they’ve used pls? I don’t care if it kills the mouse or keeps it alive. I just need it gone. Can someone also advise what to do once it’s gone? To I need to close up any small spaces or what do I do??? I genuinely cannot believe there’s a mouse in my flat fml

OP posts:
MaryPoppinPills · 09/08/2022 14:23

I tried everything. Peanut butter, glue mats (it jumped over that) sonic plug ins, bait boxes (used to sit on top of it), electric boxes, you name it I bought it. Nothing worked. I may have had the most cocky mouse ever.
You know what i did.

Got a cat.

Dogtooth · 09/08/2022 14:34

I get the squick OP, but you need to stop being squirmy about it and sort it out! Is it def mouse not rat? Rat poo is about the size of a tic tac, mouse poo is more like a tiny string of sausages.

Firstly - calm it down, mice are gross but they're afraid of us and mostly only come out when they're sure no one is around. They keep to the edges of rooms/behind appliances etc because they have many predators and don't want to risk coming into the open.

I had a rat the other year and paid a pro about £200, it was gone in a day and luckily there was only one. The pro had a bait box that he put a snap trap into as well, so there was double danger in there! This is quite a good option as the bait boxes are child safe. If you're buying traps, get substantial ones, not the cheapest flimsy ones.

You can also get electric traps that electrocute the mouse when they step on a metal plate, less messy and kills outright. Plus again, they're child safe.

Peanut butter or choc works well, you only need a tiny bit. They can be cunning and have the bait faster than the trap snaps, I used tiny cut up bits of wine gum that you wedge onto the spike so they have to tug a bit and are more likely to get trapped.

Check your cupboards to see if they've got at any food. Keep food in sealed containers. Ask your neighbours if they've had any, if you're in a block of flats they could be elsewhere too. Do you rent? You might be able to get your landlord to help or the manager of the block of flats or even the council if it's an issue in the whole block.

Block any holes with steel wool. Up your cleaning game so you're not leaving food around, easier said than done with two small kids. I limited where kids are allowed to eat so it's easier to keep clean, eg no eating on sofa, only at table then sweep underneath.

Most fitted kitchens have cupboards with removable panels at the bottom down the floor - take these out and check for droppings. This is a good place to put snap traps/poison where your kids can't get them.

Dogtooth · 09/08/2022 14:35

Also if you know anyone with a cat or a small dog like a terrier - sometimes apparently rodents just leg it if they know one is around, so see if you can arrange a visit!

CrotchetyQuaver · 09/08/2022 14:47

I've had great success with a battery powered trap that electrocutes them. To dispose of the bodies you switch it off, open the flap and tip them in the bin. Then reset. All easily accomplished wearing gloves. It was quite expensive at £25 but has paid for itself with all the mice it had caught at the stables since we sorted out home. .
There's always more than one mouse by the way

CrotchetyQuaver · 09/08/2022 14:49

Mine were after the birds fastballs at the stables, so I baited with a bit of that and it worked really well

CrotchetyQuaver · 09/08/2022 14:49

FATBALLS

BanditBluey · 09/08/2022 14:52

We have ongoing mice issue including seeing one in our bedroom 😭 .
Once have a trap set in the kitchen and I could see something really big in it, I panicked thinking oh god is it a rat?!
It was 2 mice in one trap!!! One of them was sadly still moving a little 😔 i left the trap with both mice in behind the bins outside overnight to let it die. I guess they aren't meant to fit 2 mice in them

Bubblebubblebah · 09/08/2022 14:55

One thing.

Do not put the dead ones in you wherly bin during summer when collection is more than 2 days away....

FlyingSaucerss · 09/08/2022 14:58

Cats don’t work either sorry but I hate when people say it as a given mine often brings them IN

Fenella123 · 09/08/2022 15:05

Aaaaargh. Mice indoors. [Shudders].

Vital to block up any holes, so yes, if they're possibly getting in behind the fridge, cooker, washing machine then ANNOYINGLY they'll have to be moved to sort that. Wire wool, expanding foam, glue a bit of wood, just make sure nothing bigger than a woodlouse can get through.

Secondly, if you're not doing this already, keep all food, crumbs, etc securely boxed up. Tough plastic, tin, glass. They'll go straight through paper or cardboard. Make sure there's nothing for them in your flat. And tidy, tidy, tidy.

On the upside, my own kitchen, garage and loft are much more organized... They say every cloud has a silver lining, and there's nothing like a mouse infestation to motivate a vigorous chuck-out, clean and put away effort!

gingerscot · 09/08/2022 15:27

Yeah, check your cupboards, get everything in plastic/glass/sealed tubs and don’t leave any food lying around. Mine had got into a bag of flour. Little gits.

OP, I was like you with the first one. By the 8th, I was a pro. Don’t stress, just deal with it and then do a deep clean.

wonkylegs · 09/08/2022 16:36

We always use peanut butter and have a mix of snap traps and humane ones.
The snap traps seem to catch the mice, the humane ones the voles but not vice versa for some reason. We are in the countryside backing onto fields and get both. Persistence is key as there usually is more than one. T
Also go round filling in holes as they can get in the tiniest gaps - steel wool from diy store / Amazon stuffed in gaps they can't chew.
Beware they are buggers for chewing through pipes and electrical cables.
One destroyed the pipes for our dishwasher and the repair guy said that mouse damage was the main reason he got called out.

pedropony76 · 09/08/2022 20:20

HellaFitzgerald · 09/08/2022 14:14

For some reason, I don't think Nutella would be best pleased with their product being suggested for murder.

OP, perhaps you are having doubts about "doing this" because "this" is attempting to kill a living thing. Do you not understand that?

@HellaFitzgerald as you can see this thread is clearly not for you so why don’t you stop causing further stress to yourself?

Ex dp will be doing the catching, he is more than happy to kill a mouse. I’m also happy for him to kill the mouse. I don’t care how many mice he kills, as long as they’re gone.

Thank you for the comments all! I’m currently on the way to my mum’s house with my 3 month and 15 month old because I genuinely cannot cope. I’ve screenshot all responses and sent them to the kid’s dad who will definitely be grateful.

I did think about getting a cat but I live in a flat with no garden plus I don’t have energy for two kids and a pet. I’m hoping he’s able to catch it and put my mind at ease

OP posts:
Railwaydogs · 09/08/2022 20:37

Dogtooth · 09/08/2022 14:35

Also if you know anyone with a cat or a small dog like a terrier - sometimes apparently rodents just leg it if they know one is around, so see if you can arrange a visit!

I have a terrier. The mouse ran past and then over him. He moved his head slightly to watch the mouse go.

I’ve used humane traps in the past and still feel guilty about abandoning first the adult and then the young mice far from home where they undoubtedly died a slower and more frightening death than if I’d set traps. Don’t do it.

pedropony76 · 09/08/2022 21:23

Does anyone know if I can contact the Landlord for him to send pest control out?

I’m happy for ex dp to get the mouse but I mean in terms of blocking of any access points behind the fridge, cooker, washing machine etc

OP posts:
Figmentofmyimagination · 09/08/2022 22:55

You do need to sort this because they chew through wires and also make holes in plastic water piping. They are a major cause of house fires.

pedropony76 · 10/08/2022 08:24

Hopefully it’ll be caught within a few days.

Ex dp has put down the sticky traps that catch them when they walk. I’ve ordered the electronic traps that was linked earlier on the thread and another one to come to the house so there’ll be multiple traps about!

OP posts:
OldTinHat · 10/08/2022 08:35

When I heard Mr Mouse chewing my kitchen units last winter I knew there would be more than one from experience.

It was late at night and I had nothing I to deal with them so filled lots of plastic tubs with neat bleach, removed the kick boards and pushed the tubs way back under. I bought humane traps the next day.

My house smelled like a swimming pool but no more mice and the traps didn't catch anything. No mice since and I only put the bleach down one and never refilled the tubs.

Might be worth a go?

Bubblebubblebah · 10/08/2022 10:39

I have to say that I find sticky traps the worse and should be illegal. I actually think they are about it, isn't that right.

DdraigGoch · 10/08/2022 10:47

Snap traps are the best. Peanut butter is a good bait and you need to put the trigger on edge, such that the slightest movement will set it off.

pedropony76 · 10/08/2022 11:00

Bubblebubblebah · 10/08/2022 10:39

I have to say that I find sticky traps the worse and should be illegal. I actually think they are about it, isn't that right.

@Bubblebubblebah oh really why is that? I know nothing about anything mice related btw so don’t know what’s worse than others

OP posts:
Bubblebubblebah · 10/08/2022 11:23

It's a board with glue. It's pretty obvious where the problem lies.

They end up chewing their legs off or ripping out hair and skin trying to get off it. Or they starve on it because people don't think that far ahead and realise they can't face killing them when the time comes...

Imho they are proper cruel and I am not some squeemy person.

pedropony76 · 10/08/2022 11:27

Fair enough lol no need to be sarcastic I was genuinely just asking

OP posts:
Bubblebubblebah · 10/08/2022 11:28

I am not being sarcastic. Sorry it came that way. You might want to google some pest control options so you are in a picture if it happens next time

gingerscot · 10/08/2022 11:47

I think the pest control I used was about £120. He came, looked around for where they were, lay 3 lots of poison and I left the snap traps down too. Then a week later he came back, put down more poison but I never saw anymore mouse signs after that.

I still have snap traps down in key areas, and check them randomly but I’m good so far…

Good luck, I’d definitely try the snap traps and then ring a pest control if you feel you need to. Good thing is, they won’t come near any noise, so they’re unlikely to come near you or the kids. Definitely deep clean anywhere you keep food. They’re in you house because they’ve found a good source and a warm place to sleep.