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Original poster

URGENT - mouse/rat in my home

81 replies

Cocacolathanks · 04/10/2022 20:58

I feel like I’m going to throw up but I’ve just seen a massive rat/mouse run across my living room floor and into the storeroom.

I quickly did a house check and noticed a bag of new flour has been eaten into from the bottom (it was in the store room) + some fresh bread has been eaten BUT that bread was in my kitchen cupboard (bottom row).

I think I might just pass out. I only moved into this house a year ago and I’m not exactly unhygienic although I have 3 kids who can make a mess.

what the hell can I do?

how do I get rid of mice/rats?

i am not joking this is actually making me have a panic attack. I’m scared and disgusted.

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 04/10/2022 20:59

Exterminator.

Jenn3112 · 04/10/2022 21:01

Rat or a mouse? Mouse is easy to get rid of with a humane mouse trap from Amazon, will arrive next day, super easy. Rat, not so sure.

Stressedamerican · 04/10/2022 21:02

Could you borrow someone’s good hunting cat?
We only got rid of ours with Nutella and peanut butter in the snap traps, but I know not everybody likes using them. You need to get on top of it quickly incase it multiplies.

IwishIwasSupermum · 04/10/2022 21:02

Try throw a tea towel over it then scoop it up.

Rocketpants50 · 04/10/2022 21:03

How big we talking?

Sillystripytail · 04/10/2022 21:03

Exterminator, traps, rat poison (if your kids won't touch it).

We've had rats in our garden recently, put a couple of poison things out and they ate them quickly, haven't seen them since. Easy!

PurpleMoonbows · 04/10/2022 21:03

You need to borrow my cat. She left me a dead rat in the living room last week. It's usually mice but this was definitely too big to be a mouse. Cat was dead chuffed with her trophy though!

pastypirate · 04/10/2022 21:04

You have to plug the holes they are entering by. If you put poison down and don't do this they will comeback

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 04/10/2022 21:04

Do it the old fashioned way and get a cat.

Autumnwinterspringsummer · 04/10/2022 21:05

We had a rat last year and left poison under the cupboard where we saw it go.
It ate it quickly and we didnt see jt again.
We then went round the house and filled any gaps to stop any more coming in.

BobBobBobbing · 04/10/2022 21:06

I can recommend rat reaper traps from amazon. Took out the ratty family that moved into our cellar. Ordered ALL the traps when one got into ds2 room and ran over my fucking foot when we were trying to catch it.

They were the only ones that caught anything. They are snappy ones, but sealed so pets/kids can't get in them. 2 hours to get the first one, 48 hours to get the whole family. Bait was ignored, electric traps did nowt (shame cos the electric ones are good for killing mice), cheap snappy ones didn't get touched.

PloddyPop · 04/10/2022 21:07

Remove their food source. Chuck it somewhere else for tonight then change it again Rats like routine, they are practically blind . Then call in professional pest controllers

InCheesusWeTrust · 04/10/2022 21:08

Yeah, secured snap traps and find all the holes.
Don't bother with "humane" traps which are not humane at all actually

Mykittensmittens · 04/10/2022 21:10

You say you had a fleeting glance? Let’s work it out…mice are really very small. Half the size of the palm of a hand and rats much bigger.

would be a bonus to know as you can get small traps from b&q etc which can humanely catch the mouse and your can rehome it (in a field, dad far away). A rat probably less easy so you need professionals.

are there any droppings you can use to identify?

i’ve lived in gappy/old/Victorian houses before and started storing food in tubs and tins - pasta, flour, sugar etc. as plastic and paper bags are easily breached.

InCheesusWeTrust · 04/10/2022 21:12

Housemice, and other rodents for that matter, eill not survive "rehomed" to fields somewhere.
It's just not eanting to deal eith the body so letting it die scared, cold and slowly

Kfjsjdbd · 04/10/2022 21:14

As someone who has had both mice and rats, you can easily tell by the size of poos. Rat ones are massive. Mice ones are tiny.

Glendaruel · 04/10/2022 21:15

I've just put traps down for mice. It's winter they are looking for warmth.

I f you go down route of humane traps you need to be checking them every day and release a good distance from house or they will just wander back. I have a couple snap traps that have been effective.

Over years I've found putting food into top cupboards help and also think about tins/tubs for items such as bread.

Darbs76 · 04/10/2022 21:15

If it’s a rat the council will come out, google pest control and your local council. I feel for you

Mum2jenny · 04/10/2022 21:16

When I had one in the house, my dc went and got s neighbour with a 12 bore shotgun, which I thought was nice but a bit excessive

Lindy2 · 04/10/2022 21:17

We live by a field so the odd mouse visiting isn't that unusual.

Before we got our cat we used traps that caught them without hurting them. I then released them about 500m away in a horse field.

The cat now catches them but, strangely for a cat, she doesn't hurt them either. She chases them around and once she's bored of her game then I swap them with her for some cat treats and set them free in the horse field.

It's nit uncommon for mice to seek somewhere warmer when the weather turns cold so don't blame yourself. It's just what mice do. There's no need to kill or use poison.

Namenic · 04/10/2022 21:17

You need to get pest control that will do more than just put down traps. You need to find the gaps that allow it to go into the living area (so under the kitchen or bathroom units - the floorboards may not go directly up to the wall). It only requires a small hole for them to be able to get through (as they can squeeze their bodies). Pestology were to company that helped us.

bloodywhitecat · 04/10/2022 21:19

"...you can get small traps from b&q etc which can humanely catch the mouse and your can rehome it (in a field, dad far away)..."

These traps are inhumane, the rodent released into a new, unfamiliar environment is very likely to slowly starve to death.

JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome · 04/10/2022 21:19

traps on their own pointless. As pp said you need to find all the entry points and block them up. If you get pest controller in only get one who blocks up holes not one who just lays traps.

RitzyTitzy · 04/10/2022 21:25

Yes get a proper pest control company who will lay poison and then come back and work out from the poison that's been taken where the points of entry are. Then you want them to block the holes for you. Well we did anyway. They used expanding foam for big holes and wire wool for the small gaps. I've had both mice and rats indoors and a large rat problem in the garden so I really know how horrible it is but honestly pest control can sort it.

HellsBellsK · 04/10/2022 21:28

We have just got rid of rats.... I think!

We went away, while away the rats came and had a party in our house. Ate through kick boards in the kitchen, flower pots, Couch etc. Never went near food at all!
Got an exterminator they didn't catch anything also told me it was mice until I saw one.
Only thing that worked was the cheap snap traps with peanut butter. We got three that way and some did eat the poison the exterminator put down. So I hope they are all gone. Last rat we caught was the mum so hopefully that is it now.
Took just over three/four weeks now to get rid - It was hell! Any noise I hear now I'm convinced its a rat!

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