Mice within the flat. Anyone about?

[CanTheMousePLEASEGoToHell]

Someone please help!

I’ve posted COUNTLESS times about the mice situation as I’ve had mice since the summer. Pest control have come round numerous times to mouse proof the kitchen (there was a massive hole underneath one of the kickboards). They’ve laid down poison and traps yet nothing. I also have snap traps underneath the kickboards where we’ve seen mouse droppings as well as one of those electronic mouse traps.

Tonight I was asleep in my bedroom with both DCs in their cots and I heard a mouse in the room right next to DDs cot. Now I know this sounds dramatic but I was so scared I thought I was going to have a panic attack. My younger sister stayed over last night so I woke her up to ask if she can help me try to catch it. We couldn’t see it at all. We then saw a mouse run in the kitchen!

Can someone please tell me what I’m doing wrong. I have all these traps about but I haven’t even caught one mouse. Does anyone have any tips? I really can’t live like this😭

Jam is also good on a trap!

OP you say you have had oestrogen control round but have you had Rentokil? They are much more effective than the local council.

Also, is your flat immaculate. No crumbs or spills. A breadcrumb for a mouse's tiny tummy is a lot.

We had a mouse problem and got a kitten when dd was 1 year old. She loved it and I actually think cat was her first word (she used to say it before we got the cat). They've grown up together and it's lovely. You might have to explain to your eldest about making sure she's nice to the cat as dd was a bit overly playful but I'm sure they'll get on fine.

Get a cat! I've never had any issues since having a cat.

I did say to my mum that I should try Rentokill so I’ll have a look into prices etc. Thank you guys for the comments, I’ve blocked up holes I can see in the bedroom and will be looking at the kitchen again today

Cat is probably a good idea, but the main question is how are the fuckers getting in? I think you need to get pest control back - a different company if necessary.

@Luredbyapomegranate this is the million dollar fucking question!!

I’ve had two types of pest control round. One from the council and one that the estate agents have sent round. I’ve had the place mouse proofed and I’ve seen them block up two massive holes. So unless the same mouse has been trapped in and we’ve been unable to catch it, I just don’t understand! People always say there’s never just one mouse so I’m keeping that in mind

I feel for you OP as I would be terrified too. I’d have to get a cat

I had this. Put poison down, traps, sealed everything up, used peppermint, used one of those electric shock things, used a sound wave thing. Flat was spotless. They would occasionally get trapped, occasionally get poisoned.
Fave spot under kickboards but would go everywhere.
But they always - ALWAYS - returned.
Do you know what eventually got rid of them.
I moved. Q

Contrary to the opinion of some, cats can have long, healthy and happy lives as indoor pets. You don't need a garden. They would enjoy being able to sit near a slightly open window for fresh air and stimulation. Scooping litter is very easy to manage.

It is very highly unlikely a cat would attack a child; if anything they would be aloof and go hide if they don't want to interact with the kids. But if you get lucky they will be a wonderful pet for your children.

How about taking in a senior cat?

On the mouse front: They HATE peppermint oil. To repel mice in my greenhouse I put 100 percent oil on cotton, bits of cloth, etc. and tuck it all over. You could augment the pest control with that.

Does anyone else in the block have them? I remember when I was young and we lived in an end terrace we’d get mice quite regularly. They were basically coming along the whole terrace as the attics were more or less open between each house.

My cat is the cause of any mice in my house as he likes to bring them home alive to play with. Luckily they don’t usually last too long and we either catch them and put them back outside or we find them half eaten in the hallway 🤢

There's a hole you haven't found yet where they are getting in. We had this problem off and on age I filled ago the holes I could access. We didn't find the hole until we had some work done to our utility room and there it was, behind the washer. You really have to look everywhere and move everything to find all the holes

Oh ffs🙃 I hope you haven’t had any mice in your new place!

Get a cat. Not a young kitten but a young adult from a rescue. Generally speaking older cats shouldn’t be a problem with children.

@ZeldaWillTellYourFortune Thank you. I’ll have to do some research on house cats inside with young kids as I really wouldn’t want to give the cat a rubbish life because it’s surrounded by kids 24/7. I’ve read about peppermint oil and will order some today! Thank you for reminding me.

@TwoBlueFish I’m not sure but I’d suspect so. My next door neighbour has a house cat and someone downstairs also has a cat. I’m sure mice has always been an issue in this block!

@PartyLikeItIs1999 we have filled EVERY hole. We’ve moved the fridge, the washing machine and the oven. We’ve taken down all the kickboards where we’ve seen two holes and filled it. We’ve done this twice and will be doing it again. I genuinely believe it’s the same mouse that’s tormenting me but I’m probably wrong

If you get a cat, I'd look at getting a rescue that's a known hunter.
Some cats that have previously had outside access no longer can for one reason or another.
Taking in an adult cat would probably be better regardless because kittens need a lot of attention and have to learn to hunt!

I spied on the mouse that had invaded my home using a baby monitor…found out where the fucker was coming in from. Can you do the same?

warning: their eyes look terrifying on the camera at night

My neighbour has mice and rats and won't deal with them so it's up to us neighbours to do what we can to keep them out of our houses.
The pest man suggests ham or bacon on the snap traps as when they tug the meat off then get a whack on the head!

Are you in London? I really recommend HLA pest control - they mouse proofed us so effectively that even when our entire terrace was overrun, we stayed mouse free

I’ll definitely have a look into getting a rescue cat!

I also had it in mind to try and record the mouse but the problem is, I know where it’s coming from. It’s coming from the kitchen but I won’t be able to see if there’s another hole or not just by setting up some sort of monitor. It hides under the kickboards.

We’re just about to have a look in the kitchen again so thank you so much for all of the helpful comments:)

Pest controllers advise NOT to get a cat if you have a mouse problem. Often they bring mice into the house and can add to the problem!
We had a bad mouse problem in our bungalow many years ago and, despite blocking every entry point, poison and traps we could never get rid of them. Ended up knocking it down!

I mean, there’s definitely a conflict of interest there from Pest Control’s POV…easy to see why they wouldn’t recommend cats

Our DCat brings in live mice quite regularly. We have a child's fishing net to catch them.

When you say the mice traps are by the kickboards do you mean they’re not by the wall. Mice run around the edges of rooms so if you just put snappy traps touching walls they’ll run over them and get caught.

I was also going to suggest loft - as that is my most successful place to put traps but you’re in a flat, is it purpose built or do you have any eaves or a loft?

I would be inclined to lay snap traps at the entrance to your children’s bedroom (since they’re in cots). 5 or 6 in a tight row. Attempted entry = sure death.

In general, there’s no point in gradually increasing the number of traps. Go nuclear and use the shock factor. 0-20 for instance, overlapping against the walls and next to each other.