Had a mouse problem for nearly a year. HELP

[SoSickAndTiredOfTheCuntingMice]

Posting here for traffic.

The first time I ever spotted a mouse was last year August. I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve posted on here trying to get advice on how to kill the bloody things.

I’ve tried poison (that they barely touch), snap traps with peanut butter, bacon and God knows what else. I’ve used electronic traps. I have sonar mouse repellent plugged into my kitchen walls. Heck, I’ve even used glue traps. And guess what? I haven’t caught not one mouse.

I hear them in the walls, I see the droppings too. I went in the kitchen to get DC a bottle of milk and to my surprise (NOT), a trap had gone off but no mouse? I’ve had pest control come out around 6 times and they do fuck all.

Yes I’ve filled all holes that I can find with wire wool and expanding foam. Truth is, the kids and I are in a rented property and we can’t exactly rip out the cupboards to see what holes may be behind the units. Does anyone and I truly mean anyone, have some words of wisdom for me? Maybe something else that I haven’t tried?

I’m just so sick of these mice. I hate going into my kitchen because I’m scared I’ll see one again!

If you live in a block or terrace there's no point getting rid as they'll just come back from neighboring properties. Traps and poison pointless.

Cat, or move.

Not true,they won't come if there's nothing to come for ,the OP needs to find where they're coming in.

There are definitely holes you're not finding. We had this issue, on and off, and turns out there was a classic, cartoon-style hole behind the dryer. 🤦🏻‍♀️

If the landlord isn't playing ball I'd really consider getting a cat or a small terrier in to sort the mice.

Good luck!

Not all cats are mousers, my cat is useless. I've had mice recently and a combination of these with their bait/poison Lockable Indoor Mouse Bait Stations x 8. Pest-Expert.com and being completely scrupulous about storage seems to have got rid of them. I know you've tried lots of poisons, but these seemed to help where nothing else had for me.

When we had our rat (ergh) problem, I found the council pest controllers to be useless. We hired one privately, who was great. He not only baited, he helped us find access pints - and importantly, told us what to say to the council, in order to get them to fulfil thier statutory duties.
He costs £45 a session, and we still gave him come every month, just to keep an eye on things.

What is your landlord doing about it ?

In America (grain area) we use buckets with a tip lid they can't get out of. Some have water in to drown them but that is very cruel.

Where are the droppings? Do they appear every morning?

When I had a mouse problem the droppings appeared every morning. If that isn’t happening then it might just be that they are mainly living next door??

agree with all the advice here, particularly around getting rid of all food sources and being scrupulous with leaving the kitchen immaculate every night.

Got rid of my problem with a kitten - sorry!

Is it council rented or private rented? If it was private rented, honestly I’d be looking for somewhere else.
Can you speak to shelter to see if they have any advice because I feel like the owner needs to take some responsibility here too seeing as you’re limited in how you can approach this due to the house being a rental.

I personally don't think a cat needs to actually catch the mice. I live in a London terrace, had an ongoing mouse problem for about 5 years. In the end the only thing that was doing anything were the glue traps and yes I'm well aware of how awful they are but nothing else was catching any. Like OP I couldn't go around ripping out cupboards to get to the holes and I'd tried everything else. I got 2 kittens (they're 4 yrs old now). From the day I brought them home, I've never seen another mouse (or evidence of one) again. And yet they've never actually caught one.

That being said, if OP doesn't like cats it's not a solution. You have my sympathy OP. I remember well how awful it was. I came down in the night once to find 5 mice scampering all over my kitchen work surfaces! It was horrible. If you're in a block I'm not sure what you can really do. For every one you do catch/kill there's many more waiting to take their place. I hope you can find a solution that works.

We had a mouse problem when we moved in to our new home 2 years ago. Apparently the previous owners had been trying to deal with it for years. Our cat put an end to the problem within a few days!

Oh, just seen you don't like cats... Shame

I know you dont want an actual cat but would it be worth getting hold of a tiny bit of soiled litter (urine I mean), or a blanket from a cat bed from someone who has a cat and strategically placing it in the areas you think the mice are? I know that sounds gross but if you place tiny amounts, the mice would smell it and leave as cats leave pheromones where they regularly go which mice recognise. I know its not ideal but putting up with that for a few weeks seems a better option than mice running around. Might be worth a try.

Cat is a big responsibility though, you're taking on another problem really

I had a lot of mice in a terrace house in London once. They ignored the snap traps but I did manage to kill them with considerable amounts of Neosorexa Gold in dishes behind the kick board of the kitchen cabinets and under floorboards of the ground floor. You need to make sure the poison you are using is effective and put a LOT down in places where they travel.

ours were visiting from other houses so I had to poison for the street. But you need to get to where they are running along…

Also they never got into our cupboards and I left no food out, but they would come foraging in our house.

I know they’ll be back when the poison runs out.

We now have a similar problem with rats in a rural place. If I don’t poison them just outside the building, then they move in.

Can you use a Blink camera to find where they are getting in? When I had nice I also tried tying chocolate to string, sticking the other end of the string to the floor, and checking where they'd gone by where the string stretched. I found there was a hole under the oven.

I'd recommend pest control though. Find a company with good reviews.

We used Pestology. They were great.

Op I am in a similar situation. Rat and mice in garden . I know the entry points but it is an old lady's fence . The lady isn't approachable and never opens the door ( probably she is more cautious as she lives alone) I have all the rat poison being taken in and eaten but I still see the rat. No idea what would work either. They climb the fence when I cover their entry holes 😔. We have several 🐈🐈🐈 in the neighborhood but I dont think any of them have managed to catch the mice yet . Have you tried pest expert formula B + I am about to try that today? I desperately need something that helps.

We had a mouse problem recently. The pest control guy was fantastic. For a fixed fee,he came out for atleast 7-8 visits until the problem was solved. Tried different traps and baits in a number of locations, looked for potential entry points and filled them in.

Terraced houses with cavity walls means mouse can enter 4 houses away and come to your house because its warmer/ cosier/ more food etc. So, look for holes in skirting boards everywhere. They can climb down from the loft down the outside of pipes into the bathroom. See if there are external entry points - tiny holes in the brickwork they can squeeze through, in your house and neighbouring houses. Remove the kickboards in the kitchen and check for holes.
Put aall food away in boxes with lids, so there's no fancy dinner awaiting them. Clean the kitchen a lot!!!

Cats are definitely the best thing. I had a cat. No mice. Cat passed away. Major mouse problem. Got cats. No mice.

Even if cats are rubbish at catching mice, mice fear them, for good reason, and so they find accommodation elsewhere (a home without a cat) once you have a cat.

Does anyone and I truly mean anyone, have some words of wisdom for me? Maybe something else that I haven’t tried?

Racumen.

Agree with @Happyhappyday. I did catch a few of the f*@#£ers on sticky traps (unethical and gross) (they were wise to snap traps & poison) but I got tired of feeling repelled by these methods. So my husband suggested getting a cat. We got a kitten and she caught a few (more grossing out) but the buggers know now not to bother us and my now 7 year old puss is largely unemployed. Even the smell of a cat keeps them away.

Unfortunately my neighbours with whom we share a wall said the mice has increased in their property. Oops.

Plenty of cats in rescues need a home. They might be the next Larry of 10 Downing Street or Hodge of Southwark Cathedral.

Wine gums or fruit pastiles on the snaps

Honestly get a cat or a dog... it will deter the mouse, worked for me...
years ago had a mouse problem it would appear every now and then and I struggled to sleep because of it, bought a cat and literally since then never seen a mouse since.
Moved into different house and found droppings in cupboards and in corners, house was empty for fair few months, we moved in and picked up a cat the next day and have never seen anything.
My mum has a dog and the neighbours have mice but they haven't come into her house.

I heard putting a bit of used cat litter (not wet or anything) where the mice would go help to deter them too. It's got the scent of a cat so they won't bother...
Check all holes around pipes, back of cupboards ect and seal them. Also check if there are any holes in the bottom of your sofa because they like to hide in there too

People keep on telling me to get a pet when I absolutely do not like pets🫣 not getting a cat because 1) I can’t stand them 2) it’s not fair to keep them cooped up all day in the flat with two young kids and no garden 3) it’s an extra responsibility that I seriously don’t need. I won’t be getting a dog either but thank you for the suggestions.

@MusicstillonMTV I’m in South London! Pls do message me!
@ExtraOnions what’s the name of the company pls? That person sounds amazing. LL has told the estate agents to send their pest control guy to the flat three times.
@DarkPatrol what’s the name of the company pls?
@Bumbers thank you so much I’m gonna look them up now!