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Original poster

To ask for success stories on getting rid of mice

31 replies

Ohforfox · 01/12/2023 07:24

Having discovered mice droppings in an airing cupboard (underneath last years Christmas decorations) I now can't stop thinking about them running all over my house & haven't been able to eat or sleep properly. This surprises me as I'm usually pretty good at dealing with things but it's really had an effect on me mentally. I have pest control coming today but keep hearing horror stories of people unable to get rid of mice. I haven't seen any, and since blocking off holes to that cupboard haven't found any more droppings anywhere but I'm aware they could be under my kitchen units etc. Nothing in the kitchen was nibbled etc at all so could it be one cold field mouse that I've now managed to get rid of? I want to move out I'm feeling that awful about it all.

OP posts:
FuzzyPuffling · 01/12/2023 07:28

Cat.
Our two are both terrific mousers. No mouse dares to.come nearer than the outer reaches of the garden.

Original poster
Ohforfox · 01/12/2023 07:29

I would love to have a cat, but unfortunately I'm in a private let & could technically be evicted at any time so I don't want to take on an animal without knowing I have a secure life long home for it.

OP posts:
FuzzyPuffling · 01/12/2023 07:36

Rent-a-cat?
I love that you consider a cat's long-term security. 🐈

Otherwise you're into traps or poison territory. Can you find out how they are getting in? Bearing in mind they can squeeze themselves through really tiny spaces.

Mothership4two · 01/12/2023 07:37

We're struggling to get rid of them in our garage. DH stored some of his allotment vegetables in there and they moved in. We have a cat, but mice tend to stay in and/or behind things and are quite cautious. We also don't want to lock the cat in the garage. We currently have three humane traps that they are completely ignoring. They seem pretty bright!

Sorry no tips, but there was a similar thread a couple of days ago and you might finds some on there.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 01/12/2023 07:38

Got a man in. He filled in all the holes that mice could use and we never had them again.

Littlegoth · 01/12/2023 07:42

No it won’t just be one. If you’ve seen droppings there will be loads.

We had mice in our last rented property (and later a squirrel, but that’s another story!). Agency claimed it was our problem, I pushed back that it was down to the landlord to find out how the mice were getting in and resolve any structural problems. I can’t remember what alerted us! I think there was a chewed box in the attic or something similar.

Exterminators were called in and found several holes in the bricks around the base of the house, and a huge one when the builders hadn’t finished behind a drain pipe. Mice are essentially blind so they were looking for holes from the ground to about 2 feet up. They can squeeze through a hole as small as a pencil so any of these can be access.

Exterminators put poison down, filled all the holes and we didn’t have any further issues. Took about 3 weeks for the grain to stop being eaten. Cost to agency was £220.

Spades23 · 01/12/2023 07:44

I'd love to know this!! I'm getting the council out a few times a year and it's costing nearly 100 a time. They climb up through the waste pipe into my house. It's driving me insane!! I've got some poisen yesterday, so I'm going to scatter that around and get some mesh for the waste pipe. My dogs is just a useless thing who just doesn't care 😂

3mirrors · 01/12/2023 07:46

My parents live deep in the countryside and tend to get field mice every now and then. My dad swears by traps with a bit of mars bar or snickers on it.

Mothership4two · 01/12/2023 07:47

Thanks I will try that @3mirrors as peanut butter isn't working

LakieLady · 01/12/2023 07:48

As posted in the other thread, plug-in utrasonic pest repellers worked for me.

You can get them in B&Q, Screwfix etc.

3mirrors · 01/12/2023 07:49

Or maybe a way to get rid of the celebration bounty's. 🤣 Good luck everyone!

Gymrabbit · 01/12/2023 07:50

We tried everything including traps and sticky pads but nothing worked until we got the professionals in.
no sign of them since.

kiki50 · 01/12/2023 07:51

we used these, very effective (but one died behind the wall in the bathroom and it was whiffy for a few weeks:)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/READY-STEADY-DEFEND-Professional-Pre-bait-BoxesX4/dp/B0C6H36FL7/ref=mpssa119?crid=377Z1HFKNN8I4&keywords=mouse+traps&qid=1701417008&sprefix=mouse+tr%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-9

Mothership4two · 01/12/2023 07:52

My favourites @3mirrors

but don't like Mars or Milky Way - weird taste buds I guess!

Tryingtohelp12 · 01/12/2023 07:58

I’ve had them. We tried to get rid of them ourselves with no luck. Don’t waste your money trying to diy. We had a man come out and it was sorted straight my away no signs again. He had a dog who could sniff them out so we knew when they were gone x

peppermintcrisp · 01/12/2023 07:58

We had mice. They had made a nest under a pile of coats and were eaten bird and rat food in the pantry. I had also left an old packet of animal food from a trip to the Safari Park in an old rucksack and they had knawed through the bag and were living off that too.

I caught three mice and then they disappeared within a week. I mopped each day with bleach. No food was left out. Fingers crossed they have gone.

peppermintcrisp · 01/12/2023 07:59

*eating

peppermintcrisp · 01/12/2023 08:00

*gnawed lol

Original poster
Ohforfox · 01/12/2023 08:02

Littlegoth · 01/12/2023 07:42

No it won’t just be one. If you’ve seen droppings there will be loads.

We had mice in our last rented property (and later a squirrel, but that’s another story!). Agency claimed it was our problem, I pushed back that it was down to the landlord to find out how the mice were getting in and resolve any structural problems. I can’t remember what alerted us! I think there was a chewed box in the attic or something similar.

Exterminators were called in and found several holes in the bricks around the base of the house, and a huge one when the builders hadn’t finished behind a drain pipe. Mice are essentially blind so they were looking for holes from the ground to about 2 feet up. They can squeeze through a hole as small as a pencil so any of these can be access.

Exterminators put poison down, filled all the holes and we didn’t have any further issues. Took about 3 weeks for the grain to stop being eaten. Cost to agency was £220.

Edited

This is my worst fear. Pest control coming today but apparently don't block holes, just put poison down. I haven't found any evidence at all of them being anywhere apart from that one cupboard & there weren't loads of droppings, maybe 50? Have put traps down & checked everywhere again this morning & no sign of anything. I will get landlord to send someone out to block all the holes once pest control have been I think. I am semi rural so was hoping it was just one cold lonely mouse looking for warmth but it seems not. I'm trying to tell myself I can't do anything more than I have, the house smells like a swimming pool, I've moved everything I can & bleached/cleaned and pest control are coming today. It's such an awful feeling though.

OP posts:
Chalkdowns · 01/12/2023 08:02

I got rid of ours in a terrace house with poison (lots of it and constantly topped up) behind the kitchen kick boards. I think I was killing the mice for the whole Terrace. Anyway, traps didn’t work as the mice simply didn’t bother with the bait. Poison sorted them completely.

Chalkdowns · 01/12/2023 08:04

everyone gets mice from time to time. Every house and flat in London gets mouse visitors. All rural houses do too. It’s normal and while I agree with you that it’s horrible and you need to act on it and get rid of them, tell yourself this is to be expected at some point (which it is). I’m battling with rats in a rural house and to be honest it’s going on and on. Every time I poison them I get about a month before the next invasion!

Catza · 01/12/2023 08:15

Ohforfox · 01/12/2023 07:29

I would love to have a cat, but unfortunately I'm in a private let & could technically be evicted at any time so I don't want to take on an animal without knowing I have a secure life long home for it.

Do you know someone with a cat? My friends had my cat for a week when I went away and he massacred their mice. When I picked him up, they scooped some of his used kitty litter in dog poo bags, made a few pin holes in them and stuffed them under kitchen counters and around the perimeter of the house. They were mice free for some time after that.

Autumn1990 · 01/12/2023 08:18

You don’t need pest control for mice.
Its really important to clear things off the floor so there are no hiding places.
Makesure there is no accessible food especially pet food
Then block up all holes. If the holes are inside masking tape works fine, the wide stuff, or parcel tape or even sellotape if that’s what you’ve got.
Outside holes if you know the entry points block them. Ideally with a mortar mix but leats be realistic not many of us can do that so for small holes use silicone sealant and buy the colour that matches the surrounding of the hole or for big holes stuff with wire wool and use expanding foam. Buy the fireproof one and be aware it has a mind of its own once you squirt it. It’s really important to block holes that rats use as entry points. We were over run last year in the yard with rats and it’s been improving the buildings that has solved the problem.

Snap traps work best inside, can take a few days and make sure there’s no alternative source of food.

JazzHandsYeah · 01/12/2023 08:20

We used these plug in things which emit a very high frequency noise to deter rodents, and the mice were gone within days. Also works with ants we’ve found. You can get them from Amazon.