To be terrified of the mouse

MyNewNewlife · 2025-02-15T02:23:47+00:00

I am currently stressing out majorly because I just saw a mouse run across my living room floor. I lept up, leaving lights on and ran to my bedroom and shut the door. I am really not good with anything rodent. I am so tense and I feel sick.. my heart is racing and I'm close to tears.. totally irrational i know but I'm just mortified. I need help!

JacJac77 · 15/02/2025 02:29

I feel your pain! This happened to me and I was terrirfied. Is there anyone around that can help? If not close the door, stuff something under the door if there's a gap, and get some help in the morning.

TheIvyRestaurant · 15/02/2025 02:31

YANBU

Id rather have a great big fuck off spider sat on my nose than a mouse scuttling across my floor.

Friendly trap tomorrow OP!

Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 02:34

Thanks.. I'm glad I'm not the only person who's scared of these little creatures. I have put a towel by the door. I don't know how it got in.. I clean daily but I feel dirty.. Google has made it so much worse

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TheIvyRestaurant · 15/02/2025 02:36

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 02:34

Thanks.. I'm glad I'm not the only person who's scared of these little creatures. I have put a towel by the door. I don't know how it got in.. I clean daily but I feel dirty.. Google has made it so much worse

Apparently they can fit through a 5p piece size so probably through a small hole somewhere to get warm. One came through our tumble dryer hole and I hid upstairs until DH sorted it (which took fucking ages and was executed with all the intelligence of a particularly stupid toddler 🙄)

Sodthesystem · 15/02/2025 02:36

I had mice in my old place over the years. I actually find them cute but I still shat myself every time one jumped out at me. As they tended to do.

Their eyesight isn't good. So they tend to skirt the room. Find out a room it goes between, eg, kitchen to livingroom, and place a trap right at the entry to the door (door open about 3 inches, and trap positioned so they can run straight into it). Was the only thing I found worked to catch them.

Saying that, you can also befriend them with sweets. They're not so scary once you see how careful they are not to bite you by mistake when taking treats. Nice little things really.

But you don't want them on your kitchen surfaces. Look for any ways they can climb up to those. Such as wires behind dishwashers etc. Take them out when not in use.

Keep food in tupperware/fridge once opened too.

Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 02:37

I think I left my electric throw on downstairs.. I was watching the tv.. I can't go back in there..

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Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 02:41

Sodthesystem · 15/02/2025 02:36

I had mice in my old place over the years. I actually find them cute but I still shat myself every time one jumped out at me. As they tended to do.

Their eyesight isn't good. So they tend to skirt the room. Find out a room it goes between, eg, kitchen to livingroom, and place a trap right at the entry to the door (door open about 3 inches, and trap positioned so they can run straight into it). Was the only thing I found worked to catch them.

Saying that, you can also befriend them with sweets. They're not so scary once you see how careful they are not to bite you by mistake when taking treats. Nice little things really.

But you don't want them on your kitchen surfaces. Look for any ways they can climb up to those. Such as wires behind dishwashers etc. Take them out when not in use.

Keep food in tupperware/fridge once opened too.

Edited

I would love to be able to befriend them.. but my blood runs cold

I hate the thought of killing them but I think I'll have to..

I trap spiders, name them ( usually harry) and let them go even though i find them a bit scary too

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Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 02:43

@TheIvyRestaurant 5p? Bloody hell fire!!

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Sodthesystem · 15/02/2025 02:44

Yeah I had to sometimes too. Purely because they were too smart for the humane traps...or I wasn't smart enough to figure out how to trick them into them.

TheIvyRestaurant · 15/02/2025 02:48

Sodthesystem · 15/02/2025 02:44

Yeah I had to sometimes too. Purely because they were too smart for the humane traps...or I wasn't smart enough to figure out how to trick them into them.

Square of chocolate in it

TheIvyRestaurant · 15/02/2025 02:49

Do you live with anyone @MyNewNewlife?

Minimili · 15/02/2025 02:51

I had the same, we went on holiday and the cat went into the cattery, when the cats away…

My cat is a hunter but the night we got back home a mouse literally ran over his foot, I’m petrified of them and wanted to move house. I got some traps from Amazon but since the cat made his presence felt again I haven’t seen one since.

You need a cat! Just the scent of it should be a deterrent. If not I’ve read that the traps I got from Amazon work, they are boxes with bait inside that trap the mouse in. You might need someone to check them for you though, I’ve lived in fear of finding a mouse in the trap, I’ve left them out just in case the cat ever goes on strike.

Sodthesystem · 15/02/2025 02:52

TheIvyRestaurant · 15/02/2025 02:48

Square of chocolate in it

Show quote history

Tried chocolate spread. And peanut butter. They weren't interested.

Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 03:16

Minimili · 15/02/2025 02:51

I had the same, we went on holiday and the cat went into the cattery, when the cats away…

My cat is a hunter but the night we got back home a mouse literally ran over his foot, I’m petrified of them and wanted to move house. I got some traps from Amazon but since the cat made his presence felt again I haven’t seen one since.

You need a cat! Just the scent of it should be a deterrent. If not I’ve read that the traps I got from Amazon work, they are boxes with bait inside that trap the mouse in. You might need someone to check them for you though, I’ve lived in fear of finding a mouse in the trap, I’ve left them out just in case the cat ever goes on strike.

I'd love a cat but I rent so no pets allowed

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BlondiePortz · 15/02/2025 03:22

It is not going to go away unless you do something about it so either call a pest person or sort it out your self

Butchyrestingface · 15/02/2025 03:57

I had a moose loose in ma hoose a few weeks back (my bedroom, to be specific). Happens every winter. I’m not scared but the wee fucker was keeping me awake with all its chewing and burrowing.

I can’t do murder so I ordered those plug in repellent devices that emit high frequency noises inaudible to the human air but supposedly torturous to the mousey ear and it appears to have worked a charm. 🤞

Pepperama · 15/02/2025 04:05

We’ve always been able to get rid really quickly with a humane mouse trap and some bacon/pancetta/chocolate, whatever we had in the house. For a while our cat thought bringing in mice alive was a sign of her undying love…

TheRealKatnissEverdeen · 15/02/2025 04:05

This happened to me about 8 months ago. Like you I was petrified. I contacted 8 or so pest control companies in the early hours (I saw the mouse around 2am also) and went with the first ones who could come out to me around 8am.
I paid around £170 for pest control but was completely worth it and then my partner (we don't live together) came and put traps down with peanut butter and caught about 4 within 24 hours 😢.
It was traumatising. A week after the first visit pest control revisited and blocked up entry points and gave my partner some advice as to blocking other holes through the house. Haven't seen any since but I've lived in a state of semi-fear since.

MissHollysDolly · 15/02/2025 04:40

They can run quick but they're not observant so you can get close. Tiny bits of dark chocolate will lure them out. Just wait and be patient and then pop a Tupperware box over their head slide a kids book underneath and chuck it out into the garden. Or if you don't like them out poison down but that's not great when you have to deal with the carcasses

PenneyFouryourthoughts · 15/02/2025 05:44

I see you can't have a cat, but mine is always more active in winter because the buggers move in from the cold. At the moment she's in the kitchen looking at the washing machine, so I'm assuming there's at least one in the gap between that and the units under the sink. Little fuckers. DCat guards to prevent them coming out.

We used to use sticky traps (cruel things), snap traps and thise white noise things you plug in the wall but they always used to come back.

My advice is to thoroughly clean all cupboards, seal all food in containes (especially food in cardboard packaging), block up any gaps and if all that doesn't work ask your LL to call a pest controller.

Nettleteaser101 · 15/02/2025 05:48

I saw a mouse run around my Kitchen one morning put traps down and caught 3 they give me the Willie's and I have a cat!!!

Sansan18 · 15/02/2025 05:53

TheRealKatnissEverdeen · 15/02/2025 04:05

This happened to me about 8 months ago. Like you I was petrified. I contacted 8 or so pest control companies in the early hours (I saw the mouse around 2am also) and went with the first ones who could come out to me around 8am.
I paid around £170 for pest control but was completely worth it and then my partner (we don't live together) came and put traps down with peanut butter and caught about 4 within 24 hours 😢.
It was traumatising. A week after the first visit pest control revisited and blocked up entry points and gave my partner some advice as to blocking other holes through the house. Haven't seen any since but I've lived in a state of semi-fear since.

This happened to an elderly friend.Started with a few scratching sounds, about a fortnight later he was overrun by mice.The pest control bloke at £180 was amazing and it was sorted within about ten days.
Like yourself, I was terrified of them and simply couldn't have sat in the house.Best of luck, set a few traps and give it a couple of days to see how things develop.

3LittleFishes · 15/02/2025 06:04

To everyone saying you are 'terrified' of them and working yourselves into a froth about them, what exactly is so terrifying about them?
They are tiny, unable to kill or even hurt you and are usually easy to remove from property.
I could understand if we had venomous snakes hiding in our homes but a tiny defenceless mammal causing people to be so terrified they won't go downstairs (ps mice can move freely around your home, if you see them in one room they have been in every room!) is quite simply ridiculous.

Original poster

MyNewNewlife · 15/02/2025 07:53

Well I got 4hrs sleep and now I have to get up and face the music. Thanks to those who understood the fear. It's irrational I know but it's real. I wish I could be more logical but hey ho..

I'm going on a mouse hunt.. it's gonna be..

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CurbsideProphet · 15/02/2025 08:29

Unfortunately I've had similar in the past couple of weeks. We got the professionals in. They have said that if you humanely trap a mouse and release it outside it wouldn't survive, as house mice don't know how to look after themselves in the big wide world.

Even if you find the holes it will have come up and fill it with expanding foam or similar, the mouse / mice will know that's their way in and ear through what is blocking the hole. Unfortunately you either live with mice coming in, or you bump off the ones who know how to get in and then block up the holes.