To be horrified at what I’ve come home to?

[deedeemegadoodoo]

I’ve been on holiday for two weeks and just arrived home to mouse droppings all over the house. My DH mentioned he saw a mouse in the hot bin composter just before we left and it seems to have snuck inside and run amok.

What can I do? I have a small dog so poison is a no no. I’m not scared of mice but obviously want a quick solution to get rid.

Please don’t use things like this. It’s devastating to wildlife such as owls, who unwittingly eat the poisoned mice, but also cats. Just today a local cat died on its way to the vet’s and due to its symptoms the vet is sure it’s eaten a mouse that had ingested poison.

Good solution, even borrow a cat for the day, the predator scent keeps mice away for a long time, snake droppings in pellet form - the mice know this signifies a predator and keep clear, cayenne pepper, put some on your hand and blow it ( keep it away from people"s eyes) into corners of the room - it scrambles their sensory perception as does peppermint oil sprayed around, if they are not fully comfortable and aware in an area they will stay clear, basically anything that stops them feeling they dominate an area makes them wary and want to stay away.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EGOFLYYA-Reusable-Outdoors-Effective-Sensitive/dp/B09MVNLTL7?pd_rd_w=GAxy3&content-id=amzn1.sym.0fb58cc2-f11c-4b73-aab3-9f95f960788c&pf_rd_p=0fb58cc2-f11c-4b73-aab3-9f95f960788c&pf_rd_r=9M9VA3Z2FM9QJ216TD9Y&pd_rd_wg=OvefH&pd_rd_r=b11939f7-d5f7-4065-8074-e4b641f57798&pd_rd_i=B09MVNLTL7&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_1_pr_sc

Def don't get poison. It is a horrible death and there is a risk of dead rodents trapped under floorboards stinking the place out. Snap traps ok, but I am such a wimp that I don't want to remove the dead body in order to reuse, so trap had to go in bin with the mouse!

I strongly recommend the trap I've linked above. They are very effective at catching mice. You need to make sure you release them a good distance from your home. As others mentioned, a piece of chocolate works well as bait.

Stress instead of death is a bad thing?
We use humane. Caught a little blighter the cat brought in just the other day, released it back into the churchyard and it was fine. He spent 2 days running around before caught him.

Check all your dried goods like pasta and cereals, they can get through the smallest gaps and seem to gravitate towards foodstuffs. If they've got into something, check everything else near it and if in doubt I'd throw it away. They also seemed to love our dishwasher tablets and stain remover bars.

Peanut butter worked very well as bait for the snap traps.

If you think you've got an infestation get rodent people in. Our council allows for one call out per year for free I think, so worth checking that.

Check the mattresses they like to nest in them.
And if you look on Amazon and eBay you can buy torches with uv lights that show up where they’ve been. They pee constantly and the torch picks it up at night it glows.
I know the torch works I had a dog that peed and I’ve a couple of pet rats. At least you’ll be able to scan around the house so you can see their trails.

Snappy traps inside a tube (you can get them like that or you can stick one inside a bit of plastic drain pipe) so the dog can't get at them because a dog with a fractured nose or severed tongue is a lot worse than one errant mouse.

Bait it with peanut butter or chocolate spread.Place it along the edge of a skirting board or likely corner then leave it alone for several days so the rodent gets used to it, they really will be put off if you keep fiddling with it.

I have just had the same problem! Can’t use snap traps or poison as other pets in the house so bought two humane traps on Amazon which have been super successful and safe for all concerned.

Cats the quickest way to get mice...they bring them home and let them loose then become scared ..a terrier is better. However I'd suggest a pest controller as the best option. The humane traps are useless...I rented a flat once in London..a Victorian one and the mice came from next door outside abandoned space.. landlord was on the case as we quickly learnt as he prewarned us and we quickly learnt to keep all food in secure containers and clean all surfaces before eating..we didn't realize until a week after we moved in it was such a problem. By time we left a year later we not seen a mouse for six months..

It's never one mouse.

Was the small dog out of the house for 2 weeks too ? If so , there's your answer .
Once the dog is back in situ will the mice move out ?.

I wouldn't put too much faith in cats , mine brought a mouse back into the house that I had caught and released (I know it's the same mouse it had peanut butter on it from my trap ) We had field mice in the cupboard under the stairs and got those tube traps that close , you do need to check them several times a day though .
No snap traps here due to cats and those sticky mats are inhumane .

Wire wool in any holes too .

I had a cat chasing a mouse and the mouse simply turned to the cat, stood on his back legs and I kid you not...starting throwing punches with his front legs whilst squeeking angrily.
Cat left 😂

We had a mouse infestation in our old house. Our cat used to live in the downstairs cupboard with them, like one happy little family.

Mouse droppings all over the house sounds like a significant infestation and definitely not ‘one mouse.’ For that you’d need a nest of them, which is usually the case

Check your house insurance. Mine covers rodent disposal. I didn't realise until I was looking through the policy for something else.

My dogs have always been better at catching and killing mice/rats than my cats.
The dog might just grab it for you if it sees it.

My cat used to bring them in alive and let them go, my dog would kill them and leave them whole for disposal.

What kind of wee dog is it? If a terrier then you might not need a cat or traps.

Ahah our cat used to catch them then let them go. Sadistic freak!!

OP, call pest control. I worked in kitchen with mice over the years when I worked hospitality and snap traps are good, pest control is best.

they also hate the smell of peppermint, get some essential oil and sprinkle at will

I saw a mouse a couple of times a few weeks ago and quickly got some of the sonic things that emit a sound that they don’t like (but humans, cats and dogs can’t hear) from a Robert Dyas. I haven’t seen any or any droppings since.

We had rats and called the Council about them, cost £85 and he was brilliant. Told us terrifying stories like one pair of rats can produce over 1000 rats in a year!

He recommended peanut butter as the best bait.

We later discovered mice but sorted that problem out ourselves with snap traps on the hard floors and wipeable areas and electric traps on carpeted areas, using peanut butter as bait.

You don't need to kill them.

I have 2 of these humane traps and release in a woodland a couple of miles up the road.

www.toolstation.com/pest-stop-trip-trap-mouse-trap/p60863?store=CB&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21016232523&gbraid=0AAAAAD-vLcUoLgelWw4jw-O9Lsi0nW1gA

Pest control immediately. Well worth every penny. Good luck.

If you catch and release, you need to make sure you’re releasing a couple of miles away too!

We had field mice a few weeks ago, I was an anxious mess. I deep cleaned everything and we tried the humane traps with peanut butter. We caught a few (get rid 2+ miles away) but rang a local pest control (rentokil charge way too much for nothing) and he did the bait boxes behind kitchen counters and in loft spaces, nowhere a dog or child could access. He helped us find holes outside, get wire wool and get holes blocked up. It was worth the couple of hundred £ for 3 visits to get it sorted, they are gone and my stress levels are back to normal now. Humane traps were getting them but they'll not survive release and it's a slower process, not great for anyone involved.

Depending on where you live it can happen easily, we live rurally and they nested under decking - literally bed and breakfast to come inside and find food. Good luck!