Mice in UCL accommodation !

[mabelsveryable]

DC moved into UCL accommodation yesterday and has been informed by another new resident that mice have been seen and mice droppings found in shared kitchen !

I'm not happy about this at all. Mice in a kitchen is a health risk.

DC sent me a picture of what look like bait boxes in corridors but much bigger than mouse sized so I'm wondering if it's actually rats. I'm fairly sure dc would know the difference between a mouse and a rat but would every first year be as clued up on rodent sizes.

Anyone had any experience of this at UCL or other Uni student accommodation elsewhere and any advice on what to do about it (other than the obvious advice to keep all food in sealed mouse/rat proof containers) ?

Get them to stop leaving food around

I've never lived anywhere in London that isn't riddled with mice, those sonic plug in things should keep them out of sight but you'll never get rid of them all.

I don't know what she can do but one reason my dd turned down Manchester Uni was because certain halls were alleged to have a rodent problem and she has a phobia. I guess it's inevitable where you have large groups of people, especially youngsters who aren't used to cleaning up, that there may be problems.

There are mice in London everywhere. I don't think it's that big of a deal. I went to UCL and lived in Ifor Evans 😀 good times! Your kid will hopefully have a great time

They hadn't even unpacked any food ! It's move in weekend and the sighting was yesterday when residents were only just moving in. No-one can blame it on students leaving food around when the accommodation has been empty for weeks pending move in day. There has to have been a mouse problem before they arrived, especially given the bait boxes already in situ.

Mice are everywhere in that area, I work there, the baits are down so something he will get used too

Had dc been advised there was a mouse problem in this particular accommodation, they could have opted for alternative accommodation.

Can I state once again that residents have not been failing to clear up after themselves/leaving food laying about, this years crop of residents are only just moving in.

The bait box photos I've been sent would indicate that the problem was already there before they arrived. It's worrying me that it's now going to get much worse because some students will get careless with their food/dirty plates etc. Just putting food scraps in the kitchen bin alone will attract the mice. What else are they supposed to do with their food waste ?

Did you have mice in your accommodation at Ifor Evans ?

DD was in Unite accommodation in Stratford last year. Loads of mice. They gave up on the bait boxes and bought traps. Caught about 10 in one night. It seems common in London student accommodation. Just need to keep all food in airtight boxes and wipe down surfaces both before and after cooking to reduce any health risk.

Mice are everywhere in London - not just student accommodation. When we get a periodic outbreak, we use sealed tupperware boxes for food, keep everything clean, sonic repeller things and we use electric traps to zap them. Gets things back under control quickly.

Your child/their flatmates should report it to whoever they've been told to report maintenance issues to. It's not something they should just have to live with, just because they are students - it's not cheap accommodation! Learning how to tackle problems like this is part of the experience though!

I can't remember it being a specific problem, but there will always be mice in buildings in London. I've lived in London for over 20 years and have seen mice in offices, houses, flats - it's not unusual.

Why are people saying everywhere in London has mice? I’ve lived here for 10 years and never lived anywhere with mice.

Knew it would be ifor Evans. It was old and run down when I went decades ago, not surprised it's even worse now.

Mice can squeeze through the tiniest gaps, but remove their food source and they will go elsewhere.

Multi occupancy living in central London. It’s not a surprise. Poison, traps, report it to accom team.

Mice can get through a gap as small as a pencil. Their rib cage partially collapses so they can squeeze through. As someone else said, tupperware boxes and cleaning up scrupulously will help.

The landlord has probably put them down in anticipation of how students often use their kitchens.

My DS was in a ground/lower ground floor room in one of the old converted Georgian Terrace Houses halls. He had mouse traps in his room when he moved in. I had thought it was because he was on the ground floor and they are old buildings. He wasn't bothered about it and said he quite liked watching the mice scuttle around his room. To be honest, most winters we get a few mice in the house, so it was a bit home from home. I just advised him to keep food in plastic containers in the cupboards.

I work on a campus university. There are rats everywhere. It’s just a fun place for them to be - lots of food, people and bins.

It's not Ifor Evans.

You’ve been lucky.
We live in outer London and moved in 1998 and no mouse problems until 2022. Interestingly we got 2 kittens in 2018 and still have had mice several times in the last 3 years. Most of neighbours on our road have had the same problem at the same times. DH has killed more mice than the cats. We keep a score.
All food is kept in plastic containers.

One of my DDs did a semester abroad in UCL and when mice were discovered she and her roommates just went out and bought traps. They were all seasoned big city university students from the US.

London is a big city full of sources of food for rodents, and you have to expect mice, and also rats.

Your DD and her roommates should set traps, take the bin out every evening, be scrupulous about cleaning the kitchen area after every use, and not leaving used plates, cutlery, or pots out.

Keep plates, mugs, cutlery, and utensils in plastic boxes with lids, and keep pantry items in lidded boxes too.

@mabelsveryable I work in the fourth floor of university building in that area and we have bait boxes everywhere. My son also stayed in a central London hall of residence and there were bait boxes. They are a preventative measure. Wherever you have a large concentration of people, some of whom drop crumbs, there is a risk of mice. If droppings are seen then they should report them to the reception desk. It is a good opportunity for you to explain to your son the importance of minimising food crumbs - he'll need to know that before he moves into private accommodation (my son's rental property had mice too, so they bought traps, but it didn't particularly encourage them to be clean and tidy unfortunately).

The accommodations are not empty over the summer as there are summer courses etc with folks not being super clean or leaving the washing up till later.