mice problem

[elliejjtiny]

Hope you don't mind me intruding to ask a question. We live in a 200+ year old house semi-detatched to a chapel and backing onto a field. As soon as we put the heating on the mice come sauntering in. We have had success with poison in the past but the mice spread the poison everywhere and I'm nervous about the dc's getting hold of it. The mice also die in the wall cavities and under floorboards and stink the house out.

This year we have got some wooden snappy traps but the mice a breeding faster than we are killing them and sometimes the mice manage to eat the peanut butter off the trap and the trap doesn't go off. We have a sonic thing in the kitchen but it doesn't seem to have any effect. Has anyone got any suggestions of something else we could try? DH wants to get a cat but I can't stand them although would be better than the mice I suppose if the cat killed the mice.

You need to get rid of the mice first then put in one of those sonic things - apparently they dont work if the mice are already there.

You also need to find all the gaps where the mice are getting in and fill them, wire wool works well as the mice dont like the feeling of it when they chew.

The snappy traps are definately the best, we used Rentokil ones and they always worked.

You have my sympathies, I used to live in a cottage that backed onto a field and the amount of mice was unbelievable especially when the farmer had been out harvesting.

Do you like dogs? I recommend a jack russell from a line of professional ratters.

you can get semi feral or feral cats from some rescue places just for keeping mice down, you only have to feed it and won't have to cuddle it or anything. It might not even want to come indoors but prefer to live in a shed if you have one.

get a cat - as long as it has somewhere warm to sleep and you do feed it and take it to the vet as required - you don't have to like it - then again cats are very aware and it is quite likely it won't think much of you either

( i actually adore cats and have 2 )

Nesorex used to make poison in tiny bags which could be thrown into small spaces where only mice could go, and I never had one die indoors,
but I do think you need a cat or ratting dog.