Mouse!!!!!!

[SeaShellsDreamingOfSummer]

Title says it all

Dh spotted a mouse behind our bookshelf today...we live in a small flat, I have no idea how it got it but here it is!

How do I get rid of it with v small children and a dog to keep safe?

One of those humane traps things? Where can I get 100 one on a Sunday?!

From my experience the humane traps don't work. Its the kill 'em quick cheap ones that do, but you will need to leave these hidden under cupboards etc.Homebase, B& Q ususally open on a Sunday. If that doesn't work then use the poison which is effective but can take a week or two and you might have to kill a drowsy mouse staggering thorough your kitchen (not the nicest way but when you can't get rid of them...) Block up any holes with wire wool, they can't gnaw through that.

I suspected as much-just concerned re little fingers and snap traps :( we have a v small flat

Sonic plug(s)? That might scare it out the way it came in - we have always used them as a preventative and have not been bothered by mice even when the neighbours have.

Use the snap traps & only put them down at night when dc's are in bed. We get mice every winter for some reason in this house (once caught 9 in one evening!)

There's one running around somewhere since last night so the trap will be going down as soon as my kids are upstairs out of the way

Are you on the ground floor, I ask because it's important to find out where the little blighter came from and, erm, how big his family is, is he the sole bread winner so to speak? After catching him, you will need to block, deter etc.

Yup, ground floor and yes I'm worried about the number of dependents he has!
Traps bought, so off hunting tonight :)

Dh used to live in Bradford so is taking the philosophical approach-if you have mice at least it means you don't have giant rats

Seriously, you need to look for where they are gaining entry. Do you have a larder with an air brick for instance? Bare floor boards or holes behind fireplace? Once they are in they are looking for a food supply so you need to cut that off. If there is a larder, they will be helping themselves, but that's not always apparent straight away. Their little droppings give them away. Take it all out to inspect and seal loose foods such as flour, rice etc. Look around for where they might have been, it's surprising! Years ago I went to a sideboard to get out the Christmas Chocolates only to find shredded paper and foil, the cutlery draw full of deposits, because they found a way through the back of that piece of furniture. At the time we were rebuilding a kitchen and had floor boards up. Mouse hunt you will win

i just caught a mouse today - first one of the year drat. i think they can get in whatever you do to be honest. there will always be gap.

fortunately this one was an ex-mouse so won't be reappearing - though i expect it's family will

You can minimize the potential for them getting in and can certainly make it less attractive by sealing food sources. It's similar to deterring a burglar, getting them to move on to somewhere else...

As above, find out where they're coming from. I discovered a giant rat problem earlier this year outside my flat because my cat suddenly started bringing them home to play with having been traumatised by two cats, a bucket of water was the only answer

This^^ is also the problem with humane traps - you still have to get rid of the little buggers. I would suggest lavender/camphor soaked cotton wool (moth balls) for now and a quote from Rentokil first thing in the morning. In a communal block, this will be a communal problem so havea chat with the neighbours and try to share the cost a bit

Purpledpidjin - good point, the "source" of the problem may well come from someone else's property or rubbish heap and you can possibly make a case for them to "clear up" with environmental health.

Ours were quietly and professionally dealt with by Tesco downstairs (I'm over shops) but the council also came round because the nest was on their property.

The garden at work is a rat run, the source is next door's garage. It's not a problem because they don't come anywhere near the buildings. If they did, they'd be in trouble - the rat-catching cat is actually a lazy friendly, soppy attention whore who is nearly through the process to be a Therapy cat and will hopefully soon be able to come into work with me

Right, the battle lines have been drawn. Suspect hole is gaffa taped over and plan A (humane traps) in place. Aged dog has been briefed not to eat the cheese and jam bait, and to catch mouse (although he was oblivious to the mouse last night, I don't think his eye sight is that great tbh)

Our block of flats is set in an overgrown garden (we have a fox den in it too) and it looks like a field mouse so I am hoping he is an opportunist. I've certainly not found droppings etc before now!!

I dont mean to worry you but we had no droppings , nothing knawed nothing shredded when we spotted ours. We put out a humane trap and caught it first night .. we left the trap out for a week after that .. cuaght 6 of them !!!!

And Gaffa tape aint gonna work I'm afraid.. try expanding foaam with stones in it.. they are really resourceful I am afraid

Years I was plagued before I found their entry

Nooooooooo!

Gaffa tape is just for tonight before a more permanent solution! We are renting so will need to xontay landlord if it's too much of a proble
:)

Here's a positive story to make you feel better again then :D We had the same back in may, one tiny little field mouse hiding in the understairs cupboard. Put some humane traps out (I can't kill them, they're too cute!) and two days later had an extremely confused mouse in a peanutbutter baited trap. Took him a mile down the road and let him go, never saw him again, didn't catch any more mice either. :)

Ah, naoko, you are a welcome addition to this thread!

Just wanted to let you know, humane traps are all well and good but apparently it is illegal to "reintroduce" rodents to the outside if they are near a house - making living in a town impossible for humane traps. Also quite frankly you could be catching the mouse several times over . I would suggest baiting them with drying out bait (don't get the blue stuff, when we lived in london I freaked a the mouse situation -thank you builders next door - and I called these boys as we were selling the house and just wanted rid of them, anyway they said that the mice are pretty clever and break the outside of the bait off which has the poison and eat the inside so effectively you are feeding the little buggers!)

Also they love peanut butter and chocolate

As well as stopping up the holes, make sure there's nothing to tempt them in. Plastic box/clingfilm anything at all food related. Stuff like flour in paper packets probably needs ditching. Hoover up all crumbs - under sofa chusions, behind furniture, EVERYWHERE and disinfect kitchen work surfaces. The cleaner your flat is, the less the little bugger mousie will want to come in for food. Also for medicinal purposes.

Just an idea - you could use aluminium foil with the gaffer tape - they don't chew thru that.
I wouldn't trust a dog not to eat the bait, so can you block dog? Mice are not interested in cheese either; chocolate biscuits preferred.
My foreign friend who was raised in Amsterdam apartments told me that they had to synchronise rodent treatment or creatures just moved along.

Had mice once, and used Nesorex finally, but were just lucky they didn't return I think.

Currently actual poisonous bait free as I dont trust dog or toddler to leave it. Ffingers crossed I don't need it :)

Cupboards are mouse free - no evidence of midnight feasts just yet!

Sorry, forgot about the dog........wasn't paying attention to your op my apologies again, obviously you shouldn't put bait down!

Round 1 = mouse won :(

Try the humane traps and then take him on a journey, I won't report you. If the entry point is blocked, that may well do it.