.. and I absolutely hate them. Spiders I can pick up no worries, but mice ugh, just the thought of one scuttling along - makes me shudder. I have a real phobia.
I first saw one about four, five months ago, Got up in the night to get a drink and I thought I saw something run across the kitchen floor as I switched on the light. A few days later got up really early, went down, same thing, so I screamed and my son came running down and eventually he confirmed it was definitely a mouse as he saw it go scuttling under a cupboard.
I bought a humane trap, baited it with peanut butter like they said on the instructions and put it down - nothing. Moved it around, different corners, locations - nothing. Then I noticed .. all the peanut butter had gone!! I hadn't set it right or something and the little bleeder had sneaked in, scoffed the peanut butter and done a runner and the trap stayed open.
Baited it again, nothing. Night after night. Pulled out the fridge, cooker, everything, no droppings, no knawings, no signs of anything, no more sightings .... so I thought maybe it had died, or got out or something.
I kept a wary eye out for signs, but nothing. Nothing all this time until just now, months later, went down and caught a glimpse of something shooting up the side of the cooker! Aghhhhh! I've just baited the humane trap again and put it down right by where I saw it.
However, what's really worrying me is I can't just have one mouse can I? They breed like buggery, so what I'm terrified of, is that they've been there all these months laying low and I didn't know, and now I've got a whole colony of them down there? If that's the case I won't be able to sleep at nights, let alone go back in there. They absolutely make my skin crawl just thinking about it.
The only other explanation is that it's getting in and out from the outside somehow - hence me not seeing anything for all these months. My son just said to me on the phone 'you've had the kitchen window open a lot lately because of the nice weather, so maybe it got in there'. I have climber plants on trellis outside on that wall (front of house/kitchen) and a hedge that goes right up the window ledge, and a few years back I did actually see one go scuttling along the window sill when I had the window open one day, and I had to go and get my neighbour to get it out.
So what I'm asking is ... is it possible just to have one lone mouse living in your kitchen, or should I resign myself to the fact that there's probably loads of them behind the appliances, units etc. Or, is it possible that I have an occasional visitor who comes in and out via the window or some other opening - My kitchen sink, washing machine etc. back onto that front wall where the window is and where the hedge and trellis climbers are, so there may be some way in through the wall, pipework, or something, I dunno. I have no experience of this. I've lived in this house 14 years, and apart from the one on the window sill that time, I've had no problems with mice.
If anyone has experience of this please help. Trying not to be over dramatic but I really do hate the little **ers. I'm not scared of much, but mice/rates ugh.