Mice problem...making me cry/how to get rid and pls help me rationalise my thoughts

[nettermum]

Discovered I had mice 2 weeks ago. I discovered them in kitchen from the fact that ready made completed packed rice was chewed through and droppings

I have a phobia of mice or and furry things. I am taking steps to cover food eg breakfast cereals in hard plastic containers, sweeping kitchen so no crumbs on floor etc.

Think they are in loft as I hear stratching sounds in the ceiling or walls Or I dnot really know if that noise is on floor.

I am so scared of them that for example I close the kitchen door after use nd before I open the door I make my presence known to them e.g. Banging the kitchen door or making a noise. I don't want to be greeted with a furry thing with its beady eyes starring at me.

Every time I come in the kitchen I feel I have to wash all plates, cutlery, mugs in hot soapy water before I use them. If I leave the kitchen and go back in I feel I have to spray down the work surfaces with dettol and if I want a bite to eat everything has to be washed in hot soapy water because mice might have come out and roaming round without me there.

My worst fear is coming face to face with a mouse or worse still a mouse going over my feet ( im know wearing long boot slippers round the house) or going over me whilst asleep.

Please help and advise:

1. what's the best way to get rid of the mice super quick.
2. what is the strongest mouse poison available to buy the type exterminators use?
3. do mice frequent in bedrooms/ bathrooms or are they just in kitchens/ dining and lofts? The master bedroom where I am has a water storage tank in a cupboard

Will have to ask hubbie to lay down more poison/ traps. It doesn't help that hubbie taking this all in his stride and doesn't really understand how much this is affecting me.

Please help:( and also share if you have had similar phobias about mice in house

OP, we use the ones that Jazz and Mortgage linked to above.... they do work quickly, don't smell, easy to dispose of, cheap etc etc....

We live in a very mousey area. When we first moved in we had noticed how many cats there were, and i guess that was the reason. When our cat died the mice kept getting in and it was then that i realised how many she must have been keeping away! We tried peanut butter on traps - worked a bit but they kept coming. I could hear scratching upstairs in the wall cavities. It was so loud i suspected rats which i hate. I was so frantic that dh without telling me, put down poison. It worked! He also found that the pipes that led from the garage to the house had an opening next to them that was letting mice in and there were probably whole families in the wall crevices. We bought 2 cats after this and our rodent problem is gone except for the occasional gift that they bring in. So i would say cats are the best bet!

After finding mice in our kitchen (and the final straw was a shrew in the sitting room).

We have snap traps in the loft and we went to the cat rescue and asked specifically for a mouser. I am
Now very adept at cleaning up half mice and entrails from the doorstep but we haven't had a mouse inside since.

Definitely don't get cats in the hope they will safe you from mice. My cats bring in the mice as special presents for me and lovingly leave them by my side of the bed. Never DHs .I used to be terrified but now I can scoop up a live one without even thinking about it.

I've always lived in old houses and always had mice. Only my cats have ever been a long term deterrent. One is fairly useless but the moggy is an excellent mouser. she only seems to catch them outside now and I haven't seen a mouse in the house for a couple of years (touches wood) so I think the mice are put off by her presence.

BTW if you are getting a young cat try and buy one whose mum is a mouser - apparently they pass on lessons. Cats born on farms are good for this reason.

Yes defintely farm cats, I agree.

We don't have a cat flap. I don't want mice dropped on my pillow thanks! The cat comes on for dinner at 6 and isn't allowed out until morning. She has to ask to come in in the day too - doesn't hurt her!

DH has put poison in loft but can still hear strong scratching around hoping they will be gone soon. It sounds like a party they are having.Will go buy some of the poison mentioned by some of the mumsnetters on this thread.

Thanks so far to all the lovely mums who have posted here....just reading your comments is making me feel better.

Haven't seen Jerry and his beady eyes make a face to face appearance yet...

Hey sweetheart

They are expensive but the electric traps work well. The brand name is Victor.
Also snap traps but you need about 12 perpendicular to the wall.
Peppermint oil, noise emitting devices never worked for us.
The expanding foam is best to fill your holes in.
Best of luck.

We had this but with rats - fortunately not in the actual living space but cavity walls/cellar

We fought them ourselves for over a year but never got to the root cause until we rang the council

Best £40 spent! They repeated visits until we found the cause which was a broken drain and a couple of holes.

If you haven't already, give them a ring; they are an absolute font of knowledge about these things