EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK - Help!!

[MamaMaiasaura]

Was sat on sofa - laptop on, mumsnetting (avoiding ironing) think i see a huge great spider out the corner of my eye. Loked round to see a little brown furry body and tail dart out of lounge and into my kitchen!

We have had mice before (thanks to next door) and managed to get rid of them. Traps etc. Thought we heard one under ds's floorboards (above kitchen) so presume this mouse is the same one. Poison hasnt worked. DP is away for weekend and right now I cant leave the house as waiting on delivery.

I will likely go and get some more traps when the delivery arrives but..... next door deny having mice (little old lady in late 80's with her son). Their house is not kept up at all as she cant manage and he doesnt take over. We cut her hedge (feck knows why her son cant).

She blatantly doesnt believe she has mice and therefore they live and breed there and come visiting here. We are on the end of the terrace.

Any advice? Do the council get rid of mice for free? She is in a council owned house, ours is privately owned.

mice don't go for clean or unclean houses, they go where they can get food. if there is a source of food they will go there, which it has obviously got in your house (sorry)

the council do come out to mice but as the mouse is on your property and yours is private then you have to pay unless you are on certain benefits

Give council a ring and buy some traps. They'll come out and have a word with her/check the house etc shouldn't cost her anything. Could be she's too embarrassed to admit to it. Environment dept should be able to help, give them a ring and explain there are schemes available to help people in circumstances like hers for general maintenance

traps won't work if they are still getting in somehow.

mumofmonsters.. the mice arent getting food here. No nibbled boxes etc. Everything in plastic containers etc. Isnt the first time the mice have visited. Last time they were mainly upstairs (an zero food there). First time one has been in kitchen and no mouse droppings etc evident.

Will go and get mouse traps to try and tackle the problem but I really think they are coming through from next door (heard them in the wall cavities upstairs) Very old houses with chimneys etc so they have the run of the terrace.

oh right i see. sorry! i take back my bluntness then!

If you have a look on your councils website they will have a number toi ring for pest control, you should ring them and tell them what the situation is.

If I was in your situation I would get a cat. Mice will continue to come in but cat will catch them for you.

Called them My Ex partner works for them He has already collected ds and gone away for weekend so wont speak to him till Sunday. THey said that is a very common thing atm (they are completely snowed under). They will survey for free and if the mice are coming from next door or further up will show us where they are coming through to can block off (thing is they could come in anywhere from next door cos a really old property and lots of chimneys etc). Anyway, chatted to the girl who knows ex-p and she suggested chatting with him on Sunday to see if he can have a quick lok around for us.

Baby listening device has arrived so am going out to but some traps and bait. Really freaked out tho, why do things like this always happen when DP is away?

Would love a cat but live on busy road. Lots of cats get squished around here. House going on market soon tho

War has been declared.. Been out bought traps and baited with peanut butter and also laid some bait boxes with poison...

Mice - 0
Awen - 1

They smell bad too!! Not most pleasnat job to do this morning but it had eaten some of the poison so best i got it in the trap else would had died elsewhere & probably somewhere inaccessable. Surprised it ate all the peanut butter before the trap went.. or could it be there is more than 1?

Mice - o
Awen - 2

Heard trap go , little mouse didnt get to eat the peanut butter tho. We'll see if there are any more

i didn't like the thought of the beheading traps(ie the springloaded ones) but DP started with those. The feckers robbed the chocolate and the trap never went off!!

the bait boxes worked best for us, they do die quickly with those

I didnt like the idea also but really dont want them to die somewhere inaccessable. This is just getting too eww tho as... mice - 0 Awen -3. All in the same trap/location. Am quite shocked I have already caught 3. Is weird as not evidence in house of micei.e. nibbling/poo etc, although right under kitchen unit there were a few droppings. I am so embarrassed as well. . NExt oddr are getting theor kitchen refitted by council and i wonder if they have disturbed a nest.

We had a few mouse visits recently, I was beside myself and put down loads of those breakback traps, mice haven't reappeared since. The same thing happened about 18mths ago. DP's theory is that they scout about to see if there's any food accessible and if they don't get lucky they give up and move on. That sounds extremely dubious to me but I can't think of any better explanation.

If you're feeling wealthy there's a sonic thing you can get for about £60, it plugs into an electric socket and transmits a noise that deters the mice (and other pests) along the wiring. It's called the Pestclear Professional I think.

Here - my friend swears by it. HTH.

thanks fleacircus. They had some very similar in B&Q reduced to £20 but have a hamster so cant use. Feel bad saying this but cant wait till little hammy pops his clogs so that i can get one.