MICE!!

[NewAzureEagle]

Hi all we live backed onto some gorgeous fields where we see field mice a lot! However, after having a lot of house and garden renovations the last few weeks we suddenly have mice in our loft. The were not there last week as all our pipes were changed up there. The house was recently purchased so i don't know about any historic problems with mice. We are due our insulation to be replaced tomorrow. Would they still do the job or do i wait until it's all sorted?

I only say this as we are behind schedule on the house as it is and the insulation company is very busy.

TIA

You could wait to get rid of the mice first but I suspect that if you're near open fields then mice will be a constant part of your future. Whether you see them or not. Get a cat.

thank you. We have a cat that has proved that she is completely and utterly terrified of everything 😅iincluding mice it seems.

I dare say that the insulation company themselves will probably cancel first. It wouldn't be a major issue if we weren't having work done up there.

We had lots of mice one year. We got some electronic deterrents, they take a while to work but seemed to be effective as the mice seem to leave and haven't been back. They work I believe by putting out a very high frequency sound that we can't hear but irritates rodents.

My brothers cats used to go out and bring mice in alive and let them go.

They will probably chew up the insulation a bit, but if you get a pest controller in straight away to put some bait boxes in it probably won't take too long to get rid of them. We had mice recently, including in the attic, and the pest controller said they normally come in at the bottom of the house and work their way up - sure enough it took way longer to get rid of them under the kitchen cupboards than it did in the attic.

My house backs on to fields and we never get mice coming in so its not inevitable.
Rodents apparently come where there is food for them and/or comfortable bedding, so if they are in your loft they will probably love the insulation. I'd get rid of them first and block any entry points - house mice can squeeze through a space the size of a pencil apparently. Rodents don't like peppermint, so you could use peppermint oil to discourage them. Chickens and bird feeders (food dropped on ground) can encourage rodents into gardens.