Found mouse droppings. Where do I start?

[blubberball]

Pretty sure that I've found mouse droppings in my son's bedroom. Where do I even start?

By getting a cat..?

We live in a rural area and in an old house. When we moved in there were some droppings around and we tried everything. Humane traps, poison, those ultrasonic things… what worked in the end was going around the outside of the house with a fine tooth comb and sealing any tiny crack or gap they could get in. If you try to trap or kill them after they get in, it’s just an ongoing task really 😞 Good luck!

Thinking about it. We've always had cats, and mine had an illness with his red blood cells and had to be PTS last October 😞 We live by a busy road, and a lot of cats get run over, and I'm away a lot so didn't feel ready for another cat.

I'm having panic attacks this morning

Set traps along the walls. Our house is older so we just keep a few baited traps out all the time. We tend to get the odd one every spring.

We had one living in the downstairs bathroom for a bit. We named it Byron and included him in our pet count. He eventually disappeared.

I quite like mice though.

I do like animals, but have to draw the line at mice crapping all over the house

Get some humane traps, bait with chocolate.
Search for droppings and try and block up points where they're getting in.
Is your son's bedroom upstairs?

Get a cat.

Yes it's upstairs

You don’t need to get a cat, and you don’t need to panic. Hoover up the droppings, give everything a good clean and tidy throughout the house, and keep an eye on it, it could just be a random mouse. It doesn’t mean an infestation, no matter what anybody says. I’ve lived in the countryside for years, and some have come on and off, and sometimes genuinely it’s a one off! Obviously sometimes it’s not and that’s a different story…

Agree with the traps and using chocolate or peanut butter. You'll never stop mice getting in to an older house IMO so don't stress too much.

We've currently got a rat or two so I feel mice are preferable. The rat man set poison that makes the rats really thirsty so they go out of the house to find water and die.

Check around the skirting boards and inside any cupboards in the room for gaps. They can can get in via very small gaps. The point of entry may not be the bedroom. Check your bathroom for any gaps around pipework.

A few months ago I was at my son’s house and was convinced I could see mouse droppings on my grandson’s bedroom floor. I told my son and Dil when they arrived home. It wasn’t droppings. My grandson had been at football training on an Astro turf pitch and the little black fragments came home on the soles of his trainers and deposited themselves on his bedroom floor 😀

God no. The only times we've ever had mice in the house is when the cats have brought them in to play with.

Likewise voles

and a weasel

Seal up any holes- preferably with wire wool and sealant.
Then set snap traps along skirting boards.
I had an issue when I moved into my house.

Haven’t had any since… unless the cat brings a present

I only once saw a mouse in a previous house. Turned out they were everywhere. No food missing or tampered with. Eventually discovered they were coming in through an understairs cupboard which attached to the students next door under stairs cupboard! ‘Oh yes ‘ they said when I spoke with them ‘ we’ve had mice for a year’!! Once I went round every room in the house I found evidence they’d been everywhere. Anyway, I used traps and they were gone in three days. Obviously I filled in the holes I found in the understairs cupboard and also helped the students next door. To the person suggesting it’s a rogue mouse, highly unlikely

@blubberball Have a look around the skirting boards, radiator pipes and in cupboards. Look for any gaps or holes. Even ones you think are too small. Fill any you find with steel wool and expanding foam and lay traps as to your preference.

And yes, this!!!

Thanks. I cleaned out and hoovered under his bed yesterday, and checked this morning and haven't found any more evidence. So hopefully that was it. He was away for some of the Easter holidays, and his room was empty for a week, so maybe that's when they felt it was safe to move in. Will keep a close eye out for evidence

Did you find any obvious access points? The little buggers can squeeze in via very small gaps. Until you find and seal where they’re getting in it’s very likely they’ll pay you another visit.

Thanks. He has like a built in cupboard in his room, so I'll check that later