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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Mice - help!

43 replies

PoppyField · 04/11/2008 08:51

We've had mice in the house for at least a month - since the temperature outside started dropping - but I'm getting a bit frantic trying to get rid of them. First of all we tried 'live' capture, but now I just want them all dead!

They seem savvy to just about anything - traditional snap traps, glue traps, boxes. We've just spent 30 quid on an electronic zapper with no success so far. It's horrible - I've heard nibbling behind built-in cupboards where our broadband/comms wires go and this morning there was a little pile of nibblings round a hole in our living room floor. What's that about?

I am extremely reluctant to use poison as we have a 13 month old dd and I do not want any chance of her finding it. We are pretty good at clearing her crumbs and keeping food sealed. The only food that I try to keep available is the peanut butter that's in the traps, but I maybe there's always something they can get. I suppose I could stick poison down behind a locked cupboard, if pushed.

Can anyone help on this? We're getting a bit desperate.

Thanks

Poppy

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 04/11/2008 08:54

i just came back from a weekend away and found droppings in my bedroom! yuk

manically cleared it out

but not sure what to do next

no evidence of them in the kitchen tho there were some droppings in a downsrairs hallway

never had them before

no isea what to do i was going to clean the house and then ask the council to deal with them

spudz · 04/11/2008 09:59

Can sympathise with you both - we live in old farmhouse and have to deal with it each autumn. One year they chewed thru the central heating wiring, and another time my daughter found one curled up in bed next to her - egh!
Poison is the only thing that works for us - have just successfully eliminated the wee beasties form the airing cupboard. (till the next batch move in!) In Sainsbury's Homebase you can buy poison which is pre set in child/pet proof containers - think rentokill make them. I also leave the traps around in safe places with melted choc in the bait bit - ours got very clever at just nicking a bit of cheese without setting it off but the choc does the trick. Might try the peanut butter idea! Good hunting!

filz · 04/11/2008 10:02

the old fashioned fling back traps do work but you need to know how to use them. Use choclate as a bait and fling back. Place the trap right against the skirting board at a right angle with fling trap facing into the room (iykwim) Put them where you know the mice are.

You will flinch everytime one goes off (I used to) but just get a spade and scoop it on and put entire contents into bin

stillenduringsurrey · 04/11/2008 10:03

I would really suggest a cat, would you like to hire mine? He kills everything in sight.

But if they are behind the cupboards... our cat brought a live mouse in (he likes to kill them in the actual house) and we chased him away from it and the mouse got into the built-in cupboard. We just put a trap down with jam smeared onto crusty bread and that got it second night. Has nothing like that worked - you have to get them to gnaw on it thus setting off the trap.

madrush · 04/11/2008 10:03

I vote for rentokill safety poison boxes too.

We tried humane methods with a cute little mouse that ran across the living room floor one night. A few weeks later we still had visitor (thinking it was the same one) - two poison boxes were emptied in a couple of hours (the lump of poison is the size of a mouse). Think we had an army by then. Poison first next time!

PenelopePitstops · 04/11/2008 10:05

definately use old fashioned traps and lots of them

we had some safe poison boxes from the council

PenelopePitstops · 04/11/2008 10:06

the zappers only keep them away if they aren't already there, so you shouldn't get any new ones

filz · 04/11/2008 10:07

mice dont tend to run accross rooms. Are you sure it was a rat? Mice run around the skirtings

I have unluckily had rats too though and only poison worked on them buggers

TheBlonde · 04/11/2008 10:17

mice do run across rooms or at least mine do

zippitippitoes · 04/11/2008 10:59

zip[i is deluded i think found a ragy old towel behind my sewing machine in downstairs hallway and it has clearly been chewed didnt notice last night so i guess they have been around a while

hope it is mice and not rats

filz · 04/11/2008 11:01

mice tend to chew. I have never known them run accross rooms though

solidgoldbrass · 04/11/2008 11:02

Mice bloody do run round the room. I had one romping in my bedroom at one point, little furry fucker.
I got them all with snap-traps baited with Bounty bars, blocked up all holes with wire wool and plugged in sonic blasters to scare them ooff.

zippitippitoes · 04/11/2008 11:02

manic cleaning is continuing

my car is broken probably terminally even tho i paid 3k to have iit fixed recently

so i a msupposed to ge to depression class at one except ill have to walk there which is three miles

so not sure whether to continue manic cleaning instead

clean the house or walk for an hour in the rain to depression class sit in there for two hours and then walk home

of course i havent had a shower or anything because my boiler has been broken for 2.5 weeks

i am enjoying life to the full lol

Rubyrubyruby · 04/11/2008 11:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zippitippitoes · 04/11/2008 11:04

sorry this is a good housekeeping thread what am i doing here

filz · 04/11/2008 11:04

i would go to the depression class. The exercise will help you too

zippitippitoes · 04/11/2008 11:09

so if i tell bf i have mice will he think i am a slut

in a not nice way

filz · 04/11/2008 11:10

thanks zippi, I have had them too you know i am a slut though. Is there anything wrong with that?

jeee · 04/11/2008 11:12

Not only do mice run across the room, they also sit in the middle staring at you, just when you want to watch spooks/leer at Lucas North.

Original poster
PoppyField · 04/11/2008 19:35

Thanks guys - it's nice to get such good responses...
Furry little fuckers - that's exactly it SolidGoldBrass!
Thanks for the safe poison box suggestion - hadn't heard of them.
Poppy x

OP posts:
wittyusername · 04/11/2008 21:42

DH has just said he spotted a rodent, I'm scared stiff! Not sure if it's a mouse or a rat

Going to call the council/rentokil first thing [shudder]

Cocodrillo · 05/11/2008 10:11

They squeaking loudly all night in our built-in bedroom cupboards. How grim is that?

anothermansmother · 05/11/2008 10:27

call your local council...they come and get rid of them for free! i had them when DS was 11 months old, but mainly in kitchen...until i day i heard snap in the lounge, right by my deska and a trasp had just caught 1! if you dont get rid quickly then they will bread and the prob will get worse. my friend did this and had no end of probs when they chewed through wires.

anothermansmother · 05/11/2008 10:27

(((ok now having flashbacks!!!)))vom!

wittyusername · 05/11/2008 11:08

council can't come over until next month, there's a real problem in the borough. rentokil reckon it's a rat problem. This may sound dramatic but i really don't want to be at home anymore