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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Help! Living in the country, mice in the loft

10 replies

abdnhiker · 19/02/2009 08:05

Hi, we've just moved house into the country and we've got mice in our loft. We've caught three already, all normal adult size ones. So far I've not seen any signs of them in the house proper. The loft is full on insulation - are they nesting? eek! What are they eating if I haven't found them in my kitchen?

Besides traps, is their anything we should be doing to try to get rid of them? I'm aware that being surrounded by fields this will be a recurring problem but we're in a small village and I'd like them to consider the neighbours house instead

(We had one in the utility room earlier bit I think that was a separate incident -came in through the dryer vent which is now blocked up)

OP posts:

throckenholt · 19/02/2009 08:08

all you can do is keep trapping them.

If you have caught adults you may find in a few days time you get a batch of babies as they come out looking for food. They are really cute and you feel guilty for killing them - but you can't let them stay because they can do a lot of damage.

As for persuading them to go next door - have never figured out how to do that - sorry.

Original poster

abdnhiker · 19/02/2009 08:14

thanks - we had mice in a flat we lived in a while back in Vancouver and had to catch babies - it is horrible! But they did do a lot of damage so I'm keen to get kill these ones (some bleeding heart in our building had had them for ages and refused to tell the landlords because she didn't want them killed and then insisted on humane traps - which didn't work.)

We heard from another guy in the village that the mice had eaten through all his plastic plumbing pipes too - fortunately we're in an older house that isn't plastic but I'm concerned for the wiring. Anyone have experience with this?

Other than this I love living in the country!

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ABetaDad · 19/02/2009 08:40

Is your house joined on to outbuildings?

If so this is almost certainly the source of the mice. My parents had a farmhouse joined to farm buildings and in winter the mice would migrate from the buildings where it was cold into our warmer house. Rats do it as well.

The only way to stop it is clear out the loft completely and the buildings next door. Remove all food sources and al the insulation as it wil be infested with them. Then basically create an airtight seal at the end where the buildings are before restoring the insulation. I am told a mouse can get through a hole that is just big enough to get a pencil through. Put Little Nipper traps down down in the attic and outbuildings on a continuous basis. Forget humane traps. Other than that get a good cat and keep it in the outbuildings. Poison bait is useful but only if you can be sure that other animals wil not get it.

If you have a thatched house - the mice are likley to have infested the thatch and you will never get rid of them unless you remove the thatch which can cost upward of £30k. A thatcher would advise on vermin control in thatch.

LucyEllensmummy · 19/02/2009 08:55

Three words : GET A CAT

Original poster

abdnhiker · 19/02/2009 09:30

No outbuildings fortunately, it's a 25 year old bungalow! Am now so glad we couldn't afford a character property. Thanks for the tip re: insulation. I'll get my DH up there when he gets home from offshore to check for signs.

DH is allergic to cats but I'm very tempted....

OP posts:

MadameCastafiore · 19/02/2009 09:33

We live in the country too and I was shocked when we moved here and the house had mice - we never saw one in the city!

We had the house fumigated and then we had traps - the chemical type laid down - do that now if you are going to as if you wait until there are flies about they will lay eggs on the carcass and you will have a fly infestation - which from personal experience is worse than mice.

throckenholt · 19/02/2009 10:29

cats don't always solve the problem - I grew up with cats but still had mice move in periodically. Sometimes the cat used to catch them and play with them in the living room

LucyEllensmummy · 19/02/2009 10:41

but its a nice excuse to get a cat

MarmadukeScarlet · 19/02/2009 10:55

A wealthy (not very practical) woman friend has a mouse issue in her loft and had a man come in monthly (for several years)to trap/poison them.

She has now bought some sonic repellers - expensive ones - and has stopped the man, now no mice.

I pointed out that poison is a food source and can encourage activity.

Also (LEM, perhaps you can help me with this as I know you know your stuff) trapper man told her they were dormice and were only coming in to nest and not eat.

I told her that imo this was a 'line' (to make it seem less disgusting to well dressed houseproud woman)and he would be prosecuted for killing dormice as you have to have a licence to hold even a live one. Surely dormice are so rare and shy that they wouldn't be popping into a loft for a kip? It is fairly rural, but still.

Original poster

abdnhiker · 19/02/2009 11:10

Marmaduke - thanks, someone on my postnatal thread recommended the sonic repellers too so I've bought one and hope it'll help.

Nesting rather than eating makes sense since we've not seen any mice in the kitchen at all. They may be getting their food from outside (am throwing out birdfeeder now as I know they love birdseed).

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