Help me get rid of mice. Any ideas?

[moschops]

we've lived here two years and never had a pest problem. then the funeral directors behind us decided to sort out their neglected, ramshackle back yard and barns (actually i liked it, all rustic and overgrown) as a result all the wee beasties that lived there were turfed out and we have discovered we have mice.

i'm not a screaming, jump on a high chair type person when it comes to mice..........the only reason i want rid of them really is because they are so unhygienic.

we've tried some mouse bait but the problem is this stuff takes ages to work and the little devils are obviously breeding too fast for it to be effective. traps don't work, and i don't really want to use the in-humane old fashioned ones as i will cry every time i hear one snap.

have any mumsnetters encountered a mouse problem and anyone have any advice how i can deal with it?

[Newbarnsleygirl]

Those plug in things are meant to be brilliant. you can get them from qvc as well.

QVC

My dad uses rolo's to get them in to the traps. He's said it's the best thing he's used to lure them in to the traps with.

[tortoiseshell]

JJ - I'll find out where we got ours. The mice just sit inside till you release them, then they scarper as soon as they're let out.

[Xena]

We had this problem when our neighbours had chickens (they used to throw all their scrap food out of the Kitchen window..egh)
We poured bait behind the kitchen units and then we used sticky bait paper To catch the ones that got any futher its v disgusting and you have to kill them if their alive onit but it work in 48hrs they were all gone. HTH

[kid]

DH found a cheeky little mouse sitting in the dogs food bowl, the dog didn't do anything about it! Obviously just my dopey dog (yorkie) that didn't scare the mice then!

[JoolsToo]

you can get 'meals for one' for mice - as my Hardware man put it to me!

[Mercedes]

The council's pest control man told us if you see one - then there's at least another 10 in the house.

[Easy]

Unfortunately Caligula they are probably inside the house, somewhere warm and quiet (above the airing cupboard is a favourite place, under the floor next to heating pipes too)

Mice have quite large litters, so lots of little baby mice.

[Caligula]

Can someone tell me about these mice nests? Are they inside or outside the house?

And if they are inside and they eat poison, does that mean you have 10 little mouse carcasses rotting in your basement?

[Easy]

Kid, let me tell you, mice ARE scared of my sister's jack russells.

Actually I hate it, as when the terriers find the nest the Mice run EVERYWHERE.

Terriers find them tho'

[kid]

We had mice and was told they are not scared of dogs. We put down the horrible traps that killed them. Eventually, the HA arranged for someone to come and put down poison and they came back 2 weeks late to check. They told me that the poison doesn't work instantly. They eat the poison, go back to their nest and feel too unwell to leave it so they stay and die there.

[charleypops]

Cats and dogs can get on suprisingly well when introduced later in life - in my experience often better than if you introduce a new dog to an established dog or cat to an establised cat - just takes a bit of patience. It's usually easier if you get a little kitten. I'm sure the catty people at the CPL will give you great advice

[JJ]

Tortoiseshell, where do you buy the traps? Do they scrabble around inside and then chase you once they're out? (I'm joking about the chasing, but really, the mouse ran straight at me a couple of nights ago!)

Thanks!

[tortoiseshell]

We used humane traps, using peanut butter as bait and got rid of all of ours. Just released the mice in the garden and they didn't come back in.

[JJ]

If I buy traps, then do I have to deal with dead mice? And if I buy humane ones, what do I do with the mice? I can't cover everything -- it's not my house and it's a row house to boot. I guess I should call the property manager and get someone in. Will pest control come in and remove the dead mice if they put down poison?

They are cute, but not when one is running towards you in full attack mode. (Ok, it probably wasn't an attack mouse, but it did do a good impression of one.)

[moschops]

NEWSFLASH

i just went down the hall and saw this little brown blob sat by the spare bedroom door. it was the tiniest mouse i have ever seen........little fluffy brown thing no bigger than a walnut. it was breathing its last which has made me all sad.

dp has now decided we are definitely getting a cat, and a regular customer of ours is co-ordinator for the local Cats Protection League so will have a word with her this week when she comes in. have decided the dog wil learn to live with it.

[HappyDaddy]

moschops, this neighbour has old food all over the place, council said it was env health's prob, env health say it's council's problem. neighbour doesn't see what the problem is.

[Aero]

We haven't seen one single mouse (except the dead one the cat left at the back door) since we adopted Ronnie and Charlie from Blossam2. It was our main reason for considering getting a cat (now we have two), and we haven't looked back since. And they make lovely pets!

[HelleBelle]

We've just had this problem recently. Fixed it by using traps (inhumane, I'm afraid). The top tip is to use chocolate with caramel - eg. Mars bar. If you use humane traps apparently you have to take them at least 3 miles away or they come back 'home'. Good luck.

[Mercedes]

Pest control shops sell sticky sheets that you put down on the floor behind fridges etc. Once they are on these sheets - they cannot get off of it. We used these and then stuck mice and paper in bin. Sounds really cruel but the mice were everywhere. As I sat on the sofa bf my 6 week ol dd I could her them run up the back of the sofa and under the cushions. It was hell so i didn't care.

We went round the outside of the house and glued very fine wire mesh over air bricks and as everyone else said cleaned and hoovered religiosly. Even now I regularly hoover under the sofa just to be sure. My Mum never compliments me on the tidyness of our house - last time she was down we had to move to couch to get access to a radiator - she was shocked by how clean the carpet was and said so.

[moschops]

right thats it, i am seriously considering sending the dog on holiday to the in-laws (he loves it there) and stealing the pub cat for a week. alternatively i could borrow my mates Jack Russel.......its a farm dog so should be good at mousing......

i am sooooooo tempted to get a cat......i love them so much. we didn't get one before because we lived on a busy main road.....but it's dead quiet here. and i suppose it would soon teach the dog not to mess with it.

HappyDaddy re neighbours inability to deal with the problem........our old neighbour was constantly moaning about the rat problem in our area.......the council had been round to deal with it and he said he didn't understand why they were causing such a problem in her garden and no-one elses. i pointed out the stupid woman was still putting the chicken carcass from sunday lunch out on the lawn for the 'birds'. he told her if she kept doing it he would get the environmental dept to issue her with a fine!!!!

[HappyDaddy]

The neighbour has had mice for ages but wont do anything about them. they appeared in mil's home, she got a kitten and they havent been seen since! maybe you could dress your dog up as a cat

[Easy]

Where do you live?

My sister has 2 jack russell terriers, who will solve the problem for you pronto.

I agree that the smell of a cat in the house will discourage a new infestation, but if you already have nesting mice living in the house (and you will have), you need something that will sniff 'em out for you, and help to kill the little bggrs as they run away. Believe me it's quick, it's effective, and the terriers have a wonderful time (but make sure any delicate furniture or ornaments are put out of the way).

They got rid of a huge colony of rats living under someones poly-tunnel last winter.

Then get a cat (or terrier) living in to keep mice away

[moschops]

by the way HappyDaddy i just chuckled at the thought that your MIL's next door neighbour is infested because they all decamped there when you brought the cat in

[moschops]

hmmmmmmm the reason i haven't got a cat is because i have a dog who thinks cats are great toys.

we have traced a few definite places they frequent so will have to place traps in the appropriate places and see if that works. the poison obviously isn't going to do the trick so it looks like a trip to the hardware store for some good old fashioned traps might be in order. i did mention to dp that they probably just find their way back in if we put them out.

we do live in the countryside and i think its just luck really that we haven't had them so far. mind you, you should see the size of some of the spiders we get in our house.........you can HEAR them walking across the wooden floor.

spiders................ shudder

[HappyDaddy]

Cat is the best way in my experience. After a few days the mice smell the cat and will stay away. The cat may never catch any but their presence is enough. Worked for my mil and her neighbour is infested.