So fed up of mice

[Everydayitsgettingcloser]

We are in London and have mice for the fourth time in 15 years.

Pest control blocked up all the holes in our kitchen before we installed a new kitchen and the little buggers have chewed up through the floor in at least four places.

They have eaten a lot of poison but we saw another one yesterday 😥

Is there any hope of getting rid of them permanently? So many London friends have just given up and do population control...

Is getting a cat worth it? I know some can be crap hunters but I am almost at the point of thinking it's worth a try

Sympathies, they're awful to live with. If you do get a cat, make sure you've had a sweep for all the poison first..

A friend lived in a block of flats totally infested with mice. Hers was the only flat in the block without them, and she credited this to her cat, not because he hunted them, but because the cat smell repelled the mice so they stayed well clear.

If you like cats and would consider having one anyway, mice or no mice, then go for it!

Make sure all holes have wire wool before blocking them up. That's what worked for us.

When I lived on the 1st floor in a London flat, we put wire wool around all the kitchen and bathroom pipework which really helped.

These mice have chewed under the wire wool and then pushed it out of the way 😭

You clearly have some sort of hybrid robo mice there 😮Maybe you need a different pest controller with better poison? Not sure what else to suggest really, but sounds awful for you.

I know, right? How can they be the bottom of the food chain with this much perseverance?!

Do you live in a terraced property?

Semi detached.

Our neighbours got a free survey from our pest controller and will be starting treatment soon hopefully

I was advised to use the wire scourers, rather than wire wool. I'm on visit 4 at at the moment.

this sort of thing: metal pan scourers

And to fix it in place with cement.

I've put 'mouse mesh' on all the air bricks, and cement in any gaps around pipes etc. Each time I do anything they seem to go away for about 2 months and then come back.

The pest controller thinks they must be coming from other properties (I'm terraced) so is coming next week again for a full maintenance blitz of the cupboard...and blocking up every gap with mesh and cement. I persuaded him whilst I can do the population control with traps and poison, I really really really want to try everything I can do stop them getting in in the first place.

our cat’s useless.

the terrier on the other hand…

When our very aged cat died in late 2021, we were quickly inundated with mice. We tired everything to get rid of them apart from glue traps but they kept coming. We got a new kitten in late January and within a month he had started to catch them. He caught about eight within a couple of weeks and we've not seen one since.

We were never able to achieve permanent solution when living in a terrace - if your neighbours have mice, you will too. If your semi neighbours are committed, coordinating an extermination plan might help you both reset.

we now live in a detached house in a more rural setting, and are mostly mouse free, but in spring or autumn tend to have the odd one or two when they seek food and shelter during difficult seasons. I have come to accept that there will always be some, but I aim to keep them from establishing a foothold.

getting a dog has made a noticeable difference for us, but I know many people with cats/dogs and plenty of mice, so it isn’t guaranteed to work. Don’t get a pet unless you actually want it as a pet. We also set traps, block holes spray mint oil and use sonic plug ins. Most of those have marginal effect, but cumulatively trying to keep my home uncomfortable for rodents. We no longer use poison due to kids and the dog, but that worked well for us in the past to get on top of a growing/ established population.

The pest controller is really good in the sense that he definitely is aiming not just to poison them but also to block entry points. The trouble is that he can't figure out all the entry points. He blocked up three and thought that was it but then we saw one more - he tried for some time to find that final point but couldn't so he has put down tracking dust (as well as more poison) and will come back next week with another person from the company to see if a second pair of eyes helps.

He will keep coming back until the issue is done with so I think our plan is:

Let this firm keep trying for another couple of weeks

If we see still seeing them, maybe then try another company in case that helps

Then.. maybe foster a cat to see how we find pet ownership

We moved in to a house with a mouse problem 2 years ago. Apparently the previous owner had been trying to get rid of the mice for years. Within a couple of weeks of us being here there was no longer a mouse problem, thanks to our cat.
Just to warn you - cats do occasionally bring a mouse in as a gift for you. However, this is different to having dozens of nice living in the house. I've heard that mice can smell a cat in the house and will soon disappear. The ones that remain will be caught!