Terrier is convinced something small furry and delicious is living under our fitted kitchen cupboard.

[GrannyGarden]

She has just started constantly sniffing and pawing at the area where the cupboards meet the floor. Yesterday she bit at the corner and did some damage. We have pulled out the washing machine and dishwasher and taken off the panel boards and there is no evidence of mice.

When the dishwasher was out she went mad at the wall. I can only conclude that they are in the joining wall between the houses. We have sprayed an enzyme cleaner around but it has not stopped her. Any ideas .

To be honest it sounds like this is mainly a pest control question!

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There is no access between the houses so nowhere that pest control could put anything, plus there is no actual evidence of vermin. I put it in Doghouse because I more wanted advice on How to stop her scratching at the cupboard. A friend suggested washing the area with Jeyes fluid but I am not sure if I want that smell in my kitchen. I don’t know if she can hear movement, because it is mainly late evening when she does it.

If they can hear movement then the only way would be to try and corden off the cupboard area but that may not be enough.

A terrier on a mission is pretty close to impossible to distract! Elfpup drove himself frantic last week trying to get a mouse running along the top of our garden wall.

I know you said there is no evidence of mice behind the panelling but I'd be setting a trap or two anyway just in case.

I've got a fat mouse living in a disused fountainhead on the floor of my balcony. My staffie has noticed it (only slightly after me) and I'm pretty sure she'll be catching it shortly, though I'm trying to avoid that. If it does try to come into my kitchen, I will have to get rid of it but until then, it is quite nice to see it out there.

Sounds like mice....they smell the wee!

The mice aren't living in a sealed environment - they must be getting in and out of the walls somehow, as otherwise they wouldn't have access to food. Of course, the entry and exit point can be tiny (under a cm gap), it could be hidden, or it could be on a neighbour's property - so it might be worth having a chat to them and seeing if they have noticed anything.

I'd still be looking to bait somewhere - even if the most logical locations are outside. Could they be getting in and out via the space under the floorboards at all?

Your dog will not be wrong in my experience. Our late jrt often indicated vermin where you would think 'no way' and he was always right. The only way to placate him was remove the pest yourself or more usually, let him do it. If this was outside he could spend hours in one area, just watching and waiting, sometimes digging, and sometimes destroying whatever was in the way. He was a spectacular ratter and mouser. You will only stop your dog scratching by getting rid of whatever is there.

When my terrier did this, we had rats under the kitchen floor!

I have tried putting her in the front garden but no sign of her sniffing there. I don’t know what to do. The floor is tiled and the kitchen cupboards are fitted. We have to keep her out of the kitchen. Next door don’t speak English and when we smile and say hello they tend to ignore us so impossible to approach them