getting rid of mice

fret_wimp · 10-07-2008 08:08PM #1

Ive recently moved into a new appartment ( new to me), and the last tennants were less than scruplious with the cleaning. There were mice, and ive caught 3 since moving in. ive caught none in the past week or two despite having traps down everywhere.

i can stillhear them behind the skirting boards every so often but cant get at them. ive got one of those ultrasonic things you plug in but that doesnt seem to do any good. anyone got any ideas as to how i can rid myself of the mice before they chew through cables and cause real damage.

monty_python · 10-07-2008 10:12PM

and refuse to pay rent until s/he sorts out the problem. then find the hole in the skirting bords/presses where they are getting in/out and put broken glass in it then seal it with plaster. then get a lend of 2 or 3 hungry ferrets and give them the run of the apartment for 2 or 3 days:)

fret_wimp · 10-07-2008 10:56PM

the landlady is a nice person, but is out of the country for the next week or so. i know if she was here she would do something and i will make sure when she come back that she does.

theres only one hole in the skirting board i can see for pipes in the bathroom. but the kitchen units have space behind them so i guess there could be holes in the wall behind there. i cant go tearing the kitchen units off the walls though to check

i have moved from cheese to peanut butter . loads of traps set up with peanut butter. i hear its the best bait.

what can the landlady do besides give me tons of traps to set out anyway?

carwash_2006 · 10-07-2008 11:12PM

what can the landlady do besides give me tons of traps to set out anyway?

She can call out a professional pest control company. If the flat is truly infested this is probably the only way the problem will be properly sorted. They will be able to identify how the mice are getting into the building and is needed to solve it.

Keep up with the traps until your landlady comes home and then insist that she get a company like rentokill. Their is no point in going cheapo on it as if they don't do the job properly it will money down the drain when the mice come back.

BlackCat2008 · 10-07-2008 11:13PM

Someone doesn't like mice much.

A friend of mine had a mouse and bought 2 ultra sonic aids to get raid of the mouse weeks went by and no luck her husband and father had a brain storm and pulled out the fire place (lucky they didn't bring down the house they tuck so much away)and the mouse ran of into the kitchen. She couldn't understand why the ultrasonic wasn't working so I went up to lend her one of my hunting cats only to fined she had one ultra sonic plugged in in the hall and another in the kitchen at the back door I told her to switch the one in the kitchen off and open her back door and of went the mouse at top speed.

she was too the mouse was trapped between the hall and kitchen and tuck up residents in the sitting room unable to leave in any direction.( poor deaf little mouse). so one sonic is enough. I worked in a shop that sold these and people thought the more the merrie trapping all the little deaf mice in there homes and returning the product saying it didn't work.

Try wire wool to block the holes and see if you can't borrow a cat if not it's unwashed blanket and leave it near the hole for a few days they Know the sent of a cat when they smell one. Keep all the food sealed in tin boxes no food no need to stay and call the environmental health service if the land lord want sort it out he soon will when he finds out other authorities are involved

Good luck.

Newimperial · 21-09-2012 09:45PM

Does anybody know for sure if ultrasonic pest repellents actually work on mice? My neighbor's has seen mice in the back garden and I need to keep them out of the house.

leeomurchu · 21-09-2012 09:50PM

Pumpkin seeds in the trap always work

Newimperial · 21-09-2012 10:02PM

Pumpkin seeds. I must try that. I have to put some traps in the shed.

Thanks!!

okiss · 21-09-2012 10:19PM

If you have mice or rats near by I would advise you to get rentokill or another company who deal with problem.
I know someone who works in this area. They told me that if you have a compost bin in the garden it need's to have a cement bottom it stops mice and rats from using them as a nest.

Newimperial · 21-09-2012 10:31PM

I have a composter a cheap one. That's probably why they are there. We'll I'll have to get rid of that.

Thanks!!

Run_to_da_hills · 21-09-2012 10:33PM

Nutella is also good.

kylith · 22-09-2012 12:18PM

Newimperial wrote: »

I have a composter a cheap one. That's probably why they are there. We'll I'll have to get rid of that.

Thanks!!

It depends on what you're putting into the composter. AFAIK if you don't put cooked food or meat into a composter then you shouldn't have a problem with vermin. The gardening forum would be able to advise on the correct composition.

I've used the ultrasonic repellers and didn't have mice while I used it. Whether that was coincidence or not I don't know.

Newimperial · 22-09-2012 03:49PM

I put everything into it that can rot. Leftover food spoiled food. Anyway the compost bin is new and I guess that's why the mice have surfaced. I,ll probably get the ultrasonic deterrent just to be on the safe side. But the composter will have to go.

kylith · 22-09-2012 05:23PM

Newimperial wrote: »

I put everything into it that can rot. Leftover food spoiled food. Anyway the compost bin is new and I guess that's why the mice have surfaced. I,ll probably get the ultrasonic deterrent just to be on the safe side. But the composter will have to go.

Don't give up on it, but it might be worth emptying it and starting again. There are some very good resources online on how to compost.

borderlinemeath · 22-09-2012 07:24PM

We're in the country and every year around this time we batten down the hatches!

So far one of my dogs has caught and killed two little mice in the garden but we had them in the house before. The main thing is sealing up the entrance points, we did it from the outside - every little crack around every pipe firstly with polyfilla and then a bit of expanding foam just in case:D

I tried the humane traps, didn't work for me.
Tried the prebaited traps, one little fecker was too clever and refused to take the bait.
Went for the old fashioned traps with rasher rind and cheese and caught the last little fecker.

As for the ultrasonic thingys - they work but you need to position them correctly. If you have mice in more than one room then they might not work, maybe put one in your bedroom if your sure there's no mice there otherwise it will keep them in the room. Always get the ones with the biggest range, regardless of the size of your house/apartment.

Try and keep your food and eating to one area, be meticulous about cleaning up every crumb. FYI check your toaster crumb tray for droppings:eek:, it's a favourite spot if they're in the kitchen. If you've no food remains around, they'll have to take the bait.

I don't mind them too much, but my fiance who is 6ft3 jumps 4 feet in the air if he sees one:D

Newimperial · 24-09-2012 09:05AM

That's good advice. I haven't actually seen our little guests yet but want to be one step ahead of them. I'm thinking of putting one ultrasonic job facing the back door or behind the fridge seeing as it's hard to get in there. The traps are really a secondary thing because we have a four year old inventer who wants to see how things work. The compost bin will have to go though.

Wonder if I can borrow a cat. LOL

Thanks.

kylith · 24-09-2012 11:24AM

If you know anyone with a decent terrier that would be a good start on getting rid of them. If you're putting down traps then put them in an old biscuit tin with holes cut in the sides. This will mean that the trap will be safely locked away from little fingers, and any pets you might have.

dodderangler · 25-09-2012 12:42AM

Ferrets are best option here
If you live in Dublin I'd bring them up they'd sniff the mice out out an basically end of story

shopaholic01 · 25-09-2012 10:21PM

The trick with ultrasonic devices is to plug them in before mice come into the house - usually around August. You need to get rid of your current lodges and then plug them in. As said previously a cat/terrier or if necessary, Rentokil.

getting rid of mice

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