Mice In walls - please help!

Bloodymice

On the verge of moving out of my house with my children at the moment. Have mice in the walls - can hear them over the ceiling (between upstairs and downstairs) and In The walls. Have not seen Them or any evidence in the house. Have had pest control out before Christmas and a few times since and they sealed up any potential entrances and laid poison. They Claim poison has not been touched. Main wall of activity is an internal wall and not one adjoining my neighbours. Pest control said there is nothing else they can do and the problem is getting worse. Adjoining Neighbours have seen or heard nothing.

I have set traps upstairs and in every room downstairs, but nothing. Am really at my wits end. I cannot sit downstairs in the evening and night time without hearing them behind me. Finding it difficult to sleep and have a constant headache due to the stress. I cannot afford to move out of the house. Please, can anyone help. Nobody seems to have an answer and every night the problem seems to be getting worse.

Paulw

If you have seen no evidence of them, then the worry is all in your head.

If you have traps down and poison, then there is not much else you can do.

In reality you can never really seal up gaps, since mince can get through really tiny holes.

Mr. Guappa

Could it be birds outside the window, on the gutter?

joebloggs32

Try getting one of those plug in devices that emit a high pitch frequency you can't hear, but they can.

quad_red

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Could it be birds outside the window, on the gutter?

This. I was really worried last year but it turned out to be birds getting under the roof tiles. In between the roof tiles and the felt.

Cazale

joebloggs32 wrote:

Try getting one of those plug in devices that emit a high pitch frequency you can't hear, but they can.

We had mice and I tried everything from poison, sealing up holes and about 20 traps. Nothing worked until I got three plug in devices. The mice were gone in two days.

aujopimur

Never use poison to deal with domestic mice or rats, they die in cavities and under floors and make a long lasting nasty smell.

newacc2015

aujopimur wrote: »

Never use poison to deal with domestic mice or rats, they die in cavities and under floors and make a long lasting nasty smell.

+1 on this. OP you got yourself a bad pest control company. Anyones I have dealt with never use poison for rats or mice.

OP the best thing to put out for mice is bars of soap. They love to nibble at them. My grandparent used to leave them around there house to tell if they had mice. Mice can't resistant it. Leave some in your hot press if you have and see if there is bites from them

Bloodymice

Many thanks for the replies. Definitely not birds - can hear them running across the ceiling. Def not in my head as my children, friends and anyone that sits down In The house from 4pm can hear them too - we are not all mad, but I am slowly getting there!
Have 2 plug in Devices since before Christmas - advice I got was that it may stop mice from nesting, but will not get rid of them. Have them plugged in anyway.
Beginning to think you are right about the pest control company newacc2015 - they said they would come out for 6 months and see now telling me there is nothing they can do! A well known pest co troll company. They claim all the companies put down poison and don't use traps. There is building going on near my house and my fear is rats!

Will try the soap tonight - maybe will put it near the traps. I have never had a mouse before and I have to say, I am finding it very stressful.

Skyknight

Just out of interest have you tried using chocolate(they seem to like the continental , similar to the type bought at Lidl) in the traps? Melting a smallish piece it slightly so that it can be 'fused' to the trap plate . Strategically locate the traps in attic spaces, cupboards etc. Wracked up a high body count a year or two ago using the same method...including one about 5 minutes after setting up the trap. That said we did lose one trap. :eek: Also check exterior for any uncovered shores etc for any other means of entry(tell your neighbour to do the same). Hopefully this will help somewhat..

Bloodymice

Used peanut butter skylight and stuck it down well. Have 9 traps set and nothing but have none in attic. Paid bloody €160 to pest control company - they should be setting the traps! Will get more traps tomorrow. My logic is they have to be comming out of the walls somewhere to eat - how else are they surviving?

Arthur Daley

Get a cat

Skyknight

BM, I'm not sure peanut butter would work to the same degree , as it doesn't enticing enough, and probably doesn't have the same fat content(or long term appeal) of chocolate. Give the chocolate, hopefully you'll have a bit of success. Meticulously clear cupboards, floors etc.(not that I doubt that one does), and check for evidence of their presence in the mornings. Permanently seal all of the potential areas of access, including those covered by the pest control. Once the basics are covered, there is very little you can do...unfortunately.

neonman

I had the same issue leading up to Christmas as well. I got pest control out and they put down the poison stations around the house in different areas including the attic. I never saw a mouse around the house and didn't think they would be around our house at all as I only heard them in the walls and running along the ceiling like you are hearing.

The logic is that the mice will come out to find water/food but mostly water to drink. To my surprise, the poison was eaten by them in a few of the poison stations including the ones in the attic. After 3 weeks the mice were gone.

I'm surprised the mice haven't eaten any of the poison in your case. Maybe they need to be put in a different area including the attic if that hasn't been done already?

Bloodymice

Interesting neonman. Did they die in the house - could you smell them? I am sitting here listening to them run accross the ceiling as we speak. Freeing me out. Might try the chocolate tonight - heard they love Nutella - mixture of chocolate and nuts - their two favourites.

Poison stations in the attic too. Know you said there is very little skynight but I am just thinking also of the damage they can do to wires etc. Have cream tiles so easy to see if there is any evidence. Maybe I have very constipated mice

neonman

They didn't die in the house, no smell from them. Pest control said they'll go back out from where they come in and die off there which seems to be the case for us anyway.

The other thing you could do it cut a couple of holes in the ceiling and place the poison stations directly up there and seal it back up until they die off then get a plasterer in to fix it back up, better than moving house?

I feel your pain and stress. One of the nights they woke me up from running around our walls sounded like they were fighting with the noise they made.

alexonhisown

I have become a pro at catching mice, had a pest control company out but they couldnt see where mice would be getting in so you might never find where they are getting in, so all you can do is be good at catching them.
I have only ever seen one mouse in house because i catch them as they are leaving cavity walls.
I use peanut butter which i find to work really well, use disposable gloves when touching traps so you dont get human scent on them.
If you cant use wooden traps, use strong traps with teeth, some traps are not strong enough. I have had a few horror stories with those.
Place traps under kickboard in kitchen, in utility room, hot press, attic etc with trap touching wall. Mice will rarely run across a floor, but will usually run along skirting boards.

Skyknight

Just ticking all the boxes,BM. The Nutella might work alright...but we didn't have as much success with the run-of-the-mill chocolate. We used small chunks of the bars as could be fussed onto the plate, thus making it hard for them to take a bite without setting it off. Nutella, IMO, is easy to be nibbled at without setting off the trap.

amdublin

Apparently cotton wool balls with peppermint oil in them gets rid of them??

cbreeze

I have scored with plain peanuts and a trap called 'Luna', which has a flexible section for putting the bait in. No mice this year yet. We have a plug in device and it seems to be working. The OP's mice seem to be breeding, regretfully.

boobycharlton

Pest control company sound crap. Walk around the perimeter of your place and check for any small gaps around vents, doors or where pipes are entering the property. Anything the width of a pencil a mouse can squeeze through. If you find any, stuff it with steel wool (get it in B+Q/Woodies) as mice hate chewing it, and then fill with expansion foam (buy a can in B+Q/Woodies). Once that's done, place traps along walls and skirting boards with the bait end touching the wall skirting board. Wear gloves when setting the traps.

Nutella or the rind of a rasher as bait always worked for me. Nutella is better as the mice actually have to lick it off so more chance of triggering the trap and less chance of the crafty feckers removing the bait!

Also, store any food in the house in sealed containers, store rubbish in bins and don't leave any crumbs on countertop or floors. I used this method to rid mice in 3 houses I've lived in. Took about 3 weeks to be clear of them.

saabsaab

Used the ultasonic repellers twice with success, use the ones that have a constantly variable frequency so they can't get used it place the speaker near their area and not blocked off by walls etc.

Cuddlesworth

Have you considered that you could have noises in the walls but not have a mouse problem? Sound is weird in some houses, could be qual-pex pipes moving as they heat up in the cavity, could be the neighbour doing something odd against the party wall.

Mice tend to not make noise when people are near, so they are usually out in the mid morning. They also would have hit poise or traps by now, peanut butter is heaven to them.

Bloodymice

Thank you all for your help. Def mice cuddlesworth - can hear them running accross the ceiling. Think rats would have gnawed their way out by now. Can hear them when all is quiet in the house - from late Afternoon onwards - never in the am and there might be big gaps between the times I hear them. All holes filled with expanding foam and have 2 plug-ins since before Christmas. Will get more traps tomorrow to add to the 9 I have currently set and put Nutella in them and try the attic. Fingers crossed I have success - am at my wits end! Will keep you posted.

Bloodymice

Bloodymice wrote: »

Thank you all for your help. Def mice cuddlesworth - can hear them running accross the ceiling. Think rats would have gnawed their way out by now. Can hear them when all is quiet in the house - from late Afternoon onwards - never in the am and there might be big gaps between the times I hear them. All holes filled with expanding foam and have 2 plug-ins since before Christmas. Will get more traps tomorrow to add to the 9 I have currently set and put Nutella in them and try the attic. Fingers crossed I have success - am at my wits end! Will keep you posted.

Where are the plug ins, plugged in, in relation to where you hear them running across the ceiling?

Also check they are set to mouse and not insect as many of them have dual settings. I had a plug in by my bed and didn't have a mouse in 9 years. Got a mouse a few years ago when it turned out the cleaner had unplugged it.

mcbobbyb

Hi we have them most winters. Same as you. They can be heard in the walls. Only once have they ventured down to where we could see them. I use sticky chocolate in the small wooden traps. Always put them in the attic to catch them. The traps really need to be set so there are just about to snap as you place it down. It's not nice dealing with them when there caught.

exaisle

Don't use nutella or peanut butter as bait. If they're clever they can lick it off the trap without setting it off.

Buy a bar of plain dairy milk chocolate and melt it in a cup sitting in a bowl of boiling water (ie a small bain marie) or a microwave, but you have to be careful not to burn it.
When it's melted, "plaster" it onto the bait part of new traditional wooden traps (ie, the metal bit) and put it in the fridge to harden (hence the "new" traps").

Then leave them at various places around the house. To get the chocolate, the mice will have to use their teeth and that'll be enough to set the traps off.

veetwin

I have found using chopped up rolos to be an excellent bait. The caramel centre is very sticky so it's easy to bait the traps. The attic is the best place to put them in the OP's case

mags1962

Peanut butter always worked for me, place traps inside and behind vents in every room. Don't forget that one of the reasons they are inside in the first place is because it's warmer than outside. Check inside of your hot press/airing cupboard, if it's upstairs, for a gap/hole/loose board that you can put traps in. They will always gravitate to the heat.

Nomis21

My cottage was infested with mice and rats when I moved in.

Phoned up the Cat home and they bought round a cat and the mice all disappeared within hours, never to be seen again.

jippo nolan

Nomis21 wrote: »

My cottage was infested with mice and rats when I moved in.

Phoned up the Cat home and they bought round a cat and the mice all disappeared within hours, never to be seen again.

Catscan?

prinzeugen

Leave small, sugar cube bits of bread on the floor around near to where you can hear them.

If any bits disappear, set the traps there. Have mice in the walls myself at the moment.

I have found chocolate as bait just melts. I press wet bread onto the trap as it goes brick hard when it dries and little Mickey will set the trap off trying to get at it.

MrDerp

Killing 3-5 per year at this point, in late autumn.

Traps are pretty useless in places they don't go. Unless you've found a run they're unlikely to be tempted, they typically stay within a short few metres of nest and/or run.

If you're not seeing droppings they're not showing themselves. Mice have no sphincter, they cannot help but alert you to their runs. Placing traps along these runs, once identified, will kill them all in under a week. The best time is right after dark, I've killed 2 with the same trap in an hour previously just after 6 pm.

Like others, I have found that peanut butter is irresistible to them. If they can eat that without triggering your trap, get new traps. I've found spring plastic ones with teeth work well mostly. I've only had one not killed, which thankfully the dog alerted me to immediately so I could (as humanely as possible) dispose. Look up methods in advance, it's distressing and you'll want it done quickly.

OP, no droppings means no kill. If I were you I'd lift a floorboard upstairs and lay traps, checking regularly. They tend to run along walls so place a trap facing a wall or rafter and see what you can trap. Hopefully you have a good idea where in the ceiling they run.

mad m

Bloodymice wrote: »

All holes filled with expanding foam

Exactly what holes did you fill with foam? Clear out hotpress, this is Hueston central for going up n down floors. Mice poo is like rice, were as rats is like raisins...

Fill holes with steel wool then cement, or broken glass in cement...remember they have all day n night and they have to knaw at something because their teeth just keep growing.

Get up in attic and check run ways or top of joists, make sure cover is on attic tank.

Also melt chocolate onto trap as it hardens and then they have to pull at it.

pilly

Arthur Daley wrote:

Get a cat

Agree with this. At the back of my house there are nothing but wild fields and I had mice all the time. Brought the cat down from Dublin, not one since. She kills them out the back before the even get into the house.

prinzeugen

mad m wrote: »

Exactly what holes did you fill with foam? Clear out hotpress, this is Hueston central for going up n down floors. Mice poo is like rice, were as rats is like raisins...

Fill holes with steel wool then cement, or broken glass in cement...remember they have all day n night and they have to knaw at something because their teeth just keep growing.

Get up in attic and check run ways or top of joists, make sure cover is on attic tank.

Also melt chocolate onto trap as it hardens and then they have to pull at it.

Steel wool is highly flammable. I would not use it. Even a 1.5v battery can ignite the stuff.

Get mice munching at cables near steel wool and its bye bye house.

mad m

prinzeugen wrote: »

Steel wool is highly flammable. I would not use it. Even a 1.5v battery can ignite the stuff.

Get mice munching at cables near steel wool and its bye bye house.

Yup your right, I meant in a solid wall outside if possible.

Bloodymice

I used expanding foam outside and then just sealant inside for smaller spaces e.g. Between floor and skirting boards. Nothing in traps In The house last night - will wait until tomorrow night before checking the attic. So much stuff up there!

HensVassal

newacc2015 wrote: »

+1 on this. OP you got yourself a bad pest control company. Anyones I have dealt with never use poison for rats or mice.

OP the best thing to put out for mice is bars of soap. They love to nibble at them. My grandparent used to leave them around there house to tell if they had mice. Mice can't resistant it. Leave some in your hot press if you have and see if there is bites from them

And what exactly is soap going to do?

beans

HensVassal wrote: »

And what exactly is soap going to do?

"...to tell if they had mice."

Bloodymice

Ok. Really freeking out now. Floorboards were creaking this morning - like a child was walking upstairs! Convinced it's rats now. That would explain them not touching the poison which is in little cases. Oh dear God.

Lux23

Mice make a good bit of noise to be honest and rats wouldn't run away when they are afraid whereas mice do.

Bloodymice

It was me that ran away this morning Lux - friend was over for coffee and the pair of us ran out of the house, convinced someone was Upstairs. Waiting for that useless pest control company to ring me back.

emeldc

Bloodymice wrote: »

Ok. Really freeking out now. Floorboards were creaking this morning - like a child was walking upstairs! Convinced it's rats now. That would explain them not touching the poison which is in little cases. Oh dear God.

Are you really sure about this. Who else has heard them.
No poison touched, no traps gone off, no evidence of them in the house. Like what are they living on, they have to eat something to survive. Are you sure it's not 'settling noises' when the house is warming up and cooling down.

Bloodymice

Absolutely sure emeldc. My children, parents and all friends that have been in the house in the evening have heard them in the ceilings and the wall behind the kitchen presses. If you stay quiet at all for you can hear them. Dog can hear them also. Have been in this house for 12 years so very familiar with its sounds. There is building work very close to me. May be going outside for food and water or else into to my neighbours house? Really don't know. I am hoping the pest control will come out again to review and this time he can hear them for himself!

pilly

Are you getting too freaked out by it though? If they're not coming into the house and leaving any droppings then what harm?

Graces7

pilly wrote: »

Are you getting too freaked out by it though? If they're not coming into the house and leaving any droppings then what harm?

Op it is a very extreme reaction you are having? Only mice. I have lived where they were in the walls and just shrugged.

( hoping this is genuine? Just a thought..)

Bulmers

we had issue before xmas, started in walls as the odd noise but then into attic / ceiling above heads in room and was really loud. usually started ~10pm and then all night on and off..woke us up alot. tried myself with traps, put down 4, 2 went missing ?? and other two had food picked off, tried few times after that and they didn't take it.

called company who came out, found droppings and confirmed mice ( i thought maybe rat from the noise and trap going missing ) so he put down traps + poison. he said poison ok for mice even if they die in attic as they are so small they wont leave smell.

Poison worksed and they disappeared, took him couple of visits but all good since, attic ok and no smells so far thankfully.

we checked all around our house and couldn't see any obvious entry points so he thought maybe coming in at other end of the row and traveling across attics..hard to know really.

strange you have noise during day as mice nocturnal, we never really heard anything before 10pm, but one thing that did surprise me was the noise mice can make. when in the ceilings it was very loud for such small creature.

hope you get it sorted, best of luck

Bloodymice

Thanks Bulmers - reassure me may be mice after all. I did not check the attic traps today. Yes, noise big time this morning, that is the first time I have heard it in the morning - have heard approx 1615-30 last week and at night, esp when th kids go to bed. I only hear it when I am downstairs.

graces7, unfortunately this is genuine. I can hear them in walls and ceilings so they are definitely there and I don't know where they are coming out/in as they have to get food and water from somewhere. I am obviously terrified of mice and on my own in the House with young children and I have to say I am extremely upset by this whole issue.

boobycharlton

Expanding foam is pretty useless on it's own, mice will chew through it no bother. You need to stuff hole with steel wool before filling with foam. If you have airbricks (bricks with small holes used for air circulation) you can get covers in hardware shops that stop mice going through but still allows air circulation.

I'd be lifting floorboards upstairs and sticking down a few traps there too. Mice can be very loud, I doubt you have rats.

If you can get your hands on one of those wildlife cameras that lidl sell from time to time, it would be worthwhile putting it in the attic.

I assume your attic is dusty, like all attics? Then go up there and look carefully for paths in the dust. Mice are creatures of habit and move around following the same paths, thus cleaning the dust off their routes. If you have mice there for a while you will certainly have these paths, often around the edge of the space. This is where you place your traps.