Mice

The Continental Op

The poison needs to go in the roof. A couple of bait boxes and check them regularly.

The reason I say to put the poison in the roof is the little buggers can climb vertical walls. If you have pebble dash then its easy for them.

Then if you do get them under control put a note in your diary to check the bait boxes at least once a month and more (weekly) if there are signs that the bait has been eaten.

saabsaab

I've read that Jeyes fluid solution sprayed onto their living areas and around is a strong deterrent.

bluey2023

Thanks everyone. No one with a miracle cure unfortunately. We’ve had traps set since summer time so we were prepared. the more I find out about them the more I feel like crying. Lived in an apartment for years and never had them but did in home place. They are so dirty and quick is the problem. We will continue the fight and muster on.

thanks again

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526827#Comment_121526827

Sorry to say I don't agree with some bits of the above.

2 years ago I had an infestation of mice in a previous house. It was my own fault as I had left the back door open at times. I had 2 cats, one was useless and never even heard them, the other was on high alert immediately. Within 2 days she caught 7 in the kitchen presses and drawers.... killed them all. That was the end of it. No more returned.

Just a month ago in the house I'm in now (a different one) I heard scratching in the roof and running around for 2 nights in a row. I immediately got a plug in and put in on the highest setting (which humans can also hear) and the next day the scratching stopped and hasn't returned 4 weeks later. So both the cat and the plug ins worked in my case!

I also used plug ins in my friends house in a rural area, the house is often vacant..... it was absolutely teeming with mice when I went to stay there in September for a few days. Got 2 plug ins and surprisingly again within 2 days they were gone! (I also cleared any food out).

P.S. Never use bait, its poisonous for all animals, bats, birds, cats, dogs and anything that might pick at a dead mouse that has eaten it. Never recommended.

malinheader

I set the small pre baited mouse traps and even put more peanut butter into them.i caught two mice but nothing since. I baited a spring rat trap with peanut butter and the peanut butter is still disappearing but not being set off. I have 2 rat traps and 4 mouse traps all baited with peanut butter for 2 weeks now and nothing. It's driving me crazy. Any ideas what is wrong.

mickdw

I find traps hit and miss. Some are too hard to set off so mice have a field day.

I'd imagine a mouse might be able to climb all over a rat trap and not trigger it.

tabby aspreme

Its no bother to mice to climb external walls, so check where the soffit boards meet the walls for small holes

Deminiman

They can also follow the electrical cables into the house, check your electricity meter, where the wores enter should be sealed, lots aren’t, had this problem before. They were following the wire and up into the attic through the cavity wall, worth checking to rule it out.

bluey2023

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527231#Comment_121527231

Could you let me know why plug ins you used as I have 4 of them. Seems to be stopping them down stairs just not in the attic

bluey2023

@malinheader we had those pre baited ones useless. Old school wooden ones that they have to tug on a bit. Also we ended up with a shrew which was very difficult to catch we didn’t know at the time. We were feeding him for 3-4 days as none of the traps were going off. Neighbour gave us a loan of ones she got off Amazon and got him within the day. We could not understand how we weren’t catching it but it was so small it wasn’t setting off the trap

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527615#Comment_121527615

Thanks. I never thought of that but it's certainly a good possibility. I was thinking of trying them sticky mats if I could source them.

bluey2023

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527648#Comment_121527648

Yeah you’d try anything. The wooden ones seem to be the best from euro shop or woodies. We have ones from woodies and they are very sensitive. Sometimes if we bang the attic door they go off.

kirk.

Wooden is hard to set

I've a plastic trap and it'd catch anything was 2 in in it one-time

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527594#Comment_121527594

I got them on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BVV1PRPC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you can't view that its the Aribio Ultrasonic Pest Repellent brand on Amazon. I found them great, good luck with them and the new baby!

Sonic the Shaghog

Ya it's strange everywhere I've read says the sonic yokes are no use.

But in the house here we had one plugged in continuously for years and no mice.

When it died and never was replaced they were back that winter 🤷‍♂️

kirk.

Don't think that's true either about the mice being in every house

I think you can mostly keep them out

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527289#Comment_121527289

The rat trap might be too ‘heave duty’ for mice to trip it?

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527594#Comment_121527594

Re no plug in attic- use a extension cable

Field east

Do you have an island kitchen with eg sink? Check all pipes servicing it.

Might be no harm to dig down around outside perimeter wall to see if all blocks -if concrete blocks used- are laid touching eachother with no gaps.

Get an ‘ independant observer’ to go over the outside of house with her/his ‘razor eyes’ to check again for possible entry points.

EVERY TIME YOU GO IN Or OUT OF THE HOUSE CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER YOU

Have you checked behind every piece of furniture, etc, for openings.

Mice can enter an opening the thickness of a biro if not slightly smaller

Check all your food storage areas - especially in kitchen- for signs of mice.

Are outside bins mouse proof. Secure all food scraps outside of house

PS all of above suggestions are based on 20 years experience of keeping them ‘under control’ - have had 99.99 % success.

PSS have u checked with your simi detached neighbour re they having problem. Maybe they might not be as upset as you and are tolerating a certain level of infestation and therefor ‘ supporting your ‘lot’

holliehobbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527648#Comment_121527648

Those sticky traps should be banned! The poor mice will gnaw their own legs off to escape them. They are really brutal things.

bluey2023

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528635#Comment_121528635

Yeah I’m with you on that.

bluey2023

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528744#Comment_121528744

Spoke with the neighbour only this morning. No sign. Previous to us moving in they said they were pestered with them so it’s strange. I think they maybe getting in through there’s and we have a more hospitable environment for them. New insulation and heating system! We pull out and check everything regular and have all food in sealed containers. We clean the back up regular and grass short. Next door have a lot of shrubs that are creeping over our wall and large trees. Could be climbing and getting in through the roof. It’s the either the roof and under foundation at this stage because every tiny gap we have sealed

bluey2023

@mykrodot item unavailable 🙈

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121529476#Comment_121529476

Here https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Power-Ultrasonic-Mouse-Repeller/dp/B0CKRCFDH3

The Continental Op

OP, one other thing to check is neighbors that are over generous feeding the birds. Mice and rats will move in and breed like mad if there is a good source of food. Nuts and grain spilt all around the bird table or excessive amounts of bird food on the ground will ensure your vermin get well feed and breed well.

Edit> For those that think the ultrasonic repellants work I have one about 6 foot away from and aimed directly at a giant bait box. I still need to regularly replace the poison bait blocks.

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121529356#Comment_121529356

exactly! Along with poison! Please be as humane as possible when dealing with mice or rats. Just because people are "scared" doesn't mean they need to resort to cruelty.

Hotblack Desiato

Ah the joys of owning a house previously owned by an enthusiastic but clueless DIYer. You'll be finding f*ckups for 15 or 20 years to come.

Not too long after we moved in I was taking up the crappy laminate floor in the box room, circular saw set just deep enough to cut through it. BANG and all electricity went off. Einstein had run an unfused spur off the back of a socket, between laminate and sub-floor using alarm cable. 230V 32 amps potentially going down a cable rated for perhaps 12V 500mA, in a position where any time anyone walked into that room they were wearing out the insulation on that cable.

We're still not really sure what is holding up the spiral staircase to the attic which they illegally used as a habitable room.

We didn't have mice. We had RATS. Under the kitchen floor due to some f*ckup in the extension construction many years before our ownership. One adventurous one thought it'd be fun to climb out the hole left for the cable to feed the fridge (after having a good gnaw at it) and have a look around. I sealed that up tightly with a piece of wood and, in conjunction with the below, no more rats.

Get poison. They love BASF Storm, most chemists have it or maybe a farm shop in your area. They love it so much they keep coming back, so you need to keep replenishing it. They take it home and stockpile it and share it around and then they all die. Our adventurous little fecker was taking two large lumps back a day but I carelessly allowed the supply to run out, the fecker then ran / jumped over a mouse trap beside the fridge and entered the kitchen proper, my other half was naturally not impressed.

This poison makes them die of thirst, they leave your house to seek water. Just make sure there isn't a water source under your floor like a drippy pipe.

A rat needs a gap about the size of a 1 or 2 euro coin (depending on size) to get in, but a mouse only needs a gap the width of a pencil.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526923#Comment_121526923

They hate the smell (but so do you, but would be OK outdoors). I've also heard that washing your kitchen floor with Flash produces a deterring smell. You can be damn sure we were washing our kitchen floor after that little episode... the tiles we have are so rough they rip any brush or mop to shreds in no time, but we did it anyway... the BLACK of the water afterwards was impressive and it was still taking dirt off in that state. Flash is great stuff.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121529356#Comment_121529356

I couldn't give a fiddler's. Are they worse than the ones which break the neck or decapitate? Do you feel sorry for all the COVID-19 viruses you killed with hand sanitizer? 😁

Hotblack Desiato

Rat hole behind fridge freezer

Blocked with wood, sealer then applied.