Mouse problem :-(

Westenra · 30-03-2010 10:44pm #1

Hi there.

I have mice living in the wall of my kitchen. I'd really like to be rid of them as they got into my laundry basket and chewed up and heavily soiled everything in there which have all had to be thrown out.

I've tried peppermint oil [as reccomended in various internet searched] but it just doesn't seem to work.

I like the idea of humane traps but I'm mobility impaired and also don't drive so cannot take them far to release them.

My mum's bf said to use poison but as they are in the wall I'm worried they'll die in the walls and stink the place up.

I really don't want to use snap traps as, well.. eww! Same goes for glue boards.

Any advice gratefully recieved!

CreedonsDogDayc · 30-03-2010 11:06pm

plug in repellents sounds like the job for you so! they emit a sound the mouse hates as far as i know.
No idea if they are successful, but they are humane and im sure someone here has tried them and can let you know if they work.

theyre about €16 on ebay inc. postage

http://cgi.ebay.ie/SONIC-MOUSE-RAT-MICE-REPELLER-ULTRASONIC-REPELLENT_W0QQitemZ330318035068QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV?hash=item4ce87d387c#ht_981wt_939

homerhop · 30-03-2010 11:52pm

i dont think they work too well, had one here in a few rooms and they didnt bother the mice at all

ha-ya-said-what · 31-03-2010 1:03am

Yeah the plug in ones don't work so well, it's like the mice get used to the sound they send out or something. Mate had one years ago, as it was the safest option in the sitting room with no where to hide a trap & with a toddler & sure the mouse just came out at nite as always.

Best thing would be to get someone to have a look around for you and see how are they exiting from the wall into the actual room or where is their entry point to the room.

crotalus667 · 31-03-2010 9:40am

homerhop wrote: »

i dont think they work too well, had one here in a few rooms and they didnt bother the mice at all

it really depends on who made it I know people that ahve bought ones that worked and others that have bought others that have not

PaulB91 · 31-03-2010 10:26am

plug in repellants only work if
· the mice are in the room itself, not in the walls (the sound waves bounce of the walls)
· there are no mice in the house to start with (i.e. they will keep them out but not get rid of them once they are there)
We had them last year and i'm afraid the only way to get rid is the snap traps - more humane than glue traps and poison - bate them with peanut butter and place them near where the mice run (normally close to the walls) also check where they are getting in - it can be a hole as small as a pencil is wide, plug with wire wool, or place a wire mesh on the outside - good luck with it

FYI I used to keep mice as a kid, so i'm not keen on killing them but when you have them in the house i found it to be the only option to keep my sanity and sanitary

kylith · 31-03-2010 1:47pm

I've used the sonic repellars to great effect; I had one where you could change the frequency to stop the mice getting used to it.

I've changed to snap-traps though. They're much more humane than poison, glue, or catch-and-release traps. If you're squeamish just wear rubber gloves. The best bait I've found is hot buttered toast; mice find it just as delicous as humans do, but anything smelly will get their attention.

BoardmanSam · 31-03-2010 3:40pm

Have you heard of the electronic Rat Zapper? It sounds like it would take care of your needs. It works off of batteries and kills the rodent dead with electricity. You do not even have to see them, just dump out when the light is flashing. Here is a link, http://ratmousezapper.com/

Satyr_The_Great · 31-03-2010 7:41pm

Peppermint oil, great for repelling rats and mice,, they hate the smell.

Westenra · 01-04-2010 8:50pm

ha-ya-said-what wrote: »

Yeah the plug in ones don't work so well, it's like the mice get used to the sound they send out or something. Mate had one years ago, as it was the safest option in the sitting room with no where to hide a trap & with a toddler & sure the mouse just came out at nite as always.

Best thing would be to get someone to have a look around for you and see how are they exiting from the wall into the actual room or where is their entry point to the room.

I live in a two room bedsit in an old victorian house that is honestly in pretty poor repair; if I wanted to cover every single possible entry point I'd need to wrap both rooms floor to ceiling in steel wool

kylith wrote: »

I've used the sonic repellars to great effect; I had one where you could change the frequency to stop the mice getting used to it.

I've changed to snap-traps though. They're much more humane than poison, glue, or catch-and-release traps. If you're squeamish just wear rubber gloves. The best bait I've found is hot buttered toast; mice find it just as delicous as humans do, but anything smelly will get their attention.

I've been looking at some poisons but they all seem to be anticoagulants, which just sounds awful, especially as they say [Rodine website etc] that this takes around a week to work. So yes, quick snap trap death versus slow internal bleeding lasting up to a week? No contest... except I've heard that snap traps are sometimes not immediatly fatal...

Mmm I'm now craving hot buttered toast...

Satyr_The_Great wrote: »

Peppermint oil, great for repelling rats and mice,, they hate the smell.

I've been using peppermint oil for months now, but the little buggers seem to have become accustomed to the smell. Day before last I stuffed cotton wool drenched with the stuff inside a hole I'd seen them enter and that night I saw three of them walk right past the cotton as though it didn't bother them at all.

BoardmanSam wrote: »

Have you heard of the electronic Rat Zapper? It sounds like it would take care of your needs. It works off of batteries and kills the rodent dead with electricity. You do not even have to see them, just dump out when the light is flashing. Here is a link, http://ratmousezapper.com/

That's rather more than I can afford, especially would need more than one.

*Sparkles* · 01-04-2010 9:35pm

In my last house there was a mouse infestation. It was an old house to with lots of nooks and crannys. It was horrible they were everywhere in the walls behind/under the kitchen counters,in the floor boards. I found evidence of them being on my sons bed which i promptly disposed of. It was disgusting. During this time my landlord fitted those electronic repellers and it had no effect whatsoever. Eventually it got so bad because there were so many. I put down poison in many places didnt work.I would consider myself an animal lover and would never wish to kill another living being but it was just unbareable. So I went away for a weekend and left snapper traps everywhere about 20 of them dotted all over the house. When I came back every single trap was set off and I had to dispose of the poor little buggers. But it did the job and I didnt see another mouse for the rest of my time in that house although it kinda tainted the feeling of home for me so I decided to move on.

PaulB91 · 02-04-2010 1:22pm

how about borrowing a cat from a friend/neighbour/family member for a weekend - make sure it's a cat that hunts mice they don't all hunt

Westenra · 02-04-2010 7:03pm

*Sparkles* wrote: »

In my last house there was a mouse infestation. It was an old house to with lots of nooks and crannys. It was horrible they were everywhere in the walls behind/under the kitchen counters,in the floor boards. I found evidence of them being on my sons bed which i promptly disposed of. It was disgusting. During this time my landlord fitted those electronic repellers and it had no effect whatsoever. Eventually it got so bad because there were so many. I put down poison in many places didnt work.I would consider myself an animal lover and would never wish to kill another living being but it was just unbareable. So I went away for a weekend and left snapper traps everywhere about 20 of them dotted all over the house. When I came back every single trap was set off and I had to dispose of the poor little buggers. But it did the job and I didnt see another mouse for the rest of my time in that house although it kinda tainted the feeling of home for me so I decided to move on.

:eek: Eek! No pun intended. Sounds a bit like what's going on here, though thankfully I've not noticed any in bed with me, I have heard them under the bed.

Pain was keeping sleep away last night [regular thing] so still awake at 6am and could hear them scurrying around the place, I logged onto Tesco.ie and booked a grocery delivery including some of the Rentokil Quick set traps, plastic thingies that you squeeze to set / release and never had to touch the mouse... Tesco chap came and those were not in the order, replaced instead with the traditional wooden snap traps, ok by me, especially as cheaper but had no instructions at all. Hurrah for Google! I have four traps now so guess I'll see what happens tonight...

Westenra · 02-04-2010 7:07pm

PaulB91 wrote: »

how about borrowing a cat from a friend/neighbour/family member for a weekend - make sure it's a cat that hunts mice they don't all hunt

Shame my cat lives in Spain with my mum, he's a fearsome hunter.

Borrowing a cat can actually be pretty stressful for the cat.

Westenra · 02-04-2010 8:22pm

Well my traps work, I've got one already, a very sad sight to see. Some would probably think me daft that I lit a candle, wishing a little mousie soul to find it's way to sunny fields.

tallus · 03-04-2010 2:30pm

How many have you caught so far Westenra ?

Last time I had mice, I caught them in humane traps then released them miles from the house, and then I got me the best deterrant, a cat.
Touch wood, I haven't had any mice since.

Calibos · 03-04-2010 3:30pm

In our rented house we first discovered we had mice when my brother saw one scramble behind the dryer at 4am. Wakes me up and the two of us atanding there in our boxers trying to figure out if we could catch the little bugger. Held a clear plastic bag at one end of the dryer and made noise at the other. He ran into the bag!! Hehe. Released him outside.

Once we realised we had more a few nights later we got some humane traps. Never caught a thing. Started finding droppings and realised we had to get rid of them pronto. Down went the snap traps baited with Nutella. Felt terrible after the first one but it did get easier to bare

At least they all got it across the neck which meant neck breaks and instantaneous death. Poor little buggers!!

Westenra · 03-04-2010 7:23pm

Seven so far, six last night, one this afternoon. Though the seventh was alive, caught in the main room, he was pinned at the shoulder but moving freely... decided he deserved another chance so I carried him and the trap into the kitchen, about a foot from the hole, released the trap gently and allowed him to scurry back into the hole, he seemed to move ok.

tallus · 04-04-2010 9:21am

I'd have put him outside.. you kind of defeated the purpose of the trap!

pirelli · 24-07-2010 11:18pm

Westenra wrote: »

I live in a two room bedsit in an old victorian house that is honestly in pretty poor repair; if I wanted to cover every single possible entry point I'd need to wrap both rooms floor to ceiling in steel wool

I've been looking at some poisons but they all seem to be anticoagulants, which just sounds awful, especially as they say [Rodine website etc] that this takes around a week to work. So yes, quick snap trap death versus slow internal bleeding lasting up to a week? No contest... except I've heard that snap traps are sometimes not immediatly fatal...

Mmm I'm now craving hot buttered toast...

I've been using peppermint oil for months now, but the little buggers seem to have become accustomed to the smell. Day before last I stuffed cotton wool drenched with the stuff inside a hole I'd seen them enter and that night I saw three of them walk right past the cotton as though it didn't bother them at all.

That's rather more than I can afford, especially would need more than one.

Try using moth balls. They do not like them either. Also they hate bleach. They can increase population rapidly and i am sure they might be throughout the house. Posion will mean a dead rotting smell for a few weeks.

I used a live trap and released them a mile or 2 away. Mice are like homing pigeons and will avoid other habitats to return to their origional nest from as far as 1200 meters in as little as 24 hours. A study of deer mice found they can circumnavigate cliffs and long roads and rivers to return from long distances over 1200 meters to get back to their origional nest and each time they do they improve their ability to return.

You could buy a multi live trap that can catch up to 10 mice at a time. Then dump them 7 miles away.

Knine · 25-07-2010 12:29pm

Ive 2 gorgeous terrier dogs, a border and a jack russell. Ive no mouse problem thats for sure. Even the bumble bees in the garden are ruthlessly hunted down:eek:

morganafay · 25-07-2010 12:43pm

Westenra wrote: »

I've been looking at some poisons but they all seem to be anticoagulants, which just sounds awful, especially as they say [Rodine website etc] that this takes around a week to work. So yes, quick snap trap death versus slow internal bleeding lasting up to a week? No contest... except I've heard that snap traps are sometimes not immediatly fatal...
/QUOTE]

Snap traps definitely sound kinder than poison. There was a little cocker spaniel in my vets for two weeks, after eating rat poison, anticoagulant poison, and he was in so so much pain, vomiting all the time, anywhere you touched him he'd get huge bruises. Even using clippers on him hurt him somehow and made him bruise. He did get better though, but I saw them putting a camera into his stomach and all his stomach and oesophagus was red raw, it was horrible.

The worst thing is he had eaten the poison a week or two before he went to the vets, and it hadn't killed him, so that shows how long it takes them to die.

convert · 25-07-2010 2:25pm

I had mice in my bedroom on and off over the years (still have no idea how they got in as it's upstairs and not very near a door!

) and I tried the plug in sonic repellants and they didn't work. The mouse actually ran right along under it without a bother. In the end i went for a snap trap (I was desperate!) which was not pleasant.

I wouldn't advise using poison in the house as if the mice die in the wall there will not be a pleasant smell for a few weeks. You could try using the 'live' traps, but make sure you release the mouse/mice a long way from your house as they travel quite a distance. Your other option is to get a cat (but only if you really want one and are prepared to take on the responsibility) or borrow a neighbour's cat for a few hours every so often - there's nothing like cats for catching mice. A good dog is also ideal for catching mice and prevening rat/mice problems.

Feargal as Luimneach · 25-07-2010 3:30pm

Westenra wrote: »

Seven so far, six last night, one this afternoon. Though the seventh was alive, caught in the main room, he was pinned at the shoulder but moving freely... decided he deserved another chance so I carried him and the trap into the kitchen, about a foot from the hole, released the trap gently and allowed him to scurry back into the hole, he seemed to move ok.

You probably should have killed him rather than letting him go. He had at the least severe soft tissue damage and probably some skeletal fractures. That fellow will be in alot of pain:(

tallus · 25-07-2010 3:34pm

convert wrote: »

Your other option is to get a cat (but only if you really want one and are prepared to take on the responsibility) or borrow a neighbour's cat for a few hours every so often - there's nothing like cats for catching mice. A good dog is also ideal for catching mice and prevening rat/mice problems.

I have to agree here, I have two cats and they are a great deterrant.

morganafay · 25-07-2010 4:41pm

tallus wrote: »

I have to agree here, I have two cats and they are a great deterrant.

I have 6 cats and no mice.

They don't kill many mice, but I think they're a deterrant more than anything. I'm surprised we don't have mice or rats around, with all the rabbits we have and all their food and you'd think it'd attract them . . .

But don't just get a cat to get of the mice, if you don't want a cat. But if you want a cat anyway, then it'd help with the mouse problem.

Linguo · 26-07-2010 11:34am

We've had mouse problems, we got the humane traps and saved as many as we could, they're too damn cute!

doctor evil · 26-07-2010 11:41am

The plug in sonic devices are pure hokum.

How did the nutella work as bait? Was it long before you caught one.

tallus · 26-07-2010 7:24pm

morganafay wrote: »

But don't just get a cat to get of the mice, if you don't want a cat. But if you want a cat anyway, then it'd help with the mouse problem.

I agree, I have had cats for the last 13 years or so and my mother always had them growing up. I'm allergic to them but I still love them.

furerer · 26-07-2010 7:49pm

only one effective way to get rid of mice......a cat. As for the mice being cute.....nah.

Canis Lupus · 26-07-2010 8:27pm

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

You probably should have killed him rather than letting him go. He had at the least severe soft tissue damage and probably some skeletal fractures. That fellow will be in alot of pain:(

Never mind if he dies the OP will have a charming little smell for a bit.

Mouse problem :-(

Comments