Mice Problem

hamsterboy · 10-12-2019 5:47pm #1

Hi All
A year and a half in our new house in the country and we've finally come up against some mice.
We caught one a few weeks ago but on ran across the fireplace tonight scaring the life outta my GF.
We've had traps down for 3 weeks now, going to try baiting them with chocolate tonight.
Short of calling Rentokil, anyone have any advice/tips

Cheers

HB

FlipperThePriest · 10-12-2019 6:10pm

Bait with something high in fat, and difficult to remove. I used to use a bit of bacon fat smothered in nutella. Put 5 or 6 traps down in different locations and keep resetting them. For every one you see, there's usually 3 or 4 others. Set them along walls and runs, not in the open. Find the source of entry. Otherwise you'll never be finished with them.

Stigura · 10-12-2019 7:37pm

hamsterboy wrote: »

Short of calling Rentokil, anyone have any advice/tips

Yeah; Burn the house down before going near Rento. Cheaper.

Nothing surprises me now · 10-12-2019 7:41pm

I read a while ago that they hate the smell of mint so maybe put mint leaves where you think they're coming in, it's supposed to deter them. Also someone else said used teabags put them off too.

s7ryf3925pivug · 10-12-2019 9:31pm

Caught two tiny field voles in my garage in the last week with a 4 gram trigger humane trap baited with bird seed.

Stigura · 11-12-2019 3:44am

Mackenzie Slow Predator wrote: »

Caught two tiny field voles in my garage in the last week with a 4 gram trigger humane trap baited with bird seed.

Why

RobMc59 · 11-12-2019 3:53am

hamsterboy wrote: »

Hi All
A year and a half in our new house in the country and we've finally come up against some mice.
We caught one a few weeks ago but on ran across the fireplace tonight scaring the life outta my GF.
We've had traps down for 3 weeks now, going to try baiting them with chocolate tonight.
Short of calling Rentokil, anyone have any advice/tips

Cheers

HB

We had the same problem,traditional style traps with peanut butter was the best remedy-they can't resist it.

s7ryf3925pivug · 11-12-2019 7:16am

Stigura wrote: »

Why

because
I dont want them pissing and shutting in there.
The door is sealed now so they can't get out otherwise.
There is no food or water in there for them.

vicwatson · 11-12-2019 7:57am

Op, first things first

Find the source of entry to your property

mobileforest · 11-12-2019 8:08am

seal off all entry points (basically any hole bigger than a pencil). Stuffing holes with steel wool then sealing is best bet. Be sure to look around where pipes come and go. Next either get an exterminator who can use poison or get a cat. Your traps will only catch an unlucky few.

GooglePlus · 11-12-2019 8:11am

Scorch your bait as well and the trap, remove any scent of yourself.

IvoryTower · 11-12-2019 9:14am

We got a cat and then the missus insisted on the cat having a friend, so now we've 2 cats and no rodents since

dar_cool · 11-12-2019 2:49pm

We had the same this year. I've heard of alot of people saying the same. I seen a tip on YouTube. Pull the fluffy part off a cue tip and put peanut butter on it and then lock it into the trap. I've caught 12 mice in past few weeks with this method

Stigura · 11-12-2019 4:04pm

Mackenzie Slow Predator wrote: »

because

You sure they were voles?

BloodBath · 11-12-2019 4:05pm

GooglePlus wrote: »

Scorch your bait as well and the trap, remove any scent of yourself.

You don't have to do that.

Op best bait is peanut butter. They can't resist it.

The Nal · 11-12-2019 4:15pm

As Ivory Tower said, get a cat. Problem solved.

lillyhey · 11-12-2019 4:21pm

Same in my house, I was setting traps and they were eating the peanut butter off it without setting off the trap ðŸ™„ Mr Google recommended tying some gauze around the bait area and baiting underneath the gauze, they then either pull on the gauze or catch their teeth in it, setting off the trap. Worked a treat here ðŸ‘ðŸ»

s7ryf3925pivug · 11-12-2019 5:47pm

Stigura wrote: »

You sure they were voles?

field voles. There's a thread with pics in farming and forestry. Cleared lots of brambles and nettles around garage so they moved in there instead.

Stigura · 11-12-2019 5:51pm

Aah, I see!

First time I've ever heard of voles doing that. But, the disruption explains it.

Damndest thing.

Car99 · 11-12-2019 5:58pm

We never had a mice , a loan shrew a couple of winters which are a bugger to catch as they don't seem to like any bait, after alot of trying they eventually took a bit of cold sausage meat , must have been starving at that stage .

eddie · 11-12-2019 5:59pm

first rub the release bar and plate with oil ( vegetable oil ) to make them nice and slippy then use uncooked back Rasher rind the tough part - tie to the bait bar on the spring loaded, make sure that the release bar and plate are on the limit of travel, right at the edge, and then position two traps back to back tight against the wall as the Mice travel along tight to the wall and this way they are triggered when approached from left or right and you do not lose bait.... works every time. Good luck....

SEPT 23 1989 · 11-12-2019 6:03pm

nutella is their Achilles heel

Stigura · 11-12-2019 6:04pm

Car99 wrote: »

We never had a mice , a loan shrew a couple of winters which are a bugger to catch as they don't seem to like any bait

Sadly, I've had absolutely no trouble catching any poor shrew which ventured in here. Hate it.

Don't like catching poddies either. Collateral damage, sadly.

TheAsYLuMkeY · 11-12-2019 6:05pm

humane trap, nutella stuck to inside, place trap along wall. Once caught, you will have to release at least 200 metres away from the house, with at least one ditch or boundary between the house and release point.

Find source of entry, deal with it.

Buy sonic plug that shifts between sonic sound and electromagnetic, leave it on in affected area while doing all of the above.

Leave plug in over the winter.

No more mice.

s7ryf3925pivug · 11-12-2019 6:32pm

The humane traps are more effective at catching them. They have to physically enter them to get the bait, so n0 pinching it off the trap and scurrying away.

They don't spread disease or anything, but if for some reason you like killing small furry animals you would be able to do so once they are trapped in one just the same as if you snap their neck with a conventional trap.

BloodBath · 11-12-2019 7:49pm

Ya 1 of those curved tube traps are the best.

As soon as they walk to the end where the bait is the door shuts behind them trapping them inside.

Igotadose · 11-12-2019 7:57pm

Mackenzie Slow Predator wrote: »

The humane traps are more effective at catching them. They have to physically enter them to get the bait, so n0 pinching it off the trap and scurrying away.

They don't spread disease or anything, but if for some reason you like killing small furry animals you would be able to do so once they are trapped in one just the same as if you snap their neck with a conventional trap.

Hanta virus is indeed spread by mice. You really don't want them where you travel and live (no, I don't know if Hanta virus is in Ireland. Nor do I want to find out.)
https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome-hps/

Agree wholeheartedly with an earlier poster, they can't resist peanut butter. Personally have proven that in various places in the US and West Kerry. BTW - cats are marginal. Had mice in NJ with 2 cats (admittedly, fat and lazy at that point in their lives). Traps of whatever you want are the way to go, but trap them. Cats can seem pretty cruel with how they deal with mice - one of my cats played with them till the mouse died. The other, well, think 'celery stalk' and you'll get the image of how the cat dealt with the mice.

s7ryf3925pivug · 11-12-2019 8:05pm

Igotadose wrote: »

Hanta virus is indeed spread by mice. You really don't want them where you travel and live (no, I don't know if Hanta virus is in Ireland. Nor do I want to find out.)
https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome-hps/

Agree wholeheartedly with an earlier poster, they can't resist peanut butter. Personally have proven that in various places in the US and West Kerry. BTW - cats are marginal. Had mice in NJ with 2 cats (admittedly, fat and lazy at that point in their lives). Traps of whatever you want are the way to go, but trap them. Cats can seem pretty cruel with how they deal with mice - one of my cats played with them till the mouse died. The other, well, think 'celery stalk' and you'll get the image of how the cat dealt with the mice.

but your whole point relies on it being in Ireland...

The answer is - it has been diagnosed in a small number of travellers who contracted it abroad.

Don't keep mice in your house but removing them is as good as killing them. The main thing is to seal the holes and remove whatever is attracting them. They are not a major health hazard though.

Mice Problem

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