View Full Version : Mice !
Any tips on how to get rid of them, I am completely mouse phobic and am being driven mad.
I have set traps, they take the food and I am left with an empty trap.
I have the sonic plugins - 3 of them :roll:
I am thinking about putting some poison down but am scared that they will die somewhere that I can't find them and worried about the smell.
How bad will a dead mouse under my floorboards smell ?
I did think about getting another cat but my last cat used to take mice in and play with them, it was awful.
I have tried everything I can think of in the traps, cheese, chocolate, tuna, rolos:confused.
If I get in rentokill or someone like that what will they do that I am not doing?
Any ideas or tips of what I else I could try, I hate killing anything, I take spiders outside, but mice just make me cry, I would love to be able to live and let live but I honestly can't share my living space with them.
pirateeye
02-Nov-07, 12:00
i suggest cats...i have 6 and no mice:D
plus it would give all those extra cats a home...it works all ways;)
try peanut butter on traps
highlander
02-Nov-07, 12:02
We had that problem and my husband got this small grey traps, they are impregnated with a scent that mice go for, im sure he got them from alans of gillock, but if you look in souters in Thurso they probably have them.
My nephews made a trap when they were younger while staying with us and it was a pail of water with a little grain or food floating in it with a wee ramp going up to it. The mice jumped in for the food but couldn't get out again. Caught a lot that way.
thebigman
02-Nov-07, 12:28
Plastic traps are the best ones. A bit of Mars bar is tops for bait, sticks to the trap no problems.
I have set three traps in the bedroom today, so fingers crossed they work.
1 tuna, 1 peanut butter and 1 sticky toffee pudding (left over from last night, not bought just for the mice ;)) the pudding was the nearest thing I could find to rolos/mars bar atm.
Even setting the traps makes me shaky.
How do I know if it is a mouse or a rat ?
Someone told me mice leaving droppings and rats don't, when I went to set the traps there weren't many droppings but I know it was there last night because I heard it moving about.
I have now convinced myself it is a rat [para]
I am sitting downstairs just waiting.
If it was a rat you would know, they are huge and very distructive, there would be chew damage round your cupboards and huge droppings everywhere.
I would think that it is mice you have. I use a small box trap that keeps them alive then let them out outside well away from the house. Best bait is peanut butter or chocolate, cheese hardly ever works.
If it is taking the bait but not setting of the traps, then it might well be something smaller like a shrew as they are not heavy enough to spring most traps but take the bait off.
I caught a shrew once in my trap, he was so cute! I let him out in the hedge and never saw it in the house again.
I did try the those traps but they didn't work, I either have very smart mice or am very unlucky in catching them.
The one I tried was black and shaped like a V, on side was left open for the mouse to get in, it then rocked to the other side and the mouse couldn't get out, but mine did !
Are those the ones you used or is there a better model I could try.
I really hate the thought of killing anything :(
There are no big droppings or things chewed up so very hopeful that is isn't a rat.
I'm with you Pirateeye. Cats are the best mousers. I have 6 as well and no mice. Besides, they are a boon to any household as well. Before we came to live in Wick, we lived in the countryside for eight years we had 4 cats then and never had a problem with field mice(unlike our neighbours who had) they of course had no cats. :roll:;)
George Brims
02-Nov-07, 20:04
Someone told me mice leaving droppings and rats don't,
Not true. Old joke: Q. Whats a ratchet? A. Like a mouse's, but bigger.
I did try the those traps but they didn't work, I either have very smart mice or am very unlucky in catching them.
The one I tried was black and shaped like a V, on side was left open for the mouse to get in, it then rocked to the other side and the mouse couldn't get out, but mine did !
Are those the ones you used or is there a better model I could try.
I really hate the thought of killing anything :(
There are no big droppings or things chewed up so very hopeful that is isn't a rat.
The one I use (if I can find it) has a drop down door that even shrews can trigger off! You then just take it outside and open it and watch it run off.
Or you could put some bait in the middle of the floor and sit there all night with a sledgehammer ;)
Tugmistress
02-Nov-07, 20:40
Melt the chocolate onto the trap then they can't steal it and get away from it.
I prefer the cats though :)
Smack 'em with a big mallet. Never fails. :lol:
I thought I heard a noise upstairs but I am too scared to go look, so I have no idea if it was a trap that went off or not.
At this rate I will be camped out in the living room until I am old enough for the old folks home :confused
Starry Honey!
Get a grip and go look..we will help you with the rest..promise!
Just go..and report back!
kariax
Nothing - all traps are unsprung (is that the right word?)
Nothing - all traps are unsprung (is that the right word?)
I feel like I am whispering here...lest they hear me!;)
YOU are in control..it is YOUR house...demand rent from them if nothing else:)
Not being flippant, they are destructive wee blighters!
kariax
Worst comes to worse I will move into the car ;)
Has nobody got a good mouser she can borrow for the day:D
I was thinking of asking someone if I could borrow a cat but I live right next to the road and am a bit worried it may get itself run over.
The way my luck goes I would be left with a dead cat and live mice.
I am optimistic the traps with all the new fillings will work tonight.
If not it is poison tomorrow.
Just make sure to keep the outside doors and windows closed and install a litter tray for the day, If you use humane traps also make sure to drive a couple of miles from home before releasing the beasties.
Worst comes to worse I will move into the car
Don't you dare...you are the boss:eek:
Most likely you have one wee frightened mouse who sees you as the big shadow lady and has applied for a passport!
I once had a mouse in the car..clever wee so and so had the AA out whenever he got bored!;)
kariax
Smack 'em with a big mallet. Never fails. :lol:
That is easy for you to suggest. You have the skills to repair the hole in the floor from the mallet wallop.
I found that the pre-baited traps worked great. If you are not too keen on releasing the catch, then pick up the whole thing in a plastic bag and toss it in the garbage. Of course I couldn't waste the trap and so released the catch in the bag. I wore rubber gloves for the whole process. Then I scrubbed down the kitchen and washed my hands with disinfectant.
Good luck with it. I know how you feel. Mice are awful. But peace does come if you stick with it. Just don't resort to the car!
That is easy for you to suggest. You have the skills to repair the hole in the floor from the mallet wallop.
I found that the pre-baited traps worked great. If you are not too keen on releasing the catch, then pick up the whole thing in a plastic bag and toss it in the garbage.
:mad:poor wee mouse!
Not much room for scuttling there...!
Kariaxx
Must admit mice dont really bother me,which is a good thing as my kitten keeps taking mice and voles in to the house :eek: Rats aren't a problem either,unless you take into the fact that I usually marry them [lol] To be serious if i did have mice in the house I would use the traps that catch them and then they can be released,rats I would kill without even thinking about it,sorry but although I am not afraid of them,I wouldnt like them as houseguests x
[quote=ThumperRats aren't a problem either,unless you take into the fact that I usually marry them [lol]
You are not alone !;)
Kariaxx
If not it is poison tomorrow.
Starry don't use poison or you will be moving out of the house, we had a plague of mice a few years ago and got fed up of emptying the traps so very cleverly decided to put down poison. It took about a week for the dead mice in the walls to start to smell, it was that bad we had to move out of our bedroom for months. Thankfully we've never had a problem since but we now have 5 cats.
well, i have 3 cats...and i swear i can stilll hear them in the walls... bloody lazy cats....i have a tom that is identical to garfield in everyway....lmaoo
sassylass
03-Nov-07, 04:38
Starry don't use poison or you will be moving out of the house, we had a plague of mice a few years ago and got fed up of emptying the traps so very cleverly decided to put down poison. It took about a week for the dead mice in the walls to start to smell, it was that bad we had to move out of our bedroom for months. Thankfully we've never had a problem since but we now have 5 cats.
Right on Foxy, something similar happened to us years ago GAWD I still remember the stench!
It's flabbergasting that such small things can stink so much :eek:
I have just been up and peeked round the door, all the traps are unsprung.
There are no droppings there, so I am really really hoping that it has just gone away.
I will give it one more night and if tomorrow there is nothing I will move back into the bedroom.
I have been sleeping downstairs on a bed settee since I saw it upstairs
:bigwimp:
What are the chances of it just going away of its own accord ?
I think I am being a bit optimistic :confused
Hi starry,
It has probably looked at the traps, decided it is unwanted, packed it's worldly possessions ( piece of cheese, copy of 'Cat Haters Monthly', Mickey mouse Fanclub membership etc.) into a wee checked hanky suspended from a matchstick and sloped off sobbing into the darkness.;)
......or maybe not!:D
Karia
Starry,did you have the sonic plug ins before you got your new mouse friend?If not,and you installed them afterswards,it may be that it took a few days for it to drive the mouse away?Just a theory :) x
I have had the sonic things for around 6 months, since the first mouse was spotted.
Someone told me they stop working after a while as the mice etc get used to them.
I may try taking them out for a week and then putting them back in.
Or I may just move ;)
Still nothing in the traps.
I have had the sonic things for around 6 months, since the first mouse was spotted.
Someone told me they stop working after a while as the mice etc get used to them.
I may try taking them out for a week and then putting them back in.
Or I may just move
Still nothing in the traps.
Starry,its saturday night,they may be out partying ;) Hopefully you will have seen the last of them,maybe they will move in with their mates after a good drinking session :lol: Seriously tho, I hope you have seen the back of them x
Hi starry,
As Thumper says they are probably out at a cheese and wine party and will have forgotten your address by now.
While we may appear to be kidding you on it is only to try and make you feel better as it is plain the wee blighters are really getting to you and if you are at the stage of even thinking about moving out, then you need to seek assistance from the professionals.
First flat I had was plagued with mice from the hairdressers below and I know how unnerving it can be.....time to stop going it alone and get some help.
You need your peace of mind back and have the right to enjoy a decent nights sleep.:(
Best of luck
karia
Thanks both, honest you are making me laugh xx
If there is nothing in the traps tomorrow I will move them up to the attic and move myself back into the bedroom.
I sound like such a wuss but honestly it is just mice that get me like this, well mice and my ex - husbands new partner ;);)
I sound like such a wuss but honestly it is just mice that get me like this, well mice and my ex - husbands new partner ;)
You'll need a bigger trap for that one sweetie.......but it can be done![lol]
karia
I think that some of my neighbours here in Edinburgh must have mice. Right now they are either trying to frighten them off or are blowing them up with firecrackers.
changilass
03-Nov-07, 20:20
A bit of a grusome one but it does work:
Catch two live mice, put them in a cage till one eats the other then let the live one free, aparently once they have turned canibal they don't eat owt else. Ok so it leaves you with one mouse but once he's finished the ones off in your home he will move on.
Hi changilass,
I'll bet that made all Starry's dreams come true!:eek:
Now,..how to coax her off the wardrobe.;)
karia
Oh God no way could I handle them eating eachother :eek:
Oh God no way could I handle them eating eachother :eek:
Told ye changilass!
Even I'm feeling queasy and I was the one trying to humour starry with little Dick Whittington Mouse.:eek:
We have a mouse in the garden and he..or she is the sweetest wee thing, lives under a half barrel planter tub and darts across the garden to nick the seeds before the birds get to them. It can freeze in an instant at the suggestion of a visiting cat and is MUCH smarter than they are.
It's a wee woodland mouse all plump and cute and straight out of a Beatrix Potter book.
They're not all horrid!
karia
Course they are not 'all horrid'
soon as i get back from hols'I am into some pet ratties
Dunno'how many yet but 'yes':)
According to the late Les Dawson, getting the Mother-in-law around to visit is a sure-fire way of getting the mice to throw themselves on the traps!!
Nobody seems to have bothered mentioning that it is worth checking out the obvious holes and gaps which may be at the base of or at the top of walls, they can even get in through the air bricks to wall cavities and then thats entry to all spaces. Shrews are supposed to be able to pass through a gap the width of a biro pen.
But if all else fails and you have to live with your lodgers you may just have to grease the legs of your bed!
Nobody seems to have bothered mentioning that it is worth checking out the obvious holes and gaps which may be at the base of or at the top of walls, they can even get in through the air bricks to wall cavities and then thats entry to all spaces. Shrews are supposed to be able to pass through a gap the width of a biro pen.
But if all else fails and you have to live with your lodgers you may just have to grease the legs of your bed!
I have bought the foam stuff that expands but am waiting until I am sure it out of my bedroom before I use it, I am worried that I may trap it in there :~(
This is such an old house I am not sure I will manage to keep them out though.
Anyway, I have put poison down, it (or they) are still living because the poison is disturbed each morning when I go in.
I am going to get old milk cartons cut the top of them and place the traps in the end, it is meant to make the traps more efficent as the mouse has less room to move about.
I am still on the couch, I can get in to the bedroom, sort the poison and pick up everything I need in record speed now.
I am going to wait till Monday and if nothing has changed I am going to call in some kind of mouse hit squad.
Maybe the wind will blow them out ;)
xx_chickie
08-Nov-07, 11:03
Maybe the wind will blow them out ;)
At this rate it will, starry!
You stand up to those little brats, don't be frightened in your own home! We're all there with you! :lol:
My sympathies, Starry... we went to get WeeBurdies school bag out of the cupboard yesterday to find a beastie has gone and chomped through it, grrr. And, it had a good old gnaw at a new sweatshirt that hadn't even been worn yet![evil] Needless to say, traps went down straight away, and last night we caught the wee rascal. Sheesh, and I thought the JML Beastie Blaster was doing a good job, but they're feasting away a couple of meters from it. :roll:.
:(Don't use traps! You can get ones that don't actually kill them but just capture them, and then try and get a friend to put it outside.
Hope this helps!
If you use humane traps you need to release them a good distance away or they come back.
i think the one that is most effective is,you need to get a glass bottle and lay it on its side and put the bait in it. the mice can climb inside but they wont be able to get back out.
:(Don't use traps! You can get ones that don't actually kill them but just capture them, and then try and get a friend to put it outside.
Hope this helps!
Honestly I tried them and they just simply didn't work, I hate the thought of killing anything but I just can't live with them.
Anyway - one wee tiny thing was in one of the traps but it most definitely not the big one I saw, so I am still on the couch.
"Starry, starry, mice
Paint your rat trap blue and grey
Set it out on a summer's day
And chase the rodents all away"
Hope a tune helps, ;)
ahh
a bit more hide and squeak to go then??
more poison or different bait on the traps might be more appetising for your moose
"Starry, starry, mice
Paint your rat trap blue and grey
Set it out on a summer's day
And chase the rodents all away"
Hope a tune helps,
Don Maclean lives!:eek:
That's enough to scare a whole generation of mice away Ricco!;)
kariax
:(Don't use traps! You can get ones that don't actually kill them but just capture them, and then try and get a friend to put it outside.
Hope this helps!
I appreciate your comments, Ponderer, however in our case the Burd residence backs onto our lovely Caithness countryside, and simply releasing them back into the fields will result in the mice, or their siblings, continuing to invade our house and eat our belongings (as well as leaving huge amount of droppings as they go about their destruction - not good when there are small children in the house). Unplesant as it is, traps are the best option in our particular situation.
Starry, you really have my sympathies, an invasion can be incredibly soul destroying when there is physical damage to your belongings, and droppings being deposited all over the place. :(
Get yourself a box of these. (http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsDetail1.asp?STOCK_CODE=3227)
Should be enough to sort them out, best trap going
Get yourself a box of these. (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsDetail1.asp?STOCK_CODE=3227)
Should be enough to sort them out, best trap going
[lol] Aye, Bothyman, that's the wee blighters, you can buy them individually in Soutar's, and I think the 99p Shop had them at one point too.
Is,nt there a candle you can burn. i once read that, you close off all windows & doors . light this candle leave the house for the night, when you return in the morning everything is dead mice beasties spiders etc. Anything smart enough leaves anyway. Think gardeners use this in their greenhouses at the start of the season.
Oh I have never heard that before, will give it a try tonight.
SandTiger
13-Nov-07, 18:41
Citronella? Could work on meece I guess but thought it was really an insect repellent :confused
percy toboggan
13-Nov-07, 18:51
Four weeks ago, after the cold snap in October we noticed signs of mice.We live within fifty yards of ancient woodland.
Twenty three years go, we had a mini plague of 'em at the same time of year - we bought a kitten/cat, and didn't see another mouse until last month.Mickey died eight years ago.Not seen a mouse in the interim.
However, we caught two in this latest escapade - in traps baited with potato. We bought sonic repellers for about twenty quid - you plug them in and they emit a noise we cannot hear but it supposed to drive mice mental!
For three weeks no mice.
Then , on saturday last.....two more mice dead in traps baited with stale cheese, less than twelve inches away from the closest sonic repeller.
We now have a mature cat. A rescue animal. A belter in black and white.
He has settled in well. He's affectionate and clean. So far, no more signs of mice.
Often, the smell of a cat is enough to drive mice away.
A great thread Starry, I’ve been following it for days, full of drama, suspense a touch of comedy and very informative. I hope you are claiming copyright?
Can’t wait to see what happens next…………..
[lol] Aye, Bothyman, that's the wee blighters, you can buy them individually in Soutar's, and I think the 99p Shop had them at one point too.
But by the sound of it. one will not be enough:roll:.
Easy to use, simple to set up, nothing to break.
But by the sound of it. one will not be enough:roll:.
Easy to use, simple to set up, nothing to break.
Lol, not in our old shack, no, hahaha! Although we set a trap where the damage occurred, we alway stick several up in the loft as the wee beggars run riot up there - I think there were four or so caught up there :eek:. Thankfully, there's been no sign of anything since we caught the main culprit last week.
I am scared to tempt fate but I think they may be gone, as far as I could see none of the poison had been moved today, as usual none of the traps had anything in them.
A couple more days like this and I will move back into the bedroom, I have been on the couch for over 2 weeks now, but I am getting better I can check the traps myself now :cool:
I wouldn't be able to do anything if there was something in one of them though !!
I in the meantime I have been doing up my sons room, I have filled all the wee holes that anything could get through with the expanding foam - it looks like ectoplasm [disgust] it took a while to get used to how much I needed to use so I will have to file or cut it back tomorrow.
When I am certain there isn't one living in the base of my bed I will do my room as well, at the moment I am scared of trapping it in there.
If I was certain a cat wouldn't take them into play with then I would get one.
We celebrate your freedom Starry!;)
Long may it continue.
Kariax
The horrible things is I will never really know if they have gone or not, I could be getting all relaxed and ready to move back in and they could be sitting in the attic laughing at me :confused
The horrible things is I will never really know if they have gone or not, I could be getting all relaxed and ready to move back in and they could be sitting in the attic laughing at me :confused
You're right Starry - sad to report there was another one found yesterday avo in a loft trap :(. Just when I thought they were gone...
I think (think) they are gone, I have slept in the bedroom that last two nights and I haven't heard anything.
So far so good !
Thank you all for the tips and advice and most importantly for the laughs.
In the meantime it seems to be a problem for a lot of folk this year, which selfishly makes me feel better ;)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7107987.stm
I have followed this thread avidly since it started and I'm glad to hear your mice problem is solved (for the moment at least !! ). We have always had a problem with mice in our old croft house and it's just something we've got used to. Thanks for the great entertainment and keep us posted on whether the blighters stay out.
Sorry this is late in the day - I've been offline for ages and only just noticed the thread.
I'm in an old croft house and this place was mouse heaven for a while after I moved in. There was some great advice given here and I managed to cure it.
Very quickly too. I was very lucky I think.
The sum of the advice ran:
put down old-fashioned mouse traps, loads and loads of them all over the places where they are likely to run. Bait them with very small amounts of crunchy peanut butter. Not too much otherwise they just have a meal and get away without setting off the trap or only trap a leg and eventually they chew their own leg off. Yeuch. I used to mix in small amounts of chocolate in with the peanut butter, and dot a few grains of rice around the trap and a few bits of chocolate. I worked on the basis that once you get a taste for chocolate it's hard to stop eating it. :evil Mice like chocolate too.
SEAL every possible place that they get in.
I found where they were getting into to mine - fortunately it was just one place (behind the hot water tank) and filled the hole with loads of bts of granite - they can't chew granite and then wedged a piece of slate across the whole inside of where the hole was.
Put down loads of ultrasonic scarers - it doesn't kill them but they don't like the sound. Make sure that there is nothing in the wy of the scarers as even a book or a bed post will block the sound. It's more like light than sound in the way it carries because of the frequency. Unlike sounds in the lower ranges which we can hear which carry through walls etc (especially bass), the higher frequencies are easily blocked by objects.
Cats are the best cure, I made friends with a few local cats and they used to hang around outside waiting for treats from me. The smell of a cat alone is a good deterrent to mice. Sadly my Jack Russell hates them so I could never keep one indoors, but outside cats are great too.
Very good luck!!
P.S. I'm about to move house to a place that definitely doesn't have mice so if you want a cheap deal on 4 ultrasonic thingies and about a dozen mouse traps do let me know.
Flyermonkey
23-Nov-07, 14:18
I have had mice problems in the last 2 houses I have lived in (joys of old houses in the country..) and the advice I can offer is pretty much similair to above...
Cats are good (I have a ninja of a cat) but they can only get them if they venture into rooms rather than just cupboards. The little plastic traps that you get with the vicious springs are great, and peanut butter seems to be the best thing for them. However I found that the most efficient trap that I have ever had was a 'humane one' - simple tunnel one that the mice go into and can't get back out. Bait it with sunflower seeds or similair, they go mad for them. And make sure that when you let them go you take them at least a mile from your house or they will come back. Apparently it is a bigger version of humane traps that Rentokil and the like use, though they leave poison in them, this they don't need checking as much. You have to check them at least once a day for obvious reasons!
I have a noise thing, which works after a while (any mice already in probably won't leave, but new ones won't come in) though it recently appears to have stopped working.
Flyermonkey
23-Nov-07, 14:27
On a similair note, I had a weasel in my kitchen the night before last! It must have chased some mice into the house (they can get through any hole a mouse can) and that was an adventure....
The cat caught it and when I found him he had its head in his mouth and was biting hard for at least 2 minutes while the weasel struggled - at the time I thought it was a mouse and let him get on with it, until I spotted a furry tail. The cat was eventually forced to let go (by the weasel not me), and my god that thing could move. Never seen anything so fast.... and a vicious little sod. It didn't appear to have taken much damage from the cat so must be a hard sod too despite its size. Anyway, to miss out the details, despite the cat, the dog and me involved in round kitchen hide and seek it eventually (I hope) left the way it came. The worst thing was the smell, they are distant relatives of skunks and let off a horrendous smell when frightened.
However, I suspect he should have been encouraged to take up residence as they are apparently very efficient at mouse removal.
On a similair note, I had a weasel in my kitchen the night before last! It must have chased some mice into the house (they can get through any hole a mouse can) and that was an adventure....
The cat caught it and when I found him he had its head in his mouth and was biting hard for at least 2 minutes while the weasel struggled - at the time I thought it was a mouse and let him get on with it, until I spotted a furry tail. The cat was eventually forced to let go (by the weasel not me), and my god that thing could move. Never seen anything so fast.... and a vicious little sod. It didn't appear to have taken much damage from the cat so must be a hard sod too despite its size. Anyway, to miss out the details, despite the cat, the dog and me involved in round kitchen hide and seek it eventually (I hope) left the way it came. The worst thing was the smell, they are distant relatives of skunks and let off a horrendous smell when frightened.
However, I suspect he should have been encouraged to take up residence as they are apparently very efficient at mouse removal.
Oh Sweet Jesus that would have been the end of me, I would have just moved into the car and stayed there until I was old enough for the old folks home :confused
have a mouser you can borrow, he needs the exersize. He's very neat and tidy, he eats it, tail and all.
Our Jack-Russel terrier did a great job clearing the house a few years back. he could get in quick and just one bite and spit it out, ( probably didn´t like the fur in the mouth) the best result was in 6weeks 24 killed of which two were in cooperation with the cat. but obviously didnt like to see the cat playing with them...... sorry to deviate best of luck in clearing the contamination
Well I am hoping they are never coming back, I am going to put one of the trays of poison in the loft and hopefully they will stop there on the way into the house.
I am still in the horrors at the thought of a weasel in my house :confused
the charlatans
23-Nov-07, 22:54
Its the time of year for the wee Mickey types coming inside all right.
I went into our big shed the other day and heard something move, thought it was a bird and went to liberate it. Found a mouse and thought hmmm, not having him in here eating the electrics in the boat and i'm not putting my hand in there to get him out.
I know, i own a terrier! Out i went with the box in my hand and whistled over doggy C (proved rat and mouse killer extrodinaire) told him "a mouse, a mouse get the mouse and KILL the mouse please".
tipped the box out, and 4 mickey mice run in every direction. Doggy C doesn't know which one to go for so goes for the ball of wool they were nesting in......... Mice 4, Doggy C 0.
so. Little nippers 1 - Mice 3 so far. think we'll get the peanut butter on the go tomorrow
percy toboggan
24-Nov-07, 09:40
Radio 5 yesterday lunchtime news: Mice breeding like fury after a mild winter. Many people reporting problems. One woman had her 'plastic plumbing' chewed through - house flooded !
We got another one last night - in the trap with stale cheese. That's five in eight weeks. Two weeks ago we brought Smudge, a handsome cat home from a local animal rescue centre thinking his smell might do the trick.
Today we are buying poison, and peanut butter. We have ancient woodland fifty yards from the house and it's freezing cold here. Any tiny entry points I can think of have been sealed. I fear we have more mice to kill yet.
Mrs.Toboggan is far from amused.
Its the time of year for the wee Mickey types coming inside all right.
I went into our big shed the other day and heard something move, thought it was a bird and went to liberate it. Found a mouse and thought hmmm, not having him in here eating the electrics in the boat and i'm not putting my hand in there to get him out.
I know, i own a terrier! Out i went with the box in my hand and whistled over doggy C (proved rat and mouse killer extrodinaire) told him "a mouse, a mouse get the mouse and KILL the mouse please".
tipped the box out, and 4 mickey mice run in every direction. Doggy C doesn't know which one to go for so goes for the ball of wool they were nesting in......... Mice 4, Doggy C 0.
so. Little nippers 1 - Mice 3 so far. think we'll get the peanut butter on the go tomorrow
LOL - loved this tale.
I am intrigued by the statements about the use of peanut butter. Must give it a go; the mice will soon be moving back into our garage if they haven't already done so.
percy toboggan
24-Nov-07, 18:04
Poison - three and a half quid from B & Q. Includes three 'trays' - ie:bits of thin plastic dishes probably produced by the million for buttons.
A vast array of anti-mouse stuff at the famous d.i.y. store - obviously, there is a large problem with the critters.
Poison - three and a half quid from B & Q. Includes three 'trays' - ie:bits of thin plastic dishes probably produced by the million for buttons.
A vast array of anti-mouse stuff at the famous d.i.y. store - obviously, there is a large problem with the critters.
Tried the poison - the wee scamps just ignore it.
Tried the poison - the wee scamps just ignore it.
Yup! They are resistant to poison..they scoff it down and laugh at our naive ways.;)
kariax
Yup! They are resistant to poison..they scoff it down and laugh at our naive ways.
kariax
Well you,ll just have to go to the last resort. a 12 bore. :eek: [lol]
a cat is not for christmass, but for mice :)
Oh God this thread still makes me shudder, can I tell you that I haven't seen a mouse for a long time now and have been back in my bed for ages.
I am still thinking of a cat though :cool:
the charlatans
31-Dec-07, 22:25
New score on the mickey mouse invasion.
Doggy C 2 - 0 Mickey Mice.
Plus the peanut butter is really working on the traps.
We have been having a season of goodwill for them though, Christmas and New Year are mice friendly time.
percy toboggan
01-Jan-08, 12:26
We have not seen a mouse for six weeks...not sure whether it's down to Smudge (recent arrival - a handsome feline in black and white) or the fact that I have sealed two small holes left by the kitchen fitters eighteen months ago!
If I were you I'd get the proper wooden mouse traps.. I dont know if I did something wrong but those grey plastic mouse traps seem like they do nothing, I put my toe in it and it doesnt do much, you put your toe in a wooden one and it'll cut your toe off (almost).
percy toboggan
01-Jan-08, 13:34
I'm wondering why anyone would want to insert their toe into a mouse trap...whatsoever it is constructed of. Do you not have pencils in Wick?
I put my slipper in it at first.. didnt seem to do much so I tried my toe. Boredem
Green_not_greed
01-Jan-08, 14:27
We moved home in early 2007 to find empty poison trays in the loft. The smell is still awful up there - I would seriously avoid using poison.
We use metal mice traps (I think they are "little nipper") bought from Souters in Thurso. A little moist bread seems to work really well as bait.
Daughter had 1 mouse in her bedroom and her and partner thought it was "sweet " to feed it bits of pizza, ect. This went on for quite a while but i did tell them not to do it as more will arrive, 6 months later they were overrun with them and i did the I told you so speach. After a few days with 7 traps set they have so far caught 11. Serves them right i say,:lol: all that poo and wee everywhere ....YUCK !! jan x
We used to be bothered with mice. Living on the edge of the town, it was something we expected and it was always just after the harvest. We had some renovation work done on the house a couple of years ago which involved re-harling. We have never seen evidence of mice inside the house since. I was therefore understanding of this thread but quietly confident we were rid of them.
For those of you who are squeamish, please look away now....................
I just went to put something in the bin and saw what I thought was a used teabag sitting on the edge of the bin. As I stretched my hand forward to flick the "teabag" into the bin it took a flying leap upwards and disappeared down the gap at the back of the sink unit. This "teabag" had a head and a tail :eek: Hubby has been dispatched to set the redundant traps.
I am still shuddering. I don't think I will ever be able to look a used teabag in the eye again.
We used to be bothered with mice. Living on the edge of the town, it was something we expected and it was always just after the harvest. We had some renovation work done on the house a couple of years ago which involved re-harling. We have never seen evidence of mice inside the house since. I was therefore understanding of this thread but quietly confident we were rid of them.
For those of you who are squeamish, please look away now....................
I just went to put something in the bin and saw what I thought was a used teabag sitting on the edge of the bin. As I stretched my hand forward to flick the "teabag" into the bin it took a flying leap upwards and disappeared down the gap at the back of the sink unit. This "teabag" had a head and a tail Hubby has been dispatched to set the redundant traps.
I am still shuddering. I don't think I will ever be able to look a used teabag in the eye again.
[lol] Eeeks, Moira, a little too close for comfort! We've had no more in the traps since November time, but I was sure I heard some scurrying in the bedroom walls the other night :eek:....
Much too close for me Weeburd. I would never admit this here, of course, but I have been sitting cross-legged in the dining room ever since. I will also say "Awww.... what a shame" when the traps are duly emptied, while me and our guard-dog look away.
I will never forgive the mouse which gnawed through the water discharge pipe of my dishwasher a few years ago and rendered it useless for about a week. It was over the festive season and I had guests. I guess it was a male mouse - a female mouse would never be so inconsiderate ;)
Much too close for me Weeburd. I would never admit this here, of course, but I have been sitting cross-legged in the dining room ever since. I will also say "Awww.... what a shame" when the traps are duly emptied, while me and our guard-dog look away.
I will never forgive the mouse which gnawed through the water discharge pipe of my dishwasher a few years ago and rendered it useless for about a week. It was over the festive season and I had guests. I guess it was a male mouse - a female mouse would never be so inconsiderate
[lol] Oh Moira, you're making me chuckle tonight! Must have been frustrating having probs over the festive season though, however you should have capitalised on this and had guests doing the dishes in return for your wonderful cooking and care! :D
do the council have a mouse /rat catcher that could help you starry? If not , contact the cats protection and ask if you can have all their cats for just one night....that should solve the problem!
Starry , thought you were getting a cat. You mentioned it when you "hijacked" our post before christmas(lol). Seriously though a cat or even 2 will solve your mouse problems. Mik:lol:
I seriously thought about a cat, but I am very close to the road, I leave the door open for the dog and I am scared it would get out and get run over.
On the bright side no mice for weeks now :cool:
Me too Starry but I quickly dismissed the idea for several reasons.
A quick update here. We had a dead mouse in the trap this morning, thanks to a slice of Cracker Barrel. I had to avert my eyes several times during today - killing is not my thing. The trap will be re-set tonight.
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