AIBU to disagree with OH

I don't agree with killing mice either so I too would put down humane traps and re-locate them.

A friend of mine who is absolutely terrified of mice had an infestation a few years ago. The pest control guy scared her even more telling her that they can crawl through a hole the diameter of a pencil and that 2 mice can become 102 in a very short time. I’ve also heard they can cause havoc by gnawing through cables and wires. They are quite cute little creatures but I certainly wouldn’t want them moving into my house.

Couple of drops of almond essence on top of the peanut butter
really works well

www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/zoonoses-data-sheets/hantavirus-disease.pdf

I don't care for the thought of killing mice, upsetting the balance of nature etc. but the above article gives very clear ideas of why you do not want mice in your house!

Allergies are odd things and it is perfectly possible not to be allergic to dogs fur, but to be allergic to cats.

I had this problem a couple of years ago. Apparently, when the weather turns cold and wet this is when they usually appear in the home. I used to have four mousetraps a couple of inches apart as I had a good idea where they were getting in. I would bait them with doggy treats or peanut butter and most mornings I would get up to another dead mouse. I then started to spring very hot chilli powder around the hole where they were coming in as I thought "if their feet start burning, they'll stop coming in" and it worked to some extent. I have done some reasearch and there are certain aromas they don't like, peppermint, eucalyptus, citrus, lemongrass, etc. It's one thing trying to find and block their entrance but they will find another way of getting in. As someone else said, pest control is very expensive.

We sometimes hear rustlings behind our boiler, probably a mouse/mice or rat. Don't really bother about it, it goes with the rural territory. We did have a rat in the loft earlier this year. The first we knew of it was when some of the lights stopped working - chewed wiring. We think it got in under a loose roof tile as the lathes were also chewed. DH repaired the wiring, tiles and timbers and cleared up rat evidence. No sign of it since. We didn't put traps down.

I have more than a fear of mice, I'm terrified. We had mice, so comfortable that they would allow my husband to pick them up, and they were everywhere.

We ended up taking up all the floors to fill holes with expanding foam (carcinogenic to mice), we then laid poison bate, we went outside and hunted out holes to fill, we had at least 20 traps which on the first couple of days were going off regularly, and then, suddenly no more. Silence!

My guess is whilst reading this there will be those that will be horrified. Our adjoining neighbour was. But it was me or them!

The first thing to do is find out how the mouse got into the house. On one occasion all the mortar had fallen out of bricks at ground level outside and the mouse got in that way. In an old house, in one room, a slightly less old concrete slab floor, had not been smoothed right up to the wall in places. We crawled round the edge of the floor with a bowl of mortar and filled in all the little gaps. problem solved.

As far as getting rid of mice, sorry, I get those little packets of mouse poison and leave them in a strategic place. the first night they are gobbled up, then a run of nights when they remain untouched, telling us the problem is over and we put the poison away in a very high place.

Catch mouse and find out where it’s coming from and block up any holes - which can be remarkably small.
It could just be one mouse so no need to get pest controllers in just yet - only if problems continue.
Last time we had a mouse it was eating through the dry goods in a floor cupboard. It was coming in through a gas pipe no longer in use. Once that was completely blocked up we had no more problems.
Now realise why cats used to sit outside that cupboard a lot!

We had an infestation of mice in our last house. Trouble is we live in the country and they come off the fields. The only way is a trap or two. Bait with small pieces of chocolate, do it sooner otherwise they will breed and it will be very difficult to get rid of them. The pest control officer will only do the same thing and charge you for it. Don't let a mouse die in the house, the smell is horrible.

I’m with your husband on this. Have a go yourselves before paying a firm to do the same.
Judging by the easy availability of traps, most people do it themselves.

there is bound to be more than one mouse we had this problem recently we put down traps and caught 5 in the nextweek as we rent the landlord sent some one round to block holes up we then caugh one more since then no more mice now three weeks free.

No, don't kill them , they are dear little creatures. Just use humane traps and take them for a long walk.

I really hate having to say this but I suspect your only solution is to call pest control. Catching one or two in a humane trap and releasing into the country side is a lovely idea, but I have done that in the past, it is a great feeling and compassionate thought. However it didn't solve the problem!! far from it . There will not be one or two sweet little mice that simply need reminding to leave your house and not come back - they don't listen!!! There will be more than you imagine, harden your heart and make that phone call / email.

We had a mouse many years ago; I was lay on the sofa and it just ran across the hearth in front of me! Bit of a shock to say the least. Our room has French doors leading onto the garden, so we opened them in the hope it would run out. Anyway, the poor little thing (it was tiny, a field mouse) was hiding behind a bureau, and kept peeping to see if we were still there! Finally, it plucked up the courage to escape and ran out of the open doors. I worked at the Council and mentioned it to the Environmental Health people who assured me you never ever have just one mouse. I was advised to look in the corners of all rooms for mouse droppings- and sure enough found some. So sadly, they came and put poison down. Never saw them in the house again.

Coastalgran, I agree with you. We have mice in the house at this time of you, and like the French people in the programme we just pretty much ignore them. If they eat a few crumbs and leave the wiring alone, then that's ok with me.

Lauren59

Please don’t use poison. It is a slow, painful death for the poor things. Furthermore, other animals may consume poisoned rodents. A snap trap is effective and much more humane.

I was just about to post similar thing. Any animal that catches a poisoned mouse such as an owl will also be likely to die. Traps are the lesser of two evils. I had mice in my previous house and used a trap that killed them by a quick electric shock. I didn’t like killing them but that seemed the ‘kindest’ way

There is a great programme about mice and their life in a house in France during Autumn/winter it is narrated by the guy from The Missing. You see the villagers going about their daily lives totally oblivious tot he mice who go about their daily business. It is the time of year for them to move indoors and so long as they are not eating through cable and causing danger then allow them their space.

They’re difficult to tell apart! Oh Caro57 you made me smile!

Please don’t use poison. It is a slow, painful death for the poor things. Furthermore, other animals may consume poisoned rodents. A snap trap is effective and much more humane.

Nannan2 I’m allergic to cats but not dogs. I believe it is the dander on their hair. Dogs have never bothered me at all. I can tell if a cat has been kipping on a bed if I sleep in a ?‍⬛ cat household. Terrible itching then I rub my eyes till they look like I’ve done a few rounds in the boxing ? ring, plus runny nose and sneezing and itchy lugholes. ? odd isn’t it? Nothing else bothers me this way, well not to this extent. If I am prepared I’ve found taking a simple anti- histamine before “exposure” works.

it is actually easy to remove the kick board and inspect under the units with a strong torch if you like. First thing is to seal any holes in wall or floor and remove food debris.

www.humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-about-wild-mice

I've used the humane traps in the past very successfully, check every morning and night so the critters aren't left in there to starve. They get to eat the stuff on the end of the humane trap, and have a little see-saw .. lovely! I've taken them over the field in the past, I'm disappointed to see that is considered "cruel" but survival of the fittest, circle of life etc - lots of owls locally, if you know what I mean. I could not consider a "splat" trap, just no.

My office is a Grade II listed building in South East London, used to be tanneries, and we have a professional pest control visit every 4 weeks to check traps.

At home now I have a cat - found a fresh dead mouse last Autumn, I'll be more aware this year.

Agree with all above advice. Remember mice are incontinent and will have peed everywhere so a good scrub with disinfectant is needed, and throw out any foodstuffs in packets even if you don’t think they’ve been got at, they will have been peed on.

Humane traps are great. We have cats who bring in mice & then just leave them. I have several traps which I bait with chocolate spread - which mice like - I then let them out at the bottom of the garden.