Mice

wisteria53

@Mirandola - you're lucky. Our cats think mice are playthings that they can torture for a while and then leave heads and body parts scattered around for you to admire when coming downstairs in the morning. BUT, show either of the cats a live mouse trying to hide and they have no interest. Escapee mice often die in inconvenient places (in shoes, behind radiators). The latter incident was very stinky and distressing to Wisteria Jr; the former quite disgusting when Mr Wisteria put on the shoe and thought there was a sock stuck in it. We back up onto the Parkland Walkway so mice are always around. Victorian terraced houses have too many holes to plug them all with wire wool anyway.

sincers

Ok, I feel I should confess. After boasting about my fool-proof sugar puff ploy, a few weeks later the little bastards started frequenting my kitchen. Mostly, it seems, to scare the bejeesus out of the missus, who behaves in an exaggerated stereotypical fashion. I swear, she should be in Hammer Horror movies. Anyway, I have several traps all sugar-puffed up and one of those super sticky pads. They laugh in the face of them. I'm not sure what they're eating, but it doesn't appear to be anything from my kitchen, the fussy buggers. They keep coming back just to see if the menu has changed, mind.

dorothy

I had a couple recently. I've got quite a good hit rate, as soon as I hear one, or see the droppings, I'm out with one accurately placed trap. I used chocolate, hazelnut spread last time and got it the same night. I placed the trap under the kitchen cupboards, where I could see it had a run. I wonder if it's more about correct placement of the trap, than what you put in it. I think you have to 'be the mouse' to work out the best place for the trap. The mouse I had seemed to like munching on dishwasher salt, it had bitten through the bag. They seem to like cardboard sometimes as well.

Emma

We have had 3 dead mice in our kitchen over the past few weeks - I am not sure if it's the poison we put down that is killing them, or if someone else is using weapons-grade stuff, but it's definitely working in any case, hooray.

sincers

I have put them where I see him. I've even seen him pick up floor morsels and spit them out again (too much salt perhaps?!). The traps suggest pointing them at the skirting boards, but that didn't work, so I've re-positioned them slightly. It could be that he just doesn't care for sugar puffs, chocolate or crackers. I'll try with different bait. I'll try and "be the mouse", albeit it with a darned fussy appetite.

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sincers

..err, ok, I'll give it a go.

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katiejane

i've got a horrible feeling of deja vu, but I just scanned the thread and couldn't see a previous post re: this from me.

anyway. apparently it's the smell they go for in bait. my tip: a bit of M&S cheese and onion roll (the pastry type). I set a trap with this one evening, popped out to the shop, came back and we'd got one.

my other tip - don't get your traps from the hardware store near where home used to be (the guy who used to be further down SGR), they're way too expensive. try the hardware store on park road (cost is quite important to me as I'm totally incapable of disposing just the mouse).

dawnage

Even better than blocking holes with wire wool is this expanding foam stuff which then sets hard. It's quite good fun to administer too, I believe.

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harpistic

I seem to have joined the ranks of the mice-infested - I left my front door open for a while this evening while I unpacked bags, and have seen a mouse scampering around since.

I saw @katiejane's tip, but I was wondering where people'd recommend getting mouse traps from? (Preferably the humane kind - I don't much want to clean up blood and gore) The last time I had mice problems, there was a B&Q nearby, I've no idea where to look around here!

Ilovegreyhounds

I think the Homebase on Green Lanes stocks them. The Londis on Ferme Park Rd stocks the non-humane kind.

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val

Get a cat. One of my cats brings me mice (sometimes live) and baby rats (dead) as a gift.

Kaz

Yup, the humane ones are rubbish. @Val. Getting a get never seemed like a better idea...

harpistic

Thanks! I decided in the night to hell with humane traps, I just want that mouse out of there! I'm in a studio flat so there's no escaping this damned mouse.

I found some sticky traps in a cupboard last night, I've put two down but will pick up some chocolate on the way home. Can I get more sticky traps from the Londis, do you think?

Ohhh I would love to get a cat! *sighs deeply*

Ilovegreyhounds

I certainly know that they stock the proper springy mice and rat ones. Don't know about the sticky ones though

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harpistic

@Misscara - thanks so much, it's a relief to know I don't have to trek over to Tottenham Hale or Green Lanes to get traps. Will also pick up some bread - I'll be curious to see which method is most effective! (Unless the creature is already dead by the time I get home).

Fingers crossed....

Margolada

@Misscara - is the last method tried and tested? i dread to think which option did you choose

harpistic

Here kitty kitty..... ;)

harpistic

Uh. What do you do once you've caught a mouse in a sticky trap?

odd stewart

It's not a pleasant outcome.

We've got mice. The snap-traps are usually effective but can be pretty evil if they 'miss' a bit. I once had to remove a dying mouse which had just had its nose crushed.

Their shit is everywhere. I was changing a ceiling spotlight in the kitchen and ended up with a lot of mouse shit in my mouth. The experience has stayed with me.

Mirandola

Cats. The solution to everything. They eat spiders, they kill mice. Plus, they're cute.

harpistic

I've asked my mother to teleport her cat over from Guatemala.... I clearly hadn't thought far enough ahead to what would happen once a mouse wandered into one of the traps... !

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harpistic

Ah, thanks! I was going to try oil, but then I saw that it was lying on its side and didn't think oil would work (plus the only oil I have is chile oil, poor mousey).

I, uh, put it outside.

harpistic

For reference, for anyone else dealing with mice as unwanted houseguests: don't use sticky traps for rats. Or Big Cheese sonic mouse repellers, it seems.

Neither works.