Mice, but how the HELL do I kill them?
20 January 2012, 10:03 PM
#1
Mice, but how the HELL do I kill them?
We still have mice
They seem to be active whenever the lights are out, and are between the first floor and the ground floor celing, inside the ceiling space.
We cannot find any evidence of anywhere they make entry INTO the house, nor is their evidence of food damaged, droppings, dirty areas, smells, damaged or gnawed stuff for nesting, etc.
Traps set where we THOUGHT they might come out, have had no effect.
The strange thing is that they seem to know somehow when the lights go off in the upstairs rooms.
We can hear them pattering about, we switch on a light to investigate, and the noise INSTANTLY stops. It can be the room light, or a bedside light.
As long as that light remains on, no noise, but seconds after turning it off, the noise begins again.
Knocking, tapping, walking, scratching on the floor etc all stop the noise but only for a matter of seconds, then it starts again.
And it is enough to wake me and keep me awake.
The wife is absolutely petrified of them, and if she does see one, or wake, then guess who's fault it all will be?
So......HOW do they know a light is on? The upstairs rooms are all wall-to-wall carpeted.
WHAT are they living on?
And how the HELL can I eradicate them?
Would someone like Rentokil be able to get rid of them?
Sensible answers please, keep the humour down a bit, eh?
They seem to be active whenever the lights are out, and are between the first floor and the ground floor celing, inside the ceiling space.
We cannot find any evidence of anywhere they make entry INTO the house, nor is their evidence of food damaged, droppings, dirty areas, smells, damaged or gnawed stuff for nesting, etc.
Traps set where we THOUGHT they might come out, have had no effect.
The strange thing is that they seem to know somehow when the lights go off in the upstairs rooms.
We can hear them pattering about, we switch on a light to investigate, and the noise INSTANTLY stops. It can be the room light, or a bedside light.
As long as that light remains on, no noise, but seconds after turning it off, the noise begins again.
Knocking, tapping, walking, scratching on the floor etc all stop the noise but only for a matter of seconds, then it starts again.
And it is enough to wake me and keep me awake.
The wife is absolutely petrified of them, and if she does see one, or wake, then guess who's fault it all will be?
So......HOW do they know a light is on? The upstairs rooms are all wall-to-wall carpeted.
WHAT are they living on?
And how the HELL can I eradicate them?
Would someone like Rentokil be able to get rid of them?
Sensible answers please, keep the humour down a bit, eh?
20 January 2012, 10:17 PM
#5
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Local council will do this for you, half the price of firms like Rentokill. From what you've said it's mice. We has exactly the same symptons, except ours were in the loft.
20 January 2012, 10:24 PM
#6
I have same - it was floorboards up and poison in between to joists (looked for their poo to decide on best positions)
are u a semi or detached? - mine came in from next door !
are u a semi or detached? - mine came in from next door !
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20 January 2012, 10:33 PM
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Get some cheap pies full of rat poison better than any trap. May sound extreme but if they eat the wiring in your home its a 2.5k rewire. They are uber smart but not as smart as you so if you losing the battle ! get a cat.
20 January 2012, 11:14 PM
#12
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poison, its the only thing that works - Rentokill came in and did ours. Wasnt extortionate and cheaper than fixing the damage they were doing
Rentokill also advised us to put chicken wire over all our air bricks, they can do it but said we could do it ourselves cheaper
It worked anyway
Rentokill also advised us to put chicken wire over all our air bricks, they can do it but said we could do it ourselves cheaper
It worked anyway
21 January 2012, 12:34 AM
#13
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You don't need traps or a cat you need.....
Serious note, poison and traps together, block any small holes with scrunched up tin foil. This is how I stopped the buggers getting into my garage!
Serious note, poison and traps together, block any small holes with scrunched up tin foil. This is how I stopped the buggers getting into my garage!
Last edited by richiewong; 21 January 2012 at 12:37 AM.
21 January 2012, 10:11 AM
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Poison and traps, and keep doing it. You'll need to put them where the mice are i.e. under the floorboards.
If you can't find where they are getting in then it's likely you'll get more in the future as other mice will follow the urine trails into the house, so you need to keep vigilant and if you can safely keep the poison under the floorboards long term then do so.
Fortunately, mice are trap shy so once you put something tasty down for them (peanut butter works best for us) they usually eat it - just don't put too much on a trap as I've seen them lick it off without triggering the trap.
If you can't find where they are getting in then it's likely you'll get more in the future as other mice will follow the urine trails into the house, so you need to keep vigilant and if you can safely keep the poison under the floorboards long term then do so.
Fortunately, mice are trap shy so once you put something tasty down for them (peanut butter works best for us) they usually eat it - just don't put too much on a trap as I've seen them lick it off without triggering the trap.
21 January 2012, 10:34 AM
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My Chikens catch the mice outdoors, bit of sport for em
Indooors poison is best but the stuff you can get hold of off the shelf is pretty poor. Get the council as said already much cheaper than the likes of Rentokill.
Be carefull though as nothing smells like a decomposing mouse/rat underneath your loft insulation.
Indooors poison is best but the stuff you can get hold of off the shelf is pretty poor. Get the council as said already much cheaper than the likes of Rentokill.
Be carefull though as nothing smells like a decomposing mouse/rat underneath your loft insulation.
21 January 2012, 12:08 PM
#18
Looks like I'll put MORE poison down the hole between wall and floor tonight, and ring the council in the morning.
The hole is where I removed the skirting board when we fitted the built-in bedside cabinets.
That's where I hear them, but NO evidence of them coming up the hole.
I've NEVER found any droppings and no evidence that they are coming into the house proper
The hole is where I removed the skirting board when we fitted the built-in bedside cabinets.
That's where I hear them, but NO evidence of them coming up the hole.
I've NEVER found any droppings and no evidence that they are coming into the house proper
21 January 2012, 01:14 PM
#21
No evidence! Maybe no mice
If you try traps try chocolate in them. They love chocolate and I killed the ones that were running around my house
Maybe looking in the airing cupboard. They like it warm too
If you try traps try chocolate in them. They love chocolate and I killed the ones that were running around my house
Maybe looking in the airing cupboard. They like it warm too
Last edited by EOEUMC; 21 January 2012 at 01:16 PM.
21 January 2012, 01:22 PM
#22
If it's NOT mice, what could it be? It's FAR too small to be rats.
I can DEFINITELY hear something running about.
I always know when they have arrived over at my corner, as I hear the double pat-pat of something jumping over either wiring or copper pipework.
One night this week I was certain the little bleeders wee trying to chew the copper pipes, I could hear the scraping through the radiator.
I can DEFINITELY hear something running about.
I always know when they have arrived over at my corner, as I hear the double pat-pat of something jumping over either wiring or copper pipework.
One night this week I was certain the little bleeders wee trying to chew the copper pipes, I could hear the scraping through the radiator.
21 January 2012, 01:28 PM
#23
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We live in the country so we are used to all kinds of creatures which never cause a problem anyway.
We get the occasional scratching in the ceiling, more in winter in fact, but we just ignore it. There is no real damage that they do and they certain won't line up on an attack.
If you get a cat, we have two now, the mice won't venture any where near them. They are not that daft.
Les
We get the occasional scratching in the ceiling, more in winter in fact, but we just ignore it. There is no real damage that they do and they certain won't line up on an attack.
If you get a cat, we have two now, the mice won't venture any where near them. They are not that daft.
Les
21 January 2012, 01:33 PM
#24
Les, they don't bother me, apart from disturbing my sleep, and most of THAT is because I'm a light sleeper and worry about what will happen if SWMBO hears them. So I cough, or get up for a wee, or move the bedhead, anything to stop them....
She is utterly petrified of them
Have you ever seen cartoons of women standing on chairs when mice are near?
Well I've seen it for REAL!
A mouse came into the French house when we had the door open one summer.
And afterwards she was a nervous wreck.
One day, she saw a mouse in the kitchen over there. I arrived home to find her standing in the garden looking worried.
Her first words to me: "There's a mouse in the kitchen. Get it out of there!"
She is utterly petrified of them
Have you ever seen cartoons of women standing on chairs when mice are near?
Well I've seen it for REAL!
A mouse came into the French house when we had the door open one summer.
And afterwards she was a nervous wreck.
One day, she saw a mouse in the kitchen over there. I arrived home to find her standing in the garden looking worried.
Her first words to me: "There's a mouse in the kitchen. Get it out of there!"
21 January 2012, 01:34 PM
#25
I will be mice. They can get into the house through a hole as small as a pencil diameter. Get a local firm to lay poison on all floors including the attic void.
I used a firm and after a month all mice were gone. He said that mice move in as families and as so, do what mice do best. Before long you will have a huge problem and wiring pipes etc will be at risk.
I used a firm and after a month all mice were gone. He said that mice move in as families and as so, do what mice do best. Before long you will have a huge problem and wiring pipes etc will be at risk.
21 January 2012, 02:53 PM
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Les, they don't bother me, apart from disturbing my sleep, and most of THAT is because I'm a light sleeper and worry about what will happen if SWMBO hears them. So I cough, or get up for a wee, or move the bedhead, anything to stop them....
She is utterly petrified of them
Have you ever seen cartoons of women standing on chairs when mice are near?
Well I've seen it for REAL!
A mouse came into the French house when we had the door open one summer.
And afterwards she was a nervous wreck.
One day, she saw a mouse in the kitchen over there. I arrived home to find her standing in the garden looking worried.
Her first words to me: "There's a mouse in the kitchen. Get it out of there!"
She is utterly petrified of them
Have you ever seen cartoons of women standing on chairs when mice are near?
Well I've seen it for REAL!
A mouse came into the French house when we had the door open one summer.
And afterwards she was a nervous wreck.
One day, she saw a mouse in the kitchen over there. I arrived home to find her standing in the garden looking worried.
Her first words to me: "There's a mouse in the kitchen. Get it out of there!"
When Mrs Leslie used to live in an ancient country cottage she used to give them something to eat because she felt sorry for them and she even had names for them! But then, she is a bit different to most. I hesitate to put up the "freak" smily. She might see it
Les
21 January 2012, 03:11 PM
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You need to get a cat preferably a female. We live on a converted farm and when we first moved it was mouse city and the cat was in her element.
During the night she would come and go through the cat flap, one morning we found four dead mice laid out on the rug plus one dead rabbit. Never seen a mouse since, i think they've packed their cases and moved out of town. Now the cat is bored as hell.
During the night she would come and go through the cat flap, one morning we found four dead mice laid out on the rug plus one dead rabbit. Never seen a mouse since, i think they've packed their cases and moved out of town. Now the cat is bored as hell.