I saw a mouse, where? there on the stair....

How much should we worry about mice in a flat? How worried would you be if you saw one?

We definitely had mice last August (I saw one). The next time there was evidence was a chewed rubbish bag that hadn't been taken down (November time). Then suddenly one has been spotted twice today (or two different mice have been spotted).

My attitude is "meh, we've probably been living with them for at leat 8 months and nothing bad has happened!" My housemate is worried.

I don't think they can get into the cupboards (but may look for evidence of this). We're in a second floor flat and it's possible next door is empty so it may be hard to get rid of them. Last year housemates tried putting down some traps but didn't catch anything.

Comments

  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    I have cats. No mice, simples.

    Try to find out how they are getting in to your flat and block there access. Take measures to stop them getting at your food or rubbish.

    If you get rid of one family another will just move in, keep an eye open for mouse droppings and clwan up asap if you see any. Other than that I wouldn't worry. 

     

  • Peppermint oil (the proper stuff not essence) on a few cotton wool pads can get rid of mice. The persistent little buggers may come back and you may have to repeat the exercise for a while but I've found it work. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002RJF6YW/ref=pe_217191_31005151_dp_1

  • limperlimper ✭✭✭

    And they will get in your cupboards. They can flatten themselves to the thickness of paper and slide through the tiniest gaps!
    The poops are easy to see and deal with, it's what they've wee'd on or what they chew that you need to really look out for.

    Cute though, in a rodenty sort of way, aren't they.

  • my mother used to have them in her toilet once a year.she could tell because they used to make a mess of the pot pourri basket on the floor.......a friendly mousetrap went down and then i would let them out a mile from her home.....all sorted.no problemsd till the next year

  • I have a cat and that's the only reason we ever had a mouse

  • seren nos wrote (see)

    my mother used to have them in her toilet once a year.she could tell because they used to make a mess of the pot pourri basket on the floor.......a friendly mousetrap went down and then i would let them out a mile from her home.....all sorted.no problemsd till the next year

    So you're saying a Mouse takes a year to walk homeimage

  • I had a friend who had a mouse - not a pet but an unwelcome visitor.

    He wanted to catch the mouse humanely and let it go outside. After literally months (the mouse was much smarter than him) he finally managed to catch it.

    He opened the front door and took it across the road and let it go into the field image

    The mouse promptly spun round ran back across the road and was in the house before my mate could cross the road image

  • CheshercatCheshercat ✭✭✭

    I too have a cat, never seen a mouse but only when it bring it in to show how clever it is.

    Get mouse traps.  Check then regularly or else there may be a funny smell about

  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭

    We had a mouse once, when we were between cats.  Within a week of getting the new cat, the mouse had gone

  • Housemates are talking about mousetraps on twitter image

    Then again last time someone put traps down they caught nothing. They may be up for trying peppermint oil first though. Or getting a cat (just need to convince the landlord on that one!)

  • RedjeepRedjeep ✭✭✭

    Funny. I came home tonight and there was a baby bird in the kitchen bin under the sink. It was very much alive, just struggling to get out as the hole is quite narrow. It escaped just as I got to it (panic I guess), and then hopped down behind the back panel where I cant get to it.

    I'm planning to leave the cupboard door open and the kitchen door closed tonight so hopefully it'll come out.

    I've no idea how it got there.

     

     

  • we put chocolate in the human mouse traps instead of cheese.apparantley they like it more image

     

  • Redjeep if your air brick is in a similar place then quite possibly you have a nest !!

  • Traps are baited with peanut butter. There are the inhumane ones, which I am not happy about, but I was outvoted 4 to 1. Tempted to remove them later. May try the peppermint oil too. Hopefully it will keep the mice out and away from the traps.

  • KK, I will try and pick up some humane ones, but I came home to find them obeying prepped to go down. I could have thrown a complete wobbly and refused to allow them to put them down but given that my housemate was quite insistant as they'd seen one in their bedroom, I didn't feel I could. Weak argument I know. Kinda hoping we don't catch any. 

  • My mother in law had mice and she didn't do anything about it. House stank of mouse urine.  They also chewed through the electrics leading to her having no electrics or lights downstairs.  The electrician refused to enter until the mice were exterminated.  Only that persuaded her to call in the exterminators.

    There are also some rather nasty diseases spread by mice.  As well as flees obviously.

  • Huane traps don't work.  To get rid of them you have to kill them.

  • Put the traps near the bin.  The only time we had them they were getting into the kitchen bin.  Killed eight of them then they went away.  Would hear the thwack of the trap springing, then the pater of their death rows, then put on the marigolds and chuck the body in the bin.  You should tell your landlord.      It is his responsibility to get the exterminators in.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    kittenkat wrote (see)

    We have huge rats here, but all farms do.

    I have small rats (but they are rats!) in my loft.  I use a combination of traps and poison.

    Humane traps are all very well, but if you release the mice, they will come back!

  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭
    seren nos wrote (see)

    we put chocolate in the human mouse traps instead of cheese.apparantley they like it more image

     

    i am sure they do but I have never tried trapping humans.

  • Lol skotty!

     

    mouse traps have come up. After a week the mice had successfully avoided them completely. Maybe they don't like peanut butter as it hadn't been touched. Thought maybe they weren't getting in but one ran across the room while I was watching tv. Next plan, contact landlord.

  • I used to be very tolerant of mice until within a few weeks they had replicated... they breed like, er, rabbits.  Kill them now before they take over and infest everything.  The smell is disgusting and really hard to get rid of.  I never kill spiders though image

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