Mice

iascanmore

I'm in Cabra and have caught 5 in the last 3 weeks. 2 the whole of last winter and none the year before so I think numbers are up. Friends in Blanch are catching 1-2 every day!!

I think it's because we had a warmer summer than usual and more of em survived, now they are coming in from the cold.

ballygobackward

Just moved into brand new house, me and three guys, none of which are bothered my mice!!! saw the first one about a week ago and bought all the stuff even the sonic thing but nothing seems to work have caught no mice and saw another one tonight!!! just wondering how often do they breed???? lots of mice poision laid now but know that can cause probs too if they crawl under floorboards!!!

BaZmO*

Was up in my sister's house tonight and she spotted a mouse in the house today. Must be a bit of an epidemic happening at the moment. There might be something in the warm summer theory.

Faith

Pretty much everyone I know has, or recently has had, mice. I attributed it to the old buildings in Edinburgh, but it seems it's a widespread issue! It must be due to the weather we've been getting.

dubmick

Thursday night must be party night for mice because they had me awake for half the night. Absolute torture!

dubtom

Luckily this year we have had no mice, I put down to the fact that we converted the attic last year into a room and blocked up a lot of the spaces between us and our two neighbours. Next doors cat may also be helping, even though she doesn't come into our house she patrols our back garden. She caught one recently and played with for an hour before killing it. I know we have some under the little wooden shed because she will sit for hours perfectly still looking at it.I wouldn't go with rentakill, they will simply put down poisen which may kill any mice that eat it but wont stop more coming in. If you suspect they are coming from next door through the attic a good way to find out for sure is to block any hole's with loosly rolled up paper, not much obviously because mice aren't that strong, if the paper is disturbed you know thats one of their runs so you block it permantly. The same can be done in hotpresses and behind kitchen units. If you make it awkward for them they will move else where.

Victor

Faith wrote:

Pretty much everyone I know has, or recently has had, mice. I attributed it to the old buildings in Edinburgh, but it seems it's a widespread issue! It must be due to the weather we've been getting.

They like being outdoors for the summer, but come in for the winter.

Faith

Right, for the last few nights, the sound of the little bástards in the wall behind my bed has been waking me up (at least, I hope to God that's what it is!). Is there anything I can do to get them to stfu? There's been no more caught, I think the steel wool is doing its job - although it looked like a mouse tried to push its way through a bit yesterday!

Do I just have to put up with it?

Mr Magnolia

You could cut a small hole in the plasterboard and set a couple of traps beside it. Sounds like you have them cornered, you just need to kill them and get rid of them now.

CJhaughey

Use stainless steel scourers rather than steel wool, they don't rust and are impossible to chew through.

I have a packet of "storm" (mouse poison) in the shed, went to get some more to lay some extra bait and found that the mice had beat me to it:rolleyes:

I've heard about mice throwing themselves onto traps before, but this is the first time i've seen them actually break into a box of poison.

Ah well... saves me form bringing the bait to them;)

Victor

Faith wrote:

Right, for the last few nights, the sound of the little bástards in the wall behind my bed has been waking me up (at least, I hope to God that's what it is!). Is there anything I can do to get them to stfu? There's been no more caught, I think the steel wool is doing its job - although it looked like a mouse tried to push its way through a bit yesterday!

Do I just have to put up with it?

You need either loud sex or a snake or both.

The Hill Billy

Further to earlier posts - up to last Monday week we caught 9 mice. 1 in the kitchen, 8 in the hot press in our bedroom. I had one of those gizmos that emit high frequency noises mean to deter spiders, mice, etc in the kitchen. I then moved it to the bedroom & there hasn't been sight nor sound of a mouse since.

Expect an "Oops - Spoke too soon" post tomorrow.

Faith

Hill Billy wrote:

Further to earlier posts - up to last Monday week we caught 9 mice. 1 in the kitchen, 8 in the hot press in our bedroom. I had one of those gizmos that emit high frequency noises mean to deter spiders, mice, etc in the kitchen. I then moved it to the bedroom & there hasn't been sight nor sound of a mouse since.

Expect an "Oops - Spoke too soon" post tomorrow.

See, this is the kind of thing that freaks me out. Why are they in your hot press? What's attracting them to it? They could be anywhere!

patrickolee

I heard before that you should fill the holes with normal filler, but add some broken glass to the mixture. They cut their little feet when trying to re-excavate....

Could always buy a cat... and don't feed it too much.

The Hill Billy

Faith wrote:

See, this is the kind of thing that freaks me out. Why are they in your hot press? What's attracting them to it? They could be anywhere!

This was where they were coming in from the attic next door.

patrickolee - Yup, expandy-foam with crushed glass is a good deterrant for mice & rats. It's not that they cut their feet though - they normally chew through obstacles & the glass ususally puts a stop to that.

dubmick

I think they might be coming into my attic from next door too. I spent an afternoon sealing any holes/gaps in the house a couple of weeks ago.

I had just caught two more before this.

I thought they were gone but I found another one in a trap in the attic last night.

Current Kill Count: 4

Faith

Me again! I was cleaning out the box room during the week, which had ironically been stuffed full of boxes since I moved in. Anywho, the floor was covered in mouse poo, and I think I found an entry point. I blocked it up with steel wool and all.

But earlier I found some mouse poo on my bedroom floor while cleaning. I've no idea how long it has been there for. My cleaning could have dislodged it from its original place, leaving it somewhere where it appears newish, or it could actually be new. There's been no trace of them in the kitchen for weeks, and the only other evidence I saw was two poos left outside my bedroom door, that could have been left any time between the 15th of December and the 7th of January. I haven't heard them at all.

Basically, I can't decide whether to declare all out war and put mouse traps down EVERYWHERE or just leave it and hope for the best. I'm scared if I put traps down, it'll just attract them back. And ideas/ advice?

looksee

We had a small invasion of mice this year after years without any. I got some new high-tech traps with a kind of roller thing instead of the wire bit that snaps down. The mice are gone (3) but the traps are gone too - the old sort would kill a mouse instantly, but these new ones didn't. You would hear the snap and go to investigate and the poor mouse would be struggling for s ome time before it died. I've no problem about killing them (its them or me) but it should be quick. So if I need them again it will be back to the old-fashioned cheapo ones (and peanut butter).

crosstownk

I haven't heard any mice this year, but I did find a dead one at the bottom of the Christmas tree when I was taking it down. The mouse had two 'stab' wounds in the side of his chest so I reckon the cat got him as this is also the cats favourite resting place.

I bought two of those electronic plug in thingys just in case, and I've heard no mice. I haven't checked the hot press for droppings yet - but I'm confident they are gone. I've poison down in the attic, hot press, under the floor boards, where the ba$tards were last year, and in th press under the sink.

I'm hoping that the one under the tree was once off - but usually where there is one mouse, a few more aren't very far away.

Faith

I'm thinking of investing in one of those sonic things, but they're really expensive and I've read about 75% negative reviews. It might be worth getting one for my bedroom, for peace of mind alone.

/edit: Pretty sure I just heard them in the wall behind my room. Damn.

crosstownk

I read all the negative reviews too. But so far, no mice. We had a problem with mice in our office canteen last year and plugged in one of those electronic thingys and not a sign of a mouse since.

I think that the sonic things won't get rid of them, but they may prevent them getting in in the first place, but I don't know for sure.

Victor

Faith wrote:

See, this is the kind of thing that freaks me out. Why are they in your hot press? What's attracting them to it? They could be anywhere!

The hot press is nice and warm. With a small body size, keeping warm is very important (compared to say, an elephant).

The Hill Billy

Faith wrote:

But earlier I found some mouse poo on my bedroom floor while cleaning. I've no idea how long it has been there for.

If it is "chewy" - it is new. If it dissolves on your tongue - it is old.

Faith - I was a bit suspect of the sonic thingamebobs, but one I put one near my hot press there wan't a sign of little feckers.

ScottishDanny

Strange, I found mouse evidence yesterday. I used to live in Edinburgh and we had loads of them, I moved into a house in Dublin 2 years ago and there were some when we moved in (we were getting a rewire job done at the time). Looks like they're back. Here's my tips on getting rid of them

• Use the old style snappy traps
• Don't use cheese, use chocolate/jam/peanut butter/bacon.
• Sew the bait to the trap - often they can srping the trap and get the food without getting caught. If you sew it on they will tug at it and get caught.
• Don't use poison, they'll go off to their beds to die and then stink the place out. If you use a trap you know exactly where they are
• place traps around the edges of the room, by the skirting boards.
• Don't just put up with them, they are incontinent and can spread potentially fatal diseases such as weil's disease through their pee.
• Keep setting traps, they are not loners. 2 mice can make up to 80 babies a year!

dubmick

ScottishDanny wrote:

2 mice can make up to 80 babies a year!

Jaysus!! I didn't know that.

I seem to have got ridden of mine. I feel for you Faith the noise of them kept me awake every night for nearly a month. I used bacon (not cooked) and the old fashioned traps. Got two in the attic, one in the hot press and one under the sink.

Faith

I was about to drop off to sleep last night when I heard a scratching sound. It got louder. It sounded like there was an army of them invading my room, so I went in search of them. The sound was coming from under my window, so I pulled open the full lenght curtains to find.... it had started raining and I was actually hearing the rain hitting the window sill .

I got one of the sonic things today, just for peace of mind. It's in my bedroom, but the plugs are all in crappy places, so it's got a limited range there. Still, fingers crossed!

crosstownk

ScottishDanny wrote:

we were getting a rewire job done at the time

Same with me last year - electrician left garage door, hall door and back door open all day as he was working - an open invitation to the mice in Terenure! I wasn't in the house when he was working, but I used to pass by on my rounds and saw all the doors open.

Faith

The little bastards are back! It's been particularly cold here recently, so I assume that's why. There's actually only been one sighted, and it's a baby, but I'm still gonna hightail it out of here for Easter...