Urgh.... Mice.

In all seriousness, if you can, get a cat. We had mice at our first ever rented house - we didn't even know we had mice until our cats started finding them for us! Very effective. They used to spend hours lying in wait by the kitchen cupboards and in the utility room! ?

I wish we could, but I don't think it's humane to a cat to live in a small 2 bed flat on the top floor with no outside space. Plus it's in our contract that we can't have pets. Bring on when we can afford our own place (in several decades time!)....

I think the only way of stopping them is finding any whole where they can get in a filling them.

I have no idea how effective they are but I have seen sonic devices that you plug in available. They emit noise that repels the mice, but is high pitched so humans can't hear it.

Yep, only there aren't any obvious holes in skirting board or anything. It may be from kitchen behind apliances but as they are all built in I can't check. I also heard that a mouse can fit through a hole the size of a Biro but I don't know how true that is. In which case, it'd be impossible to block up every tiny weeny hole!

Thanks tho.

Thanks I'll look into that.

The sonic thing doesn't work, well for us anyway. We also have a cat.... we'd exchange him too for one that works properly.....

The car brings them in and I'm left to catch them. I've not bothered with the humane traps, he only brings them back in and mauls them some more. The black plastic traps from homebase are very efficient, we use chite choc buttons and they kill quickly. I've also put bait behind the kick boards in the kitchen, I'm reliably informed that when mice die and decompose, they don't smell. I know I'm never going to be on top of it, because as the cat finished off one nest, he'll find another and bring them in to play with. Part of the joys of living rurally I guess. Filling the holes in and calling your neighbours and if everyone does it together then you may stand a chance.

Whatever you do, don't use the sticky board traps as they're really inhumane (doesn't sound as if you would anyway but thought I'd mention it!). You could get bait boxes which will make the mouse disorientated and dizzy until it dies- not as inhumane as the sticky traps but not that pleasant to see a dizzy mouse running around either. You must put them in the right position though- so that the hole runs parallel with the skirting board- otherwise the mouse will just ignore them.

Could you borrow a cat for 1 day and night maybe? Not long enough for you to be found out, but the mice will smell a cat smell and be put off. You're right about the biro sized holes being enough to allow access and you'd have a job on your hands trying to proof everywhere. You need to scrupulously clean (not that I'm suggesting you're not!) and ensure no food is left out ever. If there's no food they won't stay around.

Rache123 I can vouch for the fact that decomposing mice reek unfortunately!

We have the same problem and it's absolutely grim. Our cat died in April and since then I have seen them in the kitchen and when we went on holiday in June we came back and there was mouse poo in our bedroom. ? I also once saw one in our oven (which has since been replaced).

There's just no way we could block all the holes in our kitchen, it's a really old house and has all sorts of nooks and crannies, so I'm afraid I have hardened my heart and bought this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Procter-Bros-Ltd-Electronic-Killer/dp/B000FII3YW

which has been v effective and I'm sure it must be more humane than traditional traps.

Oh yes and just to add, borrowing a cat for a night wouldn't be enough I don't think, our next door neighbour's cat comes into our house for lunch every day and hangs arouns for a couple of hours but doesn't seem to be acting as a deterrent.

The only way to ged rid of them is to kill them and fast (before they start breading). I've tried everything and snap traps are the best way, or as people have said, a cat. Poison is pretty effective but you never know where the bodies end up. Keeping them out is almost impossible as you need to block up any hole bigger than 1/4 of a inch.

The sonic things are a waste of time. I've seen a mouse sitting on top of ours.

Thanks everyone. ?

Hi,

Have you tried calling your councils pest control department, we had mice earlier in the year & the council got rid of them for free. They'll also look at the other properties to make sure they get rid of them all.

HTH