We've got a real mice problem in our home. We've been putting down rat/mice poison for months now, they've gone through 2 large tubs, and they're still around - we see them most nights running around the back of the telly.

I've put 4 traps down too baited with peanut butter and raisins, first night caught two by the head in one trap, since then, nothing. They're still eating loads of bait and still they keep coming.

We live in a 1930's bungalow and there are plenty of ways they can get in I'm sure. We've keep all food in hard plastic contains now, they don't seem to be eating any of that - they just seem to love the bait!.

So any ideas of the best way to try and get rid of them, and how come they seem to love the bait?

Traps are the best way really, you need to get the adults as they take food to the babys... but if you get the adults the younguns come out hungry..

However best line of defence maybe a cat...

how many dead ones have you found?

A cat might work, but the only times we've had problems - 3 times, was when our stupid cat brought a mouse in and let it go. One made a nest in the insulation under the cooker - discovered because the cat wouldn't stop trying to crawl underneath, one climbed up into the cavity wall through a hole where the gas pipe came in, discovered when bits of cavity insulation kept appearing on the kitchen floor and one we found in the front room when we were watching tv.
Traps work though.

My mum and dad live on he edge of a field and always suffered really badly with mice and rats, one thing have cleared the whole lot up in 1 hit!

A Cat! but she was bought up on a farm so is a natural preditor (My sister has a cat that doesnt have a clue what a mouse is just watches them run about) and being where they are there is a good supply of mice so they only ever put food down for her when she asks for it so she they spend very little on food too!

We haven't found a single dead one from poison - are they immune now? Just found 2 in the one trap.

Our last cat used to bring them in, play with they a bit, make sure we were watching, then let them go with a very satisfied look on his face!!

Getting another cat could be hard as we now have a dog that's loves chasing them!

Bait your traps with chocolate they love it, or dog bisquits I have found to work really well.

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Originally posted by Jasper
We haven't found a single dead one from poison - are they immune now?

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Just spoken to the wife, think we are going to get another cat, needs to be able to put our dog it's in place and catch mice, so a nice mature well-'ard rescue cat is in order!

Please actually we've missed having a cat the last few years

In the meantime I'll get some more traps and bait with chocolate

cucumber and tomatos in the traps. allegedly, they're more thirsty than anything, so they'll like the juice in the bait.

hope your new cat is better at mice then mine...

Description black cat down the left, mouse down the right, he never did catch that mouse!

chickens, now they're good at catching mice really!

I think you ought to consult a professional pest control person.

We have one which we use for serious problems and he is very effective - even with problems like yours.

A cat wont be any good if they are under the floor.in cupboards or in the loft. What poison are you using is ita poison or one these non poison baits they dont work very well. I deal with mice all the time and they are one of the easiest pests to control if done correctly: u2u me if you want I have been doing Pest Control for 22 years

You need a Mars bar!


Slice the top choc & toffee layer off the bar and cut into 1cm squares. Eat the rest.

Use the toffee side to stick it on the trap.
Half the battle with traps is keeping the bait on.

Optional. Sprinkle a pinch of flour on the choc. Seed (wheat flour) is a natural food for them.
Mice have a good sence of smell and can smell flour from miles away.

Good luck.
Paul G


Edit to add:

I should point out that eating the remainder of the Mars bars will mean
you will only be able to "work" & "rest"

[Edited on 12/7/12 by 907]

try something like nutella - nuts, fat, chocolate the mice love it

and these are one of the best cheap traps I've found:

you can get them in loads of hardware shops or there is always ebay and the like:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/110899342592?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y

with that combo I was catching 4 mice a day with only 2 traps, cleared out the house in less than a week

Thanks for the offer, U2U sent. We use tubs of poison bought for an agricultural supplies place, and use the green lockable bait traps and bait trays. So far they've eaten two large (1kg?) tubs and I've never found a dead mouse.

Right do it properly


Buy These
poision

bait boxes

throw bags

Throw bags can be used under floors and in loft spaces.


be carefull if you have cats as they may eat dead or dying mice.. How many corps have you found so far and what have you been using.

Check the bate boxes and throw bags every couple of days and keep replenishing until bate stops getting eatten.

This is how rentokill would handle a minor infestation...

I've had them a few times in the attic space. Somehow they managed to get in the wall cavity and up into the attic space. I heard something up there early one morning when waking up in bed, I went up there to investigate and there was wall insulation spewed out into the roof space in one area, then a cheeky little bugger ran past me! I set 4 traps up there, laced with bits of mars bar. 6 dead mice later and I've seen no more. The traps are still up there just incase I ever need them again.

A mate of mine Ives in the countryside and he tried all sorts to rid the mice. After speaking to one of his neighbours, one of them said, "why do you think we all have cats?". He bought a cat and has had no problems since!

Our local council offer a free pest control service, they keep coming back until all the rodents don't.
Maybe your council does?

Sainsbury's basics peanut butter in the traps worked fine for my recent mice/garage problem- cheap too!

If your food's protected in tupperware they must be eating *something* though! We had a terrible problem with weavils a couple of years ago. We threw out all food in the house and then bought new and kept it all in Tupperware- they still kept coming until the entire house was full.

Eventually found their food source was a packet of bird seed in an outside cupboard next to the house.

Is there any possibility it's something like that? Could they be eating something in your shed/garage? The packets of bicuits you hide in the garage away from the missus?

Can't remember your house too well, is it detached? If a semi then could they be getting food from next door but living at yours?

Best of luck!

James

P.S. I was all for using humane traps for a while (at girlf's insistence). Then I found they'd eaten a Locost seatbelt.... then it was mousepocalpse 2012 and they met all kinds of unpleasant destruction!

If you ever have trouble with FISH my cat is the one to have
20 have arrived on the grass out back or in the house, 14 in one week, he comes In soaked to the chest!!!!

Use steel wool to stuff into any cracks or holes in the outside walls, it's the only stuff they can't chew through, stainless wool is best, this is what stopped them for me

Make sure all the food cupboards are safe from them getting in and put anything not in a tin etc up high where they could never get too, trick is to starve them so they only eat the bait which will kill them. Cheese is rubbish btw on traps, chocolate or peanut butter works fine

[Edited on 12/7/12 by Mr Whippy]

Lots of great tips there, thanks chaps.

We're going to see a rescue cat on Sunday, known mice killer too

More and better traps ordered and more and better poison. I'll be going round the house with the wire wool and silicone gun this weekend.

What you really need is multiple cats, thats what we used to have and never had any problems. Terriers are also useful but thats more rats and they tend to get excited and pee everywhere when they chase rodents.

charge them rent

We tried all the humane traps then all the plastic 'Big Cheese' variations. Then I got mad. Big bag of Ye Olde 'Nipper' traps and a bag of party sized Mars Bars. We had mice lining up to jump in the traps. Six traps were nabbing 20 mice a day when we first started using them. You could hear the traps snapping as you walked away from them. The trick for us was to find where they were scurrying. They use the same 'paths' and wee as they go so they mark the way. Pop a trap along these paths and near any obvious holes. We had three cats who loved watching the mice.....

Bait the trap/s with Mars bars, they love it

Otherwise a good cat

Do your mice do this?

Traps baited with jaffa cake , then get a can of expanding foam and go around the whole of the outside of the house and fill any holes and gaps ........ This did it for us

Peanut butter, cheap traps, and expanding foam did it for me. I still leave the traps loaded, but there seem to be no more. You also need to vacuum, the kitchen floor every day, doesnt take many crumbs to feed a mouse. Also soap and candles, apparently they even eat these. Everyone has candles under the stairs, so hide them properly!

Going to two cat rescue places on Sunday, we're gonna get two cats Really happy about this as we've missed not having a cat for the last 4 years.

Mind you, it'll probably end up like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLIcUOjszw

WARNING - STUPIDLY CUTE ALERT

[Edited on 13/7/12 by Jasper]

It's a stupidly adorably kitten but a stupid person who called it a mouse. Quite clearly a young rat....

We had a mouse in our kitchen at work. We only found on when we notice a pong in there. Little thing had make a little nest using paper from our shredder in the cavity near the compressor pump on the fridge. Was probably quite nice too (if a bit noisy). Shame it decided to see what mains cable insulation tasted off. Shockingly bad idea

They can be quite clever.. took me a while to figure out why I wasnt catching them... you need traps with hair triggers

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Originally posted by coozer
They can be quite clever.. took me a while to figure out why I wasnt catching them... you need traps with hair triggers

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