Might have mice in the house - what to do?

[wobblygob 10]

My sister had a problem with mice (development not far from her house), she got rid of them eventually but one of those electric things hae worked to keep them out, there's still a problem in her road but not in her house now =)

They seem to keep mice out but if you have them already, it keeps them in.

 

I've been using those electric repellent plug ins for the last couple of years but now it seems the mice are back. I've read somewhere that eventually mice get used to the noise and don't notice it so when that happens how do you get rid of them?

[Grandad.Malky 11]

For your lass or the mice?

 

Or the cat

[nikita 10]

We had them a couple of years ago from empty house next door messed about for weeks with traps and repellents, believe me the only thing that works is poison ,you can see it dissapearing then all of a sudden it stops,I think they went back next door to die because we never saw them again or smelt anything.

[Agent Orange 11]

I think there is a very good chance that we have got mice in our house.

 

We cannot find many signs like loads of droppings / sightings / sounds etc... But I have found what COULD be some droppings.

 

The main give away is our cat....

 

In the past 2 days she has walked into the bedroom with a mouse, dead in her mouth. And then this morning I came into living room, had a look around and saw a big dead mouse in the corner of the room which she must have killed in the night.

 

I quickly brought it to her attention and she grabbed it and ran outside.

 

 

Now, if we do have a problem its a recent one and i want to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.

 

We live close to some woods, and the house is pretty big so I cant literally block every possible entrance into the house, it would be impossible.

 

The cat is doing what she can, but I want to do more.

 

Anyone got any advise / tips?

 

If you are not finding too many droppings then I guarantee you don't have a mice problem. If there were mice residing, you would definitely know about it. Chances are, these are field mice coming in on the odd occasional. Used to happen at my old property.

 

Unless you solve the entrance issue, traps and poison won't solve the problem.

[zippy 10]

engage the services of a pest controller, human or feline it's yourchoice, but cats are generally cheaper and make for better company than some of the human pest controllers i've met.

[Nagel 10]

Surely the mice won't last long in a house with a cat?

[morecamberox 10]

As an earlier poster said, you will know if you you have an infestation problem, or regular visitors, at least. You can find out by checking under and behind household items which don't get moved very often, such as the microwave, cooker and fridge, as food debris can often accumulate here, and mice can access it without being seen by people or cats. Check at the very back of food cupboards as well. If there is a problem, the droppings will be very obvious- they're very much like black grains of rice, soft when fresh, quite hard when old; mice also leave a very distinctive smell if they're visiting frequently. The cat will probably be spending a lot of her time in this area as well, sitting very still and alert, listening for scuttling sounds.

 

Before we had our kitchen rebuilt, we had mice coming into the kitchen regularly. They were getting in through the gap around the washing machine outfall pipe, where the filler had degraded. They were able to make runs under the old cupboards, and the cat had only partial success in catching them, since they spent most of their time out of her reach. I wouldn't necessarily suggest rebuilding the kitchen, but you should then check for small gaps/cracks in the external walls, and get them filled properly. Don't just check at ground level, since mice are good at climbing.

 

If you can't find any fresh droppings, then you can blame the cat for fetching them in!

[helhol 11]

my kids 2 cats were always bringing mice in, dead, alive and inbetween and putting them on their beds lol, as we had a cat flap. we came back off holiday and my daughters cat had left bits of one on her bedroom floor as a pressie. get mouse traps from wilkos they're very cheap to buy and put them behind cooker , washer etc but dont put cheese on it, they like chocolate, peanut butter etc. that will solve the problem as if you poison them the cat might eat them and be really ill, good luck ps, a mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a pen apparently

[poppet2 13]

Mice hate wire wool. If you can find the opening where they come in, place this in the hole.

[DerbyTup 10]

Put some sheets of plastic down by the doors, windows or anywhere else you think the mice could be coming in and cover the sheets with a thin layer of powder (flour etc) before you or your gf goes to bed. If they are coming in you will see paw prints!

 

but first, put a thin layer of superglue on the plastic sheet before sprinkling it with powder. If they are coming in you will not only see paw prints but you'll have the mouse there, fixed permanently to the sheet.

[sarayaleigh 10]

The possibility of the cat bringing them in has crossed my mind.

 

Shes a big hunter. Birds, mice, anything she can.

 

She doesnt just kill them either, she eats them, whole

 

But yes it is a possibility shes bringing them in.

 

I guess I will have to keep an eye on the situation, look out for droppings / more evidence and see what happens.

 

The reason im trying to deal with it is my gf. I work night shifts and its the most annoying thing in the world getting a call at midnight of her screaming like a baby because the cat has a dead mouse.

 

Anyone know if those electronic repellent things work?

they are an absolute waste of money i had a friend who spent pounds on them .....still had mice .

[Grandad.Malky 11]

My son went to get his work boots out of the shed and one was full of grass and loads of bird nuts …… strange , the day after I found a dead mouse in the shed (obviously doesn’t like nuts).

 

Now when my wife gets her wellies to take the dog for a walk she has to turn them upside down and give them a good shake.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Grandad.Malky