Forum Topic

anyone got a good mouse catcher to rent?

We've got 'a' mouse in the house. (Apparently Putney is rife with them, according to Robert Dyas). We tried humane traps, but they don't work, and we were advised that we need to kill them to prevent the spread of disease, plus they spreading like wildfire. We've got proper traps out, with peanut butter and chocolate, but this 'mouse' seems adept at eating the bait and not setting off the traps. What can we do? Has someone got a good mouse catching cat? I'm told that thinking we've got just the one is a joke. One means several. Any suggestions? We've got friends with a baby coming to stay and I really don't want any vermin in the house. Never had them before, and I don't know why or where they're coming from. Someone said it's all the rain we've had. Help!

Alison Fraser ● 4231d20 Comments

If you have a mouse infestation I highly recommend you contact the Mouse Man 07979 462600.

Sarah Roberts ● 2638d

Going back to Alison's original post.I've lived here since 1973 and never saw a mouse in my house....until last year when my next door neighbour had major building works done.  Now this may just be a coincidence but I don't think so. I also don't equate lots of rain as being the cause of hordes of mice in Putney either, we've had lots of rain many times before.  It's more likely in my opinion to be the proliferation of building works going on which disturbs the creatures and drives them elsewhere.I have 2 cats but I wouldn't let them capture and torture it so I trapped the mouse in a room they couldn't get into and tried the humane trap option. Unfortunately Mr Mouse treated it with contempt and totally ignored the various tasty treats I tried to tempt him with.  So I bought two electronic mice repellents from Amazon and these seem to have done the trick. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071RB7P4L?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Sue Hammond ● 2638d

Has anyone used an outside company to find points of entry.? Any recommendations gratefully received.Thanks

Britha Parekh ● 2638d

I hope Rose and anybody else considering using glue boards are aware that mice will actually rip their own skin off in their struggle to get off them. No living creature should be subjected to such cruelty.

Sue Hammond ● 4213d

The simple fact is that the glue traps are the only things that work apart from some breeds of dog and the rare, really good mouser which most cats are not.  If you decide to use glue traps then inspect them as often as you can.  That means very couple of hours if you can, so that suffering is minimised.  If you catch a mouse you will have to dispose of it as quickly and humanely as you can.  If you are squeamish then you will have to take the mouse and trap at least a mile from your house and dribble some oil on it which will release it.  However realistically a mouse infestation will involve several mice caught over several days and this may not be possible.For those that consider glue traps too cruel - well, if you are vigilant about not leaving mice stuck on them for hours before destroying them, then it should be far more humane than a poison that will cause a long, lingering death.

Rose Compton ● 4213d

Seriously, borrow a terrier.  Not only will the mice smell it, but it will track their nest down very quickly and bark loudly at the spot, then you will know where to put the poison - unpleasant I know, but less cruel than most methods.  Our infestation was a nightmare, they chewed into our sofa and through electric cables.  Good luck.

Chantal Blake-Milton ● 4215d

I have a smelly cat bed you can borrow.  Mice are supposed to smell the cat and go somewhere else - probably next door.  Email me if you are interested.

Charlotte Wainwright ● 4216d

We have a mouse too, and I read this thread with interest. So far the mouse is winning in our house! Has set traps off, eaten the bait, not been caught. Even moved the trap out of the way! Avoids the humane traps too. We bought the sonic alarm things, but it wanders past it, quite relaxed. We found someone had left a kit kat on a shelf, underneath some papers, and boy, the mouse likes that! Has eaten most of it. Tried putting some of that on a trap, but that hasn't worked either. No food anywhere left out now. (You may notice that I use the singular - personally prefer that to the thought that there might be more than one of them wandering about. Although 'it' seems to be only on one floor and can't find traces elsewhere.) Not sure what to try next........I've found a corner of a room where some carpet has been chewed through and that must be where he's coming from, but don't want to seal it up yet until I know whether he's in the house or not. Maybe we'll have to get some poison after all, although that's more cruel to me. But I want rid of them!

Sam Curtis ● 4216d

Glue boards are cruel, as you say, the old-fashioned spring action traps are "kinder".  Forget cheese, put a soft-centre chocolate on the spot - mice love them.Borrow a Yorkshire terrier for the day.  These much maligned creatures were actually bred specifically to keep rats and mice down in the Northern textile mills, and are highly effective micers.  If nothing else, they will sniff out where the mice are and bark at them loudly.  Any terrier is better than the average domestic cat.  The best bet is to put trays of poison down, which lower the blood temperature and so mouse goes off to die somewhere warm.  The pong is dreadful, but it is the only way to get rid of mice effectively (sorry Sue).  Blocking holes can help, but they will pop out somewhere else, usually the hole by a radiator pipe in the skirting board.  We had an infestation in Fulham many years ago, they shredded rugs, baskets, and gnawed their way into our sofa.  Hide all cereals and bread.  If visiting baby eats baby rice, hide that too.  Rentokil can help, but cheaper to buy your own trays of blue pellets from Robert Dyas.  Good luck!

Chantal Blake-Milton ● 4230d

Never heard of glue boards and don't think I could use them. They sound too cruel. As does poison. The ones that break their necks instantly seem far more humane, if that isn't a dicotomy! I spoke to someone today who said that, by pure accident, he'd seen a mouse killed in a trap, and that it was instantaneous. Snap, and that was it. So I'm afraid that's the route I'll go. Never heard of green wheat poison either. But think that's a bit nasty too. But thanks for the ideas! We'll keep you posted.....

Alison Fraser ● 4230d

We used to get occasional mouse attacks in our old house and (Sue will hate me for this) used a 4 pronged attack.  Fill as many skirting gaps etc as possible with wire wool, and where we then found evidence of activity (by droppings) set wire break back and/or glue boards (big cheese do both and you can get them online) baited with chocolate or peanut butter.  This was coupled with trays of green wheat poison (rentokil I think ) under the floor boards (we could access from the cellar) and under kitchen cupboards.  Usually took a week or two to get rid of an attack, and you usually knew when they were finally gone when you stopped having to fill the poison trays.Haven't had any in the new place, but would probably also try the luminous mouse powder you can now get to work out where best to set traps - apparently mice very much follow defined routes.

Nick Parker ● 4231d

Our house was mouse free until we got a cat. Dear old (departed) Tom used to bring them in for his nocturnal entertainment and quite often one escaped. To this day we have mice in the garage who nibble open the rubbish bags and leave little droppings. As long as they stay in the garage I don't have a major issue with them.

Simon Knight ● 4231d

Glue boards are the cruellest method of all and I'm really shocked they are still being sold, and even more shocked that anyone would use them. -:(

Sue Hammond ● 4231d

Fill holes with wire wool there unable to chew through it.

Barbara Stevens ● 4231d

We've had serious mouse problems in the past. The glue board is cruel but very effective and gets them every time!  Alll the traps I've had from Robert days were useless. Most effective was the big blue coloured blocks of bait industrial type that my father in law got us. They did the trick!!

Nick Gulliford ● 4231d

Leave the poor things alone. Break back traps (how disgusting!) and poisons etc are all cruel methods, plus you are left with a corpse to dispose of. I am sure your little mouse will go back into hiding when the builders have gone but in the absence of a puss on loan why don't you try this device? http://www.greenshield.com/at-home/green-shield-at-home.html

Sue Hammond ● 4231d

Thanks! Traps : the new ones from Dyas are dinky little plastic things. We know they work because we caught one, but suspect that word spread amongst the beasties and they now avoid them. Will try leaving them unset for a couple of days with bait nearby so they get used to them and then see what happens. I really don't  like having them in the house! Builders are next door and two doors away, so maybe they disturbed them. Also heard that the excessive rain has moved them indoors.

Alison Fraser ● 4231d

A regular tip, which I have seen, is to bait the traps, but leave them unset, so that the mice can get used to them for a few days. Then set them.And mind out with those hair-trigger traps. I have used one repeatedly successfully, but the catch has now worn and fingers have been endangered!  Anyhow, I have read that having mice means that you don't have rats. Always look on the bright side of life ...

David Ainsworth ● 4231d

Break-back traps are good, especially if baited with peanut butter, but you really need to set them on a hair-trigger, particularly for a small or baby mouse.Our cat hasn't had much luck with mouse catching in our kitchen, because the mice have been able to stay hidden within the cupboards.What also helped was tracking down the holes they were using to come up from the underfloor space, and blocking them off.I wouldn't worry too much about the baby - most houses have mice, and babies turn out fine. Babies get their own food, so there won't be any chance of 'mouse germs' affecting one.

Sean Hodges ● 4231d

Have you tried the plug in one gives off an electronic sound so they should scurry away. If builders are working in houses near you it sometimes disturbs them.

Barbara Stevens ● 4231d