Need to catch a mouse!

[Clunk]

While they were laying some laminate floor in the kitchen, the blokes forgot to put the step back together properly and left a half inch gap under the back door....to cut a long story short, I was stood in the kitchen and I saw a mouse come in under the back door. Ive mended the step, but either, it has moved in permanently, or it is getting in another way.

This mouse is clever. I have laid the humane type traps, but it doesnt go near. I have made a large trap out of a plastic bin and it didnt bother with that either.

Cats are out of the question as Im allergic to them.

I dont really want to resort to poison as I have a dog, so before I call out Rentokil, does anyone have any good ideas for catching the little barsteward?

Thanks

[MadduckUK]

[Clunk]

Thats the one I rigged up with a plastic bin...Ive tried baiting the traps with chocolate (kit kat, thorntons, chocolate orange, chocolate digestives), almonds, biscuits, crackers....I really do think that this mouse is having a larf!

[JPreston]

You will catch them with a smear of peanut butter in one of these:

http://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/a...ftincat%2ehtml

...then drive to work or somewhere and let them out miles from home, in the knowledge that Linda McCartney is smiling down from heaven upon your humanity.

It will be a battle of man versus beast to figure out where they are coming in, they are very ingenious, and apparently can fit through any hole big enough to poke a pencil into. When you find it, you need to fill the gap up with that expanding foam in a can, apparently mice never chew through that (at least we've kept them out for years with it). If you like you can make double sure with one of the ultrasonic/electromagnetic plug-in repellers from the same site above.

You don't have an infestation - if you did, you would be finding shedloads of droppings, not just the odd one - so won't need rentokil or poison. I think they just like to find somewhere warm once the cold starts to set in, but between the foam and the repeller they can be easily encouraged to go next door instead .

[Nick]

You need to leave any traps alone for a few days but visually check them regularly... ie, don't touch them.

Mice are creatures of habit. They will follow the same paths at roughly the same times... so bait along the runs but expect the mouse to be wary of any traps for at least a couple of days.

Contrary to popular belief, mice don't go for cheese... try sugary, fatty foods. Chocolate, sweet pastry etc.

Finally, remove all other possible sources of food. The mouse ain't gonna go in your trap if it's not hungry.

Failing that, other tried and tested mousing methods include a frying pan, a fire poker, painting a mousehole on the side of an anvil, dipping yourself in invisible ink, pretending to be a friendly duck by stuffing some feathers on your head and waddling about and finally getting the mouse drunk before using it as a golf ball.

Be sure to avoid the Southern Carolina housemaid in her skippers and wrinkled stockings though.

Oh, and watch out for ironing boards in cupboards, garden rakes, firecrackers, dynamite, shotguns and large bulldogs called 'Spike'.

Hope this helps!

[GoNz0]

get some proper traps, lay em down the side of the cooker and fridge, along the skirting boards where the critters liable on running.

[kickstart 1]

Thing is if you call in Rentokill all they will do is put poison down. I had same problem few years ago and where there is one mouse , there's plenty more in hiding! I ended up getting poison (i also have dogs) but i got some little boxes specially made to put it in , thing is you still have to put them where your dogs cant get,like behind the fridge or in bottom of cupboards ,under sink (take it the mice are in your kitchen ? )

[Clunk]

You will catch them with a smear of peanut butter in one of these:

http://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/a...ftincat%2ehtml

...then drive to work or somewhere and let them out miles from home, in the knowledge that Linda McCartney is smiling down from heaven upon your humanity.

It will be a battle of man versus beast to figure out where they are coming in, they are very ingenious, and apparently can fit through any hole big enough to poke a pencil into. When you find it, you need to fill the gap up with that expanding foam in a can, apparently mice never chew through that (at least we've kept them out for years with it). If you like you can make double sure with one of the ultrasonic/electromagnetic plug-in repellers from the same site above.

You don't have an infestation - if you did, you would be finding shedloads of droppings, not just the odd one - so won't need rentokil or poison. I think they just like to find somewhere warm once the cold starts to set in, but between the foam and the repeller they can be easily encouraged to go next door instead .

I was wondering about those ultrasonic things, but didnt know if it would send my dog even more daft

Peanut butter is a great idea, cheers

You need to leave any traps alone for a few days but visually check them regularly... ie, don't touch them.

Mice are creatures of habit. They will follow the same paths at roughly the same times... so bait along the runs but expect the mouse to be wary of any traps for at least a couple of days.

Contrary to popular belief, mice don't go for cheese... try sugary, fatty foods. Chocolate, sweet pastry etc.

Finally, remove all other possible sources of food. The mouse ain't gonna go in your trap if it's not hungry.

Failing that, other tried and tested mousing methods include a frying pan, a fire poker, painting a mousehole on the side of an anvil, dipping yourself in invisible ink, pretending to be a friendly duck by stuffing some feathers on your head and waddling about and finally getting the mouse drunk before using it as a golf ball.

Be sure to avoid the Southern Carolina housemaid in her skippers and wrinkled stockings though.

Oh, and watch out for ironing boards in cupboards, garden rakes, firecrackers, dynamite, shotguns and large bulldogs called 'Spike'.

Hope this helps!

its funny you should mention the ironing board in the cupboard, not heavy, but doesnt half hurt.

get some proper traps, lay em down the side of the cooker and fridge, along the skirting boards where the critters liable on running.

Looks like I may have to do that, but I didnt do that because of the dog getting them.

[Clunk]

Thing is if you call in Rentokill all they will do is put poison down. I had same problem few years ago and where there is one mouse , there's plenty more in hiding! I ended up getting poison (i also have dogs) but i got some little boxes specially made to put it in , thing is you still have to put them where your dogs cant get,like behind the fridge or in bottom of cupboards ,under sink (take it the mice are in your kitchen ? )

And did the poison do the trick?..if so, how long did it take? The main worry with my dog is that she will get a dying mouse thats been poisoned and chew it up, not ideal for all parties.

[GoNz0]

trust me, the dog will only sniff the traps once

[Stewart]

Thats the one I rigged up with a plastic bin...Ive tried baiting the traps with chocolate (kit kat, thorntons, chocolate orange, chocolate digestives), almonds, biscuits, crackers....I really do think that this mouse is having a larf!

Ferrero Roche to catch a mouse, every time.

[JPreston]

I was wondering about those ultrasonic things, but didnt know if it would send my dog even more daft ...

I think they are safe for all domestic animals, except pet rodents obviously. TBH maybe I wouldn't bother with it if I knew then what I know now; once I blocked the hole with the foam (I had to dismantle all the kitchen cupboards to find it , they had gnawed through the plasterboard boxing-off where the waste pipe goes under the house) there was not a single hint of mouse from that day on

[nichomach]

The allergy thing is unfortunate; we haven't had a mouse problem since we got Arthur...10 confirmed kills, 8 captures and a probable.

[ACiD303]

I managed to get rid of a recent infestation - loads of the little buggers. They didn't seem to care much about my presense unless I made a major movement - otherwise they were quite happy to crawl across my work desk and sniff about for crumbs.

I got fed up with chasing them back to where they came from though, so I went to B&Q and got some foam filler, chased them around to see where they were all coming from and plugged them.

I put away anything that could be constituted as food-ready-for-mice - this included putting crisps into a bread bin, and emptying packets of biscuits into tubs of tupperware.

Then I set a trap.......


....the trap is still there

Oh yeah, I was eventually advised against the ultrasonic things (I was planning on getting one too).....apparently they only work on mice that haven't yet adapted . . .otherwise they will just come back even the ones that alternate frequencies often.

Best thing is not to give them a reason to come walking into your house. Even if it's cold, they'd prefer somewhere where there's food.

[Gerrard]

Cats biscuits seem to work as well, but that might have something to do with the convenient location of them (ie, in the cat's bowl on the floor!).
Seriously, my dad has 3 cats and I watched this mouse come in from the cellar, go across the kitchen floor and sit in the cat's bowl eating their biscuits. One of the cats happened to walk in and decided just to sit there and watch the damn thing! Even when the mouse ran past, the cat didn't move or chase after it. Probably too well fed to care, but would have been pleasantly surprised to find a biscuit stuffed mouse!

If you happen to be seeing it often, we've found a kid's fishing net quite good at trapping them manually. As well as birds, shrews etc.. Luckily, the baby rabbit they managed to catch was too big to get through the cat flap...

[LWA]

Failing that, other tried and tested mousing methods include a frying pan, a fire poker, painting a mouse hole on the side of an anvil, dipping yourself in invisible ink, pretending to be a friendly duck by stuffing some feathers on your head and waddling about and finally getting the mouse drunk before using it as a golf ball.

Genius to be honest.

/Off topic:

I was trying to find a 'I Lolled' picture when I came across this!: