I have an unwelcome house guest

[Dan B]

Having tried three kinds of trap and two kinds of poison, my best results were produced by half-filling a mop bucket with water and putting it on the floor at the end of the counter top that I thought the mice were running along. Scamper scamper scamper leap splosh squeak gulp gulp.

They can't swim and don't take long to drown, but be sure you fill it deep enough that they can't stand on the bottom otherwise it's a slow and probably painful (also very squeaky) death

As for the traps, one bait seemed pretty much as good as any other - we mostly tried peanut butter and chocolate and bits of chinese takeaway, but found just as many mice in unbaited traps who seemed to have run straight into them by not paying attention to where they were going.

They seemed pretty uninterested in the poison - levels in the bait tray didn't noticeably diminish in the time we left them out

The electric trap caught one mouse only. Probably wouldn't bother with that again.

 

[dellzeqq]

Sod the humane trap, just get a standard trap and a jar of peanut butter - put it against the wall where the mouse will run.

and set the video camera. They do jump around a bit.

I used the standard trap for the first time in many years at my mother's house last month. First night - snap!

 

[slowmotion]

Best thing for rats in the garden?

...leave a large dead animal lying around?

 

[vernon]

Don't forget to re-set the traps after each kill until you go a week or so without a kill.

 

[Plax]

Eeeew to some of the replies.
I've got a humane trap now so will see how that goes to begin with. I'm wondering if it's living in the attic and inadvertantly found it's way into the airing cuboard through the hole the wires go into the ceiling. I have seen no signs of activity since I had a spring clean of the airing cupboard. Maybe nibbling my tesco value soap was too much for it to deal with!

EDIT - if it appears that they humane trap isn't working despite further signs of mouse activity I shall go the trap route, although I'll probably have to get my dad or Mr Plax to dispose of the remains. My dad probably as Mr Plax is a bit of a girly girl when it comes to things like that (I really am a girl so can get away with it).

 

[Dan B]

Oh, and if you want to fill holes so they really can't get through, wire wool is the stuff to use

 

[laurence]

i have mice in my flat - they're in the freezer...

yummm

 

[slowmotion]

If you get this type of trap...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Advanced-mouse-trap-now-graded/dp/B000T5N0JE

...you don't have to put your fingers near the "late departed". There is one bar that squashes the wee beastie, and another one for setting the trigger mechanism. Just pull the bar over the loo, and flush him away. Easy.

Good luck.

 

[Over The Hill]

I dont go with poison - nasty stuff and a horrid end for the vermin - plus the food chain issue and rotting mice in your house.
Live traps - Less success. Not so good at getting mice in the thing and then they often die trying to get out or overheating in the trap. So I think they are more cruel than the splat trap.
Splat trap- usually it is over in an instant for the mouse so I think on balance the least cruel option.
I set them up in a shoe box with holes cut in two opposite sides. Chocolate spread seems best as bait but only put a tiny wipe of it on the trap so they get right in there.
Then just put the whole box in the bin if you dont want to look at the thing.
The above is from getting mice in my house for 20 years off and on.

 

[TimO]

When baiting the traps, don't bother with cheese. Cheese as a bait is a bit of an urban myth, inspired by too many cartoons. Mice won't eat cheese unless desperate, and will probably die of the dietary complications it causes! They're much more likely to go for things like fruit and nut chocolate bar, fruit cake etc Placement of the trap is also important, you need it along the edge of a wall, preferably somewhere that you know they've been running along.

Cats can work, but you need one who is a good ratter, and well fed. Starving a cat doesn't make it work any better, the best ratters have been healthy and on a good diet. Talisker doesn't bring anything home to me, whatever he catches supplements his diet! I know he catches stuff, he's managed to loose control of a pigeon in the house, and has been seen wandering around with a squirrel in his mouth, but he's only ever tried to bring them into the house when he doesn't think anyone is in! The moment he realises he's not alone, he buggers back off out.

 

[ChrisKH]

I had a mouse in the garage recently. Chocolate and corned beef were eaten with relish, but the mouse was cunning enough not to set off the trap. Cheese did the trick. Or perhaps I just got lucky.

 

[tyred]

Cheaper than buying poison. Smash a bottle or glass and using the ball of a hammer grind the glass into a dust, in the meantime take a spoonful of fat from a frying pan and then mix the two together, place the mixture on a piece of card and leave it where you think the mice may be. Apparently once the mice have digested the fat, the glass dust then gets to work and ruptures their stomach. It may take a couple of days to work but its worked for me in the past.

If you want to go down that road, mix some barley or oats with hardwall powder and it will set in their stomachs after they've had a drink.

A good terrier is also good for rats.

 

[Bman]

Best thing for rats in the garden?

An air gun with properly adjusted sights and a good shot. The most humane option IMO

 

[Plax]

Well, it's a bit of an anti-climax but my mouse isn't coming out to play. I'm wondering if the excessive use of talcum powder has anything to do with it. I've sprinkled it all over the floorboards in the airing cupboard to see if it reveals little foot prints anywhere. Not a sausage. Every time I open the airing cupboard I get a big waft of talcum powder so I suppose that's enough to encourage a mouse to move out. I suspect it has gone into the attic where I'm presuming it originated from.

Anyone dealt with mice in the attic? I've not heard any tell tale signs of scratching in the ceilings and it's a bit of a faff trying to get into the loft as it has been insulated to kingdom come and I'm afraid I'll fall through the ceiling if I try to go anywhere further than the hatch as I can't see where the rafters are anymore.