Mouse Problem

[Alliegid]

We live in the middle of a terrace of houses and are woken up each night/morning by the sound of scrabbling mice YUK! We have tried traps (10 of them at present, with a variety of baits! and poison) but have caught nothing

I have found no "evidence" of them - just woken up by the scrabbling. There is no food or crumbs upstairs at all and I have looked very carefully (girl needs a hobby!) If they just basically run through our house - presumably in the skirting boards or under the floor, how can I get rid of them? This has gone on for weeks now.

Nothing is gnawed, though I did actually see one weeks ago.

Help much appreciated

[smurfchops]

Could it be squirrels making a nest in the loft ?

[Alliegid]

It is not in the loft - we have a loft conversion.

Hubby thinks it is under the bed (skirting board) I think that it sounds to be behind book cases - again in the skirting board.

Don't know how to get to them, short of removing up the boards.

Neighbours haven't noticed a problem, but they are elderly and may not be as aware.

[society]

Gets a few cats, Allie.

[granny grump]

My sister had a similar problem and wa over run - sorry

She rang the council - not sure if there was a charge - and they did help. He thought they were coming in from next door who weren't as fussy as she was about cleaning. One of the tips he gave her was to jam wire wool - I suppose brillo pads might do - into any holes in the skirting board. It took quite a while but she did get it sorted She has a cat who couldn't cope with them

Good luck Alliegid - hope that you get it sorted it must be awful

[Alliegid]

Thanks for responses one and all :o)

I think that it will have to be a call to the council - I need my beauty sleep - sleeping with one eye open isn't too restful!

[brenda]

Could you borrow a cat to have a sleep over for a week or so.

[Alliegid]

Thanks for suggestion - got to say that I really don't like cats - more of a doggy person :o)

[prendi]

we caught 4 on one piece of a sticky card in our garden shed,it seems cruel but it got rid of them,we got them from t j hughes store for a quid .

[Alliegid]

Wow! - was it just general sticky card or specially for catching vermin?

[prendi]

it was especially for vermin,we also caught a lot of wood lice and spiders too!!

[scotman]

You mention traps and poison; did you ever find any in the traps and was the poison being eaten? Where did you place the poison and traps?

[DEN53]

Have a good look outside your property to see if there are any broken air bricks etc which could be a point of entry. Check every little space you think they could be coming inside (even where the radiator pipe comes up from the floor).

We had a problem with mice when we moved into our bungalow 4 years ago. In the end my hubby pulled out the kitchen sink and cupboards and found thats where they were coming in. We broke some glass up and placed it under the floorboards and then sealed all around the edges of the floorboards with aluminium plate.

We have had no more problems, but I still keep a trap in an unused cupboard under the sink, just in case.

[Mr Veritas]

Are you absolutely sure that this is not a plumbing problem?
Pipes can make the weirdest of noises.

[blackcat77]

Sounds exactly like we had, and they were getting in a small hole from outside where the wase pipes came out of the sink, and kept appearing upstairs! The cat was useless, she sat under the bed for a long time and sulked! we rang the council who sent the pest man out free, and he put down poison and said make sure that any food is in the overhead cupboards rather than the lower ones. We've had to have him twice, but seems to have solved the problem.

[Alliegid]

I've baited the traps with chocolate, cheese, nuts and peanut butter and put them at various points along the carpet and beside cupboard of the bedroom wall which I think they run through the skirting board of (does that make sense?) It is the front wall of the house.

I wondered about the plumbing, but believe me over the weeks I have learn't to differentiate between the various noises the house makes. The central heating clicks on at 5.30am and the scrabbling is well before that!

As we live in a terrace, I think that they may use our house as a run to get from one side of the terrace to the other.Don't get me wrong the neighbours are very house proud! I've never found anything gnawed or eaten, even down in the kitchen. It is as if they just run through, in the skirting boards - I presume that there may be gaps in the brickwork behind the skirting boards.

Thanks for many & varied suggestions :o)