Topic: Mice

[adam04]

i have before now had mice in my shed and have now got rid of them i think.  however i know there will be some about somehwere. i was going to put a trap down as in one of those that the mouse goes in and eats the poison etc,

However dont want to buy one, i have lots of poison, so just need something that the poison can be in where the mouse will go. anyone got any ideas?

[tim]

For the sake of a few pence, you could save the mouses a lot of suffering?

[adam04]

the mice have to go. they are going into the houses and are being killed by the council.

have caught two in traps already and one dint work properly and so it was walking roud with a trap on its neck most of last night, it was killed this morning.

Mice are vermin according to the council and so have to be killed.

[tim]

Do agree - but I have never known the new(ish) plastic self-baited traps fail.

[TEL]

This mouse is ready for you

[Robert_Brenchley]

The plastic ones are great till they catch a rat. Then it walks off with the trap attached. That's why I gave up using them.

[Palustris]

If you really must, then an old fashioned wide mouthed milk bottle or similar. Put the poison in the bottle, lay the bottle on its side, so it cannot roll. Fix a ramp up to the mouth. Mice climb in, but because of the slope cannot get out. Booobooom.

[tim]

Rats, Robert? Hadn't thought of that. I've only used them in the domestic situation.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I used them in my shed, and they all disappeared in the end. I've found the occasional one with a bit of rat in it, that's how I know what was happening.

[Icyberjunkie]

Adam,  if there is no other option than just about any container will do - years and years ago when I used to work on a duck farm the rat and mouse toxin (in grain form) was simply left sitting in upturned lids fo jam jars etc!   

I would suggest using something similar but covering with a length of guttering or similar to prevent hedgehogs or other wildlife getting it.  You could also do similar by cutting the bottom off an empty food tin and flattening it off to stop it rolling.

[moonbells]

Why not use a slug beer trap, one of the ones with a roof on? Then in summer when you've got shot of the mice, you'll be able to use it for them too!

Have to admit that when I lived in a (student) house with endemic mice,  the plastic humane traps were fantastically good at catching the beggars.  The only snag was where to let them go...  since we'd had no luck in complaining to the accommodation office, one of the others parcelled up a trap complete with caught mouse and took it into college.  Apparently the staff clustered round saying 'how cute!' until my flatmate started to lift up the trapdoor to let the mouse out...

Pest control arrived the following day to bait the cellar.

(Didn't stop us using the humane traps - there were quite a lot of annoyed but living mice relocated into the college grounds or the local park that term!)

moonbells

[the_snail]

Humane traps are great but you need to check them EVERY day or they become inhumane traps. It it is in the shed on your plot I would not worry. I have thousands of the blighters and it dont bother me. If it where rats then it is a different matter.

My only other advice would be is to put some cat food down. Try and get the local cats interested. But keep that poison away from them!

The_Snail

[timmyc]

I've had mice and Squirrels in my bedroom! Mice were quite easy to deal with - except when you wake up and the first thing you see is a mouse looking at you - less fun was the squirrel I found sat on my bed just when I'd had a bath after a game of football (half an hour later and one large container with lid later) I caught the little blighter but then had to decide what to do with it - the thought of killing it with my hands didn't appeal so I put holes in the lid and drove it for about 1/2 hour before releasing it in woodland.

[lorna]

 Tel. every time I look at that pic I crack up, my sense of humour I suppose.


timmyc. Hope I don't have nightmares tonight. When we had pigs the occasional rat or the mice in the buildings didn't worry me but  workmen had been doing some work in a neighbours loft (lots of banging) and suddenly I got mice in the house. Apparently the lofts join up across the terrace. They came down from an old central heating pipe. I caught three and then filled in the hole, never had any since. UGH.

[Robert_Brenchley]

There are worse things. Not long after we got married some racist bastard started dropping cockroaches through the letterbox. It went on regularly for months, and they were always females with egg cases, so we soon had them all over the house.

[lorna]

Robert. Like we have said many times on this site... What sort of people do we have living amongst us. Although nothing as bad as your experience we have a family living two streets away. The woman passes my bungalow with four kids in tow, you can hear her swearing at them even over my music I am listening to. The kids also use the same language. The other day I happened to go round the side of the bungalow and one of her kids (about 10) was cutting the rope which goes through the posts. I called out to him, she didn't bat an eyelid!!! When I say swearing... I mean swearing!! What hope for the kids?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pity the teachers who have to deal with them!

[lorna]

Robert Exactly, couldn't agree more. Late husbands Niece and her husband both teach in Malvern. I think Carole retires next year. They often say that teaching just doesn't  give the pleasure that it did a few years ago.