[BaldyBeardyBloke]

The other morning Dylan, our 10 year old, came running out of the bathroom shouting "there's a mouse in the bath"

Turns out he was indeed correct. Quite a cute little grey field mouse was scooting about in the tub unable to escape.

I eventually managed to scoop it up and set it free outside, not without it sinking it's teeth into my fingers a few tmes of course. Can't blame it really, it was doubtless pretty scared.

A couple of days later Paula saw it again scuttering past the fridge into the garage.

I have just noted it yet again staring at me from behind the sofa as I read the forum.

Obviously I don't know whether it's the same mouse, we didn't get on first name terms or exchange phone numbers or anything. I also suspect that mice don't live alone so worried we may have a nest somewhere in the vicinity.

We move out of here in a couple of days so could just ignore it, but probably should do something.

Question is what.

Don't want to kill it/them but any suggestions how mice can be persuaded to move on?

[lockstock]

Probably looking for vegetable peelings! Leave it. Pest control will only kill it and you don't want blood on your hands do you? Failing that, two house bricks should do the job nicely.

[Tia Maria]

Are you in a rental? If so tell the agent.

We've had mice on several occasions, and they wee and pooh everywhere. If the next tenants have young children (or crawling baby), this is obviously an issue for them.

Cheers

Tia

[Kerry and David]

We had mice in the garage last summer, they made a massive mess - chewed through cardboard, fabric etc and there was a nasty wiff.
We did try and catch them in a humane catcher but they were too light and kept coming in to eat the bait and then walk away:laugh
It did come to a sudden end.... haven't had a problem since, I think word got out;)
K

[benandclare]

Being of an agricultural bent it's best to get rid of them soon as :nice1

[StevieD]

Obviously heard of your penchant for vegetables and vegetable games Sam ;)

[marcia]

To stop it going near the food in your pantry, (firstly put things in plastic containers) Also every couple of weeks wipe down your shelves with peppermint oil - this does work - they have such sensitive noses the smell is too strong and they don't go near!

Also beware of your fridge wiring system - we have had loads of problems with ours and the cause - mice - when the repair man took the back off to change the circuit board (which after about 5 visits they decided must be the only thing it could be, as they'd replaced everything else!) loads of what looked like 'hundreds and thousands fell out along with mice droppings!, they had been chewing on the wires. So we now have bait behind the firdge along with a piece of kitchen roll which i keep adding peppermint oil to!!!No nibbles on the bait - so hopefully its working!

They are very cute, but very annoying too!

[Moorf]

We caught 5 with the mouse trap a la blue cheese in one night last week - the cold is bringing them in... we have heaps here... just biff them cos they're not cute for long.

[StevieD]

Moorf you heartless thing :laugh

But I know what you mean they caused havoc in my last place, the freezer was ruined with the same things Marcia suffered.

[kanatakiwi]

they may look cute but they are not clean and they can cause heaps of damage. fridge wiring has been mentioned, but I also know of someone who had the wiring in their car engine chewed. ($350 repair bill) , nests in the attic which resulted in holes being eaten in the wiring and wall boards, another huge repair bill. I try to remember Buddha's thing about caring for every living thing at these moments, but do believe, in Auckland anyway, that where there are mice, there are also rats, and disease is a definite issue then.

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Are you in a rental? If so tell the agent.

We've had mice on several occasions, and they wee and pooh everywhere. If the next tenants have young children (or crawling baby), this is obviously an issue for them.

Cheers

Tia

Must admit, this is my main concern. As I said we leave here on Monday (yes it's a rental) but it's a 4 bed place so chances are the next tenants will have kids.

For the same reason we got the agent to remove a wasps nest from the garden. Wasps will be dying off soon anyway, but they would have probably returned next summer and they were the really big hornet style ones.

Will tell the agents and let them deal with it once we've left.

[slider]

Also every couple of weeks wipe down your shelves with peppermint oil - this does work - they have such sensitive noses the smell is too strong and they don't go near!QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kanatakiwi;199845]they may look cute but they are not clean and they can cause heaps of damage. fridge wiring has been mentioned, but I also know of someone who had the wiring in their car engine chewed. ($350 repair bill) , nests in the attic which resulted in holes being eaten in the wiring and wall boards, another huge repair bill.



I had this problem with a car.:( I first noticed because the mouse consumed a full packet of Trebor Extra Strong Mints in 1 night (perhaps it's a local taste thing marcia). After a second pac was chewed at I stopped leaving mints in the car. I did eventually track down a nest in the wiring loom above the steering column. They did seem to have a particular liking for ignition leads.

Now I've just got to figure out how this multi-post malarkey works :confused:

[Ojai]

I have biffed three in the last week alone with my traps. Peanut butter works for me.

I don't feel so bad trapping them as they really shouldn't be here anyway!

[Sam B]

We used to use humane traps in the UK, where we were overrun. Nutella works very well.

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Human traps, they must be huge!

Blimey, did you catch any.

Oh, sorry (again). Must be the chillies in the curry I just ate affecting my Brian.

Yes, that's a deliberate mis-spell.

Little miss spell, sounds like Roger Hargreaves has been match making for Paul Daniels.

[thejoz]

People think it's cruel to have them destroyed but what you have to remember is that mice are breeding machines! By delaying the inevitable you will only be killing more of them, best to rid your house of them straight away for their sakes as well as yours.

Or

If you really don't want them destroyed you could get a few of the non lethal traps, work at rounding them all up and then drive them out to the country but I think it's still fairly pointless as they just will search out another house to nest in.

I really wouldn't recommend handling them either, they carry diseases, plus there's the risk of a nasty infection from their bite!

[nippa&pippa]

We did try and catch them in a humane catcher but they were too light and kept coming in to eat the bait and then walk away
It did come to a sudden end.... haven't had a problem since, I think word got out
K

Not yet for us, we got two mice and two rat humane trap...they did successful ate the baits without trigger the traps off :laugh

Mice and rats, we got lots of them around with few farms around us, animals, hay and animals feeds. Mice managed to chew lots of stuff that we stored in garage soon after we moved into house while we were unpacking over the period of few weeks including baby car seat, pram and buggy, that make me :mad:

[migratory birds]

...I try to remember Buddha's thing about caring for every living thing at these moments...

Yes, I had a mouse in a previous house once...

Hoped it was celibate :laugh

Turned out it wasn't.

I started seeing mice more often in my kitchen. They got into the insulation in the side of the oven. Every time I heated the oven, I smelled mouse urine. Mmmm, now THAT was nice...

Snap traps worked great, I'm sorry to say...

Live traps can possibly work but then you've got the added chore of relocating them quite far from your home so they don't find a way back in again.

Skip the poison. If the mice eat the poison and a cat eats the mouse (inside your home or outdoors), the cat's a goner (or can get very sick).

[Mels]

big hornet style ones.

.

Uh oh, hate wasps, major mega hate wasps. Had some hornets nesting in our chimney once - they were huuuge.

I had wistfully hoped that although NZ got wasps about 20 years ago - hornets hadn't made it and there weren't any indigeonus (sp) ones.

Do you get many?

Mels

[StevieD]

Little miss spell, sounds like Roger Hargreaves has been match making for Paul Daniels.


Now that's magic :laugh:laugh:laugh:laugh I can still see the Spitting Image puppet of him with the rotating wig....

[StevieD]

Suprised nobody thought of this already :laugh :laugh :laugh

Sorry for the crude mock up but I just had to do this :uhoh

[pinkpiggy]

:laugh :laugh :laugh

Excellent. You've obviously got too much time on your hands at the moment Steve. :nice1

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Ooh, that's a thought. Might dig out Dylan's recorder and give it a go.

Excellent.

[Debbie]

We had a mouse and after 48hr I gave up on the humane traps and went with the snap traps and a little bit of chocolate and that was the end of the mouse....Or so we thought.
6 weeks later the little offspring decided to venture out. So back out with the snap trap and 3 mice and 24hr later we were done.
So top tip:- If you see a mouse remember he's got in-laws and keep the traps down for at least 6 weeks.
I personally wouldn't bother with poison, if you get a good trap and the mouse takes the bait then you can at least dispose of the body. The benefit of snap traps is you don't have to touch the critter at all. I can't get my head around the idea that with poison you are going to have a dead body festering somewhere.:eek:
Debbie

[StevieD]

I think you got it right Paula.. too much time and waking up far too early than is healthy.

[thezorbster]

Love the pic Stevie! Send that piper man down here, we're overrun with the blighters at the moment (plus S can stroke his beard!).Caught 12 in the roof so far and 3 in the kitchen. Peanut butter is a favourite for them!

[lockstock]

Why isn't his wig revolving???

[Carol]

I have a terrible phobia about them - and absolutely HATE this time of the year when they all decide to come visiting...

For me personally - I've found shouting obscenities at them ala Billy Connolly style - works extremely well.

They are scared to death.
I am fully relieved of stress
They run away to the safe smell of the peanut butter in the trap - then die and hubby/son disposes of them.


It's a system that's worked VERY well for us for some time now!
:nice1

I have absolutely no remorse about it either.
yukky little vermin - to put it politely!

[StevieD]

Why isn't his wig revolving???

:laugh :laugh :laugh

[StevieD]

Human traps, they must be huge!

Blimey, did you catch any.

Oh, sorry (again). Must be the chillies in the curry I just ate affecting my Brian.

Yes, that's a deliberate mis-spell.

Little miss spell, sounds like Roger Hargreaves has been match making for Paul Daniels.


Sam, just read your post again, are you on drugs bro ???? :laugh :laugh

[lockstock]

I know where your mouse has gone. It has just been spotted running along our hall:eek: :eek: :eek:

[pinkpiggy]

Oh no! Get that peanut butter out.

[thezorbster]

It's now swam to SI and has been standing on a mousetrap in our kitchen in front of me this afternoon, nibbling peanut butter without the bloomin' trap going off! Can't believe it - been sitting at the kitchen table with littl'un all afternoon and it's been nipping out from it's little hole and each time I've been willing the trap to go off (not that I want to see it happen) but no! I'm sure the blighter's been sticking it's little tongue out at me going 'na, na, na, na na'.

[Carol]

I'm sure the blighter's been sticking it's little tongue out at me going 'na, na, na, na na'.


Try my method.


They really dont like THAT!
lol:cheers

[thezorbster]

Try my method.


They really dont like THAT!
lol:cheers

Would have loved to but sitting happily making spoon puppets and pom pom animals with a 5 yr old did not really lend itself to a Billy Connolly inspired obscenity moment! :D

[Carol]

Would have loved to but sitting happily making spoon puppets and pom pom animals with a 5 yr old did not really lend itself to a Billy Connolly inspired obscenity moment! :D

ahhh yes....perhaps not
lol
:D

[lockstock]

Gone to the great peanut butter jar in the sky;)

[LesleyS]

I was just putting some washing into the machine in the garage when, a little mouse ran out from behind across my slipper and out through the back door aaaarghhhhhh!!!!:exit

[kanatakiwi]

I was just putting some washing into the machine in the garage when, a little mouse ran out from behind across my slipper and out through the back door aaaarghhhhhh!!!!:exit

I remember once opening the door of the dishwasher in the morning (did the dishes at night and left them to air dry) and out scampered two little guys.:(

They were having a drink from the water left at the bottom of the dishwasher! needless to say the dishes all got washed again with the hottest of water!
yuck. ... and sorry to admit it, but the next night I left the trap in the dishwasher and heard it go in the middle of the night. After several nights of this, no more snapping sounds in the middle of the night.
G