OV9

I have a mouse problem in my shed - they've chewed through a few things recently and so I think it's time to deal with the issue.

Anyone got any experience of what works best in terms of traps etc? I'm not necessarily keen to dispatch them if it can be avoided - but if needs must...

I'm separately taking measures to block up any potential ways into the shed, so I'm not worried about them getting back in so much (unless I'm being very naive!) - I suspect they're getting under the door which has a small gap at one end, so I'll sort that before elsewhere. It's brick and concrete so opportunities for entry are limited to either the area around the door, or possibly in via the eaves, which I'd rather not fully block off.

I wouldn’t bother trying to block holes up, they will get in.

We caught a rat in a humane trap and one mouse in one of The Big Cheese branded traps with bait already there.

The blue blocks of poison in a sealed box worked well and I use an ultrasonic device in the garage and that has kept it mouse free.

With ducks and the food about keeping mice out of buildings is a bit of a pain.

Dave!

Do you have a cat ?

I used these with Peanut butter for bait.



I caught 2 or 3 pretty quickly and released them in a nearby field. they stopped after that.

I have also used humane mouse traps with good results - loads of options available - this variety worked for me. Bait was peanut butter, or a slice of a snickers bar. Place trap against a wall or some other "edge" as they tend to follow them - these ones are good as they can enter from 2 sides. Check trap daily, cos if you trap a couple (I had 3 in there one time) and leave it a while, they will start fighting.... to the death if they are sufficiently hungry/thirsty/desperate.

Release them some distance away or they will find their way back. Excellent noses. Internet suggests "minimum 2 miles away".

We have blocks of poison down in the outbuildings - find that as soon as one mouse comes in, then it leaves a scent trail so you keep getting them. It’s good if you have a proper structure you can seal up, but it’s near impossible with an old workshop or shed.
I think pricks keep catching them at home and releasing them in the fields by my parents’ place and the little shits all run into the first outbuilding they can see

I released mine on the common that backs onto the Rich Street in town - those upper class pricks deserve it...

Buy the most vicious looking traps you can find and load them with peanut butter. Works a treat.

I knew someone who had a massive problem with squirrels (yes the grey cunty ones) and used humane traps with peanut butter to great effect. the not so humane part was when they threw the whole thing in the pond tied to a bit of string

Fantastic, cheers gents.

I'll carry on with my sealing up efforts - it's brick on concrete slab so, like I say, there aren't many entry points anyway.

I did wonder if it could be grey squirrels actually - we have hordes of the fuckers around here. I've just watched our cat Dave watching 3 of them in the garden, but even though the cat is a bit of a savage, he seems to leave them well alone. I suspect because they can outrun him now

I'll take a look at a few of the humane suggestions and get some ordered.

It wouldn't be so bad but at the moment the shed is chock full because I've been laying flooring in the garage (duramat). We now have the boy's drum kit in there and I'll hopefully be ordering some storage units soon so I can get things back to some semblance of order.

V8Granite wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 11:58 am I use an ultrasonic device in the garage and that has kept it mouse free.

Curious about this Dave? We have recurring rat problems being next to water and the little shits seem to love getting into a channel around beams which support the upper part of the house, which in turn means we hear them running up and down in these channels from inside the house. They also honk when one dies in there.

Does the ultrasonic device impact your dogs at all?

KiwiDave wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:10 pm

V8Granite wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 11:58 am I use an ultrasonic device in the garage and that has kept it mouse free.

Curious about this Dave? We have recurring rat problems being next to water and the little shits seem to love getting into a channel around beams which support the upper part of the house, which in turn means we hear them running up and down in these channels from inside the house. They also honk when one dies in there.

Does the ultrasonic device impact your dogs at all?

Not at all, we tried it in the house and next to the car and no reaction. We even waited till our neighbours small dog was in the garden and she did nothing.

Dave!

Awesome - I'm going to explore this idea!

Heard a noise earlier, 'twas a baby mouse on the envelopes beside me. Teeny tiny thing, I could likely have caught it if I'd been more with it

KiwiDave wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:10 pm
Curious about this Dave? We have recurring rat problems being next to water and the little shits seem to love getting into a channel around beams which support the upper part of the house

Bright flashing lights can put them off too, if that works in your space? As they are nocturnal they have keen night vision, which is ruined by a flash of light - even if it only occurs every couple of seconds.

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:28 pm I did wonder if it could be grey squirrels actually - we have hordes of the fuckers around here. I've just watched our cat Dave watching 3 of them in the garden, but even though the cat is a bit of a savage, he seems to leave them well alone. I suspect because they can outrun him now

Fake owls confuse fuck out of squirrels, once watched one sat screeching at an owl statue for about an hour, it only moved because it started raining

I'm not proud to admit I have given up on humane methods of dealing with mice, so it's poison and sticky traps all the way.

I used to be far more sympathetic to their cause, but I fucked up a few years ago. We were redoing our kitchen and I brought a roll of Rockwool into the house that had been in storage, and, unbeknownst to me, contained a whole nest. 6 months of peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, ultrasonic thingies and humane traps, and they still refused to budge. So the gloves came off and out came the big guns.

Switch between the wheat, pasta and wax block style poisons. If they don't like one, they almost certainly like another.
Sticky traps are good too, but use wirewool/peppermint to make barriers to funnel them into the trap. I've found that putting a little step in front of the trap so then have to drop down onto it to be quite effective.

Oh, and for blocking holes - wirewool and building foam. NOT building foam on its own - they seem to actively like to eat that!

jamcg wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:58 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:28 pm I did wonder if it could be grey squirrels actually - we have hordes of the fuckers around here. I've just watched our cat Dave watching 3 of them in the garden, but even though the cat is a bit of a savage, he seems to leave them well alone. I suspect because they can outrun him now

Fake owls confuse fuck out of squirrels, once watched one sat screeching at an owl statue for about an hour, it only moved because it started raining

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:28 pm hordes of the fuckers

Tolkien's less well known work.

nuttinnew wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:36 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:28 pm hordes of the fuckers

Tolkien's less well known work.

Yet strangely his most quoted