Mice - at my wits end

[MrsRobo]

I have a mouse (probably more than 1) and it's literally destroying my kitchen

It's chewed through the washing machine cable & the dishwasher cable resulting in two floods. We found a nest under the kickboards which we've removed. I've spent a fortune on pest control with no luck.

There's also a major leak under the kickboards under the sink, and the last straw today is the back of wall of the cupboard behind the dishwasher, it's chewed a massive hole.

I've managed to laugh it all off so far but today I've had a good cry

I'm open to any suggestions to catch the little bugger as I'm at my wits end

 

[Telly Fanatic]

Get a loan of someone's cat if possible.

 

[Clickbait]

Pretty shoddy that pest control haven’t managed to resolve the problem - I’d complain about that.

Best tips would be to ensure all food is in sealed containers, surfaces and floors cleaned daily. Try and see if you can find any entry/exit points and seal those up with wire wool (pest control should have done this for you), put strong poison down if you’re able to - best to place along a wall or out of sight.

If you live in a semi-detached or terraced house or flats, speak to neighbours to check they’re aware of the issue and taking steps - I had them one year when I lived in a terrace house and they were finding a food source in the next door neighbour’s dry dog food. Once we had both stopped access to food they left.

A cat may or may not help with the issue, it depends if they’re interested in killing mice. A colleague got one and it brought more mice in, played with them and then got bored and let them go. She discovered a nest in the back of an old armchair

 

[coconochanel]

Have you tried a mouse trap?

 

[AlwaysJudging]

I have the same problem! Although with you saying they've chewed walls and washing machine pipe are you sure it's not rats? ‍
I have a problem with rats and mice (although pest control seem to think they don't coexist when they definitely do)
Apparently they hate aluminium foil so you could put that round any cables to try an deter them.
I've had them chew my outflow pipe 3 times, iv had them filter there way down from the loft into the kitchen an eat ANYTHING what is left to the point they will chew through plastic to get it, and more recently I found 2 chewed silicone spatulas in my cutlery drawer!? They are a real nightmare an it gets you down when your trying every possible thing to get rid of them.
The issue could be with a neighbour ie. Overgrown garden, wheelie bins with no lids or slightly open or pet food or pet poo being left out
If you live in a terraced house (I do) I can guarantee your neighbours have got problems too.
I have been using expanding foam with wire wool for any visible holes but I reality I'm never going to keep them away. I've had traps and poison for over 8 years and they always come back.
They don't like strong smells ie peppermint, orange, lemon so maybe spray that in places where they have been.
Also I wouldn't even advise pest control it's a scam. They are there to take ur money by lulling you into a false sense of security that they will get rid of them, they could never get rid of them otherwise they would have no job. My advice would be to buy the pest control stuff yourself.
Find out if your local council are baiting the sewers in your area, as if not the rat population thrives even more.

 

[ack13]

Fill any holes with wire wool and expanding foam, that should stop them from chewing through again. I’d also complain to the pest control company and they should have ensured that the mice were gone. When I had mice, my cat did not give a tit. One ran past his bed and he just looked at it then went back to sleep I’ve got mice poison and mouse repellant sachets that I got from Amazon under the kickboards and any little gaps in the kitchen they might come out of.

 

[MrsRobo]

Pretty shoddy that pest control haven’t managed to resolve the problem - I’d complain about that.

Best tips would be to ensure all food is in sealed containers, surfaces and floors cleaned daily. Try and see if you can find any entry/exit points and seal those up with wire wool (pest control should have done this for you), put strong poison down if you’re able to - best to place along a wall or out of sight.

If you live in a semi-detached or terraced house or flats, speak to neighbours to check they’re aware of the issue and taking steps - I had them one year when I lived in a terrace house and they were finding a food source in the next door neighbour’s dry dog food. Once we had both stopped access to food they left.

A cat may or may not help with the issue, it depends if they’re interested in killing mice. A colleague got one and it brought more mice in, played with them and then got bored and let them go. She discovered a nest in the back of an old armchair

I have a cat that's not arsed

I've put more poisen down today & ordered some peppermint oil spray which is coming tomorrow.

I've also bleached my kitchen to within an inch of it's life as I've read they don't like the smell.

Fill any holes with wire wool and expanding foam, that should stop them from chewing through again. I’d also complain to the pest control company and they should have ensured that the mice were gone. When I had mice, my cat did not give a tit. One ran past his bed and he just looked at it then went back to sleep I’ve got mice poison and mouse repellant sachets that I got from Amazon under the kickboards and any little gaps in the kitchen they might come out of.

My cats the same, she's not bothered one bit, although we don't really hear it during the day & she gets kicked out on a night so I might shut her in the kitchen for a few nights

Thanks for everyone's advice. I was on the verge of a breakdown last night but I've pulled my big girl pants up today

 

[princesssparklepants]

I feel your pain.. One ran across my bedroom floor last night and I freaked abs haven't been to sleep yet as I refuse to go in the room after (hopefully) blocking it in there. I've no idea how it got in unless it got in through my upstairs bedroom window as there's a sloping roof of the back beforok and and drainpipe outside it there's no sign whatsoever if it being downstairs or any others touch wood but I haven't dared step foot in my bedroom (and won't) until the pest man comes this afternoon. (I tried five, noone could come out today until this blessed angel!) I've blocked the doorway as best I can so hopefully he doesn't get underneath. It's awful ain't it, you can't relax!

I'm a carer. I can do anything. Blood, snot, injuries, vomit, urine, poo.... I don't do mice or rats.

 

[Freudianslap]

I put down snap traps filled with Nutella or bacon. Watch out as if you see one there will be many

 

[geeforthetea]

Honestly I had to go nuclear on them, I caught seven over three days on those sticky patches and sent my husband out a mile or so away with olive oil to free them it loosens the bonds in the glue. Still had them, not sure if the wee buggers returned or what, so got some old school guy in that put down poison, I know it's frowned on but I was at my whits end, I did get legit pest control out afterwards and they laid traps but never caught any so I suspect the old way did the trick. I did also put grate covers over my tumble dryer vent and brick vents as I had a suspicion that's where they were coming from (field mice in my case).

 

[101d]

Have you tried glue traps? I KNOW it's horrible. It's awful. But it's the ONLY thing that worked for us.

 

[princesssparklepants]

Mouse man just left, he had a good nose round my room and can't see anything including no signs of infestation or mouse. I have checked my room (nervously!) after he had gone and checked everywhere and can't see anything and only found three pieces of poo. Sadly 2 of them were round my bed which has given me the eugh but I'll steam it tomorrow when my new steamer comes and stay downstairs again tonight.

There was a hole in the floorboard by the radiator where the old pipe used to go so he meshed it and put down some wire wool, a trap under the radiator and some bait under the floor boards just incase he pops up as mouse man thinks he just took a chance after spotting the hole and then panicked when he got prodded with a ruler because I wasn't believed that I'd seen a mouse I was when the little bugger ran over their foot to get to the other side of the room under my wardrobe though!

We had already looked downstairs in detail but hadn't been back up since shutting bedroom door saw no sign of anything downstairs thank god. Fingers crossed that it is all over but it'll take another good week of no sightings and no happenings before I calm down properly. Apparently they are very common in terrace houses as they run under the floorboards of the houses and in the roof spaces between each house and he thinks it likely that someone on the street has an infestation. He was quick to add that it wasn't us Reassuring. Not.

I wish everyone else suffering luck!

 

[MrsRobo]

Mouse man just left, he had a good nose round my room and can't see anything including no signs of infestation or mouse. I have checked my room (nervously!) after he had gone and checked everywhere and can't see anything and only found three pieces of poo. Sadly 2 of them were round my bed which has given me the eugh but I'll steam it tomorrow when my new steamer comes and stay downstairs again tonight.

There was a hole in the floorboard by the radiator where the old pipe used to go so he meshed it and put down some wire wool, a trap under the radiator and some bait under the floor boards just incase he pops up as mouse man thinks he just took a chance after spotting the hole and then panicked when he got prodded with a ruler because I wasn't believed that I'd seen a mouse I was when the little bugger ran over their foot to get to the other side of the room under my wardrobe though!

We had already looked downstairs in detail but hadn't been back up since shutting bedroom door saw no sign of anything downstairs thank god. Fingers crossed that it is all over but it'll take another good week of no sightings and no happenings before I calm down properly. Apparently they are very common in terrace houses as they run under the floorboards of the houses and in the roof spaces between each house and he thinks it likely that someone on the street has an infestation. He was quick to add that it wasn't us Reassuring. Not.

I wish everyone else suffering luck!

Oh bless you, it's quite stressful isn't it. Fingers crossed he's gone for good.

Thankfully I've managed to get on top of my little friend. No activity for 3 weeks now. Still no odea how it's been getting in and out but it's been at the bait so thankful its gone out to die rather than in my house. Washing machine is fixed, YAY, just dishwasher to get sorted next.

 

[princesssparklepants]

Keeping everything crossed for you that's it's all over and done with! I havent slept for 40 hours now, im exhausted (and trying to sleep downstairs in an armchair which obviously isn't ideal!) but can't switch off from thinking there might be a little visitor somewhere. God knows how you lasted so long with such obvious action you are amazing!