A mouse in the house- help please

We are now happily in our new old house for three months and it has become apparent that we have a resident mouse or mice. (They usually come in numbers don't they?)

The first observation was under the kitchen sink, we promptly bought a pair of humane mouse traps but have so far been unsuccessful.

Now the sounds have moved into the ceiling of the small extension with inner panelled ceiling and no way to slot a trap inside.

Any ideas how we could encourage the little furries towards the great outdoors rather than our woodwork and wires?

I'm pretty sure the visitor is a mouse rather than a rat as I have seen a mouse in the garden, and apparently if there are mice there are no rats and vice versa. (I hope rats respect the saying).


I'm not at all against mice but would prefer to choose the inhabitants of my house and would be delighted to keep our wires un-nibbled if possible.

Thanks!

 

What bait are you using to lure them into the trap .

 

They love peanut butter inside the trap and a pinch of coriander powder at the entrance to the trap seems a big pull too. Also, if there’s room, a tiny bowl of water keeps them hydrated until your next visit.

You can see I’ve had lots of practice.

 

The biggest problem with the Humane Traps ( whether for Mice or Rats ) is where you can then set them free without causing a similar problem for neighbouring properties.

Snap Traps baited with the likes of Peanut butter do work and is "kinder" than poison. You could perhaps try one under the sink as that is where you suspected it/they were originally. A matter of trying and seeing I think.

 

I take mine for a walk to the nearest bit of woodland which is sort of on the way to the shops. I drop them off en route. I’m sure the owls appreciate my efforts.

 

Thanks,
so far we have tried cheese, Degu nuggets, chocolate, various crushed nuts and so on.

The planned release place is by Ouseburn wetland on my way to the bus stop so hopefully a good environment for our mice.

Many years ago I was alone in my Grandparent's summer cottage and woke up to the sound of a mouse doing noisy mousy things in the cupboard. I sleepily put in an empty bucket, dropped in a leftover sausage and went back to sleep with the resolution to chuck the mouse into the woods in the morning. The plan was that a mouse can jump into the bucket but can't climb out.

In the morning I inspected my trap and saw five most adorable mice, sitting side by side, looking at me with their big, pleading eyes.

I gave them some bread (ok, and just a little bit of cheese) and emptied them into the woods.

 

A friend of mine has a wood mouse living in her porch (which is closed off from the rest of the house) She has not been able to get rid of him so now she just leaves him alone. She's named him Wooddy. He eats the bird food she stores in there.

Wooddy could be a she but my friend refers to 'him' in her conversations. so I'll do the same

 

I have snap traps in the garden aimed at catching Rats. About 18 months ago, we had "issues " with a rat getting into a caged bird feeder and stealing all the food. So much that we have stopped putting out food for the birds. Since then I have caught 3 Rats but also in one trap in particular I get one or two mice nearly every week in spring and autumn. I feel a bit mean over the mice as the trap is designed for Rats and flattens them. I don't use any bait at all.

 

We're having the same problem here at the moment. The usual source of souris scampering about the house is the cats, who bring in between 4 and 6 a night. Most get eaten, but some escape. So I have humane traps (unbaited) in the areas that the cats can access and snap traps baited with cheese, bread or chocolate tucked into places the cats can't reach.
For the first time in 17 years, 'something' has got into the attic, so I'll be stocking up on snap traps and rat poison tomorrow and crossing fingers that it's not a marten. They're devils to get rid of! P.S. @Selleri, sadly rats and mice do cohabit. Wherever there's a food source, there'll be rodents.

 

In the past I've used "Little Nipper" traps, modified the trigger slightly to increase the sensitivity and baited them with a small bit of fruitcake. Worked a treat.

 

I used to wake up in the night and hear them scampering up and down the cavity in the walls, how they got in has always been a mystery, but they stopped when I cut down plants that were climbing up the walls.

 

We have wood mice in the integral garage. Hubby sets a bog standard mouse trap and we usually get one every night. We just use cheese - I have a stack of small cubes ready in the fridge. Sometimes they eat the cheese and it doesn't go off. It is a shame, but they could do awful damage to the car in there. I did once try a humane trap, but the mice came out soaked and shivering, having urinated on themselves.

I would be more worried if they were house mice, but ours are definitely wood mice.

 

When we had one in our previous house we found a piece of Lettuce attracted them.

Assume you have seem searching around the outside of the house to find how they are getting in ? though always a bit more of a problem if you are adjoining another dwelling ?

 

We used to bait the humane traps with peanut butter, or chocolate spread, both of which were very popular. I kept a bigger tank / container to decant them into, so that they weren’t in the traps for long. Inside that, I put a cardboard tube from toilet rolls, plus some shredded paper and snacks ( peanuts and dried fruit!) Our visitors were always wood mice, very cute looking. It was very sweet to see the reaction from the occupants of the tank as a new captive was tipped in. There was much grooming of the newcomer, food was consumed, and then they bedded down inside the cardboard tube. The next day, they would be dropped off in a local woodland, a few miles from here. We have been meticulous in locating and blocking off holes, mainly around the skirting boards, and haven’t had any problems for quite a few years. ( I’m touching wood as I type!)

 

Mice are known to return to the same place after being taken and released three miles away.

Air bricks on houses can be a problem. I had to cover seventeen of them on a previous house with fine meshed metal, allowing the air through but not the mice.