Mice

[SizeZero]

Electronic devices = don't work. They just move to a different area in the house. If you see one, you've got ten: if you see ten, you've got a hundred, etc

Get the council in: most councils will clear mice and rats for free as it's a public health risk - and they have the best poison for the situation. If they charge, it's likely to be under fifty quid (unlike the private companies.)

[norrahe]

get a cat.

If you're going to use bait traps do not put cheese in it, Mice do not like cheese, chocolate works better.

[OwlHoot]

.. So, make sure you hide / remove any fruit, and clean up as much as possible. If they start breeding you're f*****. ..

They don't "start" breeding - they're always breeding - If you see one mouse it's almost certain there are a dozen or more in the vicinity.

edit: As SizeZero already pointed out

[OwlHoot]

To those whose pets snack on mice, it's worth pointing out that mice usually host a nasty parasitic worm and if this infects a larger animal it can cause all kinds of serious damage including blindness.

I don't recall the name(s), but possibly one of these species is described here.

[norrahe]

To those whose pets snack on mice, it's worth pointing out that mice usually host a nasty parasitic worm and if this infects a larger animal it can cause all kinds of serious damage including blindness.

I don't recall the name(s), but possibly one of these species is described here.

to combat that make sure you use a decent wormer once a month on your cat/dog stronghold notmally does the trick

[Alf W]

Well we've got two cats and my experience is that cats bring mice into the house not the other way round.

We've also had birds, small rabbits, a trout, a rib-eye steak, a mole, slow worms and a squirrel.

[norrahe]

Well we've got two cats and my experience is that cats bring mice into the house not the other way round.

We've also had birds, small rabbits, a trout, a rib-eye steak, a mole, slow worms and a squirrel.

I'll raise your menagerie and add some bread rolls and frogs

[TinTrump]

I recommend 'Little Nipper'. You can get em in multi-packs at Robert Dyas etc.

I used 1 of these a few years back when we had a mouse appear in the kitchen of a shared house. Used a mix of oats & honey and caught 3 or 4 adults over week, although 1 wasn't a clean kill and I had to use a length of wood to finish it off, so you have to be prepared for that sort of eventuality. What made me laugh was that another housemate, in the TA, couldn't bring himself to do the deed. Dead tough these weekend warriors.

Anyhow, I digress Ronnie Corbet style.

I reset the trap and nothing for a couple of days. Then, returning from work one day, I found that 3 baby mice had ventured out, presumably starving with all the adults dead, and had all been killed by the trap in 1 fell swoop. That was kind of sad.

[The Lone Gunman]

If you get someone in to poison them or poison them yourself then be prepared for a foul smelling house for a while.
The poisoned animal will be in your wall or under your floor when it dies. There is a very distinctive smell to rotting rodent.

[Paddy]

You need to block all holes up with cement. You may find entry points around water and waste pipes. Cat is the best option as proved for thousands of years. If no cat then get a humane trap from B&Q. Cheap traps don't work.