Mouser Cocker

[Hel]

Unfortunately, I've got mice at the moment  .  They moved in a couple of weeks ago. I've trapped and caught 6 so far.  I'm really not happy with having mice as I hate them - I need to wear gloves and plunge up courage to pick up the traps.  I'm even dreaming about the bloodly things and jumping out of my skin whenever I see a shadow.

Went upstairs last night for a couple of mins, Fletch came with me, Pip stayed in the kitchen.  Came down to find Pip with something in his mouth and Fletch rather interested in what Pip had in his mouth.  The tail sticking out of his mouth gave it away    He'd caught and killed a mouse and was happy crutching it.  God knows how many he's caught and eaten when I am out - unlike some cats, I doubt he leaves the tail and feet behind  .

Any advice for getting rid of mice? Poison is obviously out of the question.  I have several traps down, but they seem to catch for a day, then nothing for a few days, then they catch again.                    

[Jenney]

eeeugh! Thank goodness Jakey draws the line at spiders & daddy long legs!                    

[Gilly]

I think Colin is the expert on mice, but he's not been around for a few days...hopefully he'll see your post and come to your rescue  

Gilly                    

[Hel]

eeeugh! Thank goodness Jakey draws the line at spiders & daddy long legs!

You've never had mice then!  I hadn't until now and I'm delighted Pip's doing his bit to get the horrible things. Pip is a rescue from Ireland, was kept outside and is a serious hunter of any small non-dog animals, to the extent that I can't let him off lead unless in a secure field (thankfully, I have access to a couple).  He's otherwise lovely  .                    

[Mary]

You're right...obviously you cannot use poison if the dogs are catching the mice :-

We often get mice in our loft, we use poison and traps.  The best bait for traps is chocolate, something like Milky Way I find brilliant.  You're just going to have to strategically place them where your two can't get at them.  There are some 'humane' traps around if you do happen to feel sorry for the little mites but don't do as a friend of mine done.  Forgot about it and 6 months later found the skeleton of a starved mouse in it   :-                    

[Pammy]

Hel

I would look to do something quite drastic coz if Pip is eating them, you don't know if they've been poisoned somewhere else and it could make him ill .

I would call your local authority environmental health/pest control people. Explain the position and they should be able to offer a solution. Alternatively, if you look in Yellow Pages or online under pest control, you'll find several listed and some do different methods.

hth                    

[Jane S]

We had an invasion of mice a few years ago - they'd decided our cottage made a nice cosy hotel for the winter I also was worried as Katie used to be adept at catching them & crunching them up before I could get to her! I wouldn't use poison & set up a few of those humane traps in strategic places, baiting them with Pringles. I gradually got rid of them all though it took a while (poison is obviously quicker) & they haven't come back since we worked out they were coming in through a tiny, tiny gap in the brickwork outside the kitchen & blocked it up!                    

[Anonymous]

:oOMG you poor thing Hel, I think you are very brave, I would be letting my fingers do the walking across them good old yellow pages, quicker than you can say MOUSETRAP

I think Pammy is right, you don't know whether the little terrors have been poisened prior to coming to your house

Jane you did make me laugh with the PRINGLES in the mousetrap  

I hope you get your little visiters to pack up their trunks soon Hel, and find another B n B  

Emma and Indie                    

[Pammy]

Jane you did make me laugh with the PRINGLES in the mousetrap  

Likewise - you can just see the next Pringles add on tele - no longer the dogs partying - but the mice Do they have a fave flavour - Cheese by any chance                    

[Hel]

I've rang the local council pest control and am not sure they can help me.  The man on the phone said they can use poison which would not hurt the dogs or next door's cat.  I'm very dubious about this as I can't find any information on a mouse poison which would not seriously hurt Pip if he caught a poisoned mouse.  Does anyone know of such a poison?

Otherwise, it's traps and I'm doing that myself.  The dogs are off to my parents next week (to get away from the constant fireworks) so I'll be able to put traps everywhere!                    

[Pammy]

That's disappointing Hel. I'd be nervous too :- Looks like a big blag next week might be the best approach :-

Good Luck                    

[Jane S]

Likewise - you can just see the next Pringles add on tele - no longer the dogs partying - but the mice Do they have a fave flavour - Cheese by any chance

How did you guess Cream cheese & chive flavour to be exact, although they were also quite partial to the paprika ones too

Hel, I did check out the website for a mouse poison supplier when we had our invasion - it stated that any dog or cat would have to eat an enormous quantity of poisoned mice to be affected themselves. I didn't have the confidence to put it to the test though....                    

[Colin]

I thought I had a mouse a few months back, I was horrified to catch 7 in the space of a few hours when I put traps down. They'd been nibbling through the bags of JWB so I used that as bait and it worked.( I'll be keeping the Pringles and Milky Ways for myself   )

I went round filling holes and crevices but they seem to have found a way back in again this last week...... it seems JWB crazed mice will stop at nothing for a fix. Luckily there is no chance of Jimmy eating one...... he jumped out his skin when one ran past him and he disappeared under the couch making wussy harumphing noises. I can't be so confident of Misty passing up the opportunity of a tasty snack though (she's already sampled the delights of snails and slugs   ), especially with her being one of Katie the Cruncher's descendants...... it's probably in the genes.                      

[Mike]

You're all welcome to borrow my cat Miyagi who is an expert mouse-catcher. She wont eat the bodies so no chance of poisoning there - but she does love to play football with the heads that she's bitten off                      

[Silver Surfer (indiesnan)]