Mouse in loft

[Jupiter01]

I suspect that I have mouse in my loft. I’ve come across some multi-kill traps that are connected to an app. This would save me having to get up there and check regularly.

Has anyone used these and provide some advice on this please.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Why do you think this? Sounds?

Work out where they're getting in and make it mouse-proof.

If you let them in then kill them you'll never solve the problem and just have the ongoing stink of the dead bodies plus all the urine they spray everywhere until they find the trap.

Mice can walk straight up brick walls, just like they're walking on the ground. You need to look at every wall as though you're a mouse, work out where they could get in.

If you have sewer vents that connect through the loft then it may be sewer rats. If there's flexi-ducting between the pipe and vent they can chew straight through it.

 

[blup]

I suspect that I have mouse in my loft. I’ve come across some multi-kill traps that are connected to an app. This would save me having to get up there and check regularly.

Has anyone used these and provide some advice on this please.

I would try the local council as some still offer a rodent service, they will help eradicate the pests and identify the source of the pests

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Get a cat.

 

[Stuart981]

I live in an older house in the countryside - impossible to keep rodents out - just too many tiny gaps for them to squeeze through. I have tried all the 'fixes' and the only thing that works for me is spring loaded snap traps and plenty of them. You bait the traps with peanut butter and check them daily. To start with I was catching them daily but now it's just the occasional one every week or two in the winter and none in the summer.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

There will be a way in that you could close up. Ours is in a field, but it's a hipped bungalow so there's an overhang on all sides.

Except for a porch and a chimney, where I've added aluminium L extrusion strips so they can't get up the wall.

They can walk up a vertical wall, but can't get past an overhang (e.g. a soffit).

I've also fitted mouse-proof grills over the air bricks.

Our garage door is the one remaining chink in our armour, that will be converted to a room in the next year or two.

 

[Jupiter01]

Thanks for all the responses. Let me try and answer them here.

Cats - I’m working on that. More convincing to do

I’ve seen some droppings in the loft.

My LA doesn’t offer any pest services. They refer us to local companies.

I also live in the countryside and we back into some fields. It’s a normal occurrence to see mouse running across the garden every once in a while. I’ve also got a raised patio and have seen a few burrow their way into that. I don’t see how they get from here to my loft. It’s a double storey house.

I was planning on making a concerted effort. Use the spring traps and water bucket contraption (seen on youtube!) outdoors. I wanted something more sophisticated in the loft as its lot the easiest place for me to get to. I was thinking a multi-kill trap that keeps them in the device but alerts me when the deed has been done. If these things are reliable, I can keep it up there and it can spring into action even after I’ve dealt with the problem more holistically.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

 

[Stuart981]

Not heard of a multi kill trap. The problem you have if you do not check traps regularly is flies. Also from a humane point of view you need to check daily because mice are so very fast that sometimes spring traps just catches them by the leg.

 

[Jupiter01]

Wow!
Similar to that video, I have a vent like this for my kitchen extractor.

How do I make this rat/mice proof?

 

[mikehammer69]

Remove and fit Mesh behind it ?

 

[mikehammer69]

Thanks for all the responses. Let me try and answer them here.

Cats - I’m working on that. More convincing to do

I’ve seen some droppings in the loft.

My LA doesn’t offer any pest services. They refer us to local companies.

I also live in the countryside and we back into some fields. It’s a normal occurrence to see mouse running across the garden every once in a while. I’ve also got a raised patio and have seen a few burrow their way into that. I don’t see how they get from here to my loft. It’s a double storey house.

I was planning on making a concerted effort. Use the spring traps and water bucket contraption (seen on youtube!) outdoors. I wanted something more sophisticated in the loft as its lot the easiest place for me to get to. I was thinking a multi-kill trap that keeps them in the device but alerts me when the deed has been done. If these things are reliable, I can keep it up there and it can spring into action even after I’ve dealt with the problem more holistically.

I'm thinking with the water trap outside you don't want it to be drawing them to the house with the bait

Bucket will be full of mice constantly

 

[Jupiter01]

Remove and fit Mesh behind it ?

did you have a certain type of mesh in mind? Sorry, not had any involvement with this type of thing previously.

 

[Ihavenojob]

did you have a certain type of mesh in mind? Sorry, not had any involvement with this type of thing previously.

I had a slug problem years ago, I used aluminium car body repair mesh, just cut it to size and silicone it in place.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I had a slug problem years ago, I used aluminium car body repair mesh, just cut it to size and silicone it in place.

It needs to be a tin mesh, otherwise it will restrict the airflow - better, might be to prevent them getting access completely to the vent, via some sort of over-hang. See Ivor's post #6 where he suggested L shaped alloy extrusions. They would need to poke out from the wall, far enough to prevent climbing round them, and placed all the way around the vent.