Impossible to trap mice. Not interested in any food or bait.

[Flipjango]

I have the most unusual mouse problem which is turning me into a crazy obsessed person and I'm hoping someone can help. We've had a random (and apparently individual) mouse getting in our house now for around 6 weeks which is proving impossible to trap. What makes it random is that it seems to be completely disinterested in any food. The first signs we saw were in upstairs bedrooms where no food is kept. He's been in the kitchen cupboards but hasn't been near any food, favouring cupboards containing things like pans. All the food is packed away in jars and tubs anyway, so there isn't anything to eat there even if he wanted to eat. He's never been near the kitchen counters as far as we can see, and since we first spotted the droppings we've been meticulous about cleaning and vacuuming every day so there isn't anything to eat anyway, though he doesn't seem hungry. The droppings are sporadic and few - we'll find a couple every few days speckled around, never more than about 4 or 5. The house is now literally filled with traps of every kind, from traditional snap traps, to the newer plastic snap traps (used as advised - against the wall in the areas we've seen droppings. We're tried back to back and perpendicular to the wall), to glue pads, to electronic zappers, to poison of two different types. We've tried peanut butter, biscuits, and chocolate, and even a mixture of the three as bait. He just seems to walk around it all. The cupboard he favours most I have literally tiled the floor with glue traps, yet he doesn't go near them. The poison is untouched. We've got sonic repellers in all the rooms. I've sprinkled peppermint oil around. We've filled every hole in the outside of the house that we can find, and even put mesh over the air bricks (though the house is semi-detached so its possible its coming in via the house next door). But he keeps coming back. HE KEEPS COMING BACK! What can we do? I'm reluctant to get in pest control if they are just going to put down more traps or poison and charge and arm and a leg for it. We can't get a cat due to allergies. Our house is old and has stripped floors which run under the kitchen cupboards and any number of gaps and places he can run around inside, so we can't stop him moving around the house without literally rebuilding. We live in London so mouse infestations aren't exactly a surpise and as a landlord have had to deal with them loads of times before, but I've never had any problems getting rid of them so this i really pushing me to the limits. Help. I am close to the edge!

 

[Nigel_Cro]

No such thing as one mouse I'm afraid.

I can rent you my two Border Terrorists for a couple of weeks, but you will have to sign a disclaimer first

 

[Flipjango]

If there's more than one, then they don't poo much (or eat)! Been told by pest controllers that the average mouse poos about 80 times a day. I'd be surprised if we've found 80 poos in 6 weeks. So maybe they are just coming in, having a party and heading back home to wherever they really live?!

 

[longdogs]

View media item 79768

 

[mattylad]

Your using the wrong bait then, try hotdog sausage, cheese, something smelly.

Look for the path it follows and put a tunnel there, put it inside.

 

[colinM50]

Hmm, interesting. Are you SURE it's a mouse? Could it be something else entirely, don't know what but if it's not eating traditional mouse trap food then maybe it ai9n;t a mouse?

BTW I've had great success with white Toblerone as a bait. Not failed me yet. Tiny piece on the traps and I get to eat the "leftovers" so to speak

 

[Flipjango]

Fairly certain. Gaps it's getting through are too small for it to be anything else. Plus droppings look like all the mouse droppings I've ever found with previous mouse attacks. And we've just found signs of chewing for nesting materials up in the loft. I think it's just a ninja mouse!

 

[EightyTwo]

I just found my garage mouse - he'd run up the vacuum hose on my Triton dust collector, chewed several big holes in the filter and dropped into the bucket, half full of sawdust! I guess he's been dead for a couple of days (judging by the smell and lack of maggots) - does anyone know where I can get a new filter..?

 

[terrypin]

Place a washing bowl or similar on the floor and half fill with water. Now put a piece of wood against the bowl to act as a run/ladder to edge of bowl.

Get a drinks can or similar a put a hole in both ends and thread a knitting needle for example through the can so it can rotAte freely. Place this a cross the bowl near ramp so the mouse can just reach the can at a stretch. Place bait(jam, peanut butter etc)on can.

Mouse reaches for can with front paws, can turns and mouse falls in water.

Check it out on YouTube.

It works well, much better success rate than other traps.

 

[Flipjango]

I've seen these sorts of traps online. Theyl ook cool! Problem is, it never seems to come out in the open. The only signs we've seen have been in the back of cupboards and things. Its disappeared for a few days now so hopefully its gone. Next thing I'm trying is bait boxes with neosorexa gold - I hear its the goldstandard of poisons!

 

[jellycat]

I've heard that mice can't resist Milky Way!

 

[geraldthehamster]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/02/vatican-recognises-exorcists

Cheers
Richard

 

[terrypin]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/02/vatican-recognises-exorcists

Cheers
Richard

If you exorcise mice surely they'd be harder to catch

There's nothing worse than trying to catch a fit mouse.

 

[footprints]

I have heard that flour is a good bait.

 

[Nigel_Cro]

I have heard that flour is a good bait.

If all else fails at least you will be able to measure their shoe size!!