Rant Mice!!!

I live on the bottom floor flat, since day one we've had mice, usually in the kitchen but occasionally they'll pop through to the living room...

...let me point out, I hate mice!!!! I mean I really do, I think its there tail's or just the fact that it makes the whole house feel dirty (climbs in the cooker, eats from the grill, shits on the workspace).

But I've been patient, told Landlord, i've bought traps, he gave me some crappy vibration thing and bowls of poison (that don't work). I've used traps (caught about 12 of them) yet still they keep coming back.

Final straw though, I get in from work tonight, go into my bedroom, switch PC on, and I hear it, mouse is running round my bedroom! Theres no food in my room, I don't have a carpet or anythhing, its quite open plan, but the thing has now dissapeared and i'm sat here wondering wether I'm going to kill it or the landlord first.

So to pass the time in what feels like the last scene of 'The Thing', does anybody have any words of wisdom? specifically in terms of Landlords responsibilty or how to lure it in? I wouldn't mind if I was in a student house, but I'm relatively clean nowadays, I shower and everything.

I've tried upturned bottles with bacon in, mouse traps, poison pads, sticky pads, plug in vibration thing (mind out of the gutter), and although some work, they keep coming back..

Help!!!

PS Is anyone actually a pest removal type person?

 

Kill them, block up the holes yourself with wood, then tell the landlord

Also, make sure you tell your neighbours, pests are a shared problem

 

When we had mice, the first thing we did was go around the exterior of our house and seal any holes in the foundation and siding with caulk or expanding foam. After that, we noticed a sudden and steep decline in the mice population within a week or so. Then, we killed the remaining with traps baited with peanut butter.

 

We've tried to cover teh majority of the holes (I've just found 2 holes by my radiator I'm assuming its ran down), however I reckon in the kitchen its coming from behine the cupboards, where the water pipes etc are. Think your both right though, I need to bit the bullet and get behind there with some expandable foam or something

 

Tell your neighbours first thing though, rat/mice warrems cam run along entire streets

 

Kay, i'll get on that tomorrow, cheers

 

Or file a complain with the city about the landlord's unwillingness (if I've read your story correctly) to improve living conditions from a reasonable request.

 

Got mice, get a cat, entertainment free of charge.

Moriquendi

 

You know I was contemplating the cat idea, but I remmember someone saying they have allergies... (housemates... girlfriend, one of them anyhow)

Don't think landlord is unwilling, just looking to palm it off for a while, not sure how seriously council look upon mouse problems to be honest

 

Local pest controllers tend not to charge too much...

 

We get them all the time - hole in the floor where the sink pipes come through. We have a mousetrap there and it catches about one a fortnight. Peanut butter is definitely the best bait.

The cold weather, and especially the flooding, seems to drive them indoors.

 

Stop paying rent until it's sorted once and for all. Your well within your rights to do this. Let's see how quick the landlord acts when he's losing money.

 

If his tenancy agreement states otherwise, and it almost certainly does, then he's not "well within [his] rights to do this", and could end up being sued by his landlord.

Regardless of contract though, I've heard this has worked before with people who have had problems which their landlords have not fixed. It's a bit risky though and would only do this as an absolute last resort.

 

I don't think theres any need for ought like that, I'm sure if I got on at him enough he'd sort something out, its just so far hes re-trying things I've already done, that's whats frustrating

 

I can completely empathise with you as I've had similar problems over the past couple of months, and I know how frustrating it is when the landlord doesn't seem prepared to do anything about it.

Although we didn't have to resort to calling out the environmental health authorities (or whatever they're called), I believe they'd be more than happy to come and inspect the property, and then could force the landlord to act if they deem it a real problem. So they could be worth a shot

 

Im gonna tell your GF that your a big smelly girl.

 

She knows that, she was the first one I called... from the top of my chair. Sure; everyones brave on the other end of a phone

 

Its proberly a nabour problem as well as yours. Dont filling everhole you find with expanding foam your landlord wont be impressed when he get rot in floor board.

I would hit them from as many angles as possible all range of traps and posins. Sasage is ment to be good bait.

Make sure all your food stuffs are kept in mice proff sealed containers(strave the little beggers)
It wouldn't hurt to call enviromental health as they'll be able to advise you on how to get rid of little beggers and your landlord responsabilties.

Clean regularly as wild mice spread some nasty infections

 

Dude, seriously, spell check is your friend. Anyways... we keep getting mice every so often. We got them alot over summer, I suspect that was down to us having the doors open all day. Even now we get the odd one or two, like freedom says (I think?) its a good idea to hit it from all angles, esp the kitchen. They seem to like the skirting boards and lay most of your traps there. And do fill all holes in your brickwork, around the radiators generally anyhole small enough to fit your finger in you can be sure a mouse can fit in there too. We also found the odd one or two were coming in via the drain for the sink!

 

Get a cat... thats what we do and even though you still may here them, the cat will take care of them if they come into sight.