Mousefestation

It appears you are all too scared of catching my computer cooties to comment. Never mind. I think (I hope) my clever father may have fixed it. Or at least he ripped out the system's guts, performed emergency surgery and stapled it all back together again. It is functioning, for now, although I am not completely optimistic that the problem is completely eradicated.

Much like the problem with the mice in this flat. Following a long quiet spell after the murder of Graham Mouse, the mouse family is back- at least one, or possibly two. Unfortunately, it seems that the mouse clan has decided to relocate into my bedroom- specifically, behind my wardrobe. I suppose I could live with a certain amount of scampering around the flat, but when it's happening right next to my bed, it gives me the heebies.

Worse still, the mice are demonstrating a decided fondness for my laundry basket. Over the weekend,  I stashed the nappy bag there (thinking, tra la la, that I needed to make sure the bag was off the floor so the mice didn't get into it.) Then, as I was changing the bedsheets, I heard a rustling of tiny mouse feet coming from inside the bag. I ran to get Knox, and he quickly zipped up the bag opening. He held it up.

"I bet the mouse is long gone," he said.

"I wouldn't be so sure- I think it is still in there," I told him. So we waited it out, placing the bag in a quiet corner. Sure enough, about half an hour later, we heard telltale scrabbles. Eek. Knox bravely embarked on a bit of mouse relocation out in the garden- as soon as he opened the bag, the thing leaped about ten feet in the air, straight past him and into the sanctuary of the stone wall.

In hindsight we probably should have tried to take the mouse a bit further afield, because within a day or so, we were hearing the same familiar noises. I wouldn't have necessarily thought it was the same mouse, except it keeps heading for the damn laundry basket in the bedroom. Last night, I was awakened at 1am by the sound of small chomping noises coming from the laundry corner. With the aid of a broom handle, I poked the basket and the mouse shot out over the side (scaring the beejezus out of me, I might add) and off behind the wardrobe. I threw my coat over the top of the basket but evidently that was not enough of a deterrent from whatever appealing morsel it was in search of, since an hour or so later, I woke up again to hear the mouse making merry amongst my dirty linen. This time, when I stabbed the basket, the mouse made its escape over the side again but changed direction mid leap, heading straight for my feet, causing me to pinwheel frantically backwards still clutching the broom handle and emitting a muffled shriek.

This morning as I sat hollow eyed with exhaustion at my desk, a colleague said sympathetically,

"Botany keeping you up all night?"

"Nah," I said, "laundry mouse." 

Cue look of bemused confusion at the gibbering idiot.

So, I've had enough of the mouse antics, and from now on, it's war. War, I tell you!  I'm going in all guns blazing with all removal mechanisms at my disposal. Somebody once suggested mothballs, which I will try, though these are surprisingly tricky to find. There's no evidence of moths in the flat as yet, but given that we seem to be suffering from all sorts of infestations stemming from various sources, it can do no harm to have a two for the price of one method. 

Comments

[betty M]

I have been trying to comment but recently typepad has been refusing to let me.I get as far as the post button and it just refuses to ligghht up. A firefox problem maybe as it is working here at work.

I would definitely be going for mouse death options myself.

[Boulder]

Thank goodness for fathers and staples. I hope the repair lasts longer than you're thinking.

I think I'd need a xanax rx called in if a mouse was living next to my bed. They are perfectly cute in a glass aquarium-type house with wood chips and water bowls and a lid on the top. But loose? Ugh.

I once lived in a southern city where there were, G*d help me, roaches that were nocturnal, large enough to perhaps put a leash on and walk around the neighboorhood, and FLEW. I'd hear the scrape, scrape, scrape of their late night adventures, and die a little bit inside before deciding whether to sleep with the light & TV on to make the living for them less inviting, or to pull the cover over my head and hope and pray that they wouldn't fly & land on the bed covers.

And this was in the *best* (seriously) part of town. I can only imagine what other neighborhoods dealt with each night. *shuddering*

[Jill]

Traps! the kind that trap them inside and you never see them caught. Stop being so nice to the mice! I may not sleep tonight, just thinking about what is happening at your place.

[Katie]

We can't find mothballs, either, though we need them for moths.

Traditional "little nipper" mousetraps are rubbish but Rentokil Advanced Mousetraps are the business. They are the only way to get rid of them; unless you want to have mice permanently, don't think of anything humane.

[shanna]

Not sure if you can get these where you are but sticky traps work great and you can stuff them behind things and they don't go off like a regular trap will. When they say sticky though, they really mean it. My kittens both got their big feet stuck on them years ago and lost most of their toe hair and some parts of the pads of their feet while I tried to remove the pad. So I know that they work great for catching kittens. ;) I did get some mice too. They are just sticky, no chemicals so safe for kids and smart pets that stay away from them.
Good luck and glad your dad saved the day by fixing the computer.

[a]

Ugh. There's nothing worse than an infestation! Traps. Lots of them. Although probably not the snapping kind, with Botany about. Good luck...and I hope your computer infestation is fixed too!

[spoiledonlychild]

Please, please, please do not get mothballs. I don't think they will help with the mouse problem, and your house will stink forever. Stink like old, dying, incontinent people. There is no smell worse than mothballs on this earth, and I can hardly help cringing when I walk into someone's house and catch a whiff of them. Mousetraps or bait are the way to go, as long as you have a man around to deal with them. Otherwise, hire an exterminator.

[Sam]

Get a mouse cage, with food and all in it. Leave the door open with a welcome sign. Maybe they will come and live in the cage and leave your laundry alone.

[Christa]

we were infested with mice for months. if you don't get rid of them sharpish....they multiply. we tried everything including an electronic device that is supposed to 'disturb' them and make your home unappealing: didn't work. humane traps: didn't work......i set them free in the park up the road and they came back (i know one of them was the same as it had half a tail missing). took to driving them 3 miles away in the car! that probably did work but we still had more mice.
we no longer have mice. the cure? poison. i didn't want to go go down that road, but it was the only thing that worked. pest control will charge you £50...don't bother...buy the poison yourself for a few quid.

[monica]

oh, I have been where you are now. I can live with mice in the basement, mice in the kitchen, mice int he garage etc, but once they came near my bedroom, I had to get out the big guns - good old mouse poison. It comes in little packets and they chew thru and eat it. And then they die I don't like to kill things, but once they are running around me whilst I sleep, I will do anything to get rid of them.

good luck
Monica

[katie]

Was meaning to say, although you have a toddler, you can still put out mousetraps because there is no point in putting them out in the daytime - you put them in doorways or right against skirting boards, you only need a couple, and you can just put them on a high shelf in the morning and put them down again at night.

[Jenn (dish)]

We get mice every winter and the old-fashioned neck snapping traps are really the most humane (and effective). If you can get one in their usual path, you'll catch them the fastest. Best bait is peanut butter.

I used a sticky trap once and yes, they are completely sticky and catch the buggers well (especially if you sprinkle them with something yummy). But then you are faced with either letting the thing starve to death, throwing it in the trash outside while still alive, or snapping it's neck yourself to end it quickly (I had hubs do the neck snap even though I know how--just didn't wanna).

But the sticky trap placed in your laundry bin would do the trick and not bloody the clothes.

Is your wardrobe up off the floor a bit? Basically, can you either slide an old fashioned trap under or behind? If it's only open from behind, get one on each end to get in their path (SNAP!). Just keep your door closed to protect Botany's fingers.

I used to work with rodents, so if you want any other input, e-mail me.

[Slim]

Another vote for the neck-snapping traps. Sorry, mousies, we don't seem to be able to come to an accommodation, but I shall make your dispatching as quick as possible.