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Post by willowsmum on Oct 7, 2020 10:11:09 GMT
Ha! I can imagine him holding the roaches head under the water like some sort of scene from a gangster film, growling 'that'll teach you for eating my food!'
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Post by Hezz on Oct 8, 2020 0:53:53 GMT
That the sort of thing I can see him doing. birdguhl, how are you getting on with your mukeis* problem? (*Torres Strait creole for mouse or rat, pronounced muck-us.)
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Apr 5, 2019 23:14:31 GMT
reenie
Normal Green
Posts: 300
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Post by reenie on Oct 11, 2020 8:17:12 GMT
I feel your pain with the mice birdguhl ! My house is effectively in the middle of a park and you regularly see mice outside, but I had them indoors earlier in the year. I had noticed a few droppings, so I got two humane traps, and next morning had a big mouse in one..... But it had died (probably fright) Later that day, I was sitting on the couch and a tiny little baby mouse toddled across the floor. I looked in the traps, and baby mouse in one. Long story short, over the next few hours I ended up with little mice wandering around, totally unfrightened of me. I caught 7 baby mice that day. I suspect that they hadn't been ready to leave the nest, but after I caught mummy mouse they had to go looking for food. They were so cute with little short tails, and bodies only about an inch long, and they weren't scared of me They all got released in the park, but I don't think they were likely to survive. It was a strange day.
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Post by birdguhl on Oct 11, 2020 11:44:00 GMT
reenie - that sounds horrible! I would have been beside myself. It is my worst fear with mice problem to investigate and find a nest with babies. You did the right thing but not at all easy. The first time I had mice in my last flat I caught lots using the tipped up bottle method - a wee staircase to go in the get the chocolate and then it's too steep to climb out. But after that it seemed like those ones had put out an alarm to all other mice in the area not to follow suit and it never worked again. I have never had a mouse go into a bought humane trap either. The only time I used snap traps I found it incredibly difficult to go and look at them for fear of finding dead or - worse - injured mouse. The only one that went off caught a mouse by its tail and I took that one on a walk and released it. Hezz - sorry I missed your earlier question. Oddly since that night with the one in the cage I have never found any more evidence of the mukeis. I have put down poison in various spots but it hasn't been touched and I haven't found more droppings. Apart from changing arrangement with cage, I haven't disturbed the areas where I found droppings so that they would hopefully not feel too threatened about having a nibble at the blue / pink pasta. I have some used cat litter but haven't deployed it yet. My eyes are on stalks as usual (for me that takes a LONG time to subside) but nothing at all. I'm wondering if my neighbours are waging a campaign of their own.
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Post by Hezz on Oct 11, 2020 20:12:55 GMT
Hopefully everyone around is on board and doing their bit to rid you of these troublesome pests. Good luck; hoping you don't find any more ...
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Post by Hezz on Oct 11, 2020 22:52:52 GMT
In line with your mouse problem, birdguhl, between this and my last post I found a dead, mangled white tailed rat on the back lawn. Mac the dog disturbed me at 2am this morning, I think it must have been his doing.
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Apr 26, 2024 15:37:57 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2020 0:54:06 GMT
When trapping wild rodents for surveys we usually put food and nesting material in the trap. Mummy mouse may have died of hunger or cold rather than fright.
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Apr 5, 2019 23:14:31 GMT
reenie
Normal Green
Posts: 300
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Post by reenie on Oct 12, 2020 7:42:45 GMT
When trapping wild rodents for surveys we usually put food and nesting material in the trap. Mummy mouse may have died of hunger or cold rather than fright. I was totally confused as to what killed mummy mouse. She was only in the trap a few hours (set at night and she was there in the morning), and it was in my kitchen in the middle of summer, so wouldn't have been cold. Fright was the only thing I could think of. I was quite annoyed at having killed her. No point getting a humane trap, then the poor thing dies.
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Post by willowsmum on Oct 12, 2020 10:19:48 GMT
Unfortunately I haven't had much luck with humane traps either. You have to check them really frequently, much more often than 'death' traps, have to take any occupants a long way away to prevent them turning round and heading straight back to the house (remembers hubby cycling off into the distance to relocate a few furry friends in the past ) and at one point I had a mouse chew it's way out of the humane trap via the air holes. Having said that each method has it's problems as with the poisoned bait they tend to wander off to die and it can be hard to locate them before the smell starts. Sorry, that's a pretty awful image. Must stop talking about nasty things. Speaking of which.... white tailed rats, that's not good Hezz. Hope they are outside visitors only!
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Post by Hezz on Oct 12, 2020 22:39:09 GMT
Unfortunately not, willowsmum They have a penchant for floor/ceiling spaces when looking for a nesting place. They sound like a herd of elephants running up and down, the sound of them chewing on the floor joists sounds like it is in your head, and yep you are right, if they die anywhere it will be in that area, not to mention the damage to electrical wiring. A friendly python is the best deterrent.
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Post by suesbird on Oct 13, 2020 8:57:38 GMT
And there's me thinking I was the only problem with rats and mice. We have had them in the loft and they leave a smelly trail so invite more in. Like Hezz it's like a heard of elephants in the loft and I can't sleep as I get really panicky about them. My neighbour, joining us, had an extension built and they left an open drain hole in the cavity and up they went. All of our street have problems, apparently someone near by feeds them and they also are living in the telephone junction box at the end of the road. British telecom and the water board do not put poison down anymore.
We called the local council mouse man and four of us, all next door to one another, did not realise we all called him in and we all paid £37 each for him to visit. He did four houses in 15 minutes!!!!
So far this year, only had one in the garden which took all the poison. Sorry I love animals but they have to go.
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Post by birdguhl on Oct 13, 2020 10:38:18 GMT
Ah - sorry to hear of your struggles with the rodents, suesbird - that sounds horrible. It's awful that someone is actually feeding them. Someone near me feeds the gulls and that is also not good, but rats 100x worse, I think, as they can get everywhere. I hope your 4 x £37 results in some relief. Are you neighbours going to do something about the drain hole in the extension?
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Post by willowsmum on Oct 13, 2020 12:15:01 GMT
That's a nightmare suesbird. You've got a real battle on your hands if people are still encouraging them with food/leaving large open drains. It's a lot of work and a big worry while you've got them and then it just feels like you are counting the minutes until they are back It's a shame as the field mice and voles are especially cute and they are all just trying to survive but out they must go!! A friendly python Hezz, now there's an idea
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Post by suesbird on Oct 13, 2020 15:10:31 GMT
We helped the neighbour block the hole, we had to use cement with broken glass in as they will eat the cement. Our neighbours are pretty good and someone always comes out and says they have seen one, so we can do something about it.
Fingers crossed we can all stay rodent free
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Post by mona on Oct 13, 2020 18:48:41 GMT
Rodent mess is huge to deal with & seeing dead mom of baby rodents is tough!
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