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Mice dropping in kitchen cupboard! Help!

Answered 5 years ago

I’ve been renting this place for three years and there has never been a sign before, so I’m horrified. I found about five small droppings in my baking cupboard this morning, with my brown sugar knawed through! It’s an old character house, which was treated for ants by a professional two weeks ago, can someone advice me what I should do? Would a trip to Bunnings be useful? Thanks so much guys


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ANSWER
5 years ago
You need to address this pronto! Secure your food. Anything in a chewable packet, put in a solid container. I have the humane trap from Bunnings and recently caught one. But still one roaming around which we couldn’t catch so we have had to put down those pellet packs. You can get them at the supermarket. Not ideal but neither is a mouse running about in the kitchen.

As above, go around your house and plug any holes with steel wool. They can squeeze through the tiniest of holes, so plug up any space the size of the end of a pencil and bigger. Being an older house finding all those little spaces might be difficult but minimise their chances as much as possible.

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REPLY
5 years ago
Thanks so much everyone . I'll follow all your advice! With food in containers, is that everything from flour to rice as well?

REPLY
5 years ago
Yes everything. Mice will eat anything at all. I once had them chew throughout a bag with coffee beans

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5 years ago
Thank you so much
! Sigh!!

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5 years ago
They ate a bag of chia seeds at my house. They most have expensive taste because they did eat the rice or pasta

REPLY
5 years ago
So thanks again Everyone you’ve been awesome., I’ve put everything into containers, I think it’s all secure, but for one thing...I’m wondering what people do with potatoes/onions? How do you store those now.?

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5 years ago
This is my post. So, potatoes and onions they seem to no to bother with so I store them in baskets in my bench as I always do.

REPLY
5 years ago
Thank you, thanks for being so helpful x

ANSWER
5 years ago
Are you renting? If so call your real estate and get them to contact the owner about doing pest control ASAP.

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REPLY
5 years ago
Nope don't

ANSWER
5 years ago
Omg move like now! 😫

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REPLY
5 years ago
Hahaha mice are everywhere! Move to Antartica! Some places more prone than others but they really are a fact of life. Control and prevent as much as you can but as they are prolific breeders, aren’t fussy eaters and can squeeze through the tiniest of spaces you just gotta deal.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Get a cat who is a good mouser. My boy is fantastic. He'll catch them and kill them but won't eat them which is what you want because the neighbors could be baiting them. Either that or I'd get some traps. Put something sticky on them like peanut butter or solid fat (bacon fat works really well.) Cheese they just take it and run without setting the trap off. Or during the mouse plague we had ages ago I'd get a bucket, put it under a bench or the table, put about 2 to 3 inches or water in it then get a wine bottle and attach it to the bench with the neck of the bottle hanging over the bucket. Put something on the end to attract the mice and coat the neck with butter so when they go to walk on it they will slip off and fall in the water. There's a few ways to deal with them. I've found the humane traps don't attract them as much plus then you've got a live mouse to deal with. If it got inside once it'll do it again. Or you could just use poison if you have older kids and don't have pets. Problem is they'll go in to a wall or something to die and then you've got to put up with the smell.

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REPLY
5 years ago
I've usually found the poison packs dry them out so they don't smell.

REPLY
5 years ago
^ sadly, not in my experience using them. I’ve had many mice over the years and they either die in the wall space and stink the house out for a month or I can smell it and find it somewhere.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Definitely those packets with poison. Don't leave out ANY rubbish or traces of food. Definitely place foods in a safe container. Don't need to be humane, they are pests. They can carry disease so best way is to get rid of them. They will eat through those poison packs once they cannot find food or water. It will take maybe up to a week after they consume it for them or it to be gone. I had a rat problem and it grossed me out! I hope you can get rid of them soon. :)

ANSWER
5 years ago
If your landlord will allow it then get a cat. Pick one that is very energetic and likes to chase toys.

Seal all food in containers. Get ones with extra thick plastic and tight lids. We had mice in an odd house chew though thin plastic containers and lift the lids off of glass ones. Throw out any food they could have contaminated.

Seal any holes around the house and fix any flyscreens. If you don't have flyscreens you can buy magnet ones that stick to the windows and won't damage the rental.

Don't leave rubbish in inside bins, vacuum each day and mop regular as they spread germs and are attracted to little bits of food or rubbish.

Be careful of snakes. They can smell mice and will sometimes come into your house to eat them.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Ring landlord or real estate agent if you have one

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REPLY
5 years ago
If you do that they will hold you responsible financially for any damage caused by the mice & probably another exterminator on exiting the property I wouldn't.... I'd try & take care of it myself....the less the now the better.

REPLY
5 years ago
Never trust a landlord or a real estate they'll try & screw out if more money. Always play the smart game. 👋 Hi all you landlords out there.

ANSWER
5 years ago
I have found Talon the most effective packet mouse and rat killer. Put plenty of packets around, out of the reach of dogs and children. I had an invasion of both rats and mice last winter. I could hear them in the walls. And yes its an old character house.
They did not get into any food that I had in plastic containers, although they will chew through anything if they are hungry enough. Rats or mice chewed through the wiring in my air conditioner in a previous house.
Its no use being squeamish about killing them. They are totally incontinent, so its not just the droppings you see that will be contaminating your food.

ANSWER
5 years ago
Scourers. Aluminium scrubber things=scourers.

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REPLY
5 years ago
Thankyou but there are lots of different kinds of scourers I was trying to describe the stainless steel ones 😂

ANSWER
5 years ago
Put all your packets and chewable packaging in containers, I use 10 litre containers. Buy some aluminium scrubber things and use them to fill in holes where they might be getting in. I use a cage from bunnings, it can catch multiple mice at a time instead of just one at a time with single traps. Peanut butter works well. I drown them in a bucket of water. It helps to have a cat too.