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I've discovered that I've got (at least) one mouse in my garden store where I keep my bird food and garden tools. That doesn't bother me, but should I get rid of it? If so, how? To be honest, I'm quite happy for it/them to live in there till the spring/summer when I think they'll leave - or should I move my bird food and clean it out?
The store is at the end of the garden (away from the veg patch) next to the garage, and to get into the house they'd have to go across the patio.
DDL
PS I guess I could put Ramsey and Crosby the cats in there, but they'd probably be frigtened to death! Same for Dexter!

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Well you could leave things be...esp if you have cats, but they may have peed on the bird food whilst munching away at it, and if you handle it, they may pass on infection to you.
If you have 2 mice now, you may well have hundreds by the end of the year.
I have them in my summerhouse and they are eating their way through my sunflower heads, but I've left them be for now. One of my cats will probably find them eventually, but maybe that is more cruel than a mouse trap??

DDL store your bird seed in plastic containers with sealed lids.

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Our mice are clearly more worldly than your LJ.....Would suggest metal tin would be more mouse/rat resistant!!!

Hi
I had mouse/mice in the shed who started nibbling the stored bird food, I then tried a substantial plastic container, next day big hole in plastic container - what are their teeth made of?? So scouted round the charity shops for some tins which has foxed them and there's no evidence of them now.
You would laugh to see one of the tins, it's a sort of faux Egyptian design with blue "jewels" and raised patterns and designs, very fancy but it was only £1.50 in Oxfam but it does look a bit out of place in my shed.
Sue

I thought I had a nest under the shed floor because my birdseed was being taken, I saw the culprit do it in front of me once!

When I moved the shed was sold and I was really surprised not to find any sign of a nest. The robber must have been a lone ranger.

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Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

Thanks for the advice - need to get some metal tins/bins.
We had mice in our shed in Wakefield (ours had at least a couple of litters - under the shed and in my wellies - they were beautiful - I couldn't kill them!) - when we moved back to Lancashire, my mother in law, who had the boxes in her car from the shed was convinced the squeaking noise was a mouse!
She drove round with her trousers tucked in her socks for weeks until OH spotted it when dismantling the interior lining of the car. Couldn't catch it though! Eventually the squeaking stopped, guess the little critter had finally had enough! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

I set one of the humane traps for my mouse and eventually caught it. I think it was just a case of being able to show who was boss. Once I had him in my grasp I just had to let him go again.

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Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

Hi there DDL,

Please believe me when I say, there is no such thing as a lone mouse.
You may only see one, but there will be many more, especially come spring/summer.

We had 'A' mouse, took Hugh Fernley Whittingstall's advive and calmly asked them to leave my shed and move to the bottom of the garden, I then stood there for five minutes in the shed doorway whilst EIGHT mice walk round the shed and out of the door. I am not joking, it was unreal.

Unfortunatley, they decided to move into the attic instead. Suddenly, Mrs.D, who incidently would not hurt a fly issued the command to get rid of them. They were keeping us awake dancing in the loft and making a right mess. I tried in vain to trap them in an expensive live trap, not a chance and so in the end have had to resort to the usual snap traps , don't like it but at least its quick.

To date I have had 32.
So don't put it off, I know that they are cute little things but tidy up, move them out and don't get caught out with the 'I don't mind the odd one' syndrome.

Darren

Thanks for that D - I know I was being soft, but you've persuaded me. Will get OH to get some traps tomorrow from work. DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Ive just found two traps in our lecky meter cupboard. What should I put on them/in them? I remember something on tv recently saying that mice dont like cheese but cant for the life of me remember what they do like! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

We made the mistake Dexter of thinking that they were just in the loft and we could live with them. Didn't want to kill any. Bad mistake - 8/9 months later we were just overrun with them, even in the house and we had to get rid of them big style. Tore us apart having to do it, but had we acted sooner it would have been far better - for them and us.
We tried traps, but there were so many of them we had to get the Council's Environmental Health to give us the powder. It is apparently more humane, and they do not die on your premises, they go outside looking for water.
And if you've ever had a dead mouse trapped under the floor boards, boy does it smell. Been there, done that too, unfortunately. Part and parcel of living in a old house next to a farm.
Good luck - hope this helps.

Thanks JA - I suppose I could always send Ramsey and Crosby the cats in there, but to be honest they would probably be frightened to death! Traps it is. DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

They love chocolate. Think I was a mouse in a former life. They also love peanut butter. You're doing the right thing by getting rid. Don't beat yourself up about it.

I got up one morning to find a lovely field mouse in our bath. It was very frustrated at not being able to climb out. I'm not too sure why it even ventured into it as it was actually clean .
After about 5 mins I managed to catch it in a shoe box (appropriately a pair of boots made by Cat ).

No, definately be rid. It's one smell I'm really sensitive too (oddly I can't smell off milk though) and it turns my stomache. We had a hamster for a while (before he escape to live the free life) and I was forever cleaning the poor think out as I thought he stunk even though he was pretty clean and no-one else could smell it

When we first moved in there was a mouse in the house that ours cats 'disposed' of, but despite the smell, when we finally got through the boxes and bags of bits, it had made nests in our stored clothes and pee'd on them, and chewed holes in lots of our possesions that needed to be thrown out.

I'm all for doing it a humanely as possible, but wouldn't put up with them in the house.

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

We used to live on the edge of village, farmland all around and various wildlife/cats.
We had field mice indoors one winter -came in through the air bricks we think. Humane traps dealt with them, but I'm sure they came back in again! Somehow fieldmice don't feel so horrible as housemice, but worst of all were the rats.
Compost heap near shed = NoNo. they had a whale of a time, so we had to get Environmental men out. Bait got rid fairly quickly.

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

I'm quite happy to share with most creatures and really don't like to kill anything But Rats, Mice and Rabbits - take action at the first sighting. You may only have one this week, but leave them and you'll have a million next year.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

OH has got me a metal dustbin with lid from work and we've got the traps. Will set them tonight.........now if only I could wrestle the chocolate from my OHs sticky mitts to put in the traps! DDL Tonights the night.

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

HI ddl

As far as bait goes, there are so many opinions its perplexing. Try different ones on different traps. Ours actually had a penchant for hard white cheese, but on my fathers lottie, they would only eat chocolate. Peanut butter is supposed to be good but its messy enough without it in my opinion.

Just please remember that cleanliness is sooooo important. Rodents carry weils desease and so wash your hands before you touch anything, particularly your face.

Good luck and let battle commence ( whoooo, do you think you are kidding mister hitler )

Darren

Hi D - thanks for the advice! Got my bird food cleaned up and in the metal dustbin - OH put the traps down (I said I wasnt going to be responsible!! LOL). Haven't checked them today - think Im going to have to get OH to do that - if I see a squashed mouse will scream the place down! DDL
Just realised D you live downt' road in wigan!
No results as yet (OH has just checked)

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

No news! the traps have been down for a few days now - just one fat slug who now RIP because he/she tried to eat the cheese in one of the traps! The other trap is still there, ready and waiting. Good news is, I actually got up enough courage to take a peek! DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Guess what happened to me this morning at 630am?

I was going to feed the birds, had my bucket of food ready, put in my feeding thingy, and had a very strange sensation up my sleeve.....bit like ticking or my skin crawling.....

next minute a mouse shoots out of the neck of my tshirt and top!

It wasnt just the mouse that was squeaking! I let out an almighty yell, it flew across the yard and hit the garage wall - to be fair I was screaming that much I didnt see much else! I dropped the glass container which went smash, I ran into the house screaming and ripping my clothing off! Not a pretty sight at that time in a morning I can tell you!

At least Ive found where it/they have been living since I cut off their food supply with metal dustbins!

OH has instructions to get mouse poison asap. Sorry folks, I dont want to do it but something has to be done - I couldnt cope with that again!

It could have been a lot worse, the poor little bugger could have bitten me, as it was I was very lucky!

Bernie aka Dexterdog

PS It took my mind off my forthcoming visit to the dentist this afternoon I can tell you!

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things